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Pretty, but built like a Sumo wrestler, Sadie was a forty-year-old, new patient, who had been referred to me by Dr. Clint Largent because of her obesity. She stood about 5’ 5’’ and weighed close to 300 pounds. She was a major risk for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and other serious health problems. She had been on various weight reducing regiments and varying drugs. She’d usually lose twenty to thirty pounds on a new program but quickly put it back on again.
With new patients I generally did a cursory physical exam which involved checking the patient’s vital signs, ordering specific tests as indicated, and most importantly, taking a thorough social and medical history. I needed to know if the identifying problem was physical or psychological. Psychiatric symptoms cou
