Overweight Nurse?

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Hello all, this is my first post to the site so I'm a bit nervous but I want some real answers from those in the field, and I don't want it sugar-coated as some of my friends/family may have been doing.

Long story short: I am morbidly obese (over 300 lbs) and have been working on getting in better shape over the past year. While I have lost some weight, it's a slow process. The reason for my recent determination, aside from WANTING to be healthier, is that I want to be a nurse (with all my heart) and I do not want my weight to limit me in providing top quality care to anyone. I also know the perceptions people have of obese people in the medical field (not to mention anywhere else).

In the meantime, I am just finishing up on my pre-nursing classes this coming Fall and have applied to the Nursing program (will find out by October if accepted).

My question: I am wondering if there is anyone else on this site that is an overweight nurse and what struggles they may or may not have. For those who are not overweight, are there any immediate issues you see with someone of my size?

Thank you for your honesty and any words of wisdom you may have. :)

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

I think it's great that you're wanting to lose weight not only for yourself, but for your future patients :up:

You're going to come across many overweight nurses. I think more problems come about in the long term by remaining overweight. Bedside nursing is an especially physically demanding career and if you were to remain at your current weight, you'll experience back/knee/foot pain that may start out as something temporary, but end up being debilitating as time goes on.

The immediate issues would be...well, how used to being on your feet for hours at time are you? That's something you're going to encounter in clinicals very soon if you're accepted. Do you become out of breath easily? There can be lots of lifting/turning/moving in nursing...how's your strength? I think those are the immediate issues you're going to encounter, just with nursing school.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

Hi and welcome to the site. I will say, for me I'm considered obese, but I also have PCOS which makes it difficult for me to lose weight. However, I am so fit. I eat plenty of veggies and lots of fruits. I've been working out more so I can be prepared for the physical demands of nursing.

I have an obese aunt who is a Nurse Practitioner. Her weight doesn't get in the way of her being an excellent nurse. She also teaches part-time in the nursing department at her local CC.

Glad you're taking control of your weight. Don't focus on being "skinny" just a healthy size you'll be proud of. Good luck to you.

Also, if you need any support while on your weight loss journey, feel free to PM me.

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Im not a nurse yet, but I know where you are coming from. I weighed 310 (my heaviest weight ever) on March 16th, the day I recieved my acceptance letter to nursing school. After crying out of joy because I was accepted, I cried because I was so heavy and scared it would cause problems for me in the field, not to mention I didn't feel qaulified to practice a health career if I wouldnt even be considered "healthy" by my patients and peers. I knew how bad I wanted to become a nurse, it is my biggest dream, so the choice to diet and stick with it was a no brainer. Like you said it does take some time, today I weigh 260 and my 1st goal is to be 250 when school starts in a few weeks. Then I figure If I lost 50 pounds from April to july, I have the whole two years of nursing to lose the rest. Its hard to say what your limitations are, my first test for myself was the BLS CPR course, which I did fine with. I was able to get on the floor and do all the compressions the thin girls could. That really made me feel better knowing if I needed to I could get on the ground and help someone just as well as a thinner person could. I also made sure I could be on my feet for 8+ hours. There's a bunch of little things that will help you learn your limitations, if any, and then you can tackle them one at a time. I wish you nothing but the best of luck. Remember that being overweight wouldnt make you any less of a nurse! Do what feels right in your heart :)

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Hi and welcome to the site. I will say, for me I'm considered obese, but I also have PCOS which makes it difficult for me to lose weight. However, I am so fit. I eat plenty of veggies and lots of fruits. I've been working out more so I can be prepared for the physical demands of nursing.

I have an obese aunt who is a Nurse Practitioner. Her weight doesn't get in the way of her being an excellent nurse. She also teaches part-time in the nursing department at her local CC.

Glad you're taking control of your weight. Don't focus on being "skinny" just a healthy size you'll be proud of. Good luck to you.

Also, if you need any support while on your weight loss journey, feel free to PM me.

I feel your pain. I have PCOS as well and it is VERY hard to lose weight!!

I think with nursing it would help you in your process of losing weight so long as you continue to eat healthy, you will be doing a lot of walking and moving around, I would think that would help!!

Good luck to you on your journey!

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Specializes in EMS.

Yet another PCOS chickie here as well....I was a fattie-size 26 at my highest. Thru trying everything known for PCOS, I was finally approved for endo ablation and it basically cured me. Down to a Size 9 now, approx 20-30lbs left to go. The weight sneaks on easy, and with hard work, it comes off slowly. Little by little you will get there, it will be very frustrating, having co workers look at you like you're disgusting, to having the old demented clients that outright say you are fat. All thru that, I have learned situations like that toughen up your skin quite well. There isn't a situation I can't handle due to the treatment I got from others while I was a fattie- it taught me how to handle my emotions of not crying in public and yelling back, being able to smile and laugh at anything. The weight loss / workouts / eating habit changes was the easy part. Getting rid of that constant negative commentary constantly running in your head was the most hardest thing to do. My trainer taught me the trick to getting rid of it-when you hear it (all the self-doubt you have about yourself) you go to a mirror and acknowledge it. I can't tell you how many gazillion hours I spent in front of the mirror saying to myself "I know I am a fat tub of lard, but this fat (I would grab my tummy) is going to go away. It is no longer accepted on my body". Doing workout video's-the voice that says "You might as well just quit, you will never make it thru this video". I would argue with myself and say " I don't care if all I do is walk the entire time (cardio kickboxing video) but I am going to move the whole time the video is on". Little changes like that, argue with yourself, if ya hear the negative voice creep in, acknowledge it and tell it to shut the ____ up, put a positive spin on it. Next thing you know, you will be like me-all positive thoughts and a belief that there is nothing out there that can stop me (next to God and death of course), and the barriers that are in front of me are ones that I have created.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

Mystic:

Can you tell me more about endo ablation that you mention. Currently, I stopped taking all medication for PCOS. You can PM if you like. Thanks.

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Mystic:

Can you tell me more about endo ablation that you mention. Currently, I stopped taking all medication for PCOS. You can PM if you like. Thanks.

yeah I just googled that myself.

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I also have PCOS, I was just diagnosed a few weeks ago. For the past 2-3 months I've also had a lot of problems with water retention so that's not helping either. I definetely want to lose some weight while I'm in nursing school and I'm dreading how I'll look in all white scrubs but I'll take it one day at a time. I'm not an overeater and I'm very light on my feet, meaning I can run, I don't have back pain and I can stand, lift and bend for hours without pain. I have a double whammy because my chest area honestly feels like it's heavier than the rest of my body some days LOL but I'm not going to let it bother me and no one in school has ever given me any problems about it at all. it's not about really being thin, but being fit and in shape. I don't have diabetes, I don't have high cholesterol and I up until recently I didn't have high blood pressure (this has only occured within the last 6 months for some reason)

During nursing school you may not always be able to go to the gym, so find some sort of exercise that really works for you and you can do in your house whenever you have a little break. For me it's jump rope, I usually do cycles of 300-500 jumps within five minutes (a result from my high school gym class lol) and it does help. Also find a snack you don't mind eating. For me I'm not a veggie lover, but I love fruit of pretty much all kinds.

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If you want to cure PCOS, cut out ALL sugar. That's the first and most effective step to take. PCOS is more and more being attributed to pre-diabetes and insulin issues (which is why Metformin is often prescribed). There is a great website that sells an e-book for a PCOS diet that lays out what to eat and not to eat - PCOS Self-Help Strategies and all-Natural PCOS Diet Book to Balance Hormones. Nutrition is your first line of defense!

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I was once morbidly obese, now about about 40 lbs overweight and still losing. I work as a nurse extern and am about to start my second semester of nursing school.

The biggest challenge I am finding is that there is NO time to sit down when I am working at the hospital. I definitely am getting back and leg pain and have determined I have got to get my core strengthened if I am going to be able to do these 12 hour shifts and will need to do all I can to improve my venous return. My feet hurt a great deal by the end of the shift; I can only imagine how much they would have hurt when I was around 300 lbs.

The other issue weight can cause is, depending on the facility you work in, those patients rooms can be very cramped for space. Between the medical equipment and the patient's and their family's "stuff", finding a way to squeeze in and get access to the patient is sometimes a challenge even now at my much smaller weight. It would have been near to impossible in some situations when I was bigger and the huffing and puffing from trying to squeeze, angle and negotiate my way to the bedside would have embarassed me a lot.

Good for you to know you have got to take care of this. I wish you the best of luck. It is a wonderful feeling to watch and feel the change as the weight comes off.

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Specializes in EMS.

It does help to cut out sugar, but that's not the reasoning for PCOS. Crazy hormone levels. Mine stemmed from 7yrs of birth control (which aided in the cyst growth). Quitting the bc did help, but once you have the cysts; they may pop on occasion, but you don't get rid of 'em totally. There isn't a book / website that I haven't read, a pill that I haven't tried, a specialist I haven't gone to (Mayo Clinic as well), a lab test that hasn't been checked (I have had every STD test and every possible lab draw known done at least 8 times over). From traditional medicine to every otc / homeopathic thing I have tried it all. The surgery was the last resort, and I was wait listed because I don't have kids and I'm not married. The endo ablation burns off the layer of the endometrium, done for people that have the horrid floodgates of hell of a cycle (which I did as well). The endometrium produces estrogen and progesterone (the two that were at really high levels for me). After the surgery, I was a completely different person! Be mindful though anyone thinking of this, as there are several different types / brands of Ablation that aren't good at all. Do your research. Assure Endo Ablation is the one I had in 2008, and if I had the choice of doing it again, I would do it in a heartbeat!

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