I’ve been a lurker here for a while, and while so many have given back to me, I wanted to try and help ease the fear and anxiety for some around COVID-19 and obesity. Apologies for the longish post.
When COVID-19 hit, I had just lost my father to an unrelated illness. He was an amazing man, and I miss him everyday. I spent a lot of time in the hospital with him just as COVID was taking hold here in the US.
I remember being very afraid generally of COVID-19, but even more so after reading articles about the links between obesity and severe COVID 19 outcomes. I freaked out and had a few anxiety spells when I thought of all the exposure I may have had with my Dad in the hospital. I started having really debilitating mental blocks, “oh if I get this disease I will surely die.” “How did I let myself get so overweight.” “If only I had taken weight loss more seriously, I could have avoided this terrible situation.”
All these thoughts had me stuck. I have a lot of weight to lose >50lbs, and so I often thought, “what’s the point now?” I was so afraid of COVID-19 and it’s impact on overweight people, like myself, that I sort of threw in the towel. Until, I found new hope after speaking with several doctors.
What I learned was that while someone who is obese does have an elevated risk of a more serious outcome from COVID, that doesn’t mean that you are destined for hospitalization, or death, should you catch it. I don’t mean to imply that COVID-19 isn’t dangerous—it certainly is, and more so for certain folks—however, I found new hope in knowing that my health and survival from the disease weren’t foregone conclusions just because I am obese.
I was also encouraged to bring in any news articles/studies about COVID and obesity to my primary care doctor, and she would review these with me. She mentioned that while some studies are helpful, a lot of news media will run with the most alarming headline they can.
This isn’t to say that none of these articles/studies are helpful/legitimate and better inform patient care for obese people. However, I took a lot of comfort in reviewing these findings with a medical professional and hope some of you can do the same.
I used this new hope/inspiration from my doctors to really focus on what I have control over, and have gotten laser focused on my overall health and well-being. All to say, getting healthier, no matter where you’re starting is a long game. Try to focus on what you can control, and realize that sometimes your mental state can have a massive impact on your physical well being.
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