Doc Faces Ax for Calling Patient Fat

(AP)  A North Carolina doctor could lose his medical license after a patient complained he made cutting criticisms, including telling her she was fat.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported the North Carolina Medical Board will decide if Dr. Earl Sunderhaus of Asheville overstepped the bounds of professional decency.

The eye doctor's patient complained Sunderhaus poked her thigh and told her she is fat, and also scolded her as irresponsible for being unemployed and relying on taxpayers to pay for another pregnancy.

Sunderhaus admitted he told the patient that her thick thighs and diabetes could cause her to go blind.

He made his points again by writing the patient, Gov. Beverly Perdue and blasting the medical board.

[SunDog8259]

My Dr. told me not to lose anymore weight, but I am still trying to get rid of the "last 10" I think our bodies have a set point and it's hard to go below it. I ignore the low-fat dogma lectures and "eat healthy grains" diatribe of people like Dr. Ornish. A high-carb diet and diabetes can lead to eye damage and may cause myopia (seen any Eskimo hunters wearing glasses?) I think the N.C. Physician went wrong when he started the personal attacks that were not health related, but political.

[linfinster]

I'm obese and yes, Dr.'s have a moral right to tell a patient that their behavior is causing a problem and will cause problems if not dealt with. The idea that these bad behaviors must be ignored is not helping.

[frogger581]

Wow, the irony of an eye doctor making an observation of the obvious. Fat people know they're fat already. They don't need a reminder especially not from a doctor who can't even offer help or guidance in her taking control of her situation. Insults don't help overweight people anymore than complaints steer smokers to becoming non smokers. They'll change when they're ready or not at all. There's nothing talking to your patients like an ****** can do about that.

[wardwww]

Good for him. Perhaps if more doctors had the same courage, your country might finally be able to face the truth of your obesity and poor nutrition statistics. There will come a time in the future, whether in 10 years or 30, that those who are obese due to poor eating habits and generally not taking care of themselves will be denied health care. There is no reason that everybody else should have to pay their health bills.

[mission1f]

I applaud a doctor recommending that a paient loose weight and setting forth the medical ramifications of not doing so. However, receiving free medical attention is not up to the doctor.

The doctor should have stopped short of making comments beyond medical advice. However, the doctor should not loose his license for the comments he/she made. We need doctors badly in many parts of the country.

[margieboy]

I love it! If MDs had to give up seeing patients that have public funded health care such as Medicare, Military, MediCal type patients and only seeing privately funded patients they would go broke. As any dentist can tell you when people don't have any money they skip care they deem as inessential. Then they show up in the emergency room.

This guy clearly has poor patient communication skills. It's okay to talk about how your diet and exercise can impact your overall health and how poor diabetes control can result in disabling conditions, but poking a patient in the thigh and telling them they are fat especially when you are supposed to be looking at their eyes is unethical and crude.

[cbs2009fan]

I can understand the doctor telling the patient that her health and weight can and will have an adverse affect on her eye sight and explaining the adverse affects. But, her pregnancy and condition of her finances is none of his business. That would be her gynecologist and banker not her eye doctor. Should he lose his license no. Should he learn how to have better doctor/patient communication/respect yes.

[skepticalJM]

Its a matter of where you stand, yes there are people who irresponsibly live off the tax payers; but are these the people like his patient, or perhaps doctors who make between a quarter of a million to half a million a year, and inflated medicine to where no one can afford it? Both are forms of GREED; both are preying on society and causing it problems.

[DoubleHappiness88]

Dear Menbers of The North Carolina Medical Board;

I am with Dr. Sunderhaus. The patient needed to hear the truth in an attention getting manner.

Additionally, she should have been told to find a doctor who would be willing to treat an uncooperative patient, not interested in her health or the health of her child.

How can a doctor be held responsible for a patient who is not interested in their own health? What can a doctor do for such a twit?

Too bad Dr. Sunderhaus didn't have the opportunity to tie her tubes. I*ll bet she is too ugly to reproduce.

[kmac46]

He should tell her she is fat and if all the frivolous claims and lawsuits weren't allowed then our economy would not be so inflated either. And we are tired of tax payers supporting unemployed mothers who continue to have children they cannot support.