We have all heard about how obese the population is getting. And how Boomers are aging. And on and on and on.
Well, I may be almost 60, and I am morbidly obese. And I have lymphedema. But I still have feelings!
I got to thinking about this.
They can’t get an honest (or sometimes any) blood pressure reading on me because they don’t have a big enough cuff, and most of the nurses can’t take a good one, anyway. How about they way they say, without thinking, “Hop up on the table”. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t hopped in decades, much less up onto something.
Do you simply not treat the lymphedema patients who cannot wear compression hose, or maybe cannot afford it (at $400 for a pair, if they’re custom-made, which they have to be, if you’re this big)? Believe me, I want to lose weight. I want to get some exercise. But I can barely make it from one room to the next, and without PT, I don’t think I’ll be improving. What exactly are my options?
Now let’s talk about female annual exams. Have you pondered what it’s like to be unable to bend your knee enough to get your foot into the stirrups? And what about if you’re worried that you’re so big you might roll off the skinny exam table? Have you ever thought about how the whole exam process is set up for the doctor’s convenience, not the patient’s?
How many women just stop going? Thereby increasing the statistics for all women. It’s not right. I plan to query my doctor when I go on Thursday. If I am a valid statistic, and I think I am, then attention must be paid.
All the insurance coverage in the world won’t mean anything if people who need help don’t get it, because the doctors are don’t understand that dealing with an obese person presents its own unique set of challenges, above and beyond the challenge of the patient’s diagnosis.
Your in my thoughts and prayers. I can understand the frustration of not getting the medical attention one needs. Not for the same reasons as you, but still….
((Trece))