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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Too fat for health treatment

96 replies

Megthehen · 12/10/2019 07:25

Shocked by colleagues agreeing with this today. They have both had very significant (life saving) medical treatment and surgery on their not obese bodies which they think should be denied to me and others of higher BMI. They did say that they didn't consider me to be part of this group but I am and would be if clinical rationing continues or expands so that I and others are deemed undeserving of medical help.

OP posts:

EmmaGrundyForPM · 12/10/2019 07:30

What sort of treatment are we talking about?

There are reasons to not operate on obese people, as the risks are much higher. It depends on the operation of course.

I' have been obese in the past. If I gad needed an operation but was refused on the basis of my size I would have accepted that and it would have been extra incentive to lose the weight.

Quitedrab · 12/10/2019 07:33

Yes, completely outrageous. Fat people have a right to health care, same as everyone!

Teachermaths · 12/10/2019 07:35

The risks of anaesthetic are much higher in obese people. I agree that elective surgery in obese people should be subject to weight loss. Emergency surgery is obviously different.

The NHS won't do ivf on obese people as being obese lowers the chances of success. This again seems fair.

ColaFreezePop · 12/10/2019 07:35

Depending on the treatment if you are clinically obese you won't get it already.

Regardless work on ways to get you weight down and no it isn't easy especially with our modern environment.

TitianaTitsling · 12/10/2019 07:36

As above it depends on the surgery and how 'life saving' Imminent risk of death? That is why the NHS has bariatric teams, the significant risks that are entailed by a general anaesthetic reduced by a reduction in BMI and surgery can wait? Then people should take on the responsibility and offered support to reduce their weight before it's offered.

Surfskatefamily · 12/10/2019 07:37

I don't think from the NHS point of view you would be undeserving, but that very high bmi can be a higher risk to you. Or less likely the operation is a success. There are some operations such as transplants for example, which are given to the highest need but also taking care of you body is important. Such as not smoking, drinking, overweight etc.
They probably worded it it a hrah way for you to be upset. If you believe you will need this operation talk to your doctor to find out if your bmi is too high fof it and then you can take action sooner rather than be denied this later.

TitianaTitsling · 12/10/2019 07:39

are deemed undeserving of medical help. But it's not really that is it? No one actually says 'you don't deserve this' as pp it's the clinical risk including equipment and staffing requirements as well which are not always available.

Surfskatefamily · 12/10/2019 07:41

I meant harsh way (son climbing on me so hard to type)

TottieandMarchpane · 12/10/2019 07:41

So they were basically saying “Anyone who’s obese shouldn’t get a transplant/heart bypass/something similar. Oh but we don’t mean YOU, Megthehen, you’re not one of THOSE fatties...”

Don’t they sound delightful?

user1471462428 · 12/10/2019 07:44

From a nurses point of view many of my colleagues have problems with their joints from having to move and handle obese patients who have a “right” to healthcare. I do think that people should attempt to lose weight before elective surgery. It is one area where it’s incredibly difficult to speak out as you will be labelled a fat shamer. When you’re weight could potentially end someone’s career and impact on their health then you ought to try and lose it

swingofthings · 12/10/2019 07:45

The highest cost to the nhs is diabetes and other obesity related conditions. As we know, the nhs is in crisis.

Whereas I wouldn't never condone anyone not being entitled to nhs treatment regardless of their condition, I wish people stopped taking the nhs for granted and took more actions to be responsible for their own health.

The problem with obesity is that people can leave healthily with it for years, it's later that the impact of it will start affecting all aspect of their bodies.

The nhs is trying to launch a campaign to tackle obesity in a similar way it tackled smoking, but sadly, overeating has become such part of normal life in our society with too many people having lost sight of what is an appropriate relationship with food, it is fighting against societal norm.

But excluding obese people from being entitled to nhs treatment would be totally outrageous.

BoomBoomsCousin · 12/10/2019 07:45

Cost-benefit analysis needs to be applied individually. Obesity will be one factor in for some treatments but there will also be lots of others (age, for instance, can change the likely outcome of treatment). For some people some treatments will be much more effective if weight loss happens beforehand and in those cases they should be supported to lose weight before the operation and then reassessed if they are unable to manage that.

There should not be a blanket ban on treating people because of their weight.

SimonJT · 12/10/2019 07:47

Some medical procedures are riskier for obese people, some are also more likely to fail, such as joint replacement.

I have a friend who is an anaesathetist (have I spelled that correctly), she will not put patients out for surgery who are clinically obese due to the increased risk of death unless it is emergency surgery and the person would die without surgical intervention. From things she has mentioned many surgeons also have this view.

TottieandMarchpane · 12/10/2019 07:48

Surely OP’s thread isn’t about the rights and wrongs of surgery policy so much as about having obnoxious colleagues?

maddening · 12/10/2019 07:50

Yanbu, the ease at which weight is gained and the ease at which weight is lost is not equal for everyone, like you have people who are naturally slim and struggle to put weight on, you have people who just need to watch what they eat and it comes off and then you have people who can literally do everything right but the weight won't shift. On top of that there are those who gain weight do to medical conditions or mental illness.

Unfortunately these people are all demonised to the point the the populist position is that is is entirely acceptable to deny them medical treatment.

If you do this you should deny for smokers, drug addicts, anyone who drinks more than 2 units of alcohol in a 24 hour period, treating injury of anyone injured through a fault of their own.

HicDraconis · 12/10/2019 07:50

It depends on the treatment. We won’t put people with a bmi or more than 40 on the waiting list for a joint replacement, for example, because the risks and complications outweigh any benefit, and the stress of that amount of weight going through an artificial joint usually makes them fail far sooner than otherwise.

I have also seen a patient declined for hernia repair (not obstructed or strangulated) on the grounds that it would be too risky given their weight.

Depends on the treatment you’re talking about and the relative weights involved as to whether YABU or not.

ItMustBeBedtimeSurely · 12/10/2019 07:54

It's not about people being undeserving. With any medical treatment it's about weighing the risks and the benefits. When it comes to obese patients and surgery, the fact is that the risks are often higher and the possibility of benefit often lower. So, it does need to be considered. And if the person losing weight greatly increases their chances of a successful outcome, then delaying for that to happen is probably a sensible choice.

Juells · 12/10/2019 08:01

I used to know a nurse who worked in a place that specialised in surgical after-care, when people had had replacement hips/knees etc.. Her back was banjaxed from having to move immobile overweight people, and she had to leave work on disability.

TBH, I don't think AIBU is the best place to post this, as you'll get slaughtered.

stucknoue · 12/10/2019 08:04

It's not undeserving but if it's not an emergency, it's safer for the patient to loose weight first because anaesthetic is more dangerous and common life enhancing procedures like hip replacements simply are far harder to recover from. Theres special help available to loose weight. We are not talking about carrying a few extra pounds.... serious obesity needs treating first

londonrach · 12/10/2019 08:07

Its the risks op. Youve more chance of dying on the operating table and risk complications in recovery. I work in nhs and you have to weigh up the risks and benefits. If you going to die if you operated on its better not to operate.

ThatMuppetShow · 12/10/2019 08:08

If you do this you should deny for smokers, drug addicts, anyone who drinks more than 2 units of alcohol in a 24 hour period, treating injury of anyone injured through a fault of their own.

but alcoholics ARE denied quite a few procedures!

And let's not pretend obesity is due to genes, shall we, we all know that's nonsense.

BillHadersNewWife · 12/10/2019 08:09

If we're going to deny obese people treatment then we have to deny people who drink alcohol and smokers too.

Soon2BeMumof3 · 12/10/2019 08:11

It's about medical risk, not a moral judgment.

Also very obese people often have a low risk alternative to solve their medical problem - losing weight. Losing weight helps with knee problems, hip problems, heart problems, snoring problems, breathing problems etc etc etc. why would a doctor recommend a risky surgery without first exploring low risk/high benefit options such as lifestyle changes?

That said, pretty insensitive for your colleagues to discuss it in front of you.

ivykaty44 · 12/10/2019 08:12

Surgery is much more difficult & dangerous for someone who is overweight & unfit, unfit that’s fact and not opinion. It’s not good to have people not waking up from surgery, or passing away afterwards from the affects.

BillHadersNewWife · 12/10/2019 08:12

Muppet in many cases, obesity is due to an eating disorder.

Like Anorexics.

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