Fat patients

Are we allowed to call patients fat? Oh no!!! Not anymore.

'Ma-am, I think you maybe a wee bit overweight. Your BMI is 45. Ideally, it should be something like 25. Just a wee bit over the top.' - And, the patient leaves the clinic thinking - 'The doctor thinks I am overweight and HE is going to do something about it.' NO...HE IS NOT!

Last week, saw a patient with a BMI 0f 49. Gallstones.

Patient: 'Niggly pains in my back doctor'
Me: 'Your BMI is high.'

Patient: 'Pains not too bad doctor, just annoying sometimes'
Me: 'You are overweight.'

Patient: 'A scan showed gallstones doctor.'
Me: 'You are morbidly obese.'

Patient: 'I smoke and have diabetes. Do you think that's what's causing the pain doctor?'
Me: 'YOU ARE FAT! So fat that in a few years time your knees wont be able to carry you anymore. That is if you make it to 50 with the diabetes and that smoking.'

Patient: 'I am waiting for an appointment with the Weight Management Clinic.'
Me: 'What are YOU doing about your health?!'

Patient: 'I don't eat that much you know!'
Me (my brain banging itself against a wall that is my skull): 'Well, how much does this pain affect your life?'

Patient: 'I think I will feel a lot better if I had an operation to remove my gallbladder. I can't eat a pack of crisps without these niggly pains coming back you know.'
Me (feeling a trickle down my ear that is my brain melting down): 'You could die in the process. No - no operation for you. Go away and lose some weight. Shoo Shoo...'

Followed by a very emphatic dictation to the patient's GP and weight management clinic, which will be duly toned down by the secretary into Times New Roman on A4.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/03/17/doctors-ask-vets-to-scan-fat-patients-86908-20353642/
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23416709-details/Hospital+floor+can't+take+fat+patients+weight/article.do
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article593126.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article712496.ece