#fatphobic medicine

I’ve always felt really lucky with my doctor, but today really drove home just how much I lucked out with him, especially after some of the absolute horror stories I’ve seen.

I’m fat. Very fat, some would say. My doctor has never made me feel ashamed of that. He’s never dismissed symptoms I’ve had for my health issues by trying to get me to lose weight. And I’ve had plenty of doctors who do that.

Today I had a follow up for some blood work because I have an enlarged thyroid. My cholesterol is a bit elevated since my last test, but still in the ‘normal’ range. Not high enough to need medication, but still enough that we discussed some ways to lower it. He’s focused on diet because I’m physically disabled which rules out most exercise. He’s also ordering more tests to make sure that it isn’t being caused by a liver problem or anything like that.

Then he went on an angry rant about how fatphobic medicine is irresponsible and dangerous, and how a lot of patients who are overweight and have health issues are overweight because of the health problems, not the other way around. So patients like me with limited mobility, or people with pcos causing weight gain and that sort of thing.

I almost left the office crying because I’m so used to specialists being like ‘Oh yeah, your joints don’t work because you’re fat.’ as if I walk on my fingertips like a fucking horse, that even though he’s never been weight focused in my healthcare, I still wasn’t expecting him to be as supportive as he was.