The weight Loss Journey of Childhood Obesity: Barriers and Facilitators
Story 1
I was bit chubby kid since from the day i was born and everybody liked me because I looked cuter as a child. Time passed by and my parents also didn’t care about my weight, as according to everyone kids are healthy and look cute while chubby. My weight kept increasing day by day as I grew. I used to eat a lot of food and this became my habit. When i got in teenage years, everybody started teasing me because of my obesity. My mother and father also asked me to
reduce weight. I became more depress and kept looking myself in the mirror. I stop socializing with friends, always made excuse whenever they called for any get together or so. I went to the doctor and the lab reports revealed glucose and cholesterol were on border line. I didn’t fit into clothes of my choice like my peers. I decided to reduce weight as much as I can and as soon as possible. I tried everything possible to reduce my weight but I used to eat a lot which became a habit and quitting it was quite disturbing for me. I started going gym and try to cut off my junk food but in the start when i came back from gym i
used to ate double because of hunger and exhaustion and gained 2 kg more instead of losing. I got disheartened and depressed of what’s going on with me. I consulted a dietician who provided me with eating plans and prescribed medicines. I started feeling good after following her recommendations The plans were quite simple, tasty, easy to follow and easy to stick with. I have lost quite a lot of weight and feel better and energetic.
Story 2
I am a obese person from childhood and it never bothered me. I enjoyed food and according to me i was pretty healthy too until one day my menstrual cycle started to affect. There were irregular periods ,cramps ,back pain ,swelling around my belly area .I consulted a gynecologist and she said i was suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). I had severe side effects due to medication such as heavy bleeding. I could not tolerate the medication and stopped
taking it. Another doctor advised me to lose weight and recommended healthy diet plans and few medications. It has now been 5 years that my symptoms of PCOS are relieved and i am leading a healthy life. It is very important to create awareness on PCOS as majority of the women do not know that it can be managed through a healthy lifestyle.
Pregnancy Journey in Pakistan: Maternal Health Matters
Story 1
I am a pharmacist myself but I would like to share my story as a patient. I did not have good experience of my first pregnancy. My baby died during delivery due to administration of wrong medicines. I had C section. I had one doctor throughout my pregnancy and was called every month for appointment and later, after every 15 days by the end of 2nd trimester. Lab tests, ultrasound and anomaly scans were repeated every moth and expense was very high. I was not prepared for the birth and was really scared. I chose this doctor because of feed back of my friends. I had great difficulty in finding the right doctor. During COVID I was scared to go to the hospital but took precautions. I was not involved in decision making at all neither I was able to make informed choices nor I received any birth plan or was guided about birth risks. I use to search google and youtube for information. Moreover, I was not able to give feedback to the doctor as she hardly ever bothered to listen. Even I was guided about EDD wrong. Doctor never listened to my complaints. Although, my healthcare was paid by insurance company at my workplace but still it’s a big burden and risk for health poverty in Pakistan.
I strongly recommend as a patient that the below measures should be taken for improving maternal health in Pakistan. There should be an app for finding the right doctor. Workload at public sector hospitals must be managed. More resources might be allocated to the public sector. Expenses should be in a certain range especially in private sector to improve patient access and affordability. Maternity care should be free or subsidized for less than Rs 50,000. New mother must be counseled regarding diet, family history, supplements and common complication. Class training could be effective for this. Recorded videos might be played in the waiting areas. I think telemedicine could also be effective to some extent keeping in view the literacy rate of Pakistan.
Story 2
I am a Hospital pharmacist, i would like to share my experience as a gynae patient about what I suffered during my first pregnancy. It was a really difficult time for me and for my baby too. My baby was preterm and cyanotic.I chose a private hospital nearby because of the convenience and care in case of emergency. I had regular checkup tests, labs and ultrasounds and spent a lot on it just to make sure that everything is going well and the baby is healthy. As my EDD was 3 weeks after the day I had water broke at home. My baby was not full term by the time. We rushed to the hospital. I was too afraid of the situation going on. There was no doctor available at the hospital so we asked nurses about the doctor. The staff was very uncooperative. After half an hour they gave us a room and an hour after an emergency call the doctor arrived at the hospital and called me to her private cabin instead of visiting my room to make sure if i am ready for the birth or not. First she tried to convince me for a C-section as my liquor was nearly finished, but I refused and preferred induction. My induction was done by the nurses’ doctor’s attitude was very ignorant. Doctor didn’t even come to see me. Then I got fully dilated and the nurses decided to move to the Labour room. Doctor came just 5 minutes before the baby was delivered. She gave an episiotomy and received the baby, left stitches on the nurses and left without showing any concern. Two nurses were there for me and my baby was cyanotic, under the supervision of paediatrician and nurses.