Hospitals challenged by obese patients

The Charleston Post and Courier ^ | July 28, 2002 | SARAH LUNDY

[auggy]

"It's anatomically inconceivable!(No pun intended) I guess it's not! "

Stinky

[muggs]

And just how the f**k does someone get to the point where they weigh more than FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS? I mean, who is bringing these things their food? If a member of my family got so fat they couldn't get up to get their own food, I certainly wouldn't help them ONE BIT to get any fatter. I'd just hang some air fresheners around their bed and hand them a bedpan, some water, and some multivitamins and tell them "You'll eat when you can drag your disgusting, gargantuan bulk out of bed and get it yourself."

I used to feel the same way, until I got 2 cats. One of them is over weight. When either one of them want soemthing to eat it is pretty hard to ignore them.

[FITZ]

I will be starting nursing school in September and am not looking forward to dealing with these people.

You'll soon find out that most healthcare jobs are the result of people not taking care of themselves. If everyone ate right and exercised right and stayed away from things that hurt them, there'd be very few jobs for healthcare workers.

[muggs]

I was eating when I read your reply. Now I feel sick.

[Ditter]

Funny you should mention mall walking. I just asked my husband if he wanted to walk at the Galleria or Town & Country Mall & he turned me down.

[Bella_Bru]

But,'How could you do it?' in a physical or engineering sense of the phrase. It's anatomically inconceivable!(No pun intended)

Roll her in flour and look for......

[Ditter]

he he I know the punch line to that one. ;9}

[Bella_Bru]

I think losing 10 pounds is hard enough but I don't know how someone finds the self control to lose 200 pounds.

Some personal trainers say that people who have a large amount of weight to lose take a lot of it off fast. But when it gets down to those last few pounds, you plateau. I think that may be why people who are 10-20 lbs overweight have a harder time losing than, say, someone who needs to lose 200.

[Bella_Bru]

I have compassion for those that struggle with their weight, IF they are actually trying to do something about it. Both my parents have Type II diabetes. They were getting huge (my dad looked 8 months pregnant, but with really skinny legs). In the past year, they have lost A LOT of weight. How? They changed their behavior. They started turning off the tv and walking. Then they joined a gym. They watch what they eat.

If you aren't trying to change your behavior(and I mean trying----not saying, "Come Monday...no more junk", whilst eating another jelly donut) I have no compassion for you.

[GiovannaNicoletta]

You are right but I'm going into this field to help suffering people- not to end up on disability myself. Just because I'm not looking forward to risking needless injury doesn't mean that I won't do the best job I can.

There is compassion, and there is compassion with tough love. To make someone who is eating themselves into the grave believe there is nothing wrong with them or that they can't help what they are doing or that they can't be expected to effect a behavior change is not compassion but enabling. We can have compassion for every suffering person, but it is entirely human to know that obesity is not inevitable and to have a problem with being forced to pay the costs for treating obese people and replacing hospital property.

If that makes me sound un-compassionate, I apologize.

[Bella_Bru]

I figured someone else had to know the punchline. ;-)

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

I will back up everything you have stated. When I worked in the county hospital I had a patient like this. I was a brand new nurse. I am not a large or strong person myself so there was absolutely no way I ever could have moved this person. Everyone was praying nothing serious would happen. This person was quite unpleasant and uncooperative too.

This was yet another reason I went into pediatrics.

[GiovannaNicoletta]

LOL- sorry. If I had known you were eating, I would have done a FReepmail to Jonathan.

[Askel5]

Obesity, smoking related diseases, STDs- all preventable and all producing costs that are passed on to those of us who practice self-restraint. I for one really resent the fact that I have to pay for these people.

You sound tailor-made for a socialized healthcare industry designed to bring the hammer down on Bad Choices by dispensing care based on whether or not a person deserves to receive same.

Let us know when you euthanize your first Piece of Trash sucking up valuable extraordinary measures which only prolong a life that's not worth living anyway.

Especially if it's a fattie, I know everyone will want to cheer.

[Ditter]

I remember hearing about a 1200 lb man but 1000 lb woman must be a worlds record. Where do you live? A few years ago a Houston woman was so big the front part of the house had to be taken down to get her out. She was too big for the ambulance so she was hauled to the hospital in a delivery truck. I don't think she even weighed 1000 lbs tho.

[F.J. Mitchell]

It is the Preacher's fault-and they can fix it! They spend all their time harping on the evils of drunkeness while encouraging and joining the congregation in the evil of gluttony. They must replace dinner on the grounds and other occasions of reckless consumption of vittles, with happy hour and bring BYOB parties.

Sin is sin and unlike gluttons, dead drunks are no hazard to the health of their pallbears.

[nina0113]

In six months I have lost 70 pounds, I can jog three miles, and my 2X clothes have been traded for 16s.

Congratulations! I need to lose about 50 lbs.

My gyn nailed me Monday for cholesterol & told me I could not have progesterone until I got it down & referred me to a cholesterol guy. I left her office Monday & went to the library for some diet books, made some oatbran muffins, packed salads for lunch each day & started hitting my dusty Orbi-Trak. By the time I saw the cholesterol guy Friday I was down at least 3 pounds (the scale said 5, but I was wearing heavy shoes the first time, so I'm only counting it as 3). Possibly some of that is water, but it can't all be. I could make it by Christmas!

I'm way psyched, does it show?

[elbucko]

It's my experience that they wanted to be waited on hand and foot all day.

This gives me pause to wonder if most of them are, or consider themselves Democrats. Is obesity a predominately Democrat disease as greed is (supposedly) a Republican disease. (Just thinking out loud)

[FITZ]

Socialized medicine won't encourage healthy choices though either. I think unsocialized medicine would do that more. I find it ironic that doctors rarely will ask a patient much about their eating habits. Even pregnant women are seldom asked what they actually eat.

[FITZ]

Congratulations! I need to lose about 50 lbs.

One easy way ---get addicted to the computer but make a rule that no food in the same room the computer is in.