I have NO symptoms but SO WHAT!

I went for the initial sleep assessment last week, and much as I feared, it turned out to be a completely frustrating event. Right away I was chastised for not having brought in any paperwork, even though I had not received any paperwork to fill out prior to the visit. It took my explaining that bit of information to 3 different people before I was allowed to keep the appointment that I had already shown up for.

Most of the visit with the specialist wasn't even about sleep because after an exciting (pronounced terrifyingly awful) drive to the specialty center my blood pressure was a little elevated. The doctor was extremely reluctant to accept that I do not have hypertension and he spent a fair amount of time trying to change my mind about it. When we finally did get down to discussing sleep issues it only took a few minutes for him to tell me that I have no signs or symptoms of sleep apnea. WOO HOO! I was thrilled for a brief moment. Too brief a moment unfortunately. In the same breath the doctor told me he was referring me for a sleep study anyway. I made the silly mistake of asking why. "Mrs. Cloud", he said, "You are obese", as if I didn't already know, "Even without symptoms I would be surprised if you did not have sleep apnea".

Once again, I couldn't possibly know my own body. Screw the fact that I have not a single symptom or complaint, I'm fat so doctors don't have to treat me as an individual. Hell, they don't even  have to look for answers that can't be explained by my grotesque fatness. In the end, I'm nothing more to the medical community than a number on a scale. I suppose I should be grateful that they address me by my name instead of just calling me 317.

I've decided that I will not be participating in the sleep study. I find it frivolous and wasteful to undergo an expensive procedure based solely on my weight and no other supporting evidence. This will probably cause some trouble with my primary care doctor, but I've reached my tolerance limit for dehumanizing humiliation from self important medical "professionals".