Living ~400lbs

… and believe me I am still alive

Healthcare

  • Things That Derail My Everything

    Doctor appointments, like the 3 I had in 2 weeks. (Mostly it’s because I emotionally freak out about it. I don’t like that but that’s what my body insists on right now.) Medical tests, like the ultrasound I had during the same 2 weeks. (See above.) Doing more physical things around the house, which for… Continue reading

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  • Quote of the Day

    Hospitals are not neutral spaces for fat or queer people. Frequently they are places of immense judgment and mockery. Despite efforts to change, healthcare offices for many are reminders of what kinds of bodies and sexualities are most comfortably in tune with dominant patterns of social life. Like every other fat and/or queer person I… Continue reading

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  • On Hold

    Some doctors send me a post card asking me to make an appointment. Others send me a text message, or has a robocall tell me it’s time to make an appointment. So now I’m on hold waiting to make an ob/gyn appointment. I’ve got a sleep doc appointment for next week, presumably to check I’m… Continue reading

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  • QOTD

    From a profile of author Octavia Butler, regarding her death: “What happened with Octavia didn’t need to happen,” [Leslie] Howle continued. “Despite being the incredibly powerful person she was, she did not assert herself with her doctor. Even today, doctors discount women of a certain age and women of color. Some of it’s racism, some… Continue reading

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  • New Doctor

    New doctors tend to result in me being anxious. In this case, it was a new endocrinologist. Reasons include: new insurance doesn’t support the prior endocrinologist and the prior endocrinologist is a sole proprietor leading to delays for anything. New endocrinologist was selected from the group practice at the hospital system where I have everything… Continue reading

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  • Hi there, February

    January both took forever and was a blur. Insurrection. Impeachment. Inauguration. On the personal side, I had used all 18 months of COBRA by the end of December 2020, so I started new insurance in January. Thanks to Washington state expanding Medicaid via the ACA and me earning … basically a pittance in interest and… Continue reading

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  • No, Really, Treat the PROBLEM

    A comment for Treat Weight First? that I did not approve, but found striking for its ability to completely misunderstand, was: There must be some powerful drugs in that koolaid you’re drinking. You admit you are morbidly obese, you have multiple health problems directly related to obesity, yet you shun the doctors that are trying to help… Continue reading

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  • Treating Weight First?

    The Twitterverse has been busy talking about some new treatment guidelines for fatties. Ragen Chastain posted about a piece from Medscape called “New US Obesity Guidelines: Treat the Weight First,” which also has quotes from the lead author.  I also clicked over to the guidelines themselves. They start with an extremely helpful objective, to wit:… Continue reading

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  • A Hypothetical Doctor’s Visit

    Jasmine is waiting in the exam room and her chart shows that her weight today is up five pounds from her last visit two years ago, putting her BMI at 32. Her blood pressure was borderline high in contrast to the normal readings in previous visits. Although Jasmine’s labs were normal in past visits, they… Continue reading

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  • Some Things I’m Learning

    48 can be a little too young for menopause. Drat. Occasional spotting can be a symptom of a problem. Well, that I knew. But it does lead into…. Vaginal ultrasounds don’t necessarily hurt.  But when the tech is having trouble seeing the right ovary, and keeps poking around trying to see it, fuck yeah, it’s going to… Continue reading

  • Wheezing Around the Block

    One of the recent rants I moderated out of the comments included something* about how “wheezing around the block doesn’t count as exercise.” Wheezing is a symptom of asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, and other illness. Deciding that wheezing is only due to weight and only will be treated by weight loss is DANGEROUS. I do… Continue reading

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  • QOTD: USian Healthcare

    From currently unemployed teacher Diana Wagman, writing in the LA Times: Some 700,000 Americans every year declare bankruptcy because of medical bills. The number in Japan? Zero. The number in Germany? Zero. And the kicker?  It could be worse. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, my new insurance company can’t deny me because I had… Continue reading

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  • You’re SORRY? Oh fuck you.

    Dr. Peter Attia thinks about his former patient often, the woman who came to him in the emergency room at Johns Hopkins Hospital one night seven years ago. She was obese and suffering from a severe complication of Type 2 diabetes, a foot ulcer, which required an urgent amputation. At the time, Dr. Attia admits,… Continue reading

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  • Why I Think Declaring Obesity A Disease is Harmful

    It’s inaccurate: A fit fat person is usually healthier than a sedentary thin person. Obese people (BMI of 30 to 34.9) have no greater risk of early death than those of “normal” body size (BMI 18.5 to 24.9).  Most people who fit the clinical definition of obese are in the smaller categories. “Normal-weight” people who think… Continue reading

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About Me

Former software tester, now retired heart patient having fun and working on building endurance and strength. See also About page.

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