There’s an article making the rounds in the bariatric community. Have you seen it? Here’s a little snippet (following the guidelines of the publication’s web site for the content to be shared):
XXL Patients
by John Kelly, IV, MD
From http://www.outpatientsurgery.net/
Our patients are getting bigger and bigger. Not only is the obesity epidemic to blame, but the abundance of food, protein shakes and the steroid craze are generating larger and larger patients. I worry when I do surgery on these behemoths because complications increase and exposures are truly more difficult.
See the remainder of this article here… August, 2011 Cutting Remarks.
You’ll be required to sign up for a free membership to get access to the complete article – which I think EVERYONE do. And then, after you’ve read it – and you’ve allowed the steam to clear – add a comment on just how irate you are about the content.
For those of us who have lived our lives as the MO or SMO sub-population – it’s no surprise when we encounter discrimination. Maybe what surprises us more is when we DON’T encounter it.
So I want to know – when have YOU encountered discrimination because of your size/weight? Let’s hear it! Because honestly – I’ve heard more than once in the past few weeks that discrimination against the MO doesn’t happen any more – that it’s a thing of the past. I’m pretty sure it isn’t, and I’d love you to help me prove a point.
Discrimination because of my size. Yup, been there for most of my life. Where do you even start? Not getting a job because you are fat, not getting the promotion even though you have proved yourself over and over, because you are fat. Not being talked at or to, because the person talking isn’t comfortable with your size. Being sneered at in the grocery store. Not really discrimination, per say, but close enough. Not being able to ride amusement park rides because you’re too fat. I see this as discrimination…skinny people, come right on in, fat people, sorry…too bad. Oh, and here is one that has occurred more than once in my life, not having my doctor listen to me, or say to me that the root cause of my problem is always due to my size. “Doctor, I have a hang nail.” “Well, Maddie it’s because you are fat!” “Doctor, I have this cut that needs to be sutured up.” “Well Maddie, if you were not fat and would lose weight you would not have cut your arm now would you?” Hell, even in the office I noticed that the skinny person gets the ear of the doctor, not so much me. And more as an observation, but men in general tend to hold the door for me now. When I was SMO I could have had my hands full, trying to grab the door and no one would offer help. There is a lot of other discrimination out there that comes in forms of having chairs that are not wide enough to accommodate a wide behind. And my big pet peeve is turnstiles. One way in, one way out and no handicap accessible door to enter or exit. Airline seats that are barely large enough for my size now at 160! Being charged for TWO seats on the plane….Maybe the airlines need bigger seats or accommodation for larger people. And lastly, my sister, who sadly didn’t ever want to be seen with me because of my size. She was embarrassed by me when I was SMO. Now? Well, now my sister is about 100 pounds heavier than me and doesn’t want to see me because I’m now thinner than her. Irony or karma?
Dina,
This man is guilty of amazing stupidity and the Editor of the medical journal is even guiltier. I see the lines got very blurred between this physicians actual practice and his idea of “Humor”. Apparently he also does “stand up comedy” and thought this was funny material. I suspect Penn State and their Bariatric department are frying his bacon in a big way as he really did put his foot in it. Unfortunate for all.