literal-fandomtrash:

firebirdscratches:

frostyemma:

bigfatscience:

doctoring while fat

@firebirdscratches

Yup. And what’s even more insidious is that mysterious symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, upset stomach, things like that - ALWAYS get explained away as “it’s because you’re fat.” Whereas if a thin person goes in and says that, they’re more likely to be taken seriously. Fat people literally can’t get a diagnosis without joining weight watchers first to “prove” it’s not just because we’re fat. 

So if two women have cancer, and feel fatigued, and one of them is thin and the other is fat…one gets pointed to a diagnosis faster, while the other one gets told to go on a diet. The delay of a few months, hell, a few weeks, can be all the difference. And fat people have their symptoms ignored for yeeeeeaaars.

Fatphobia and bias in the medical community claims lives.

As someone who is fat and who also works in the medical field, here is my recommendation:

Tell the doctor you still want to follow up with further diagnostics. If/when the doctor denies these diagnostics and tests, tell them you want it noted in your chart that they denied the patient’s request for further testing.

That will usually get further medical tests and treatments.

:)