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"Opinions about my weight"

About: GPs in the Hasluck Electoral District

(as the patient),

It was my first appointment with this GP. I was seeking an ENT referral. The doctor was brusk in manner from the get go, which doesn't bother me but others may find off-putting.

However, it was the doctor repeatedly pushing their opinions about my weight, and how seemingly all life's problems would go away if I lost weight that bothered me. I feel it worth noting, the doctor is very slim themself. 

I informed the doctor that while losing weight is something I had been working on, I had developed a couple of (hopefully temporary) health conditions that made it unsafe for me to exercise or restrict my diet. 

The doctor continued to push a weight loss agenda without any advice on how to safely do that other than to exercise (which I cannot do due to health) or dieting (which I cannot do due to health). They refused to listen and grew increasingly cold and brusk the more they went on.

In the end, I informed  the doctor that I would leave the room if they continued to discuss my weight rather than what I had come in to discuss. Even that would not dissuade them and so I had to leave the room.

The doctor's listening skills can be summarised by our final exchange in which I asked them ifthey would recommend a medical treatment (such as a medication) to a patient without first ascertaining whether or not a patient had conditions (such as a heart condition) that might make that treatment unsafe to administer. The doctor said they would of course check that first. I then asked them whether or not they could apply that to weight loss treatments. I asked the doctor whether it might be smart to check that the patient can dress themself, feed themself, whether the patient was at risk of a fall and whether they could get themself back up if they did fall - if perhaps that would be good to know before prescribing one size fits all weight loss. The doctor's response was that you can lose weight even with a heart condition.

I'll let that speak for itself.

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