Overweight Nurse?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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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. :)

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!

Birth control can cause cysts and/or PCOS? I've taken birth control for about 7 years and counting, so that's a little worrisome. I always thought the pill was prescribed to break up the cysts.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

Thanks Mystic for sharing that info. I'm assuming children was not something you wanted in the future?

When I was diagnosed about 6 years ago, I was put on bc pills, which is meant to regulate your cycle. It didn't help with any of the other symptoms I have. I'm no longer taken them. I'm basically relying on a natural diet to get PCOS under control.

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As in other aspects of life, you could expect subtle and not so subtle discrimination. One morbidly obese nurse could only find work from someone who was "accepting" (but with a price). Some people find it acceptable to make derogatory comments to, or in front of, the obese nurse.

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Specializes in Pedi Rehab,Pediatrics, PICU.

I think it all depends on your overall fitness level. I am very overweight (under 300lbs), and short. I too was diagnosed w/ PCOS (not too sure if accurate dx though, but wtv). Anyway, I didn't really have any problems while in school (worked n demanding medical care while in school), or as a pedi floor nurse. Honestly my biggest obstacle was squeezing into corners of the tiny rooms; but the smaller average sized nurses also had difficulty with that too. I'm not saying I can run a marathon, but I do walk faster than some of my smaller counterparts, my normal pace is what they call fast. I don't find myself out of breath on the unit or tired from standing/walking all shift. I've never been sore from pulling/pushing/turning pts and I worked on a specialty unit with 500lb pts.

That being said, I'v done heavy lifting, sports (mainly swimming/tennis) until I graduated high school and can still walk for long distances while carrying loads. When I relocated for work, my co-workers were astonished that I walked to a store 1.5mi away whilst being lost, shopped, and carried 35+ lbs of groceries home without a break (or cart to push them in). Many of them stated that they never could've done that.

Don't get me wrong, I do want to lose a lot of weight and am working on that now, but my size hasn't affected my performance in school or the workplace. I really think it depends on your overall build, strength, and fitness level.

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Birth control doesn't cause PCOS - endocrine imbalances do. Have you ever noticed that most women with PCOS are overweight (I'm not saying ALL, but MOST)? And yet massive numbers of females take birth control without getting PCOS. PCOS is highly tied to a problem regulating insulin, and if you don't get that under control, nothing else will help. Not only will you not get rid of PCOS if you don't get insulin under control, but you may get diabetes. Cysts on the ovaries are also related to uncontrolled insulin - cysts feed on sugar. This is why Metformin is prescribed for PCOS and has such a great track record for PCOS - Metformin is a diabetes drug. The uncontrolled insulin grows cysts and hinders ovulation. Women with PCOS have trouble getting pregnant, but with Metformin and diet changes many become pregnant.

Birth control only exacerbates the problem, as it adds chemicals into your system that work against the body's natural hormone cycles. Get rid of the birth control but first and foremost change your diet. Also try supplementing natural progesterone. I did this when I was trying to become pregnant and my cycles regulated after years of being irregular.

PCOS is a complex issue but you will save yourself a lot of time and energy and heartache if you understand it's fundamentally an insulin issue.

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Specializes in NICU Nurse.

PCOS and overweight chick here too!! I just wanted to say keep your head up and keep working on you. If you really want it, nothing is impossible :)

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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. :)

I just was accepted into a nursing program. I am 5'9 and 205lbs. . .now. At my heaviest, I was 275. I know how absolutely hard it is to loose weight. It takes determination and more will power than you thought was possible. My best advice is not to focus so much on the weight itself (though that is important too) but to focus on increasing you health. Even though I am about 75lbs heavier than one of my close friends I can run 2-3 miles and bike even more which she can't even dream of doing. While I might never be the recommended 146lbs I am healthier than I ever was and proud of how much I have accomplished. Every lbs you lose is an accomplishment and should be celebrated.

Good luck to you.

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Specializes in EMS.
Birth control doesn't cause PCOS - endocrine imbalances do. Have you ever noticed that most women with PCOS are overweight (I'm not saying ALL, but MOST)?

Birth control is linked to PCOS. I really doubt the Mayo Clinic is wrong about that. Birth control DOES cause endocrine imbalances-so you can prevent pregnancy. Duh. As we all know, there are a ton of different kinds of bc pills-depending on what they are based on-estrogen, progesterone, combination and whatnot. Some of the brands are really good for PCOS (symptom control and whatnot), just as some can make PCOS worse (by causing more cysts to form). It's all about the lab values of your hormones on what should work out best for you, and if you want kids or not. I never wanted kids so my decision was very cut and dry on what I wanted done, I had to try all the interventions starting with the least invasive to the most invasive, and I had to wait until I was 30 before they would do the surgery. I did try Metformin, but all that did to me was make my blood sugar levels crash (down into the 40's). Supposedly, that's not supposed to happen, but when the MD asked me about my workouts-it was of no wonder why I couldn't tolerate the Metformin. The one thing I wish about PCOS is that it would be cut and dry on what kind of treatment is the Gold Standard, but that will never happen as all female's bodies / hormones are all different. Just as I was told that ovulation never happens six hours before you "get broken" and that I couldn't possibly know when I was ovulating-well; I had to go in and get tested when I thought I was ovulating-and I was right every time. The only thing I can offer for advice is Listen to your Body, if it doesn't feel right, try something different. Keep an open mind, learn everything you can, and be willing to fight for yourself. My chart isn't marked "Caution, Hostile Patient" for no reason :eek:

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Specializes in Pedi Rehab,Pediatrics, PICU.

Um, not everyone diagnosed with PCOS has an insulin issue. I for one do not. My A1Cs have always been great, never had an abnormal CBG either. And when they treated me with metformin, I got to deal w/ 6hrs of hypoglycemia! Won't be taking that again. While it is

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Bonn_bai, you are right, PCOS is linked to insulin problems. True PCOS, that is, where there are actually polycystic ovaries. Why else would docs prescribe Metformin? What would be the point of Metformin otherwise? The problem I see is that doctors nowadays are pretty much labeling everything PCOS when they aren't sure what's wrong, whether they see cysts or not. Heck, I have seen patients diagnosed with PCOS who never even had ultrasound or anything to determine if they really had cysts. Come in with irregular periods and extra weight and you have PCOS. Period. Easy diagnosis. But not always correct. My two cents - true PCOS is quite often the body in a pre-diabetic state, not always, but the majority of the time. Good luck convincing people of that though, few want to hear it. :D Cheers!

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Please concentrate on the original question (What can an overweight nursing student/nurse expect to find in relation to her weight), and steer away from discussing personal medical information, specific diagnoses, and medical advice, all of which are against the Terms Of Service for allnurses.com.

Thanks.

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