3CatsAnd1Fish
Big Meow
God bless the USA! And God bless our Armed Forces. However, our Armed Forces medical staff need to work on their prejudices against people of size. Since 2003, I've had terrible plantar fasciitis in both feet. I went to the medical clinic on post 3 times, months between visits, and all they told me was to lose weight and I'd be cured. I have to say that I saw 3 different people on each visit! I got a long lecture on the dangers of obesity and the benefits of weight loss. After which I was sent on my way. No therapy, no pain control, no splints. By the third time, I had purchased my own wheelchair from eBay because walking had become so painful.
In 2005, I finally had enough and my Medicare kicked in. I seaked out a civilian professional locally. He saw me within a week. Never once did he mention me weight! I actually broke down and sobbed in front of him. He told me that it wasn't because of me weight that I had this problem. He said it can be caused by ill-fitting shoes, in increase in exercise or wearing very high heels. He said weight can be a contributor, but in my case it wasn't, since i haven't gained any.
So we tried therapy, but it didn't work. Then injections. Then I had a bilateral fasciotomy: a fasciotomy done on both feet on the same day. About 4 months later we needed to go back into surgery because of tarsal tunnel. I had adopted a different way to walk to lessen the pain and it caused tarsal tunnel an my Achilles tendon to thicken on both legs. I need to have my legs done on different days because this was more invasive and complex than the first. So on each leg, I had: a second fasciotomy, Achilles tendon release, heel spur removal, tarsal tunnel release. My last surgery was 2 months ago and I'm still in a little bit of pain, mainly from the keloid scar on my ankle.
BUT! I believe all this could and SHOULD have been avoided if my original complaint was dealt with instead of me being treated as a fat person. I'm terrified of going back there again! Because I know what will happen. I could have a serious disease or illness and they'll tell me to lose weight. I blame the people who work at that clinic, not the Army. If I were 100 pounds lighter, would they have treated my pain? Would they have been serious about healing my injuries? I think so. The medical profession is very biased against people of size, especially women. I'm living proof. I'm angry this happened, because I spent the last few years in a wheelchair. And you know what people think and say when they see a fat person in a wheelchair.
In 2005, I finally had enough and my Medicare kicked in. I seaked out a civilian professional locally. He saw me within a week. Never once did he mention me weight! I actually broke down and sobbed in front of him. He told me that it wasn't because of me weight that I had this problem. He said it can be caused by ill-fitting shoes, in increase in exercise or wearing very high heels. He said weight can be a contributor, but in my case it wasn't, since i haven't gained any.
So we tried therapy, but it didn't work. Then injections. Then I had a bilateral fasciotomy: a fasciotomy done on both feet on the same day. About 4 months later we needed to go back into surgery because of tarsal tunnel. I had adopted a different way to walk to lessen the pain and it caused tarsal tunnel an my Achilles tendon to thicken on both legs. I need to have my legs done on different days because this was more invasive and complex than the first. So on each leg, I had: a second fasciotomy, Achilles tendon release, heel spur removal, tarsal tunnel release. My last surgery was 2 months ago and I'm still in a little bit of pain, mainly from the keloid scar on my ankle.
BUT! I believe all this could and SHOULD have been avoided if my original complaint was dealt with instead of me being treated as a fat person. I'm terrified of going back there again! Because I know what will happen. I could have a serious disease or illness and they'll tell me to lose weight. I blame the people who work at that clinic, not the Army. If I were 100 pounds lighter, would they have treated my pain? Would they have been serious about healing my injuries? I think so. The medical profession is very biased against people of size, especially women. I'm living proof. I'm angry this happened, because I spent the last few years in a wheelchair. And you know what people think and say when they see a fat person in a wheelchair.
