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Laura C's avatar

This made me think of the Tressie McMillan Cottom piece where she talked about her efforts to find an outfit to wear to the doctor's office that would get them to treat her well as a Black woman, and after years of trying all kind of fancy stuff and looking like a serious professional, the thing that did it was her Peloton century ride t-shirt.

I haven't been to the doctor since immediately pre-pandemic and I'm apprehensive about that. Largely around cholesterol, which I struggle with, and the pandemic has surely not helped my struggle. But I've definitely gained weight through the pandemic and I'm sure the two things will be raised together. I keep thinking "maybe if I spend a month trying to drive my cholesterol down, I can avoid that conversation..."

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Kimberly K's avatar

Thank you thank you thank you for this piece. Especially for complicating that it's not as easy as just saying no to weigh-ins, if you are saying no due to fatphobia. My brain thought *YES* and then immediately "oh no!" I have work to do!

I'd love more pieces (or recommendations of stuff by other people) of how to navigate medical settings when you're starting with a foundation of anxiety or distrust. I'm not comfortable disclosing my history of disordered eating or my sundry other mental/chronic illnesses and I'm doin just fine working on those on my own. But I know I do need care for other issues that might come up, and at some point general wellness and all that. But there are a lot of barriers, history of trauma, etc.

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