This Is A Sad Dilemma...

[GREEN607]

The extremely obese have as much right to any and all medical services, as the rest of us. But the first sentence in this article, basically says it all. Some of these people, just don't care. Others, like my late Mother, suffer obesity due to conditions like Diabetes and other ailments.... that are no fault of their own.

In a technologically advanced society.... with every resource for modern equipment and with the many, many things we find a way to over come (most any obsticle).... there is no excuse for not being able to address & solve problems like these.

I'm certain many of you, who are in the medical field and EMT's etc..... have seen this kind of situation. And it's certainly not any blame of yours, that we are currently 'limited' by what's presently available for transporting very obese patients. But if we can develope international space stations and the like.... we should be able to "find a way" to help everyone who needs it.

Ambulance companies facing weighty problem - Local News - Indianapolis, IN - msnbc.com

Please, please please.... do not bash the obese, in your posts and comments here. Yes, I realize, there is seemingly no reason that an individual should weigh 664 lbs. But as I stated above, some cannot help their weight gain... due to (sometimes a combination of) medical conditions and disease.

Obviously, there are others whom "have no excuse"... and need to adjust their diets and lifestyle habits, rather than burdening their families with this problem. Some of them know the strain that this type of weight can put on their heart and limbs... but won't do anthing about it.

This thread is not about them tho. Some people truly need our help......

 

[LPMan59]

diabetes doesnt cause obesity, obesity causes diabetes.

the whole "no one's fault" is usually an excuse. yes, there are some genuine conditions that can cause weight gain. But my professional experience has been that people have poor diets and lead a sedentary lifestyle. it's funny how many people shell out hundreds of dollars on super-fat-burner-stacker-5000 pills, but won't walk around the block a few times...which is free. I always tell them, if there was a diet pill that worked, would there be any fat people left? lolz

 

[prowland]

Obesity needs to be addressed at a young age... I see kids every day that are extremely overweight and can guarantee that the majority of them are that way because of the nutrition the parents allow.

My mother was very overweight and diabetic... she lost a bunch of weight and is no longer diabetic. In reverse my sister has gained a bunch of weight and has become diabetic.

America is getting more and more overweight. We live in a country of excess and it is killing us faster and faster.

 

[geronimojoe85]

I say let people live how they want, and naturally some will take the path of least resistance. No business of mine or anyone else whatsoever weather it's caused by medical issues or McDonalds. If the ambulances/fire departments need special equipment, so be it. Just like having an oxygen tank and giving it to a smoker because they "can't breathe" it's part of the job.

 

[EnochRoot43]

One frustrating aspect in this debate is that for some, weight is never an issue. Some peoples metabolic rate is such that they can eat what they want, exercise little or none, and never gain weight. I know several such people.

I also know people who eat fantastically, exercise regularly, and must do both constantly or they will gain 1 to 2lbs+ a week.

Personally, I can eat a pretty trashy diet and keep the same weight easily. I did lose 50 lbs last year with minimal effort. I lost that weight barely trying, while my partner counted calories and went to the YMCA for 60 min+ of weight and cardio 5 days a week, and lost at the same rate as I. She has ALWAYS chosen the "healthy choice" since we began our relationship, yet losing weight for her seems to involve ten hours a week of hardcore cardio, but gaining only involves looking at a pizza with a gleam in her eye.

It is not the same for everyone, and that can be hard for those trim by nature to understand.

 

[GREEN607]

Well, again, some of these folks cannot help their weight. Let me use my Mother, as an example.

Mom had a blood disorder, that caused her red-cell count to fluctuate wildly... as well as having Type 1 Diabetes. Main problem, for years, was that her Dr never tested her for Diabetes. She consumed (small amounts) of sugar-based desserts, and other foods that contained sugars (some foods having natural sugars like corn syrup etc... as opposed to cane sugar).... that she should never have been eating. But she didn't know. Over the years, her Dr had put her on several different diets.. that she followed and adhered to, religiously. To no avail.

That's because, her body was not producing the natural insulin, that helps your system burn and/or eliminate 'sugars' properly. She also had 6 children, and in the Summer when the weather was ideal for walking etc.... she had no one to help watch us kids, so that she could take walks.

After her Dr passed away, and we got a new family physician.... they found (I think in the first six months or so)... that Mom was diabetic. By then, she had, for years, had a sugar intake that made her well over 250 lbs... even tho she was only 5' 2" tall.

So in circumstances like those.... yes, Diabetes can create obesity.

 

[Mayday671]

The extremely obese have as much right to any and all medical services, as the rest of us. But the first sentence in this article, basically says it all. Some of these people, just don't care. Others, like my late Mother, suffer obesity due to conditions like Diabetes and other ailments.... that are no fault of their own.

In a technologically advanced society.... with every resource for modern equipment and with the many, many things we find a way to over come (most any obsticle).... there is no excuse for not being able to address & solve problems like these.

I'm certain many of you, who are in the medical field and EMT's etc..... have seen this kind of situation. And it's certainly not any blame of yours, that we are currently 'limited' by what's presently available for transporting very obese patients. But if we can develope international space stations and the like.... we should be able to "find a way" to help everyone who needs it.

Ambulance companies facing weighty problem - Local News - Indianapolis, IN - msnbc.com

Please, please please.... do not bash the obese, in your posts and comments here. Yes, I realize, there is seemingly no reason that an individual should weigh 664 lbs. But as I stated above, some cannot help their weight gain... due to (sometimes a combination of) medical conditions and disease.

Obviously, there are others whom "have no excuse"... and need to adjust their diets and lifestyle habits, rather than burdening their families with this problem. Some of them know the strain that this type of weight can put on their heart and limbs... but won't do anthing about it.

This thread is not about them tho. Some people truly need our help......

Im on the Fire Department up here and we respond to all priority 1 and 2 medical calls with Paramedics. AMR was the ambulance company for many years and they had a bariatric ambulance with a 1000 lb cot and a winch. Last year Paramedics Plus got the contract and brought all new ambulances with them, guess what, not even one bariatric unit. Then the medics expect us firemen to help lift. No offense to the obese but always seem to be upstairs or stuck between the tub and the toilet. I know its very embarrasing for them and I feel bad for them as well as my back. Im a type 2 diabetic on an Insulin pump, obesity causes diabetes as well as genetic traits, but diabetes does not cause obesity.

 

[rmabrey]

I say let people live how they want, and naturally some will take the path of least resistance. No business of mine or anyone else whatsoever weather it's caused by medical issues or McDonalds. If the ambulances/fire departments need special equipment, so be it. Just like having an oxygen tank and giving it to a smoker because they "can't breathe" it's part of the job.

Cool. You can pay for it out of your taxes and Ill but a new gun with my savings

 

[geronimojoe85]

Cool. You can pay for it out of your taxes and Ill but a new gun with my savings

Um... Unless you don't pay taxes, you're paying for it too.

 

[96firephoenix]

what gets me is how people live like that. how can you get up each morning and then not be able to fit through a doorway and still think that your life is ok? I've seen people that are like that and see nothing wrong with their lives. there was one guy in Mexico that I remember reading about almost a year ago that had to be taken to the funeral home on a flat-bed tow truck.

I've got a friend that is pretty obese, and I know she is trying to lose weight, but because she has been overweight, she has some problems that keep her from exercising. She's had ankle surgery loads of times, and shoulder surgery as well. She weighs enough that I can't put my hands together when I hug her and my armspan is about 6'4"

 

[rjstew317]

What gets me is when these people get so obese that they can't get out of bed, but yet their families continue to bring and feed them the same diet that got them to that point in the first place.

 

[OneBadV8]

What gets me is when these people get so obese that they can't get out of bed, but yet their families continue to bring and feed them the same diet that got them to that point in the first place.

Yep, that's the worst part. If I have to feed you, you're not getting 20K calories a day. Sorry

 

[edporch]

When I see cases of morbidly obese people who are so heavy they're bedridden and TOTALLY dependent on others I ask myself one thing.

How can ANYBODY who cares about this person keep bringing them food and enabling them to kill themselves?

 

[baldguy637]

Well, again, some of these folks cannot help their weight. Let me use my Mother, as an example.

Mom had a blood disorder, that caused her red-cell count to fluctuate wildly... as well as having Type 1 Diabetes. Main problem, for years, was that her Dr never tested her for Diabetes. She consumed (small amounts) of sugar-based desserts, and other foods that contained sugars (some foods having natural sugars like corn syrup etc... as opposed to cane sugar).... that she should never have been eating. But she didn't know. Over the years, her Dr had put her on several different diets.. that she followed and adhered to, religiously. To no avail.

That's because, her body was not producing the natural insulin, that helps your system burn and/or eliminate 'sugars' properly. She also had 6 children, and in the Summer when the weather was ideal for walking etc.... she had no one to help watch us kids, so that she could take walks.

After her Dr passed away, and we got a new family physician.... they found (I think in the first six months or so)... that Mom was diabetic. By then, she had, for years, had a sugar intake that made her well over 250 lbs... even tho she was only 5' 2" tall.

So in circumstances like those.... yes, Diabetes can create obesity.

Let me start off by saying that my stepson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was three (he's 17 now). I've learned a LOT about this condition over the years, but i have to disagree with the diebetes causing obesity, it may be a contributing factor, but not the root cause.

He is very active in sports, eats a healthy diet and hasn't ever gained weight because of his condition. Granted, he cannot just stop eating, or go on a crash diet as he could not regulate his sugar that way. It's all about making healthy choices, not excuses.

I'm curious though, what was your mothers A1C when she was diagnosed? The reason i ask is if she was a type 1 with her pancreas producing little to no insulin it would have been through the roof to the point she would have been spilling a high amount of ketones and probably would have been in a coma or dead if she went 5yrs with no insulin. I think it's more likely her weight might have contributed to her going from a type 2 to a type 1.

I will say that a diebetic has a harder time losing weight, but it does not make them gain. If anything they will have gotten so sick after eating and not recieving insulin, coupled with high a1c levels and spilling ketones they probably wouldn't be anywhere other than the toilet vomiting or passed out.

I'm not looking to start an argument, just stating my experiences i've had over the years.

 

[starbreather]

Obesity = more money in taxes to medically care for, even insurance can be more expensive. We have to have specialty equipment in the ED to care for them, some equipment can't even be utilized due to weight restrictions. The average cost of a hospital stay for the obese is $15,000 more.

 

[rmabrey]

Um... Unless you don't pay taxes, you're paying for it too.

Sadly I am. Therefore im not ok with them living how they want to live, since you are can you pick up the slack

 

[geronimojoe85]

I'm not ok with people living like that, but I'm not about to tell people how to live. It's sad that people chose to live like that, even worse when it's caused/exacerbated by medical issues.
But that's one if the things medical transport companies need to be aware of, and if they want to stay in business/keep contracts need to accommodate. If they chose not to, it's on them.
My uncle had issues like this, poor life choices combined and amplified with medical and mental issues put him at about 500lbs. When his issues put him in the hospital we found a place with a bariatric unit. When he needed transport we made sure they had equipment to handle him. If they sent a van with two 90lb girls we sent them away and called someone else.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Everyone is ultimately responsible for themselves.

If you are above the weight/space capacity of the average elevator, car, bed, chair, gurney, etc. then you need to come up with a plan B to accomodate your girth or accept alternate means of forcing other people to deal with you.

 

[lovemachine]

I have a friend who is diabetic. And he's far from obese. He's in excellent shape. He bikes 8 miles to work everyday. And runs 10 miles every night.
He's also a vegetarian.

You don't have to be obese to be diabetic.

 

[Lucas156]

For every soda you drink drink a bottle of water in its place and watch the pounds fall off.