Is There a Doctor on the Case?
If you couldn't make it in person, here is a video link of the talk: VIDEO
I love that our field is progressing. I love that a therapist or RD no longer just asks an MD questions- about diagnosis, physical exam, lab work. I love that this has become a dialogue amongst colleagues about how to think, how to interact, how to communicate. Through fifteen months of lockdown, doctors have been the sometimes point of entry as well as the only IRL professional contact a patient has had. And holding someone in OP, withstanding 5-month RTC waitlists has demanded even more precious facetime. Add to that the inherent work with family and parents in Adolescent Medicine, and everyone’s model of treatment has shifted this past year.
So we all got to dive deeply with Dr K into the stance required to motivate a young client, agreeing there is little avoiding the occasional reaction. We were reminded to not be distracted by various common medical abnormalities that generally return to normal following wt restoration anyway- including some lipids and endocrine. She shared a great video from Eva Musby reviewing use of Growth Charts (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yVa7jlUsMY), ultimately emphasizing full restoration of a healthy mental state, or “State not Weight.” This particular tracking of progress in mood and a return of personality is clearly a team effort requiring good communication.
However these discussions invariably conclude in a need for training on how to communicate w/ non-HAES physicians and colleagues. One take-away draws heavily on our own personal work- to remain mindful of our role educating in the field- with patience, respect, and humility. VFED will remain a little think tank in this challenge which is with us for the foreseeable future.
Log into VFED and watch this video and other past TT's on the Table Talks page (https://vfedpros.org/tabletalks). Thank you to Dr Leslie Kaplan and all who attended- Tessa Smith, Rayna Davis, Josie Munroe, Hayley Miller, Laura Ortman, Jackie Shapin, Elizabeth Weiner, Amanda Jennings, Diahann Klein, Anna Kowalski, and Laura Gajda
Christine Loeb
