Half-Ton Man Loses 450 Lbs

netscape.cnn.com ^ | Jan. 06, 2005 | netscape.cnn

[crushelits]

South Dakota Man Loses 450 Pounds

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - His recovery was slowed because of an infection, but a man who once weighed half a ton may soon leave a hospital after losing more than 450 pounds.

Patrick Deuel is scheduled to go home to Valentine, Neb., on Jan. 22. He is still receiving treatment at a Sioux Falls hospital for a staph infection he got in November. Deuel said he isn't worried about returning to a former lifestyle of overeating. He will have health aides at home and a doctor will check on him regularly.  ``I've learned a lot while I've been here,'' he told reporters Tuesday. ``I'll just keep doing what I've been doing, and I think things will be fine.''

Deuel weighed 1,072 pounds when he checked into Avera McKennan Hospital in June. At the time, he was dying of heart failure. His doctor recommended gastric-bypass surgery but Deuel wasn't healthy enough to undergo the procedure.

The hospital staff structured an exercise program and a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet. The 420 pounds Deuel lost by late October helped control his heart problems and other health issues, including diabetes, and the stomach surgery was performed Oct. 26.

Deuel, who relies on Medicare to pay his hospital bills, can't stay at the hospital indefinitely.

He now weighs about 650 pounds and hopes eventually to slim down to 240 pounds.

[cvq3842]

Good luck to him. I'm sure there's a lot to be said about not letting yourself get into this situation in the first place, but I hope the story has a happy ending.

[Cicero]

A new variant on shop till you drop.

[newgeezer]

Words escape me.

[Mmmike]

So he's down to a trim 622 #.

[apackof2]

Its amazing that one could get this huge and still live

[YouPosting2Me]

Michael Moore may want to take some hints...

[AnAmericanMother]

Lord he looks creepy.

Like a Charles Addams cartoon come to life.

[tx_eggman]

Reminds me of a Louis Black about the guy suing McDonalds because he was overweight:

Excuse me, do you mean to tell me that you didn't know that FAT cooked in FAT has FAT in it???

[utahagen]

I think someone who is this obese has some physiological problem, that his "wiring" is off and he never feels sated. I think he should get the gastric bypass procedure as soon as his weight is low enough for him not to be killed by the anesthesia.

[wildehunt]

1000 lbs is a nice sized horse..

[Rodney King]

Here's what I don't get: Why doesn't a hockey team put pads on this guy, tow him out onto the rink with the Zamboni, and lay him in front of the net?

[Heavyrunner]

"But when you're an overweight child in a society that demands perfection, your sense of right and wrong will always be terribla' skewed! I eat because I'm unhappah...I'm unhappah because I eat..."

[evets]

"Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of my life. I am a born again Christian and very proud of it. I have received a lot of letters and e-mails since my original story was aired, and most if not all of them mention "keeping me in their prayers." Those letters are important to me, because "wherever two or more are gathered in my name, there am I also" says the Lord. With the Lord in my corner, and all the prayers I am receiving from those who wrote and even those who are praying and have not yet written, I feel that I cannot fail, and I feel a great amount of love." -Patrick Deuel

[JudyinCanada]

Rodney, I hate to laugh at jokes about people's problems, but that was funny.

Seriously, I almost cried for the guy and I really hope he is successful and starts to enjoy life.

[AQGeiger]

He's already had the surgery. It's mentioned in a later part of the article.

[Bluegrass Conservative]

So where did it go? That's a lot of weight to just up and disappear! : )

[investigateworld]

Thanks for posting that. Reminds us all that with God, all things are possible.

[jeremiah]

Talk about enabling!! How someone can continually bring a person like this food is beyond my ken. I remember a guy on a trash/talk show in the 80's, talk about eating a dozen eggs, a lb of bacon and a loaf of bread for breakfast. Then of course multiple chickens and lbs of potatoes for dinner. Somone in these cases should be criminally liable. If they cannot walk anymore, they have a problem, when they can no longer get through a door or get off of their back, there is abuse at work.

[KC_Conspirator]

You may hate soccer, but you are on a roll today.