Despite the fact that your doctor is an excellent physician and you have a comfortable working partnership, let’s be honest: Who really enjoys visiting the doctor?

Very few of us do, and particularly people of larger body size. When you weigh more than the average patient and your backside is wide and your upper arms have wings, a visit to the doctor’s office can be unpleasant from start to finish.

The seeming lack of concern for the needs of the fat patient can begin as soon as the waiting room. Very often, every seat offered has arms and is not wide enough for fat patients to sit comfortably. This problem could be easily resolved by adding a few armless chairs or some bench seating, allowing all patients to wait in a seat that fits.

I don’t have a problem with being weighed, but some patients of large size don’t want to step on the scale. What I do take issue with is weighing a patient in a public area where other patients and staff are milling about. All medical information should be private, including a patient’s weight.

I make sure to always wear a button-down blouse or dress to my doctor visits, since patient gowns are rarely large enough and leave me feeling very uncomfortable and exposed. My doctor doesn’t mind me removing my undergarments and keeping my own outer garments on for the examination, but adding XL patient gowns to the inventory would be a better solution.

Bolting exam tables to the floor is another small step physicians can take to help insure the safety and comfort of their fat patients. A heavy patient’s weight placed on the step of an unbolted table can cause it to tip, exposing the patient to potential injury as well as embarrassment.

Every time I get physical exams, I experience what is commonly called “white coat syndrome.” Anxious, my blood pressure always spikes higher in clinical settings than it does at other times. One thing that really stresses me out is that the nurse always has to go searching for the large blood pressure cuff. How can the practice only have one large blood pressure cuff when 60 percent of the population is supposedly overweight or obese? My doctor treats the aging population and people tend to gain weight as they age. Couldn’t they afford more large blood pressure cuffs?

I realize that I have been putting pressure on myself about my doctor’s visits. Anxiety courses through me as I cross my fingers and await my lab results, hoping they are within an acceptable range. It’s not unlike the stress some people experience with school exams. But it’s not a school exam for which I want the highest possible grade; it’s a checkup to make sure my health is stable. I am under no obligation to be the perfect fatty just because I’m an activist working to preserve our civil and human rights. I make relatively good decisions around the food I eat, but I’m under no obligation to do that either. I’m still working on remaining calmer when I have my checkups.

If you feel that your physician (or medical staff) treats you differently because of your size, it may not be your imagination. Nurse practitioners responding to a survey in 2014 indicated a critical attitude when dealing with overweight and obese patients. More than 50 percent of the clinicians surveyed agreed with statements that:

Overweight people are not as good as others.

Overweight people are not as successful as others.

Most people do not wish to marry an overweight person.

Overweight people have family issues.

Overweight people are not tidy.

Overweight is the result of overeating.

Overweight people are not as healthy as others.

Overweight people are addicted to food.

A 2012 study revealed unacceptable levels of weight bias among U.K. students training to become nurses, doctors, nutritionists and dietitians. A U.S. study from 2009 found that the higher a patient’s body mass index, or BMI, the lower a physician’s respect. Doesn’t it seem reasonable that lower physician respect for patients with higher BMIs adversely affects the quality of care? Since that time, there have been several OB-GYNs nationwide who have refused to accept overweight women as patients.



So how do we change this? We start by educating students about how obesity really is not easily controlled, and is the product of genetic and environmental factors, not just diet and exercise. A 2010 study showed that anti-fat prejudice can be reduced or exacerbated depending on the information provided about the causes of obesity.

When I had my first appointment with my current primary care provider, I explained my position on my health and my body weight. I told her about my past as a serial dieter and my intention never to diet for the purpose of weight loss again. I shared my preference for natural remedies rather than prescription drugs. These were deal breakers for me. If she could not work with a fat patient under these circumstances, I would have to interview another physician. Luckily, we are working well together to maintain my health.