Whenever anyone asks me what is the top benefit of having bariatric surgery, I don’t have to think hard..
It’s my health being taken seriously.
What do I mean?
If you’ve ever been overweight, then you know where I’m coming from. As an
obese child, whenever I was sick, it was always blamed on weight. Sprained ankle,
asthma, eczema, lethargy, the solution was still weight loss. At seven, I had
my tonsils, adenoids, and uvula removed, the added benefit the doctor said: “the
soft food diet should help her drop those pounds.” It didn’t. Eventually, I avoided the doctor at all costs,
trying to feign well when I was suffering.
Nowadays, when I’m at a healthcare provider(HP), our conversations go like this:
HP: *reading chart* you had gastric bypass?
Me: yes, in 2002.
HP: that’s young! How much did you regain?
Me: I’ve kept off x lbs. My highest was X.
HP: Wow, that’s great. Let’s get some tests and see what’s wrong!
Still not entirely sure of the why? Is it because surgery is the most drastic action? Is it the side effects of rewiring your insides that have been shown to prevent certain diseases? Personally, I’d like to think it’s because I am in good health. But I know better.
Friends and family, some smaller than me, relay stories of long battles to diagnose PCOS, vitamin deficiencies, mental health issues, even cancers. The reason? Doctors told them weight loss is a panacea. Insurance wouldn’t cover blood tests or CPaps until X pounds were lost or enrollment in nutrition classes to show they could demonstrate “self-control.” Instead of compassionate care, they get shamed, pamphlets, and diet pill prescriptions.
Honestly, my weight rarely comes up as a cause. Even when I think it’s my weight. After my mother passed away, my blood pressure was rising, so was my weight. My doctor was rightly concerned. I tried to pass it off on weight gain. “Not so fast,” she points at my chart on the computer screen. “You were this weight 4 years ago and your blood pressure was great. That’s not it.” Must admit, that interaction made me like my doctor even more.
I’m not entirely exempt. First visits are
full of nurse’s assumptions that I must have diabetes and “awful” eating habits,
one bite away from a heart attack. For a
while, I had a doctor that required me to get my blood sugar tested. As someone
with reactive hypoglycemic who has never been even pre-diabetic, it seemed a
waste of time. Finally, I asked the
nurse, “Why do we do this every time?”.
“It’s your demographic: African American, female, obese.”
In the categories of people who get shoddy health care, overweight Black women, are really high on the list. Healthcare providers don’t listen to our concerns, brush them off, or assume our non-compliance. Personally, I think this for a lot of discriminatory reasons including race, gender/gender identity, and class. Didn’t realize how much class was a factor till they learn I’m an engineer. Canceling appointments are now considered “she’s busy” not “she doesn’t care about her health”, eating fast food infrequently no longer gets the response “Well you ought not to eat it at all”. No, now it’s “I know your job must be very demanding.” I often get passes for being an engineer and I still feel conflicted about that.
Being treated as a human being at the doctor, what a difference it’s made. I’m still obese but I no longer experience the level of fat-shaming in healthcare. Which goes to show you it’s not all about a number on the scale. Allot of is about societal “norms” and control.