weight and feelings

exit96 · Jan 17, 2012

It's just people. I keep my hair butched and have people ask me if I have cancer. Who knows? some people just have a poor sense of humor...maybe they thought it was funny/ Maybe they are uneducated? We all have our biases I believe.

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Jan 17, 2012

They're probably jealous your so thin! The problem is obesity is a national epidemic, but the hospitals are not spending the money to provide safe lifting equipment to allow their staff to care for them without becoming injured! That is the bottom line! It seems like it will take a national healthcare law like the needle safety law passed during Clinton's reign to get hospitals to provide the lifting equipment and ceiling lifts that are needing for us to safely do our job! It is very frustrating and scary!

exit96 · Jan 17, 2012

So many double standards...like smokers are taboo, whether it's an insurance liability or whether it's that "we don't want patients to smell it on clothing" but we can destroy our backs lifting obese people...idk...

I've noticed a lot of comments on the site about people's frustration with obese patients. I've also observed that some people seem particularly irate toward the obese, while others are very defensive. I'm curious about how your experiences with weight (perhaps growing up) affect your feelings in the workplace currently regarding obese people.
Personally, I was underweight as a child and have experienced a lifetime of bullying by obese people. I won't go into great detail here, but even today, at age 35, I have people make nasty comments on my weight such as "twig", "puny", "frail" etc. I am NOT a weakling and it happens that I lift weights and am a very healthy 5'10" 130#, but nonetheless obese people feel the need to accuse me of throwing up my food, being anorexic, etc. I've even had some obese people remark that "maybe she has AIDS" or "maybe she has a tapeworm" and then laugh. I feel like I can't reply back with something nasty about their weight because we're told not to make fun of obese people.
Anyway, I know these experiences will affect my feelings toward obese patients and that I will have to address that. I'm wondering if anyone else has similar experiences and how you've handled it.

allnurses Guide · Jan 31, 2012

Hateful people are gonna hate. Usually it has much more to do with themselves than with you. Congratulations on having good health and maintaining it. I am sorry you have been made to feel scrutinized.

AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN · Jan 31, 2012

I, too have been underweight pretty much my whole life. I did suffer from anorexia in junior high and high school. It wasn't fun. Then I went through a period of gain. I never passed 160 lbs, but I felt gargantuan, it was the biggest I've ever been.

I'm having major issues with my weight gain during this pregnancy, to the point where I caught sight of myself in the bathroom mirror the other day and started squalling my eyes out. Poor DH. He has no clue how to handle this, he's at his all time high as well. We both have started back to the gym and are trying to do better.

As far as my feelings towards the obese (and the morbidly so), I had a 400+ pounder fall on me when I was a nursing intern, and it messed my back up badly. I have problems to this day. I don't have an issue with the size so much per se. But I do have an issue with obese people who take no responsibility for themselves, their health, the consequences of their actions/conditions, and refuse to try and help themselves (or the nurse) with anything related to moving or positioning when in hospital.

I guess my thought process is, if you don't care enough to help yourself, why should I get a hernia trying to help you?

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 31, 2012

i personally haven't seen many posts on this forum making fun of or being nasty to the underweight, but being obese seems to make one fair game for ridicule.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jan 31, 2012

What Ruby said. :up:

Although I do think it would be helpful to remember what our forebears taught us about making unsoiicited comments on anyone's appearance.......they're unnecessary, rude, and almost universally unappreciated by the recipient.

Off my "gramma" soapbox now.

DixieRedHead, ASN, RN · Jan 31, 2012

I look at it like this:

If Pall Mall Lights were fattening, I would weigh 700 pounds. I try not to judge other people's addictions.

wanderlust99 · Feb 4, 2012

I've been both. 5'8 115 lbs, size 2-4 and 250 lbs size 22. Let me tell you, society is rough on obese people. I've been a patient too, and we realize most don't like taking care of obese people. It's humiliating at times for the patient, so please remember to treat your patient as a human being and not as just another obese person. Obesity is an illness, and if you were given different life circumstances maybe you yourself would be obese, you never know. Never in a million years growing up did I think I would one day weigh almost 250 pounds! Never. (I've lost 60 of that, but am still overweight/borderline obese at 180) We feel bad about ourselves enough and yea...just have some compassion please. Thanks. And I'm sorry those comments were made to you, that is insane and incredibly rude and just in poor taste.