blaming victims - diabetes, wounds, etc...

[Guest guest]

This isn't in response to any particular post, but just something that's been

bothering me.

Many people in the " weight loss surgery community " believe that certain

practices can reduce our chances of getting wound complications or heart

disease or diabetes or many other illnesses. Sometimes in our eagerness to

advocate for those practices, we come very close to blaming people who are

sick.

Sometimes, for example, a person who believes in protein supplementation will

want to say that it reduces the chances of getting a wound complication.

Phrases like " reduce your chances " get lost in the shuffle, and the

statements come out like " take your supplements and you won't get a wound

complication. " As someone who's had wound complications, and learned from

experts in the field, I can guarantee that the only way to avoid all wound

complications is to never get wounded. Certainly, there are risk factors.

(Those factors include smoking, obesity, poor circulatory health, inactivity,

substance abuse, diabetes, advanced age, and poor nutrition.) Still, someone

who doesn't have any risk factors can end up with a big giant wound

complication. Sometimes when people with wound complications tell me about

their wounds, they even mention that it must be their fault because they

didn't do what someone on one of these lists espoused.

I once was trying to make my plastic surgeon tell me I got a wound

complication because I was fat. He didn't use these specific words, but he

basically said that he'd taken care of people who were fatter than me, who

didn't do anything he told them to do, who didn't even try to eat a

nutritious diet and who had lots of other medical problems and they didn't

get wound complications. You got a wound complication because you were

unlucky.

After having a wound complication, I've become more sensitive to talking to

people about other risk factors. My godson is at high risk for diabetes, and

I try to use gentler language when I encourage him to be active and eat a

healthy diet. I say things like " you might be less likely to get diabetes

when you're young if you try to walk as much as you can. Of course, some

people walk and still get diabetes. "

Anyway, I hope I haven't offended anyone. When people passionately believe

that something is healthy, I want to know about it. Still, we all need to

ask ourselves if what we're saying is helpful and kind. Do our words in any

way imply that people who are ill somehow brought it on themselves?

By the way, if you run across someone who has a wound complication or another

medical problem, you might want to be aware that they may be depressed and

blaming themselves about it.

in St. Louis

Open RNY 4/99, removal of gall bladder and extensive adhesions

batwingectomy

panniculectomy

major wound complication and 2 revisions

breasts and midrift

thighs and major wound complication

facelift

500/250/still working on it