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?

Food diary is a good idea. It could be the painkillers if you have a sensitive stomach.

It's well known to cause gallstones. I didn't know either until it happened to me when I lost weight and the surgeon told me.

Gall bladder issues are not always caused by obesity - my Size 6 niece and slim athletic best mate both had horrendous gall bladder issues, the former resulting in emergency removal. One size does not fit all !

Abdo pain that worsens on an empty stomach can be a gastric ulcer. Have you been taking nsaids like ipuprofen for your knee pain? This increases the risk. Sorry if this has been covered- not rtft.

Also do you have reflux issues? If it happens when you are eating less could be you are producing too much stomach acid on an emptier stomach.

I do take ibuprofen for my knee. I had some at lunchtime yesterday. I didn't have issues with my knee last time I dieted and had the stomach pain so wasn't taking ibuprofen regularly.

I don't have any issues with reflux but I do get excess acid if I don't eat enough. The Gaviscon does help with that as does drinking water or having a small glass of skimmed milk. This pain is different to that, it's much more severe and nothing seems to help but time once it starts.

I also second (or third or fourth) a gall bladder issue or possibly a hiatal hernia.
I had GB issues and a sliding hiatal hernia at the same time.
Salad - particularly cucumber - kicked pain off massively. I'd be vomiting and sweating for hours after eating. It was a double edged sword in two ways.

Whatever I ate being mindful of my gall bladder set off my hiatal hernia and visa versa.
If I ate after about 8pm (even a slice of toast) set the pain off but if I didn't eat, hunger pains also set it off.

Took me 17 weeks off work and losing 3.5 stone in the same timeframe for the GP to refer me to the hospital for further tests.

Go back to the GP, and back and back.

That's interesting. Salad and fruit are pretty much my staple diet when trying to lose weight. I might try switching to veg instead and see how that goes, salad is just so much easier and quicker to prepare but a bag of frozen mixed veg would be OK. I'm not sure how I feel about veg and a jacket potato. I might have to also get some frozen chicken or fish to have instead.

TomeTome
You went to the Dr to hear what could alleviate your pain. The Dr says weight loss is the solution. He has prescribed drugs to help you lose weight. You would prefer painkillers but presumably weight loss will work better? Sometimes the treatment isn’t fun but that’s what you need to do.
The medical profession know well by now how to treat things in tandem, and they know the easier way to treat the bigger problem is to get the resulting issue sorted alongside/ first. The gp didn’t even give/ talk about pain medication- for all op knows they forgot the knee in their crusade to change op’s life!!!

There is obviously more to this, it’s not logical you’re in utter pain unless you eat Greggs sausage rolls and chicken nuggets op.

So you should be able to request from your GP (via the e-consult system if necessary) and referral to a dietician, to a weight loss programme and, in many areas, a 12 week free membership at the local community gym?

I’d like to think that many/some GPs are unaware of these referral avenues, but there is a chance some are just too lazy - or have absorbed the ‘eat less/move more’ tenets which lead them to think anyone over weight is at fault (they only do 1 week on nutrition in most medical degrees, I believe). It really isn’t good enough given how many ailments sen by the NHS/GO practices are weight related and thus avoidable. They should be forced to do CPE training on this.

I think you aren't giving the meds enough time. You need to take the omeprazole/ Esomeprazole daily for 2 weeks or as prescribed. On top of that, chew an antacid if any pain or after eating. I can't recommend Tums enough. They are fruit flavour and I find so much nicer and easier to stomach than gaviscon.

Also, the NSAID (Ibuprofen) will be harming your stomach.

I assume you were examined when you had the pain. My GP explained to me why my examination indicated that it wasn't gallstones and diagnosed an ulcer. The pain is in slightly different areas. In fact, my sister and I were having high stomach pain at the same time, but there were subtle differences. She had gallstones, I had an ulcer.

It's not logical but I promise it is true. I only ever get this pain if I am trying to lose weight. I don't have any digestive issues at all when I am not dieting.

I don't just eat chicken nuggets, garlic cheese bread, and sausage rolls when I am not dieting but they do make up the vast majority of my diet. I'll also eat out, eat homecooked food (Hello Fresh meals or homemade curries/spag bol/chilli, etc) and eggs and salad, although hardly any fruit and nowhere near as much salad.

When I am dieting I do tend to stick religiously to fruit, yogurt, tuna, salad, and jacket potatoes with a few bowls of porridge or sardines on toast if I'm feeling brave.

It could be the change in foods when your dieting is causing issues, the shift to no fruit and veg to loads might be too sudden. Could you slow down and add different fruit and veg more slowly, give your gut time to adjust.

Gallstones are the gift that keeps on giving at my heaviest I was over 17 stone , I got on a strict diet with lots of exercise. It worked a treat, 3 meals a day but no more than around 1250 calories, swim, aqua then gym when I was fitter. I was sleeping well, my skin was better, at the point I had a huge gall bladder attack I'd lost 3 stone, the nurse said it was likely the weight loss that caused it. I've had my gall bladder removed and it was just one giant stone. It's like you can't win.
I'm back to healthy BMI although top ish end and I'm aiming to lose a little more. I do 1500 calories a day during the week and gym/aqua/spin 3/4 times. It's taken a long time and hard work, but I no longer have the pains (although mine felt like chest/shoulder rather than stomach), my back doesn't 'go' like it used to and I've just got back from a holiday where we walked/hiked 25000+ steps a day and I feel great and don't ache at all. My gall bladder was triggered by fried food or cheese. A colleague's was worst with tomatoes. You need to track a pattern.

Of course the excess weight won't be helping the knee, but I can't believe they haven't tried to figure out what's going on with the knee anyway.

I'm not in this country, but when I had hurt my knee I self referred to an orthopedic doctor, who examined it and did an MRI. Turns out there was a tear which needed surgery to fix. It wouldn't have got better with painkillers and physio alone, even if I had lost weight.

I am overweight and the knee doctor never mentioned it once. My GP is the one who advises me on the weight issue.

Can you afford to pay for medical care? I would suggest go back to the GP first to explain the stomach pain, and be clear on your expectations around the knee pain.

If that doesn’t work then

• private GP for the stomach pain
• private physio for the knee pain

I would also suggest topical ibuprofen gel for the knee pain, rather than using tablets.

Gall bladder pain is caused by stones or sludge.

Stones are more likely in women who are overweight, that is true. They can also develop or get troublesome once someone loses weight.

Gall bladder pain isnt caused by 'obesity', but there are lots of complex circumstances around it

Gall stones and bladder issues can also cause acid reflux, the two can interplay.

Which is what made me wonder if it’s anxiety,psychosomatic . That you’re in such pain unless you eat things like sausage rolls and chicken nuggets. The mind is a very powerful tool.

When I had gallstones attacks it was dairy related. Your day menu of yogurt and cottage cheese would have floored me. What was on your wrap?

I literally had to eat no and I mean no fat at all to avoid attacks. Any tiny bit of fat would have me at the hospital because I couldn't keep water down.

Can you do anything like water aerobics? I had back surgery in my 20s and couldn't do any impact exercise so was advised as part of physio to join it.

People spend a lifetime dealing with the impact of disordered eating….I’ve cared for people who sadly lose their lives because of it but for the majority (like my own family members) they experience the sort of physical consequences that you have been going through. That doesn’t excuse the professionals who are not treating you holistically but it’s far better to try and seek support whilst it’s possible to avert these consequences. That three months of orlistat is no better than a sticking plaster if you never receive any psychological care. You are just going to be in a vicious cycle if you don’t get the right help for your stomach pain so I do hope you can get the Dr to look into it properly.

Don't know if this is helpful, @Frequency , but my DH was told by the doctor that the big carton of orange juice he drank every day was probably responsible for his abdominal pains. He stopped drinking it and they disappeared. Maybe try cutting out citrus fruits?

Op. Eggs were the one food that set my husbands gallbladder going every single time. Zero fat used. Eggs. So I would say it's likely your gallbladder. He went on a zero fat diet but those eggs could end him up in A&E. Gallbladder is gone now and he's OK but keep pushing for a scan.

Rapid weight loss is a known trigger for gallstones and gall bladder issues so it may be that.

Other possibilities are heart issues/ulcer/heartburn etc. I would definitely seek a second opinion

An in-law of mine gets the type of pain you describe when they eat lettuce. Could it be some of the salad stuff you at eating to lose weight! As others have suggested, a food diary and elimination plan might be helpful.