DEAR DR. ROACH:
I’ve been experiencing pain in my chest, dizziness and shortness of breath on exertion. The chest pain lasts for a few hours. At one point, it was so bad that I couldn’t walk a hundred feet, had to use a cane and severely limit my physical activity. I’ve been to the doctor about this before. They take an EKG, which comes back normal, so they chalk it up to anxiety, then tell me I’m fat. (I am not unaware that I’m fat, but even when I was doing intense martial arts twice a week, I couldn’t lose the weight. And my physical therapist told me not to do yoga.)
If it makes a difference, I’m also a Type 2 diabetic and have fibromyalgia and PTSD. This is not the only issue that doctors have refused to treat, because they can blame it all on my weight. My diabetes went unchecked for a while because my doctor only wanted to tell me to lose weight instead of ordering blood tests when I complained about the symptoms.
When these symptoms happen, my friends tell me to go to the doctor, but they don’t do anything to change the situation. Why should I pay over $1,000 and waste a few hours for an urgent care visit and an EKG only to get told that I’m fat and anxious, when I can cover my chest with stickers, play on my phone and tell myself I’m fat at home for free? Who’s right, me or my friends? — S.T.
ANSWER:
I am very sorry to hear how poorly you are being treated. I have heard from many people that doctors do not take symptoms seriously in people who are overweight or obese. (There is strong evidence that this is true, and that women and people of color also are systematically treated worse. People with any mental health issue, such as anxiety or PTSD, are often disbelieved.)
While I understand that you are frustrated, your symptoms are very concerning. Particularly if you are over 50, they are highly suggestive of heart disease — especially in a person with diabetes, which increases risk of heart disease.
Given your poor experience, how much…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply