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Hospitals Beseiged with Obese Patients
by Susan Dunn, Life and Wellness Coach, EQ
Diets, surgery, fitness plans, and education dont appear to be working. Were a fat nation, getting fatter. I was prompted to write this article after reading one on www.conservative.com which talked about the stress obese patients are putting on the healthcare system.
They werent talking about the dollars, which is obviously part of it, and a larger issue, they were talking about something else. However, the largest issue of all, is the health of the individuals concerned.
As someone who has struggled with weight issues all her life, I approach this subject holding my EQ in my hand. On the one hand, it made me feel better to read about people who weigh 500, 600 lbs. when I fight to hold my high school weight and have just lost the same 20 lbs. for the 100th time since then. On the other hand, I am distressed writing about it, because I feel for the dignity and self-esteem of the individuals who are what medicine terms 'morbidly obese,' and who suffer daily assaults because they cant sit in the chairs available, or sometimes even get through doors.
This came to our national attention when Southwest began requiring obese people to buy two seats on their planes. I dont know where Southwest is on this issue, but I do not the discomfort Ive experienced when the person sitting next to me was more in my seat than in theirs.
But at the same time, this is an article stating that in one hospital on one day, about 1/3rd of their patients weighed over 350.
Where could you go on any day and find 1/3rd of the people weighing over 350 lbs.? In your office? At the drug store? At a Rotary meeting? PTA at the school?
That these people are over-represented in hospitals is part of this story.
Recently I went on a cruise and saw the same thing. An inordinate number of really obese people. I remember seeing one gentleman who had fallen asleep with his head in his plate about 3 in the afternoon-- of course theres a 'plate' available on a cruise 24/7. Another managed to get into the hot tub, and all the water spilled out.
Sitting in the hot tub myself lateron , a woman from France approached me. 'I didnt know American were fat,' she said. 'We dont see this on TV.'
Well, we are and Im sure you, like I, have gotten an inkling that its a growing issue.
We were made aware when Southwest Airlines announced they would require obese people to buy two seats. We hear things too. My friends son who is medical school has seen the squeeze on his father, an internist, who is making far less than you would imagine, as is true of many doctors these days. What field is the son choosing? Bariatric medicine. 'Theres a growing demand for services,' he says.
Following in the wake of Southwest, other service providers are having to get their heads up out of the sand. Ambulance companies, for instance, have realized that a 'morbidly obese person' is not going to be a fluke any more. Its becoming ... frequent.
Las Vegas ambulance companies have redesigned their ambulances, including installing hoists and bigger beds.
Last year a patient care director in a St. Louis hospital was seeing things she could no longer ignore, so she ran the numbers. That day about 1/3 of their 900 patients weighed 350 lbs. or more. She decided to go back and see it that was a fluke. Nope. Some days half the patients were obese, and 500 lbs. wasnt unusual.
Now, I dont see a lot of people weighing 500 lbs. In fact I may never have. And the fact that hospitals do says what it says (Im coming to WELLNESS next). Obese people usually have a myriad of health problems and they probably visit the hospital more often. Thats why your doctor wants you to lose weight.
This hospitals solution was to form a Bariatric Care Team.
Now think for a moment of life in a hospital for a patient, and then picture this patient weighing 500 lbs. Normal supplies, equipment, training and personnel must be adjusted.
++The union says healthcare personnel are getting sprains and strains trying to lift obese patients. ++Do the gowns fit? Slippers? Blood pressure cuffs? ++Can they fit through the doors, in the chairs and on the bed? ++Can the ordinary stethoscope handle the layers of adipose tissue around the heart and lungs? Nope. New ones are being designed. ++What about the stretchers and wheelchairs? ++Longer needles for butt shots? ++Can a 500 lb. person go through the average CT scanner or MRI?
The nurses union which operates in 18 states (ATF Healthcare) is demanding new laws to force hospitals to buy equipment like portable hoists, because of injuries to nurses in performing their jobs.
This hits home with me. My dads mother was quite obese - over 300 lbs. and when, at the age of 89, she had a heart attack in her bed at home, the ER techs had to call for equipment to get her out to the ambulance.
One hospital has installed lights at floor level, because a grossly obese body casts a shadow and they cant see the floor.
Beds are now going to accommodate 500 lbs., not 350 lbs.. A nurse manager at Barnes-Jewish hospital said theyd had some -- SOME -- 650 pounders on the ward.
36' standard doors are going to become 48' or 52'. Toilets must be anchored to the floor so they dont get ripped out of the wall. Theyre going to have to make longer syringes.
The suppliers are working to meet the demand. Novation, LLC is one company that saw the trend about 4-5 years ago and now supplies over 1000 items to hospitals for obese patients. (What about towels, and blankets??)
But there are things still not made ... like a body bag. Its the law it has to be leak-proof, and some patients were so large in one hospital, they wouldnt fit in the body bag.
Perhaps youve seen the video on the Internet about the man in the UK who weighed 800 lbs. You can see it here: http://www.smithappens.com/video_800man.php . The video shows an interview with the doctor where he says the man is suffering from malnutrition, despite the huge amounts of calories he eats every day.
Obesity is indeed a growing problem in the US and it stems from many things - eating wrong, not getting the proper exercise, not being able to handle emotions and using food for comfort and to alleviate stress, from bad examples, bad habits learned at home, genes, and lack of education and awareness.
In the video, the man is interviewed after losing a couple 100 lbs. He says the doctor told him when he was in the hospital, he would do what the doctor said. One wonders what will happen when he leaves the hospital, and one hopes, along with him, for the best, since when he was admitted he was near death due to congestive heart failure.
If you need to get your weight back into a health range, choose a program that treats all aspects.
©Susan Dunn, MA, Life & Wellness Coach, EQ, www.susandunn.cc, mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc . Coaching, Internet courses, eBooks, drop-in sessions, answers and solutions. Coaching on EQ and Weight Loss. Email for info, coach certification program and fr** ezine. Susan is an Independent Arbonne Consultant - supplements, Figure 8 Weight Loss System.
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