I was just chatting with David about my breast reduction surgery, and realized that twice in the last two years a doctor has told me I couldn't have a certain treatment because I was fat, I have pushed and had the treatment, and the result has been a complete or dramatic reduction in pain: first knee surgery that completely eliminated my knee pain, which my (now former) doctor didn't want to refer me for because of my weight--although the surgeon, when I spoke to him about it, felt confident the surgery would be efficacious for me, and it was. And then my breast reduction, which the surgeon initially told me he wouldn't do unless I lost 70 pounds first, and which has almost eliminated a 15-year headache. How many people are suffering because they believe doctors who tell them treatment won't be effective for them, or that they don't deserve it? I'm lucky I'm a pushy bitch.
And you know what? If I had listened to my doctor and not insisted on being referred to a surgeon for my knee (after months of ineffective physical therapy), I'd still be in a lot of pain, my mobility would be increasingly restricted, and they'd say it was because I'm fat.
/end rant
3 comments:
It is true weight reduction will decrease the load joints must bear and, so long as it's not disproportionately muscle mass lost, can get the joint a relative rest allowing it to heal on its own. The thing is if PT isn't working and you don't have the mobility to exercise much, it's very hard to lose weight that isn't disproportionately muscle mass. Now that you have a functional knee it will be much easier to exercise the muscles that support that joint. Good for you for pushing pass the doctors reluctance.
When I first read your post I actually misread it as "And then my breast reduction, which the surgeon initially told me he wouldn't do unless I lost 70 pounds first, and which has almost eliminated a 15-POUND headache." I thought, "No doubt her neck and head hurt all the time!"
I'm generally busty but with breastfeeding do fluctuate considerably. For a few months late last winter I was at my childbearing/nursing 13 year smallest of 38C but now, not even a year later am at a lifetime large of 38G. My neck and shoulder are *way* less tolerant of the smallest econometric and footwear sins. Chopping vegetables for very long at the wrong height seizes me up so bad my right upper arm becomes useless.
I appreciate hearing your results from breast reduction surgery. I'm definitely inconvenienced but certainly am not incapacitated by my "working girls". ;-) I can now look forward to seeing what changes the natural reduction that comes through weaning will bring.
I am so glad you posted this rant. I have accepted so many pronouncements from doctors about what can and cannot be done because I'm fat, and just accepted the blame for this or that problem because "everyone" knows that it has to be my own fault. To be honest, it never occurred to me that successful knee surgery was possible for me because I'm fat. Reading this I felt like I ran smack into my own internalized oppression and can see it for what it is. It's usually invisible to me.
I have two reactions, thinking about my experiences with the medical industry. I am grateful that never in my cancer treatment was my weight made an issue. When I admitted to smoking, the oncologists wanted me to quit immediately (although my primary care PA said, as long as you keep it down, you have bigger fish to fry than quitting smoking).
Though last time I saw my PA, she talked about some web site that helps meal planning and food choices, and I went away thinking, was she trying to tell me to lose weight? But she was so oblique about it, I didn't bother to be offended.
However. One of the questions I do not allow myself to think about too much is the way in which I submitted myself to the oncology industry. I did a certain amount of web surfing and reading, but mostly I trusted my doctors and did what they told me to do. I came out fine, so I'm not complaining about my good results. Maybe what bugs me is the passive feeling I have. That's why I worked with a nutrition/health counselor for a while, and have been trying to cook and eat differently. Because it's not about whether I lose weight, but about making active choices that promote my health.
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