I'm aghast at the unprofessionalism and unawareness I'm facing when dealing with my health professionals.
I've been seeing my PCP since I was 15. He knows that the only time my weight is within the by-the-books "healthy" range is when I'm half starved to death. He's seen it. So when I went to see him on Tuesday as a followup from my hospitalization, I expected him to understand why losing weight is not my top priority right now. He must have told me six times and six different reasons why I need to lose now. My broken foot will hurt less. My reflux will improve. I forget what else. First of all, all of that is utter crap. My reflux is the same that every person who has been through an ED faces when refeeding... it's my body relearning to digest food. My broken foot, without its boot on, doesn't even hurt! He's just trying to get me to want to lose weight now, which I obviously already want and don't need his help with, but my better judgment tells me to put it off while my body and mind recover. With the exception of the effects of starvation, I have literally no ill health effects due to my weight. Blood pressure, pulse, temp, cholesterol, it's all pristine.
That said, I'm switching doctors to one that my therapist/RD recommends, one that has experience with EDs, diabetes, psychiatry, all of that. We'll see how she goes. I hate to end blog posts this way, but I've had a long day and the words are simply done. No more. Maybe I'll be less anxious after my boys win the Superbowl :)
We have experienced so many unprofessional things from the medical community, I have nearly lost track. Some things that stick out in my mind: that my son is too cute to have autism, too social to have autism (he totally talks to adults but not so much kids), I have heard "I don't believe you" so often, i have started taking pics/videos of meltdowns, stims, etc.
ReplyDeleteStay strong and have faith that YOU know YOU. Good luck with finding a great new PCP who listens. I will keep my fingers crossed.
Sounds like you definitely need some new drs - sorry to hear it!! Kate
ReplyDeletePeople always want to squeeze their opinions into things. I'm glad to see someone who doesn't let inappropriate individuals like these alter how they think or perceive themselves. Kelly's right: the only person who knows you, in this situation, is you. They're there to shed light and reason on things, not to argue with you, or condescend, like you're a child.
ReplyDeleteMel, I would strongly argue that a doctor should not argue with nor condescend a child, either. I was treated horribly (I need italics on that...) by doctors as a kid. I feel like I should be able to file a law suit against them, though I'm sure "repeatedly forcing autistic child into melt down mode by touching/grabbing/poking without asking" isn't breaking the law. If you ask me, maybe it should be. Doctors need to treat ALL people with dignity and respect.
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