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?

Sorry OP, you’ve had some rude and twatty replies from some obvious fatist folks on here. Ignore them, seriously.

You already know you need to lose weight and it sounds like you’re in a good place with your ED right now, which is a positive sign.

However, if you’re having these debilitating digestive related pain attacks after eating, especially in the evening and more regularly when you’re dieting I would say it’s extremely likely that you’ve got some sort of gallbladder dysfunction, whether it’s stones or sludge, it’s very likely. I had gallstones for a decade, I tried everything I could to avoid surgery, but like you, every single time I tried to change my diet, particularly if I added in ‘healthier’ fats, it trigger gallstone attacks. These are exactly as you’ve described - utter agony and almost always in the evening.

Losing weight / being on a weight loss journey whilst trying to ‘manage’ gallbladder dysfunction is going to be incredibly challenging.

You absolutely must go back to the GP and demand an ultrasound scan to check for gallstones/dysfunction and ask for liver and pancreas function blood tests - these are standard blood tests and given the fact you’re having repeated pain and vomiting episodes it is the pathway they should have you on. Do not take no for an answer. You need to know as once you have gallstones, they don’t just go away on their own and typically get progressively worse over time. Given you are trying to do right by your health and lose weight, then the GP needs to actually support you by checking this. If you need to have your gallbladder removed, then the waiting list in England is bloody long (usually 12-18 months!) so this needs checking ASAP. Having your gallbladder rupture or a gallstone getting stuck in your bile duct can be gravely serious and shouldn’t be ignored.

I my experience, codeine is contra-indicated with gallstone issues. Once an attack starts, it’s very difficult to find pain relief that actually works. I personally found some relief with hot water bottle, heat pad and a TENs machine on my back as the pain would travel through front to back and up into my shoulder sometimes.

As for your knee, I suggest you start gently stretching, not just your knee itself, but your hips, back, arms, shoulders etc, get an exercise mat and commit to increasing minutes each day, morning and evening. I put on a podcast or music and just do it every single day now and after years of chronic hip pain, it’s so much better now (I am also overweight). Google ‘somatic stretching exercises’.

Please don’t be fobbed off due to being overweight. You deserve healthcare.

Good luck x

Not sure what you expect from posters.

If you are obese and at a size 22 you most probably are, your knee is protesting.
The way to fix it is to take the strain off it that's being caused by your weight.

Your GP should refer you for an ultrasound of your stomach/abdomen and possibly an endoscopy. Those are a minimum for continued and unexplained abdo pain. You need to insist on a referral for these tests.
it needs checking out.

If you are eating what you say, the weight loss should be around 1kg a week at a steady rate.

You need to be weighed to monitor the loss.

The wrap was BBQ grilled chicken and salad. I bought it from a shop as I was late that morning and ran out of time to make my tuna salad so I don't exactly know what was in it. A shit tonne of UPF probably...

@Myblindsaredown I understand what you're saying and I do have a lot of anxiety around food because of my past but my diet foods are and always have been my "safe foods". I would get anxious if I was on a diet and someone tried to make me eat a bowl of pasta or some hard cheese but that never happens because I've not sought any help for my issues with food since being forced to as a young teen (precisely because I am afraid they will force me to eat pasta or cheese which is no-no unless I'm in a binge cycle then I don't give a shit what I eat as long as it's quick, cheap and vaguely edible).

I'm also, as I said, in a much better place mentally this time around. I haven't made up any silly rules like not being able to eat carbs more than x times per week and if I'm hungry I eat. I don't sit back relishing the hunger pains because it means I've been good like I used to. I would probably still get anxious if someone presented me with a bowl of pasta and hard cheese, so I'm not completely OK but I am doing better than normal.

I also get stomach cramps when I diet but only in summer. It took a while but I found the culprit - Lettuce! I can manage it on the odd occasion (like in a shop bought sandwich etc) but after the third or fourth salad over, say, a week the pains start.

I now have everything except lettuce in my salad, and I'm no longer getting the pains.

@Frequency I was going to ask if omeprazole or similar alleviates the pain. If it does you know it isn’t gallstones and really is likely acid. Sometimes if I go too long between meals I get acid indigestion and it’s agony (gaviscon etc don’t work, only esomeprazole or omeprazole - ranitidine used to work but been withdrawn). Also I discovered muscadet wine gives me instant indigestion - so now I avoid it.

The best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you use. Drink a lot of water as that helps to fill you up before meals. Don't snack between meals and don't eat after 6pm. If you have trouble with mobility due to the pain try something like chairobics. Swimming is the best exercise as you do not put any weight on your joints, but I can understand that you may feel self conscious in a swimsuit but most local baths have a slot which is just for those of us who do not fall into the "body beautiful" category.

Try a vegan diet, lots of fresh fruit and veg gives you the extra roughage to help with weight loss. A high protein, low carb diet will help. Tofu is virtually 100% protein and there are lots of different makes and types to try. Stay away from pasta, or try cauliflower rice.

A friend of mine lost loads of weight (nearly 11 stones - I said that was the equivalent of her carrying me around for all these years). She did it by being careful with what she ate and walking a lot. The walking was just on local roads, not fell walking or scaling cliffs. As well as feeling generally fitter and having fewer aches and pains it also cleared up her asthma which, in the past, had prevented her from doing loads of things. Like with any exercise start small and just walk round the block or to the corner and back. You don't need to speed walk, just fast enough to raise your heart rate slightly to increase your metabolic rate. If you feel better using a walking stick then do so, or try Nordic walking sticks which look a bit cooler.

A good natural way to help alleviate pain is arnica taken as a tincture or tablet and an excellent topical treatment is Atrogel which is made from arnica. Something to try for the stomach problems is slippery elm which is good for a variety of conditions including acid reflux and associated problems. If there is a good independent health food store near you go and talk to the owner as they are always a font of knowledge.

Good luck with whatever you do and I hope you start to feel better soon.

It must be hard for the doctors when all this people come walking through the door with their problems when he or she knows that they would not have these problems if they hadn't got overweight. When I last went most people I. The waiting room were obese. They are draining the health system. I couldn't go to the gp with a bad kneee if I was overweight because I would know there's nothing they can do and the problem is the weight.

The OP has listed what she eats in previous posts.

She's not eating badly and the weight should come off.

Is there an NHS physio self referral service in your area? Usually you can refer without needing to see a GP.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/physiotherapy/accessing/

@Frequency I am really sorry you're experiencing so much pain. I had gallbadder attacks myself in the past and they can be worse than childbirth.
When I had them, I'd eaten high fat foods within about 24-48 hrs of the attack. When I read up on it, I learned that this was a common trigger, but that a more common trigger was when someone overweight suddenly stopped eating fatty foods in order to lose weight. This sounds like what you're experiencing. I know someone else suggested a slow change in foods rather than a sudden stop and I think that approach sounds wise. I'd also ask for a scan to see what your gallbladder looks like, if it is full of stones then you're a candidate for removal. One other thing, during attacks I'd sip mint tea and lay on a flat hard surface, face down. This put pressure on my intestines etc to stop spasming. It might be worth a try.

I have serious stomach issues, things to watch out for include:
Too much fruit, its tempting as its sweet but it gives me horrendous pain if I have too many portions.
Lettuce, I can't eat iceberg Lettuce but the baby leaf stuff is fine.
Artificial sweetener- its in the diet version of everything, cripples me!
Also, go back and get a second opinion, whilst your knee might be the weight the stomach pain shouldn't be ignored. If I remember rightly the last time I was really bad with it they gave me some omaprazole (?) to settle it down.

I'm over weight and know that if I lost a fair bit things would be easier...
So many people think its a case of stop eating ABC and the weight will fall off.
It can be a struggle and not for want of trying, I've managed to lose weight before but health issues of a diffident kind stopped me from walking to the extent i did in the past and while I know exercise is only a minor part of weightloss it was good to be outside in the fresh air, this in turn lead me to being stuck at home eating my emotions, hopefully after all these years one more operation will see that righted and the pain, if not gone will be eased, but it seems harder to shift now I'm getting older.
However l made a start again this week when I went food shopping, really did think about what to buy, little bit of a different mindset in that I still bought my weekly cream choux bun I like as I'm not going down the route of eating only 'healthy' foods and giving in a few days on due to not buying anything seen as 'naughty' but I didn't bother with the chocolate snack bars as I know they just make me feel lethargic and I can't always stop at one.

I have however over the last few months stopped buying low fat yogurts/cheese and such as I don't like the after taste and question what goes in to substitute flavours so full fat Greek, NOT GREEK STYLE, yogurt with added berries or frozen defrosted berries are a good buy too, no wastage, or YEO vally, so no muller light type either.
I'm sure the small amount of extra fat is more beneficial than the additives.

Back to your health issue....
I too started to suffer with knee pain and on the description I gave my GP sent me for a scan which showed arthritis of the knee area, it hurts, a feeling of pinching and tenderness more some days than others but I'm on medication for the pain which goes some way to helping, taken mainly at bedtimes in order to help me sleep.

If you can, then self refer to physio for your knee. Where I am you can do it yourself online.
If you have a BMI over 40, the NHS won’t operate if you need surgery to your knee. And a lot of trusts cap it at nothing over 35.

Exactly, it’s absolutely ridiculous the lack of joined up thinking you see in healthcare sometimes. I’ve pulled a muscle through exercise, I’ve been pushing through for weeks but decided to go to doctor this month and will insist it’s taken seriously and not pinned on me being a stone overweight.

Especially as I pulled through it exercise!

The end of the day not only is it not conducive to weight loss to be struggling to move it’s not good for cardiovascular, mental, general health. Lack of sleep is also terrible for being able to make good food choices and being sleep deprived increases cravings for sugary and fatty foods often.

I have the same problem, my knees are so badly worn ( X-rays show bone on bone) that I can barely walk without using two walking sticks. I totally accept that being overweight ( very obese) contributes to the pain but I’m pretty sure that my weight has not caused the arthritis in my hands, neck and toes. I’ve not been to see my GP about it though as there’s no point, I’m on strong painkillers anyway so I doubt there is much he can do.

I did fine that acupuncture on my knees did help slightly, made them feel stronger so I felt less likely to fall over and I’m going back soon for another course when the physio is also going to use acupuncture on my hands.

OP, you can buy low dose codeine/paracetamol mix OTC. May be worth a try, especially at bedtime so you can rest.

Maybe try deep heat cream on affected joint to see if it provides any relief.

Warm baths

Subject to allergies etc.

The pain sounds like gall bladder

I had that and eventually had it removed

I do think they should investigate the issues further. I was fobbed off with piles after childbirth for over a year and it turned out to be ulcerative colitis.

I’ve been severely anemic recently and one of the problems I had was constant hunger, so eating more and gain8ng weight. Now the anemia is sorted I’m eating less.

Could it be ibs. The horrible stomach cramps sound like ibs to me- I’ve been in agony with it before now

@Ihateslugs There are 2 types (at least) of arthritis.

If you have pain all over you could have rheumatoid arthritis which needs specialist diagnosis and treatment. You need to see your GP.

And yes, being overweight can contribute. It's because fat causes inflammation in the body (as do all the processed foods that someone may eat) and this can affect the immune system causing inflammation.

The stomach pain I do follow up on when their suggestions don't work. I am usually told to give it time (if I follow up a week or two later) and then I give up and go back to my diet of chicken nuggets and sausage rolls and the pain stops so I stop seeking help for it

Unfortunately chicken nuggets and sausage rolls aren't a cure for anything (I wish!!) and the bouncing around from one type of diet to another probably isn't helping your system or symptoms

It's obviously horrible to have the pain, but sticking with the sensible diet until follow-up - and then onwards - will be more likely to get you there in the end

I also wonder if "asking the GP not to tell you your weight" is influencing their approach? Clearly an issue needs to be accepted before it can be properly addressed, and perhaps they feel you need to work with them more on this?

I think you need more kindness. Once you are overweight,if you have pain so can’t exercise as well as dieting, it becomes very hard to lose weight. One tip I learned recently is to eat a lot of protein . There is a recommended daily amount. Then you feel, less hungry. Little bits of-the foods you crave can help you stick to your diet. Just make sure you only have in small amounts..one chocolate rather than the cheaper packet of bars. Goidluck.

Good luck

Yes you do deserve to be treated and listened to.

fat people are at a higher risk of dying because of medical professionals using bias against them.

this is why it’s not the fucking same when people try and say skinny shaming and a the same as fat shaming.

OP have a look at MoreLife - they offer a free 12 week weight management programme with lots of support. It used to be only GP referral but now I think you can self refer if you are eligible.

What We Do - Morelife UK (more-life.co.uk)