Plus Size Doctor Visit Tips

Hi Fly Friends, I’m coming at you with my best tips for being fat at the doctor today! I know that plus size doctor visits can be scary and intimidating for fat people. For a lot of us, there is a ton of trauma involved with going to see a medical professional. Maybe a doctor said something really rude to you in the past, overlooked your actual symptoms and “prescribed” weight loss instead, assumed that you were looking for intentional weight loss drugs, tested for diabetes with no medical evidence, etc.

Fatphobic medical bias can kill, and knowing what we know can make the essential self-care practice of going to the doctor extremely anxiety-inducing. Here are some tips that I’ve found that can help you find the right doctor for you.

Choose Your Own Destiny

Remember that YOU choose your own doctor. Yes, there are limitations with who carries your insurance, if you have insurance at all, location, etc. But if you are in a situation where you can shop for doctors, please do! Just like finding the right therapist, finding the right doctor can take some time. It’s important to remind yourself that your doctor works for you! We are definitely not taught to think of medical professionals that way, but we should! If your doctor doesn’t provide you with the care you need, overlooks your symptoms, won’t respect your pronouns, whatever the case may be, then they are not the doctor for you.

Call your doctor’s office before making an appointment and ask all of the questions. Every single one. If they are not happy to answer your questions, move on to the next option. Ask if they practice HAES medicine. HAES stands for Health At Every Size. If they don’t know what this is, that is a red flag. You can explain it to them if you have the energy, and say that you’re looking for a doctor that does not discriminate against patients of size.

Advocate For Yourself Plus Size Doctor Visits

Unfortunately, not everyone is in a situation where they can shop for a doctor. If you are stuck with a doctor that does not practice HAES, be ready to advocate for yourself. Should we have to do this? Absolutely not. Am I going to help you learn how? Absolutely, I am. Do some research, follow fat people on the internet who talk about these issues, and talk directly to your doctor about your needs and what kind of care you’re looking for. If a doctor makes a comment about your weight when you go in for something like allergies you can say, “I’m not interested in talking about my weight in this appointment unless it is directly related to the symptoms I came in with.”

Having someone there with you who will help advocate for you can make a huge difference. I am also a fan of calling ahead if you are going to the doctor solo and letting them know when you book your appointment that you will not entertain any unnecessary weight talk that does not relate to your current symptoms.

Even if your doctor DOES say that your weight relates to your symptoms, please research this yourself! So many doctors think that correlation = causation and that is simply not the truth. Just because you are fat doesn’t mean that your fatness is the cause of your medical problems. This is fatphobic medical bias. Please reach out for a second opinion, do your own online research, or even post on Instagram and see if other fat people in your community have dealt with the same problem. We shouldn’t have to fact-check our doctors, but please do.

Come Prepared for Plus Size Doctor Visits

I have seen plus size people do this a few times, and I think it’s genius. Make a card, a packet, or bring a typed-up piece of paper with all of your information on it. Include your pronouns, your common reasons for visiting such as birth control renewals, physicals, or allergy symptoms, a little blurb about yourself and your interests to introduce yourself, and any topics that are off the table unless they are absolutely necessary. I have seen people laminate this and bring it to every plus size doctor visit.

If you are someone who hates talking on the phone or know that it will be hard for you to advocate for yourself verbally in an appointment, this is a great option. Write that you are interested in HAES care, you don’t entertain intentional weight loss talk, you decline to be weighed at all appointments, etc. If your doctor ignores this or doesn’t take your needs seriously, ask to see another doctor at the same office, or switch offices if you are able to!

You can also write down your goals for your visit. Sometimes going to the doctor can be so overwhelming and you end up leaving without the answers you need or the issues you need addressed are lost in the shuffle of medical terms. Having a note on your phone or a physical piece of paper with a checklist can help keep your visit on track.

Ask For What You Need

Did you know that you can ask not to be weighed at the doctor? YOU CAN. Most times it is completely irrelevant and can be very triggering for those of us with ED pasts and people in recovery or trying to unlearn diet culture practices. You don’t have to give a reason, you don’t have to explain yourself, you can just decline to be weighed. When they ask you to step on the scale you can just say, “no thank you.” If they question you, double down and advocate for yourself. “I am not interested in being weighed at this appointment. Can we move on?”

Ask for a larger arm cuff when they take your blood pressure! I just learned this tip this year. So many plus size doctor visits include telling the patient they have high blood pressure when in reality the cuff they are using is far too small and squeezing the absolute life out of your arm. Ask for a larger cuff and a lot of times you’ll find that without the added stress of pain, your blood pressure is just fine. The doctor should always have instruments to fit your body. It’s their job.

Some plus size babes express a fear of undressing at the doctor. It’s hard when you have a history of being mistreated. It can really suck to have someone see you naked and then make a fatphobic remark when they’re just supposed to be looking at your body in a medical way, not in an opinionated way. Request to meet your doctor before undressing for an exam. If you do not like your doctor, get bad vibes, or can tell that they will not respect your boundaries or use a HAES approach, you can leave.

Use The BRAIN Acronym

This acronym can help you keep your visit on track and weed through the medical terms you may not understand. You can get the information you need in simple terms to make a well-informed decision. This is very helpful when a doctor suggests a treatment plan. Doctors often just say, “so we’re going to prescribe you this and see you again in x amount of weeks” and then shuffle you out the door. It’s important for you to know what’s going on with your body and your medical care!

Fire Your Doctor

Again, not everyone has this option. If you are in a situation that permits it, you can fire your doctor! They work for you! There are also sites like google and yelp where you can leave a review of your experience to let other plus size people know what’s up. In turn, you can read these reviews yourself before making a decision on where you’d like to schedule an appointment.

Community Outreach

If you have a plus size social club, a Facebook group, or any online community to turn to, ask them their opinions! Especially if the group is specific to your area, then community members can give you their recommendations and talk about specific medical experiences where you live!

Plus Size Doctor Visits

I am not an expert in plus size doctor visits, but these are the tips and tricks for navigating medical care as a fat person that I have collected over the years. I hope this helps you advocate for yourself at your next appointment, or helps you to make the appointment in the first place! You deserve stellar medical care. Go get ’em!

XO Victoria