Thin privilege is being allowed to have a heart condition, that runs in your family, and not have your diagnosis ignored, brushed over and blamed on your weight.



My sister and I both have the same heart condition, its called Sinus Tachycardia and is caused by an elevated rate of electrical impulses coming from the Sinoatrial node of the heart. It’s something my sister was diagnosed with over 10 years ago, and when she got her diagnosis our family were very concerned even though it’s not dangerous.

I’ve just been diagnosed with the same condition, my heart malfunctions in the same way as my sisters. My doctor said it is NOT weight related, not lifestyle related or anything else, and that it’s not dangerous. When I told my mother about my diagnosis she behaved in a very different way to the news of my sisters diagnosis.

Instead of concern or worry she brushed it off, blamed not only my weight but told me “Well that’ll be because you’re so inactive, if you just exercised more you wouldn’t have this problem.” She KNOWS this condition is caused by an electrical problem in the heart, she KNOWS that exercise is not the answer, but she’s decided that my weight is the problem despite medical proof that its not.

Elevated heart rates are normal when exercising, mine races when I’m making myself a cup of tea. If I exercised more I would have even more problems with my heart racing faster and faster than it does already, if I exercised more than I already do I would put myself at risk of fainting as when my heart races I get dizzy, lightheaded and have to sit or I’ll fall over. But still she insists exercise is the answer, even though my doctor said it’s not, and she never once told my sister that exercise would ‘cure’ herself of her heart condition.

And worse still she’s telling me all of this knowing that I have other medical conditions that make exercise difficult for me. Medical conditions that I’ve had since infancy, well before I was fat, but that she’s now decided are also caused or at least made worse by my weight - which is so far from the truth it’s unreal.