Ozempic shaming in the OR?!

Kit

Kit

Active member
So, I woke up during my endoscopy today. The doc, the anesthesia person, and a couple of nurses were casually chatting about patients taking Ozempic. They were all like, "Why even bother?" and kept saying, "Just eat healthy and move around more." I felt so judged.

I'm pretty sure they knew I'm on Ozempic from my file. It felt super unprofessional. I'm just frustrated they didn't seem to acknowledge any of the positives of the medication.

P.S. The anesthesiologist woke me deliberately, but I'm not sure if anyone else knew I was awake since I pretended to be asleep initially.
 
I'd suggest taking it a step further and contacting the department head or patient relations. This is completely unacceptable.
 
Hospitals really care about patient experiences. You should get in touch with their Patient Advocacy department ASAP.
 
I used to be a quality RN at a pretty big hospital. Write down everything you remember – the date, time, and exactly what they said. Don't get too emotional, just stick to the facts. Reporting their exact words is important because it highlights their lack of professionalism and understanding of obesity. File a complaint with the hospital and ask for a written response. That forces them to investigate. If the doctor or hospital has bariatric accreditation, file a complaint with the accrediting body too. Also, consider filing complaints with CMS and The Joint Commission.
 
I'm so sorry this happened! It's awful to feel vulnerable during a procedure and then overhear people talking about you like that.

Please report this to a supervisor or patient advocate. Hopefully, it can prevent something similar from happening to someone else. ❤️
 
I was completely awake during my last colonoscopy, too. I told the doc I was awake and didn't consent to him continuing. He ignored me and kept going! I screamed, then woke up later. I complained, and he apologized, saying he'd lost a patient due to too much anesthesia recently so he was being more cautious. I don't know how you stayed awake without being in pain!
 
I'm so sorry that happened to you, Whole-Mode. The medical community is still shockingly ignorant about obesity. Many of us have been dieting and exercising for years with zero results. Even if they think GLP-1s are the "easy way out," who cares? Shouldn't they want patients to be healthier, regardless of how they get there? People who were lucky enough to be born with the genetics and resources to stay thin love to judge. It makes them feel superior, which is ridiculous. Report your experience to the hospital/clinic. Their disrespectful behavior is disgusting. You're doing great and deserve to be healthy. They're shallow and unprofessional.
 
I've been on Ozempic for over a year. I need it to manage the weight gain from my psychiatric medications. Without it, I can't lose or even maintain my weight. It's either this or be mentally unwell forever.

It's been confirmed that the 100+ pounds I gained isn't my fault.

I had a cervical procedure where the anesthesiologist treated me terribly because I was on Ozempic. He threatened me with death by asphyxiation because I might not have fasted enough.

It was the worst experience ever. How can someone do that?

I feel you. Please, please file a complaint.
 
It sounds like they've never struggled with weight. Never been ridiculed or made fun of. Probably never felt the frustration of the scale not moving. Never had to fight constant food cravings. Never dealt with weight-related health issues. It's exhausting! It's so frustrating that some doctors lack empathy and understanding. They just say, "Eat less and exercise more..." as if it's that simple. Honestly, I'd give anything to never have to worry about my food choices or weight again!
 
I read that a large number of medical pros see overweight patients as "disgusting" and don't want to treat them... so now they're annoyed we aren't overweight and diabetic anymore? I'm sorry that happened to you, I'm fortunate that all the doctors at my clinic are on Ozempic, so they're all encouraging.
 
As an ex-ICU nurse, I had to prevent a neurosurgeon from operating once because he was too drunk from the night before. That same surgeon had a DV conviction and multiple DUIs.

When I worked in the ER, we had an ultrasound tech perform a pelvic ultrasound on the wrong patient while drunk!

They'll shame overweight people all day long, but won't acknowledge the rampant drug abuse and alcoholism in healthcare.
 
I've heard that some people are using peptides for recovery from injury and stuff. I've seen some doctors prescribe them, so it's not totally unheard of.
 
Yeah, I've heard of some peptides for healing. Like TB500 and BPC157. I've read good things about those for back and shoulder pain. I'd research before trying anything, though.
 
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