To think I still deserve medical attention despite being overweight

[Frequency]

Every time I have a medical issue and seek help for it I get told to lose weight, which is fair enough, I understand that, but that is all the support I get.

For example, I went to the GP recently about crippling pain in my left knee. I can't walk far, I can't sleep, and it often escalates into shooting pains up and down my leg or stabbing pains in the side of my knee which make it really hard to concentrate on anything but the pain.

I was prescribed 3 months of Orlistat. Nothing for the pain in my knee, just three months of weight loss drugs and told to come back after I had lost 5% of my body weight to discuss my knee.

I've been on it for a week now. I still cannot walk or sleep and last night another condition I have had previously flared up which I think is related to the Orlistat/weight loss/diet.

It's something I have had previously, only ever when trying to lose weight. It's like a really sharp, unbearable pain across the top of my stomach. The pain is so bad it causes vomiting and shortness of breath. I would honestly rather spend the rest of my life in labour than to experience that pain again and now it's back. I've only had it once up to now but I know the pattern, it will become more and more frequent until I'm having daily attacks that last hours. If I seek help during an attack, then I know a Dr will take one look at my weight, tell me it is because of all the fatty food I eat, and send me away in tears to buy myself some Gaviscon and lose weight.

It never happens when I eat fatty food it happens when I try to lose weight but they never believe me.

So now I am stuck, I can either be fat and never walk without pain again or I can continue losing weight and have hours of childbirth-like pain every day.

AIBU to think it shouldn't be like this?

I saw this recently. Very interesting.

there’s an awful lot of condescending comments. Op you have been mistreated by your doc. Find another fast! No one should be in that much pain.
I once went to a doc for specific symptoms and he told me to drop drinking sugary drinks. I told him I drank black coffee, Greek mountain tea and lots of water. He just repeated the advice again deaf to what I’d said. And didn’t address my symptoms. So I saw another and got the treatment i required.

This is so not acceptable and you definitely don’t deserve not to be treated, I feel for you.

Diary is a good idea. Hats off to you for trying olistat. Far braver than I.

I think the pain relief gel suggestion is very wise. Or trying heat or ice?

Are you taking NSAIDs like ibuprofen for pain? If so the biggest side effect of these is gastric irritation. Also you are having a lot of fruit which is great but very acidic so again gastric-irritant. You may have a duodenal ulcer and if taking NSAIDs should be on a proton pump inhibitor to reduce the acid. Gaviscon acts more like a raft in the stomach sitting on top but doesn’t actually reduce the acid production

You should not be in this much pain, I woul definitely get a second opinion. It might help to go and see a private consultant, it would cost about £200 but you will get a good 45 mins of undivided attention from an expert who can then write recommendations to your GP. When we couldn't get any help from our GP this is what we did and it was brilliant.
You could also request an appointment with an NHS dietician who might help with your diet and may have an idea about what is causing you so much pain when eating. They should be happy to refer you for this.

I sympathise OP. I had bad hip pain and x-rays showed I had arthritis and was bone on bone. I was in agony and on increasingly strong painkillers which made very little difference. The hospital would not operate until I lost weight because I would be too high risk. I could not exercise because of the pain but I joined Slimming World and lost 4 stone. Just losing weight helped enormously with the pain. Then I had the operation which has changed my life.

I know it feels difficult but I felt so much better mentally once I started to take action to lose weight. I eat a really healthy diet now and every aspect of my health has improved.

So yes, your problems should be properly investigated and you should get painkillers if you need them. But you may also need to recognise that your weight is part of the problem and take responsibility yourself to do something about it. I say this with kindness as I have been in your position, but being overweight is very bad for your health.

Ask them for Ozempic next time maybe then they’ll start giving the knee attention

I can't vote because I do understand your conundrum but still think you might want to loose weight but also how this isn't helping with the pain you're experiencing! Would it help you to have a consult with a specialist in Internal Medicin, a complete bloodwork?

@Frequency my neighbour who could slip down a drain he's so skinny started with a knee issue, he thought old age it got so bad he couldn't drive. All this in two months. Last week he was in such agony his wife drove him to the hospital, they discovered fluid had gathered behind the knee, that was causing the excruciating pain. So if your onset is rapid I'd be looking for other issues.

As well as the orlistat really?

@Over40Overdating I hadnt read every post. She has had a yoyo diet history. Most likely due to diet culture which is unsustainable and scientifically proven to cause weight gain in the long term. Ultraprocessed food causes binge eating, causes weight gain, causes meantl health issues (proven through ita destruction of the gut microbiome). None of the books I recommend promote disordered eating. They promote eating real food in abundance but giving your body a break from eating for at least 12 but ideally more lile 16 hours a day which is easy enough to do and truely will transform your life over the long term. But it isnt a diet its a lifestyle. A lifestyle that we are designed to do. No harm has ever come to anyone by reducing ultra processed food , eating more whole foods and stopping snacking in the evening.

I was 9st 4lbs a few years ago and had horrendous pain in my knee. I was a size 10 but because of my height, the BMI scale said I was overweight and Dr wouldn't do a thing to help me until I was within a healthy weight range 😑

A GP cannot prescribe Ozempic for weight loss. And worth Orlistat would be a disaster.

Ultimately excess weight puts extra stain on joints and organs.
to expect an improvement in a week is unreasonable but you have to buy into the idea and lose weight because you want to and you see the benefits.
truth is if you do nothing it’s going to get worse.
Sorry if it sounds brutal but it’s the truth.
i was prescribed blood pressure medication but i lost weight and in 3 months didn’t need the drugs anymore, find a form of exercise that you can enjoy / accept and watch your diet - best of luck 😀

I understand this is a frustrating position to be in. A prescription for Orlistat and come back in 3 months is not the answer. Losing weight might be the answer to your knee problem, or at the very least might help but your doctor isn’t providing any advice or referring you to where you might get some weight loss support.

Instead of weight loss drugs, have you considered a low carbohydrate way of eating instead? Lots of information around, but I’d recommend starting with Diet Doctor and watching some of Dr David Unwins videos on YouTube.

Good luck and I hope you get the support you need.

Sounds like gallstones. But yes, losing weight can cause/prevent a lot of medical issues so people who aren’t helping themselves also aren’t helping the NHS.

Um, how many GPs have told you all your health problems are due to your weight???

They're only telling you that - so brutally directly - because you are headed for an early/ forseeable grave.

If you ask them what your life expectancy is - I bet you will feel pretty devastated when you hear how short that is.

GPs only get brutal about weight - when weight is the biggest factor in imminent or forseeable death.

You only get one life. You have choices. Maybe just sitting in an armchair and eating fatty foods is the choice you want to make for the rest of your life?

You're now on injections to lose weight - really expensive injections.

That sounds like your GPs actually want to keep you alive.

Maybe you should talk to them about therapy support or why you can't stop eating stupid amounts of food?

I had by gall bladder removed years ago after symptoms that sound exactly like yours. It was gall stones . I also found gallbladder issues had a huge effect on weight gain too .

Well @Frequency is on Orlistat.

My DM was overweight in previous years anr it has damsged her knees, hips and pancreas, also led to gallstones and high cholesterol.
She was giving all the meds in the world but nothing changed until she lost the weight. Gym everyday 1.5hrs and a complete diet change not over eating was the big change. Her diabetes barely there and doesn't need meds anymore just diet and exercise to control.

Medications can mask pain but not resolve the issue. So your Gp is right.

Gallstones is a result of chileatrol and liver issues caused by weight gain and unhealthy BMI.
You can be predisposed through famiky BUT you develop it due to diet and lifestyle choices. My DM had hers removed due to Gallstones as big as golf balls.

Sorry - it’s a typo - I mean WITH orlistat would be a disaster.

You're now on injections to lose weight - really expensive injections.

No - she’s on Orlistat which is a tablet and not especially expensive.

The pain you described sounds like gallstones tbh, get it checked out.

I injured my back last year - could barely move with the pain - and so tried to make a GP appointment. I knew I just needed some strong painkillers for a couple of days so I could rest it (it's hard to hold yourself in a 'good' position/stance when you're in a lot of pain, which just furthers said pain). Saw the physio instead, who immediately said being overweight wouldn't be helping. My exact response was:

"I absolutely appreciate and agree with you, and I'm addressing that, but I'm not going to wake up tomorrow 4 stone lighter, but I will still be in pain which severely limits my movement."

Physio gave me exercises to do, and arranged for a GP to prescribe the required painkillers.

Everyone saying about how losing weight is the answer - yes, of course, overweight people aren't stupid, everyone knows that will help. But it doesn't mean you should be in pain in the meantime - severe pain is severe pain, whether you're a size 8 or a size 28, it deserves to be addressed and pain relief prescribed, alongside measures to combat excess weight. Nobody should be in pain because medical personnel don't look past a number on a scale.