Candid Docs

Doctor: You’re fat.
Patient: I want a second opinion.
Doctor: OK, you’re also ugly.

Dear Annie: I'd been suffering agonizing back pain; my family doctor took an MRI and sent me to a surgeon. I am 49 years old and a large man - think of a professional football player or a wrestler gone soft. I am not sloppy, but I am about 30 pounds overweight.

When the surgeon came in, he asked if I knew why my back was hurting. I told him that for 30 years, I'd had a job lifting heavy things and it had taken its toll. The doctor looked at me and said, "I think you have always eaten too much."

I told him most of my family was built large. He said, "Then they eat too much, too." He said everybody has the same metabolism and genes do not play that big a role in your size. People who are heavy simply eat too much and do too little.

Men usually view themselves as “a little heavy”.

Women usually view themselves as “fat”.

Someone must be selling gender specific mirrors.

If a doctor has an issue with large people, he should be upfront about it at the time the appointment is made. Anyone who is overweight knows he is overweight and doesn't need to pay $200 to have it stuffed in his face. Our society does it every day for free. People of all sizes can have back pain. Why can't we have the same medical care? If my weight puts me at risk, tell me, but don't be rude.
Indy

Somewhere along the line we became a country of overly sensitive people. Granted, the doc could have said things differently, but he was telling the truth. Most overweight people are that way because of the too’s.

Too much food.

Too little exercise.

If your back hurts and you are overweight, maybe you don’t need an MRI to tell you the problem. Try losing 5% of your body weight and see if the situation improves.

As for the doc, maybe he should have pointed out the obvious in a different fashion.

Patient: Doc, my back hurts.
Doc: It appears you have Dunlap’s disease?
Patient: Dunlap’s? Is it serious? What is that?
Doc: It is where your belly done lapped over your belt.