Doctors share what it's really like treating morbidly obese patients

31 August 2023 , 12:58

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Doctors are sharing their experiences of treating obese patients (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images)

Obesity currently affects four out of 10 Americans - roughly 41.9 per cent of adults, and 19.7 per cent of adolescents and children ,a according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And while weight and overall health aren’t always connected, it is often considered a cause of multiple medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, some forms of cancer, and heart disease.

Medics use a metric called body mass index (BMI) to determine whether someone is a healthy weight, however, it’s clear that this is not something that can solely be decided by a number. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to health.

Patients who are classed as obese or morbidly obese have a BMI of 30 or above and can sometimes be seen as a drain on medical resources as many illnesses can be prevented or eased by losing or maintaining a healthy weight. In a social media post, medics have been sharing what it’s like treating obese patients and the things they’ve learned along the way and the answers are eye-opening. Taking to information platform Quora, someone asked: “What do doctors really think of their morbidly obese patients?”

One person replied: “I had a 500lb patient recently and his wife asked to speak with me in private. She explained that when her husband was a kid, his dad would beat him, sometimes horribly and sometimes for no reason at all. His mum, doing all she could to help the boy, would comfort him with food. He grew up with an unhealthy connection between food and emotional well-being. When I see morbidly obese people, I think of that guy.”

Another user responded: “How do I feel? I feel bad for my morbidly obese patients. It’s no different than my lung cancer patients who have surgery but can’t stop smoking even though every study shows that they will do worse.”

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And a third person wrote: “I think of them as human beings. They know I would like them to lose weight. They know society wants them to lose weight. They know a large proportion of society hates and despises them and mocks them either openly or behind their back. I do discuss weight issues with them but if they have come to see me for another reason then I don’t. Obese people get poor healthcare because everything is blamed on their weight. Consequently, they get misdiagnosed, ignored, and inadequately treated. No one is going to want to see a doctor who lectures them every time they walk in the room. They do however feel ok with someone who is prepared to see them as a person, rather than a ‘morbidly obese patient’.”

Eve Wagstaff