CONNECTICUT

DANBURY
NEW MILFORD
Rose M. Tamura M.D., OB/GYN
        Physicians for Women
        Danbury, CT and New Milford, CT
        Dr. Tamura was recommended to me by a full-figured friend after
        my first visit to an OB/GYN in CT resulted in "I can't examine
        you because you're too fat."  Dr. Tamura has always treated me
        professionally and compassionately, not over-focusing my weight
        but discussing it with me in an intelligent and thoughtful
        manner as it related to my overall health situation.  She has
        given me good, thorough care, not hesitating to listen to me and
        follow through with testing and treatment as warranted.  She's
        terrific! --Kathleen (fauve@aol.com)

ESSEX
Louise Maloney, MD. Family Practice
	Essex, CT
	She doesn't push the weight issue more than "You know you should
	work on it." You don't have to get on the scale unless it's
	necessary. She always looks for other reasons besides weight for
	any problems you might be having. I've had knee issues for years
	and she was the first doctor I've gone to who actually diagnosed
	the problem instead of simply saying it was my weight.

NORWALK
David S. Parnas, M.D., Family Practice
	2 Park Street/ 1-North
	Norwalk, CT 06851 
	203-849-1222 
	http://members.aol.com/wsptwellmd/page/index.htm
	Self-referred.
	Hi, I am a Family Practice physician offering my patients a
	personable, relatively unhurried practice style that stresses
	moreso "the good things you should include" rather than the "bad
	things you should cut out" from diet and overall health plans.
	We are known for a "highly" scientific approach to screening for
	thyroid & "female hormone" problems like polycystic ovarian
	syndrome that often cause the patient to gain weight despite
	reasonable efforts that may have failed in the past. I
	particularly respect that patients make their own lifestyle
	choices and try to "work with what we've got" rather than remake
	the person over. I am about 35 lbs "overweight" myself.

NORWICH
Dr. Marchand 
	OBGYN Group 
	Norwich 
	She made my visit comfortable. She made me feel like a person. I
	was able to get an internal exam due to her creative use of the
	equipment and rubber gloves(clever). My visits are professional
	and she is just wonderful and so is the staff. They also have
	late hours and Saturdays last I checked.

PLAINVILLE
Dorothy Altherr, MD, primary care 
	Plainville, CT 
	860-314-6886
	She's a wonderful Doctor who is on the, as she puts it, "round
	side" and she is just wonderful.  I have been so pleased with
	her and her entire staff.  I feel very comfortable in the
	office. For years I would avoid going to the Doctor until I was
	recommended to Dr. Altherr and now I have been working closely
	with her to improve my health. She does not preach about weight
	loss, she asked what I thought about obesity surgeries and I
	just said, it's not for me and she said that's fine. She doesn't
	push the weight issue and goes out of her way to check for other
	reasons for problems without assuming it's just the weight.
	After my first visit to her office I actually found myself in
	tears because I finally found a Doctor who understood and
	treated me with respect and kindness. I can't recommend this
	Doctor enough.

SOUTH WINDSOR
Martin Savage GYN (not OB)
	South Windsor, Connecticut
	Handles my obesity in matter-of-fact manner. He knows I can't
	get the weight off and I'm not interested in ruining my health
	by trying too hard.  He is also sensitive to my history of
	poor/none treatment I previously endured.  I came in with an
	"alarming" problem. Instead of saying he can't do a fundis, he
	sent me for an ultrasound to get a solid diagnosis.  He is an
	excellent doctor.

WATERBURY
Robert Lessor, Neuro-Ophthalmologist
	Waterbury, Connecticut
	He works with a lot of heavy women.  He is one of the few
	doctors, in CT, who does a lot of work with Psuedotumor Cerebri
	cases.  He suggested that I try to lose some weight, "but don't
	drive yourself crazy doing it".  He then explained that most of
	his patients have a difficult time getting weight off.  He will
	do whatever is medically needed to preserve your vision.

David Polke, OB/Gyn 
Naugatuck Valley Womens Health Services
	WATERBURY OFFICE
	133 Scovill Street
	Waterbury, CT
	(There are also offices in Middlebury, Southbury, and Wolcott)
	(203) 575-1811
	An amazingly gentle and efficient guy, and my weight has never
	come up, even surprisingly now during the early stages of an
	infertility journey he hasn't suggested weight as an issue.
	Cannot speak to the others in his office but I'd be surprised if
	they were any different. He really looks at all things clinical
	and explains them in regular-person terms which is so
	appreciated, because even as a nurse myself I need to be able to
	process things when I'm the patient. Rarely did I have to be
	weighed and he never once made a reference to my weight in terms
	of my labor or ability to do so without a bunch of
	interventions. (Side Note-I had an *unplanned* epidural-free
	natural birth at St Marys of Waterbury and also received really
	excellent, size-not-fretted-over treatment from the On Call
	doctor-which is usually hit or miss for most women.)