# My Doctor Blew My Mind Today



## Dromond (May 23, 2022)

I see my primary care doctor every three months to keep abreast of my various medical issues. Near the end of my visit, I asked him about help with weight loss. I know this is a fraught subject, and me bringing up the subject with a doctor never happens - until today. Normally I am quite militant about my weight, and forbid discussion of it. Recently, though, I'm feeling like I've gotten too large for my fragile health.

So how did my doctor blow my mind? When he RESPECTFULLY went through the reasons that there was nothing he could ethically do as a doctor to intervene in my situation, because I cannot exercise, and take at least two medicines that have weight gain as a side effect. He actually praised me for keeping my weight stable over the last three months. He did say there was one medication, Ozempic, that deadens the apetite as a side effect. Ozempic is a diabetes drug, but somehow does not lower blood sugar if blood sugar is not high to begin with. He also said Medicare would not pay for it for me because I do not have diabetes, there are no approved off-label uses for it at this time, and it is impossibly expensive anyway. Maybe someday. But anyway, I was utterly blown away. I've NEVER been treated as well by a doctor regarding my weight as he treated me today. I've truly found a unicorn.


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## Donna (May 24, 2022)

Wow, I am blown away. Kudos to you and your doc. 

My doc tried to put me on Ozempic, but ran into the same you did with Medicare. For those with private insurance, though, Ozempic offers special coupons you can get from their website which reduces the cost down to $15-$25/dose. Beside the appetite killing aspect, it’s also supposed to be easier on the system than Metformin.


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## GardensInBrooklyn (May 24, 2022)

Medical spaces aren't places we normally find a lot of understanding or comfort in, I applaud your provider. 

As a medical professional and someone who's had a complex medical history, I want to be evaluated from the sum of my medical history, versus everything stemming from the fact I'm fat.


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## agouderia (May 25, 2022)

It's always a good day not only if a fat patient gets treated respectfully but also if a medical professional looks outside the box of their field of specialty or takes a holistic approach to patient health.

While the discrimation of fat is common ground in the wordlwide medical community, it always baffles me which blind spots medicial professionals have depending on which country or health system one is seeking treatment in and how far this is culturally, socially and historically determined.

Naturally this starts with the costs of treatment. Ozempic/semaglutide is EMA approved throughout the EU by now with monthly (!) costs depending on country between €/£ 60-80. 
So if you could find a way of obtaining the medication from abroad, this might be a way of getting the best treatment for yourself. Good luck!


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## Dromond (May 25, 2022)

I trusted my doctor a lot before this, and it was that trust which led me to bring this up to him. He had mentioned my weight only once, at my first visit with him years ago, and I told him we would not discuss my weight. He respected that, and he had never said another word about it. In addition, I made a self deprecating comment about not being diabetic, "appearances to the contrary." A test of sorts. He waved my remark off, and said "it's really all about genetics. You don't have the diabetes gene." He passed my test.


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## Green Eyed Fairy (May 25, 2022)

It's important to have a realistic and thoughtful doctor who doesn't just spew out the fat is bad mantra


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