Accepting Ms. Fatty McPhatterson?

Ok, the goal of a few posts a week didn't pan out in March, but this is a new month and I'm going to try harder!!! It's hard to write a post when life isn't cooperating to give me details to share :) I heard Shauna from Dietgirl fame say on a radio show that she tried many new activities and experiences just so she would have blog content. I hear ya, sister!

So anyways, life decided to "give me some blog content" over the weekend. I was roused by my slumber in the wee hours of Friday morning to come to the emergency room. My poor fiance (I really need to find another name for him here...whenever I type the word I keep hearing the way Elaine said it one of the Seinfeld episodes in my head and it doesn't appeal) was sent there from work due to his heart racing a mile a minute and not being able to catch his breath. When I got there, they had already done some blood work, an X-ray, hooked him up to a heart monitor, and gave him some good drugs to chill him out. Once he started falling asleep, the real fun began. The second he fully fell asleep, his oxygen levels dropped drastically and the monitors began beeping. The nurse came in and checked how he was doing, and since the noise woke him up, his stats went back to normal. As soon as he nodded off again, his oxygen levels dropped again...this happened every single time he nodded off and at one point fell to about 48 before I roused him. Can we say sleep apnea, folks?

Eventually, the doctor decided to keep him in the hospital so they could do some more testing and get this previously undiagnosed apnea issue figured out. His horrible buzzsaw of a snore now makes sense and I feel a bit bad for giving him crap about it. He was released from the hospital on Saturday afternoon with the assurance that his heart is fine, he needs to get in shape, most likely get on a CPAP machine, and has a sleep study scheduled for next week. We would have been sent home with the machine, but we're working on the financial part of things since my man has no insurance yet because he let it lapse between jobs. When COBRA wanted $400 a month to cover him until he found something else to cover, it just wasn't financially possible. If his paperwork isn't approved for assistance, we'll be paying over $500 a month for the CPAP and oxygen....OUCH!!! His plan (doctor approved) for now is to lay on his side more often when he sleeps until he either gets the CPAP or gets fitted with another device I've read about from the dentist to help his issue.

All this backstory brings me to my real topic...fat acceptance. I'm fat and I agree with treating everyone equally, but there is clear evidence that obesity can play a role in medical problems, if not now, sometime down the road. I'm working on loving myself but I don't love my outer core that much. I'm not stopping myself from doing things until I get thin, but there are some things I want to do that my body just won't let me until I get in shape. I read a few blogs pertaining to the FA topic, and I agree with some points, but I think it is wrong for certain group members to condemn others for trying to lose weight by other methods. Sure, you may be fit as a horse medically now, but that doesn't guarantee you'll avoid such bugaboos as diabetes, high blood pressure, and others later if you don't do something to circumvent it. When I get older, I don't want to have a grocery list of medications to fill every few months. In my current job, I have seen people on 10-20 or more meds, and most of these people are the overweight folks. Sorry, but this is true.

DF's stint in the hospital was his eye-opening moment that he needs to work harder to make sure he's here for years to come instead of ignoring what I've told him for awhile. So, please don't treat fat folks like they are the lowest scum of the earth! Don't deny employment (I have heard many stories) or try to avoid them like the plague (fat is not contagious!). Don't try to force diets and whatnot on them, but help them find ways to health and fitness if they ask. As everyone should know, there are many reasons why people find themselves overweight, and one should not assume that all of us eat 5,782 calories each meal and sit at the TV/computer most of the day. And FA peeps, don't shun us trying to get fit for our health. Sure, you may not agree with the methods or reasoning, but gosh, don't make the people feel lower than they may already feel about themselves for trying. Many people fail over and over again, and yo-yo dieting is hell on the body and should be avoided, but making a series of small steps can work for those who really try. People can lose weight and keep it off and most people aren't going to become assholes to fat folks once they become thin.

I'm off my soapbox now! It is safe to begin reading again!! I have more to share, but I think I'll save it for my next entry.