Ask the CGB: Physical Weigh-In

M: i'm not sure if you'd know or if you've heard of anyone doing this, is it possible to refuse to be weighed at a phsyical?

Jerilyn: I have heard that it is

M:do you think i'd need to call ahead to tell them that? i have a physical on thursday because it's required for my fieldwork placement, and that part is really scaring me to the point of bad anxiety that would mess up my blood pressure reading

Jerilyn: I would call ahead of time
Jerilyn: tell them what you just told me
Jerilyn: I don't know why you can't just tell them your weight

M: because if i tell them i'll need to kill them?

Jerilyn: that is an excellent reason

M: lol
M: though i suppose threatening to kill them would just result in me being someone else's therapy study

Jerilyn: you'd be doing someone a favor, then, right?

M: lol
M: but straitjackets are so unflattering on me

Jerilyn: hey, maybe that would be a good reason to not diet: no plus-sized straitjackets

Anyone else have any advice for the Divine Miss M?

Comments

[Colleen]

You're totally allowed to say that you don't want to be weighed. If they try to bully you into it, leave. It's your body!

[M]

Colleen: my problem with leaving is that I'm required to get a physical for school, and my father got the name of the doctor from a coworker, so it would look really bad for my father if I did walk out.

[Hilly]

If it gives you that much anxiety, you are free to tell them ahead of time that you do not want to be weighed. You could even offer up what your last weight was when you weighed in the privacy of your home or tell them you are on a program and know how much you weigh and here is the number.

Or, if that is too much hooplah, just politely tell the nurse no and that you will explain why to the doctor and let the doctor make that decision.

[Sara]

I always refuse to be weighed, except when being fitted for my prosthetic. (The mechanical stuff has limits on how much weight it can bear.) I just say, "No, we won't be doing that today." And then I either make for the door or stare into the nurse's eyes.

"But I have to weigh you."

"Why?"

"'Cause we have to know how much you weigh for our records."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't want to be weighed today. If the doctor can give me a good reason why s/he needs my weight, perhaps I'll change my mind. But you're just going to have to do without for now."

I also refuse to undress for anything short of surgery, you know, unless the doctor has to look at something covered by clothes that have to be removed completely to give a clear view. It's amazingly rare how often that happens. I do not need to take off my top or pants for anyone to listen to my heart and lungs.

Just say no. Unless you have to be a certain weight in order to be allowed to perform fieldwork, it's none of their business. On the other hand, if there is an insurance issue, you may have to submit. But that's why the first word out of your mouth after "no" would be "why?".

I would really love it if healthcare workers would say, "Would you mind being weighed today?" instead of "Step onto the scale." It would also be cool if they would say, "I'd like to get your weight, if I may, because [fill in credible reason]." It would also be cool if they would just accept "no" without an argument when "no" is the answer.

[Tanya S.]

I just had a doctors appt a couple weeks ago (annual gyno exam), and when we got to the weighing part, I just said, "Let's skip it. It's not as though there is any suspense on whether or not I'm overweight." The nurse didn't even blink and said that was fine and moved on to the next thing, and that was it.

[Joyce]

I've often wondered how to get out of this too. I don't see what my weight has to do with looking in my ears or nose or whatever else. Thanks for the advice. :)

[M]

I just called the doctor's office and they said I don't need to be weighed :-)

Thanks for the advice and support everyone!

[Nicole]

"Let's skip it. It's not as though there is any suspense on whether or not I'm overweight."

I love this! I am *so* using that the next time I go to the doctor. I had to go ten rounds with the NP at my last annual exam. She finally allowed that I did not need to be weighed but demanded that I tell her my weight and I eventually acquiesced. Irritating.

[PunkinNoodle]

I've totally said no before. But before I knew I could say no, I always wanted to take everything off so it would be less - you know, clothes add a good two pounds! The last time before I learned to say no I was fiddling with my shoes and couldn't get them off and the nurse started fussing at me. I think really their job is to see how miserable and uncomfortable they can make you. "here let me see how fat you are...step over here. Oh and now that i know how fat you are, let me humiliate you by making you take off all your clothes and put on this paper napkin that will only pretend to cover the essentials. But then I'll have to move you to a different room, so be prepared for some good cold breezes up the back side." I swear, it's just a game they play with themselves. You can almost hear them at the nurses station as you walk out "...and then I got him to change rooms!"

[Mike]

Why is it such a big deal? Do you refuse other parts of the exam, such as your pulse, respirations, and blood pressure? The truth is, your weight really is an important bit of health-related data. Refusing to allow yourself to be weighed just seems silly.

[Mike]

I should add, I seriously doubt the nurses are trying to humiliate you. They are dealing with people all day long, most of whom are overweight or obese, and they are just trying to do their job! You're nuts if you really think that stripping a few ounces of clothing off changes anything.

[Jerilyn]

Psst...Mike (who must either have never had a body fat percentage over 3% or who is a health care professional)(or both). This is a humor site. I realize we're mostly amusing ourselves here, but at least you are getting a pretty good view into the anxiety-ridden, likely-to-be-medicated-by-chocolate-and/or-cheese mind of a typical woman (except for women who have never had a body fat percentage over 3% or who are health care professionals)(or both)(puppymuffins).

[M]

Mike: For me personally, the main issue is that I've been back and forth on the eating disorder spectrum and it's dangerous for me to know my weight (or worse, get a "you need to lose weight" lecture. If a patient comes in who's overweight at the moment of the visit, doctors often will reinforce dangerous diets and/or overly fast weight loss. Or to avoid generalizing, I've had it happen to me personally on multiple occasions.)

Also, weight is really the only culturally loaded part of a physical. There's no stigma attached to a fast or slow pulse, but there is a ridiculous amount of stigma attached to being the slightest bit overweight.

Can you explain why it's important for the doctor to know your weight? If I was preparing to undergo general anesthesia or take some medications I can see how it's relevant, but otherwise I don't understand. I'm not asking to be rude, I just want to know where you're coming from.

[Mike]

I want to say that after reading some of the old posts on this blog, I really do emphathize with the tremendous emotional pain many of you seem to have related to your weight. And you're right, I am at a normal weight and can't directly relate.

I guess what I think you all are missing is that most people are in the same boat you are. To the health providers who you interact with, you're just a random patient. There is nothing remarkable about being overweight, but resisting their attempts to care for you probably causes more negative feelings towards you than anything else. Although it's apparent some of you prefer to believe otherwise, obesity affects every organ system in your body and puts you at increased risk of numerous problems. It is probably the number one health problem you have, and you don't want your doctor to monitor it or address it? That's just nuts. Treating the nurse or the doctor like the enemy just makes you an unpleasant person for them to deal with.

If you feel disrespected by your doc, you can fire him or her, but you might want to consider whether you are simply projecting your own feelings onto others first. Another idea is to choose someone who is also obese to care for you as a way of feeling more comfortable and less "picked on". Either way, I'll refrain from any further comments and hope you'll not take offense at the ones I've offered.

[~Zes~]

Mike,

How would you feel if they had to measure your manhood every time you went? You see 'em going about their business, avoiding direct eye contact, but doing what they have to do even though you know (and they know) just how much you measure up.

I know what you're saying, but come on.

[~Zes~]

Should I add that perhaps making your point has become more important than people. If you really care you wouldn't be insinuating "nutness"... that's just nuts... said the nurse.

[Bekka]

I actually don't disagree with most of what Mike is saying, and I thank you for coming back to respond to questions - lots of people drop by and make semi-inflammatory comments then disappear. However, while its true that being overweight can lead to serious health problems and it is important to stay in touch with what's going on in the body, I think there are two points that you haven't addressed that are a big deal for those of us with weight issues.
The first is that being overweight in and of itself is NOT a health problem - with the exception of those who literally are incapable of getting up or through the doors of their house, people don't die of being overweight. They DO sometimes die from heart related complications, or diabetes, or other problems that being overweight has contributed to.
The second, related point, is that in those cases, a quick eyeball will easily tell your doctor that you're overweight and are at increased risk of problems associated with being overweight. Knowing the exact number really doesn't contribute anything at that point, and for many people would be detrimental to know, as others have said here. My personal opinion is that a doctor shouldn't ignore weight entirely - a brief discussion of things that a patient should be on the lookout for due to their being overweight, and perhaps asking the patient whether they'd like assistance starting a weight loss program, but beyond that... lecturing really doesn't do any good, and neither does forcing people onto a scale.
Many of us have had direct experience with doctors who not only look at being overweight from a medical perspective, but really seem to not see anything else besides it - to the point of harming the patient by not taking into account any other factors that can be contributing to medical problems. Discrimination against those who are overweight IS a big issue in this country, and while the average doctor asking you for your weight isn't a big deal, there are many situations where it seems to be an excuse not to treat the patient as a whole, to see them as lazy or weak. I have to get to class so I'll stop here, but thank you again for maintaining civility and your responses.

[Stuart]

Why weigh at all? Don't you know whether you are bigger or smaller. I have never hopped on the scale and been anything other than what I expected - within a pound or two at least...
Loved the post though.

[Sara]

Weighing me is not caring for me. It's like brushing my hair or cleaning my teeth, another thing I am (for now) perfectly capable of performing for myself in the privacy of my own home. Also, I have learned that I get much better care -- more caring and more effective -- when I do actually insist that my health care providers see me as an individual and treat me accordingly. They work for me as consultants. I don't bug them unless I really have a problem. When I do have a problem, I tell them my ideal outcome (e.g., not to die this year) and we create a strategy together with that goal in mind. I am large, but not grossly obese, extremely active, fully aware of the risks and consequences of the excess weight I do carry, and not usually at the doctor's office for anything to do with it.

I have fired doctors for seeing me as meat or just "another random patient." I have refused to let extremely skilled specialists anywhere near me because they are unspeakable jerks. I have taken mean nurses to task for being mean. And I am still alive.

I want to know why an apparently random person without weight issues would come to this blog and pick an argument on this topic, however civilly. What do you do for a living, Mike? Are you a nurse, a doctor, or a med student? If so, maybe you should rethink how you yourself view and treat patients (and maybe we can help; just keep reading). If not, why are you here?

Oh, and BTW, while the vast majority of nursing staff I've encountered get confused when I tell them no, I won't be weighed, urine tested, etc., until after I've spoken with the doctor, many of them are just fine with it. It's less stuff for them to do, or stuff they can just as easily do later. You've made some blanket statements about healthcare professionals which I also recommend you rethink.

Cheers!

[Idahospud]

I just stand backward on the scale, tell them not to tell me what the number reads, and let them do their thing.

[any mouse]

being currently pregnant (and having had two kids in the past three years), i seem to get some "leeway" for being a big girl. i don't tell people that i've LOST weight since gettng pregnant, ha. imagine my surprise when, at my first midwifery appointment, the midwife said, "i have a scale in my restroom. if you want to weigh yourself there to keep tabs, feel free. if you want to share, just let me know." she then continued on with some other info. the next few minutes are a blur, but i think i might have proposed marriage and/or kissed her?

i loved my old doctor. when i had gained "too much weight" during the pregnancy of my oldest, he said, "eh, quit weighing yourself and just make sure you're eating stuff that's good for baby." i continued to weight myself (and LOST after he told me that, go figure!), but he never weighed me again, just asked at appointments if i felt like i was eating well enough. i may have proposed to him, as well...

i'm smarmy and would probably make a smart alec comment to avoid the situation. if they were dense and didn't catch in, i'd let them know i'd discuss it with the doctor and just be frank with him/her.