Losing Weight and Feeling Great

I’m speaking of the gowns they give you in the doctor’s office — you know, the lovely ones that leave either your frontside or backside exposed to the chill of the air conditioner?

I saw a report where overweight women were less likely to be screened for cancer, compared to women who were of normal weight.  Why?

One of the reasons is that women who were significantly overweight avoided the doctor’s office.  Why?  One of the reasons given was that the office gowns didn’t cover enough of the body.  Another reason was to avoid a confrontation with their doctor over how much they weighed.  And finally — embarrassed to get on the scales.

I can relate to the last one.  In one office the scale was in a very public place and the weight was called out over the din of the office clatter.  Whoa!  Dead silence after that.  Embarrassed?  You betcha!

I also have an issue with those gowns they give you to wear.  There have been times I’ve wanted to ask for two — one to put on each side.   A few times, I’m not even sure that would have worked.  (Who do they design these things for — elves?)

Well, all humor aside, ladies, we do need to get checked and screened more often as we get older, not less.  I have a friend who died of stomach cancer not too long ago; she was about my age (mid 40′s).  She had avoided the doctor until she got too uncomfortable.  And paid far too high a price.

Life is trying at times, but it’s also precious.  Don’t let your weight get in the way of getting regular checkups and screening.  It’s your life we’re talking about here, which is more important than a little embarrassment.

(If you’d like to read the original article, you can find it here.)