Dr. will not treat patients over 200 lbs.

Tell the doctor's staff to start doing Cathe - that will whip them in shape.

Seriously though, that's a tough one. I've seen some nurses that are 5' and 90 lbs, don't think that they should be expected to assist double their weight. My husband is 205 and 6'5, he only has a little belly, I guess we would have to find another doctor.

When I went to EMT school - before those cool gurneys that auto lift - they were always putting the heaviest person on the gurney as part of the final test :). And we had to do the carry with the heavier ones, too.

So it it fair to the heavier folks? No - but it is the doctor's practice, and if he doesn't want to treat the heavier ones due to safety concerns, that is his/her call.
 
As a nurse in a hospital, I can personally say it IS very hard to help out overweight patients. The older and heavier they get, the less they move and depend on us to even turn them in bed (really). Its a daily struggle for us and there are times when it takes 2 of us to turn a pt. (btw, it took 6 rns to turn a 500+ lb pt to clean her)
Im not seeing, however, the struggles you would have in a doctors office. How much lifting would they have there to determine the doctor to not see pts in that setting? If the pt can walk (or wheelchair) into an office and sit in the waiting room -- then whats the problem?
 
another nurse here and the size of patients is one of the reasons I started heavy weight lifting over a decade ago. I'm 42 now and have to stay in shape cause I lift 300 and 400 + folks. I have seen way to many nurse with back injury cause they don't know body mechanics and just don't have the upper body strength for a over weight population. I've had 250 lb muscle men fall on me and I was able to hold them up and slide them to the floor instead of them just hitting the floor. ALL nurses need weight lifting.:)

We now have lots of hydraulic lifts and stuff but in the E/R with don't have time for that stuff its 1,2, 3 everybody lift.

I also happen to be one of those nurse that practice what I preach. I seriously have issue with over weight medical folks. I don't expect everyone to be able to do a Cathe workout but they should at least keep a walking cardio routine and keep a low body fat -

as for the doctor refusing over 200lb that excludes a lot of very fit men but I can generally understand where they are coming from

I still remember my first morbid obsess patient in 1991. She weight 420 pounds at 5'4". She couldn't do anything on her own in a healthy state but after a abdominal surgery - where she had a 2 foot horizontal incision (lots of fat just to get to her organs - it just would not heal. It was left open where we manually cleaned out the would 4 times a day. Its just completely sad. I've seen way more since then.
 
As a person that believes in the freedom to make your own choices, especially in business, I support his choice. However as a patient, I am personally tired of the attack against overweight and obese people. It's enough and honestly, it's the only form of discrimination that isn't taken seriously. You couldn't object to seeing someone based on religion, race, gender, or age (ok a Peds Dr couldn't see an 80 yr old), why is it ok to say "sorry fatty, you're too huge or disgusting to take on".

To just put a blanket statement out there that all people over X weight are out is IMO, an oversight. Not everyone is globulous and weak and it's insulting to larger people around this country to assume that. Hell, many female olympians are over 200s. I saw a photo a few weeks ago of different athletes that range from 98 lbs to 400 lbs (all female). Don't label someone because of their weight or size and it's narrow-minded to do so.

But again, it's his business and he can define the parameters at which he operates. I do respect that.
 
I agree that it's the doctor's decision to not treat larger patients. I do however find it sad that she has made that decision. Some people who are obese may have a medical condition that has made them that way. In addition to this, it is very likely that an obese person (regardless of the reason for the obesisty) will require extra medical attention today or in the future. It seems that this policy will turn away the patients that may need her help the most.
 
suethepooh said:
From the horses' mouths:

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

This woman isn't "a little overweight" as she says. She's obese. There is a facility nearby that she was referred to that would be more appropriate. Medical professionals should take action to avoid liability both from patients and workmans compensation claims.
Click to expand...

Wow, everyone has really good points.
Suethepooh, right on; doctors and all business should stay within their means of qualifications and direct patients to a more suitable facility.
It might not have been a decision eagerly made, but one made with sad realization instead.
 
There are a lot of healthy people who are 200 (or+) pounds that do not require the help of nurses or assistants to move or carry them while visiting their doctor. Personally, I know that neither of my children, my husband or myself have ever needed help being carried or moved while at a doctor's office, especially when we are typically there for such standard ailments as the common cold, the flu, a yearly check up, sinus infections, menopausal symptoms, allergies, standard exams etc... To refuse to fill a prescription for anti-biotics because you weigh 200 or more pounds makes no sense to me at all.


IMO, to refuse care of anyone who is 200 pounds or more is discrimination, pure and simple. She likely refuses to see individuals based on their body weight - because she can. If she was my doctor, based on the rules she has communicated, I would refuse to see her any further. Alternately, I would find myself a new doctor who values people for who they are - just because she should.
 
Doesn't this eliminate a lot of very it or minimally overweight men from her practice?

Stebby
 
tralaiven said:
We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
Click to expand...

I respect that. However in states all over this country, you cannot refuse services to Gay Couples planning a wedding or civil union, even if it violates your religious rights. You can't refuse service to someone based on race or religion. But yet again, when someone is too fat, it's ok.
 
People are protected from discrimination because their unique circumstances are mostly unchangeable. Gender, sexual orientation, religion. Obesity is mostly a lifestyle choice, a bit like smoking. Of course there are exceptions but most obese people could choose to live a lifestyle that keeps then within healthy weight limits.
 
suethepooh said:
People are protected from discrimination because their unique circumstances are mostly unchangeable. Gender, sexual orientation, religion. Obesity is mostly a lifestyle choice, a bit like smoking. Of course there are exceptions but most obese people could choose to live a lifestyle that keeps then within healthy weight limits.
Click to expand...

You couldn't be more if you tried. Sexual orientation is still up for debate medically speaking. Research goes back and forth all the time. Speaking of, it also does so with weight. There are many, many factors for one being over weight. A lot of overweight people have good to great lifestyles and make balanced choices. However, once one becomes overweight, it's not as simple as calories in vs out. It's just not. Metabolism is a huge deal and if your's is in the hole, it can take years to get it back to where it needs to be. Dieting, lower calorie levels, extreme exercise, or even overtraining for that matter with time can cause the body to retain and actually gain weight despite sticking to the numbers. People assume that because someone is fat, they can change it. Therefore it's acceptable to discriminate. You can change your religion. You can change your sexual identitity and orientation. You CAN change those. Do you want to is the question and no one would at least in the USA would ask someone to change thier religion. You can even have surgeries to physically change you sexual identity. What about them? We can't discriminate against transgender... yet they CHOOSE to change. How is it fair to assume a larger person is a slothen pig and doesn't do the "right" things in life, therefore they get what they deserve?! Unless you walk a day in the life of each and every person that you are making this assumption about, you can't. It doesn't matter if someone here lost 10 pounds or 100 pounds, you are not in others shoes. And even in situations when people can choose a different lifestyle, one that others might deem as healthy, it still doesn't give anyone the right to point fingers, look down there noses, and slam doors in there faces.

We can't control our genetically given skin color- we can use bleach or we can tan. We can't change the fact that we are growing older. But everything else technically can be changed, especially with the medical and surgical advances we have today. It's a matter of wanting to or not. Why should some groups get a "pass" and others be written off?

Makes no sense and it's very hypocritical.
 
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mrsprincess07 said:
You couldn't be more if you tried. Sexual orientation is still up for debate medically speaking. Research goes back and forth all the time. Speaking of, it also does so with weight. There are many, many factors for one being over weight. A lot of overweight people have good to great lifestyles and make balanced choices. However, once one becomes overweight, it's not as simple as calories in vs out. It's just not. Metabolism is a huge deal and if your's is in the hole, it can take years to get it back to where it needs to be. Dieting, lower calorie levels, extreme exercise, or even overtraining for that matter with time can cause the body to retain and actually gain weight despite sticking to the numbers. People assume that because someone is fat, they can change it. Therefore it's acceptable to discriminate. You can change your religion. You can change your sexual identitity and orientation. You CAN change those. Do you want to is the question and no one would at least in the USA would ask someone to change thier religion. You can even have surgeries to physically change you sexual identity. What about them? We can't discriminate against transgender... yet they CHOOSE to change. How is it fair to assume a larger person is a slothen pig and doesn't do the "right" things in life, therefore they get what they deserve?! Unless you walk a day in the life of each and every person that you are making this assumption about, you can't. It doesn't matter if someone here lost 10 pounds or 100 pounds, you are not in others shoes. And even in situations when people can choose a different lifestyle, one that others might deem as healthy, it still doesn't give anyone the right to point fingers, look down there noses, and slam doors in there faces.

We can't control our genetically given skin color- we can use bleach or we can tan. We can't change the fact that we are growing older. But everything else technically can be changed, especially with the medical and surgical advances we have today. It's a matter of wanting to or not. Why should some groups get a "pass" and others be written off?

Makes no sense and it's very hypocritical.
Click to expand...


Okay, I specifically was trying to not offend anyone in my post. I apologize if I've hurt anyones' feelings, that wasn't my intention. The original link for this story didn't tell the whole truth. It said that the doctor had stopped treating people over 200lbs. The truth is she stopped taking new female patients who weighed more than 200lbs. I don't know what the cut-off mark is for men. So let's talk only women here, you have to be taller than 5'8" in order to be 200lbs and just "overweight". I was never talking about overweight people to begin with. I was talking about obesity. You know, that classification where the life insurance books say you're at increased risk of lifestyle related diseases and a higher risk to them making money.

Of course there are medical reasons why a person could be overweight/obese. Of course one can change their religion if they so choose. I'm not going to address trans/gender preferences as that seems to be a bit of a red herring. We don't live in an absolute world. The point is that our society has found obesity to be a condition that carries health risks and is to be avoided, like smoking tobacco. There are lifestyle changes that even most medically challenged people could make to bring themselves back in line with healthier outcomes.

I never used the terms "fatty", "disgusting" or "slothen pig". There is no moral judgement here.

mrsprincess07 I wish you all the best with your pregnancy and beyond :)
 
mrsprincess07 said:
I respect that. However in states all over this country, you cannot refuse services to Gay Couples planning a wedding or civil union, even if it violates your religious rights. You can't refuse service to someone based on race or religion. But yet again, when someone is too fat, it's ok.
Click to expand...

Well, I can appreciate that....but my husband is a Bible-believing pastor, does not hate homosexuals, but as of now, does not have to perform a wedding for them and will not perform a wedding for them. This is simply because he believes the Bible is true and what it has to say about homosexuality. And again, he has no hatred for them.
 
It's very different here in Canada. I am doubtful this doctor would get away with refusing to care for female patients weighing 200+ pounds if challenged before a human rights tribunal or under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Moreover, being obese is not simply a lifestyle choice that is quickly changed with exercise and better dietary choices. It is a far more complex issue than that - which I am certain most of us understand.

I would be interested to learn, however, how this doctor arrived at the clean and even number of 200 pounds (what's her cut off number for men?). I mean what is the significance of 200 vs 199 when writing a prescription or listening to someone's chest with a stethoscope? When working with clients/patients/vulnerable individuals etc, I believe it is vitally important to willingly reflect on one's own biases and values and allow them to be challenged. We are in these professions to help - not to harm.

I find it interesting how we can have such different perspectives on this topic, yet all still love Cathe at the same time. :)
 
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