Told to come back when I have lost weight!!!

Like annodomini I suffered from Polymyalgia Rheumatica a few years ago. Your aches and pains sound very similar to those I felt.

I would absolutely not accept what the doctor said, nor what the jeremiahs on GN have said. Yes, being overweight can cause health problems but it is not compulsory or invariable. You do not seem to have any of the problems linked with obesity: heart problems, diabetes etc. All your problems sound the kind that people of all weights and sizes get.

Doctors faced with a patient with symptoms they cannot explain too often look for something vague, preferably the patients fault, to blame it on. Thirty years ago, I was told symptoms I had were 'just your age' ie menopausal. The following week I was diagnosed with a severe viral infection and given a week off work.

Blaming 'women's problems' on their age is not permissable these days but blaming all problems on obesity is generally smiled on benignly - as some of the responses on this thread have shown.

Go and see your another doctor in your practice, take a friend/spouse/adult/child with you who understands and sympathises with your problems with you, ask (demand) a referral.

Look up poly myalgia rheumatica online. That and thyroid were my first thoughts. Feeling lumpy and fed up because you are overweight is common, feeling actually ill is not, your instinct is that something else is wrong, go back.

Go back.
Being a bit overweight shouldn't make you feel like this.
Take a friend or family member with you.

Thanks for all your replies even those that made me feel down, and bad about myself. Maybe it is all because I am overweight.
Will go back in 6 months and have my thyroid checked hopefully with a little willpower I will have lost weight.

try a different diet one thats not costing you the earth .I lost 2 and a half stone last summer doing the 16/8 plan.You can only eat during the 8 hours and fast for 16.I've changed it to suit me so I have breakfast at 12 mid day and stop eating by 7pm.When I go back on it to lose the last stone I'll cut the calories but I've been eating well and never hungry for months..I just felt cold a lot...lack of fat.If you work at it it will give you something to focus on so your mood will lift especially when the weight starts to come off.
I lost my weight because of a herniated disc.I was told to lose weight and exercise and I did and I dont need surgery now.Its worth it ,trust me,if it makes your life happier then try what the doctor said .Good luck ,I hope your successful with your goal

I don't subscribe to the view that being overweight makes you ill. I'd certainly ask for repeat blood tests if you are feeling depressed and tired all the time. Plenty of people ( me included ) are overweight but feel fine and happy, not tired or in pain. It seems to me that blaming your weight means the doctor doesn't actually have to bother doing anything for you.

I'd get a second opinion, op.

Don't wait six months, push for an answer now, it could be very simple to change

Another six months of feeling there's something wrong? Don't wait, do get another opinion. I once paid to see a consultant after feeling extremely ill and within an hour I walked out with a diagnosis to take back to the Dr. I stepped out of his door thinking Yes! I knew there was something wrong and it has a name!

I didn't take any treatment although I have only half of a Thyroid, I used to have blood tests every year, however recently the results were not so good therefore after having a repeat checks and a scan, I was given a low dosage with the warning that I may lose weight. I am not overweight but always trying to shift an extra kilo. I have lost it but I don't really know if it is the treatment or down to me being stricter on what I eat.

I think there is substantial evidence linking being obese to certain illnesses. As far as being ‘overweight’ that depends if you are just a few pounds over or well on the way to obesity.

As far as I’m concerned it would not matter an iota to me what a person weighs except the drain it places on our NHS.

Type 2 diabetes and it’s complicatiid cost the NHS over £1,000,000 an hour for a condition which is largely preventable. That simple is not right.

So well done OP for taking up the suggestion that you lose weight that cannot do any harm and might even help. But, as others have said, it might be worthwhile talking to another GP and getting some clear explanation of your test results and seeing if more are advised.

I would see a different GP. I have found some doctors in my practice much better than others and have last found one who is really listening to me, that’s what you need.

I have lost quite a bit of weight following a low carb diet all of the time and 5-2 800 calorie diet 2 sometimes 3 times a week. I feel much better and have reversed my diabetes which was my intention but I don’t think some of your symptoms are just because you may be overweight don’t wait 6 months go back now.

Some interesting points raised by Anja although I realise this is a very difficult situation for the OP and many will be identifying with her dilemma. I wondered if this may be of help generally

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2007.00311.x

EllenVannin your experience of being referred for an urgent liver/abdominal scan was your GP doing his /her job and following the red letter protocol for urgent referral based on clinical findings. Had he not done so something major and life limiting may have been missed and it would have been judged professionally incompetent. Many times patients referred for a palpable liver edge have no actual symptoms or pain. Its a relief to know all was well with you and that your GP is on the ball.

Being overweight can most definitely contribute to depression and feeling unwell and tired.

How much to you weigh Bopeep? Being overweight can in itself cause other health problems, which may start to recede once some of the weight is gone.

I am a firm believer in the old adage that 'It's the squeaking gate that get's the oil. Go back to your GP and keep complaining. As said before, book a double appointment, make a list of all your symptoms and make him realise how poorly you feel. Try and persuade him to give you thyroid medication now on a trial basis. Do try to lose some weight yourself too, not slimming clubs but look at your diet and try to cut out some bread, potatoes, sugary things, it all helps not only with weight but your mood too. One other little thought (I'm not a doctor) = a friend of mine was suffering with various pains and similar symptoms to yours and was diagnosed with polymyalgia. Treatment has helped greatly.

DancesWithOtters, do you have a link for your assertion please?

Guess what....thin people can be depressed.

Where did I say that thin people can't be depressed?

Many factors can cause depression and illness, one being weight. Which is what this specific thread is about, hence me mentioning it.

But since you asked:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181112095951.htm

health.usnews.com/conditions/depression/can-obesity-cause-depression

medicalxpress.com/news/2018-11-overweight-depression-health-complications.html

I am sorry for you Bopeep. I do remember when I first went to the doctor with the symptoms you describe, that was 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with a borderline underactive thyroid. I was completely unaware of such a condition and implications at the time. I do recall feeling so tired everything was a supreme effort the best description I can give, it was like wading through concrete. It wasn't felt by the doctor I saw initially that I required thyroxine, can't remember the exact timeline but on seeing another doctor she decided that I most definitely did need to be taking it, I think I started on 50 mcg but that was gradually increased to 150 mcg. From other forums I've been on relating to under active thyroid, it seems that borderline diagnosis is quite common with some patients who have the symptoms I had and you describe, although as others have outlined there are a raft of other conditions that could be a factor. It doesn't help that an underactive thyroid kicks in for many women around the same time as the menopause so all the associated problems with that sometimes blur the lines. A combination of underactive thyroid and menopausal symptoms definitely saw my size 10/12 figure go up to a 16 Haven't read all the posts, but have you been checked for Vitamin D deficiency? very common and also debilitating.

I hope you manage to get to the bottom of why you feel like you do. Good luck with that

And of course I know thin people can be depressed, one of them was me when I was younger, for which I had 5 years of therapy and anti-depressants.

I can't answer your question but I can say that I too am overweight but since January (after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes) I have started to exercise a lot more, have lost over a stone in weight (dieting and exercise) and I feel so much better. Previously I was always tired and everything ached, now I feel tons better (although still a long way to go).

I was surprised how much better I felt so soon after starting regular exercise. It is really noticeable.

Everyone has the ability to feel better.

Instead of looking for more medical reasons, I'd have a read of Dr Chatterjee's website:

drchatterjee.com/

Nothing changes until you change it.

Good luck, BoPeep the doctor's comments might just be the start of a whole new you.

Danceswith, the studies you mention are connected to obesity which is not the same as being overweight.

In this society where women are judged on their dress size, I should imagine some may feel unhappy about failing to reach the so called perfect size. That doesn't mean being overweight causes depression.

It seems your GP is contravening the NHS Charter which guarantees you respect and dignity.

DO NOT accept anything less.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-constitution-for-england/the-nhs-constitution-for-england

Hi all just a quick update been back to the GP says will retest in 3 months for my thyroid. Feel even worse though so i have ordered a vitamin D spray and a vitamin b12 spray, also have cut my calorie intake to a thousand a day, can not carry on like this.

I hope you feel better soon Bopeep