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Obesity-related injuries

dianeseattle

dianeseattle

Member
Yesterday I was sitting in my apartment when I heard sudden wailing and calling for help. It was my neighbor, Eddie, a 72yo obese man who lives upstairs. He had been walking in the parking lot with one arm up on the staircase railing above to steady his walk. Somehow, he lost his balance or stepped wrong and fell to the ground. He must weigh about 225 pounds.

He came down on his right palm, driving his arm into his shoulder socket. He couldn't get up and he was screaming in pain. He was also in a bad position next to a pole that holds up the next floor. Another neighbor came to help but between the two of us, there was no budging him.

I literally ran into my apartment and got my handtruck (yes, I have one) and came back out, hoping to slide it under his butt and maybe then we could lift and pull him back up. No dice. I called 911 and then sat with him, helping him keep the weight off his right arm while the ambulance came. It was horrible.

If Eddie hadn't been so overweight, we could have done something more to help him. He was a little delirious, thinking the other neighbor and I could somehow get him upright and then over to his car, to drive himself to the store, which is where he had planned to go. When the ambulance arrived, it took three of them and me to get him up and on a stretcher. He asked me to get his phone out of his pocket and hang on to it, which I did, but now wish I hadn't, because he can't call from wherever they took him. I called three hospitals today looking for him and couldn't find him admitted anywhere.

So I'm sitting here with Eddie's phone, and no one has called him, and I have no idea if he has relatives I could contact, and am just so agitated with worry about what happened to him.

But here's the point: this accident wouldn't have happened or been so bad if he wasn't so heavy. it's not something any of us think about, "Am I too heavy to be lifted onto a gurney?" God knows what could have happened to him if he hadn't been able to scream loud enough to get someone to come to his aid. And even though he yelled, only two people responded. Everyone else peeked out their doors, then closed them.

I hope Eddie's story helps someone here in the group. Probably others in the group have had similar experiences. We think of heart disease and whether clothes will fit and worry about attractiveness, but in his case, this fall could have been gravely serious.

I tore off an envelope that was addressed to me and wrote my phone number on it and made sure the medics put it in his shirt pocket, and told him to call me as soon as he could. But he fell yesterday afternoon and now it's late evening the next day--no word.

We don't always like to admit we're getting old. I'll be 72 this July, but most people think I'm much younger {Thanks for the genepool mom and dad). One thing I can tell you for sure is, my 72 is healthier than his 72, and a large part of that is owing to the fact that I had RYGB and turned my life around. Eddie likes to eat and that's his greatest joy. I hope he recovers and realizes he needs to take control of his health.
 
dianeseattle said:
Yesterday I was sitting in my apartment when I heard sudden wailing and calling for help. It was my neighbor, Eddie, a 72yo obese man who lives upstairs. He had been walking in the parking lot with one arm up on the staircase railing above to steady his walk. Somehow, he lost his balance or stepped wrong and fell to the ground. He must weigh about 225 pounds.

He came down on his right palm, driving his arm into his shoulder socket. He couldn't get up and he was screaming in pain. He was also in a bad position next to a pole that holds up the next floor. Another neighbor came to help but between the two of us, there was no budging him.

I literally ran into my apartment and got my handtruck (yes, I have one) and came back out, hoping to slide it under his butt and maybe then we could lift and pull him back up. No dice. I called 911 and then sat with him, helping him keep the weight off his right arm while the ambulance came. It was horrible.

If Eddie hadn't been so overweight, we could have done something more to help him. He was a little delirious, thinking the other neighbor and I could somehow get him upright and then over to his car, to drive himself to the store, which is where he had planned to go. When the ambulance arrived, it took three of them and me to get him up and on a stretcher. He asked me to get his phone out of his pocket and hang on to it, which I did, but now wish I hadn't, because he can't call from wherever they took him. I called three hospitals today looking for him and couldn't find him admitted anywhere.

So I'm sitting here with Eddie's phone, and no one has called him, and I have no idea if he has relatives I could contact, and am just so agitated with worry about what happened to him.

But here's the point: this accident wouldn't have happened or been so bad if he wasn't so heavy. it's not something any of us think about, "Am I too heavy to be lifted onto a gurney?" God knows what could have happened to him if he hadn't been able to scream loud enough to get someone to come to his aid. And even though he yelled, only two people responded. Everyone else peeked out their doors, then closed them.

I hope Eddie's story helps someone here in the group. Probably others in the group have had similar experiences. We think of heart disease and whether clothes will fit and worry about attractiveness, but in his case, this fall could have been gravely serious.

I tore off an envelope that was addressed to me and wrote my phone number on it and made sure the medics put it in his shirt pocket, and told him to call me as soon as he could. But he fell yesterday afternoon and now it's late evening the next day--no word.

We don't always like to admit we're getting old. I'll be 72 this July, but most people think I'm much younger {Thanks for the genepool mom and dad). One thing I can tell you for sure is, my 72 is healthier than his 72, and a large part of that is owing to the fact that I had RYGB and turned my life around. Eddie likes to eat and that's his greatest joy. I hope he recovers and realizes he needs to take control of his health.
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WOW! He weighs less than me and there was that much trouble! Jeez! 225 doesn't sound heavy at all. Sorry you (and especially HE) had that experience. Have you heard from him yet? I hope he's ok
 
That was one of the Many things on my list of why I wanted to lose weight. I don't want to be too heavy to be lifted if I fall. I'm 69 and my balance isn't what it used to be. I've even tripped over my own feet ! LOL If I do fall , I have to be near something to grab onto so I can stand myself up. I pray the day never comes that I'm laying there helpless.
 
The apartment manager called a little while ago. No word. She had the maintenance guy go to Eddie's apartment to see is he was there. He let himself in and no sign of Eddie. No calls to my phone and Eddie's phone doesn't have service because he hadn't paid for March. So no idea. I may call the ambulance service but I doubt they'd tell me anything, except where they took him, which would at least be a start. Yeah, his weight was a factor both in his fall and the severity of his injury. I wish he'd taken his phone, but as I said, I tucked my name, address and phone number into his pocket as he was being loaded onto the ambulance.

Before I had surgery I topped out at 263 pounds, so I don't mean to sound critical of obesity per se, but if you're carrying 100 or 150 extra pounds on your frame, it can be extremely difficult even to walk. And it certainly did in Eddie's case. When I was at my top weight, most people would never have guessed I weighed that much. I know his car keys are in his pocket because he asked me to pull them out, but I only had time to pull his phone out of another pocket before the medics loaded him up.

Even without the fall, he was at risk for health problems that could lead to dangerous places because of his weight. My hope is that they kept him for tests for things like congestive heart disease, since they obviously couldn't send him home. And he lives on the third floor, so no way could he make it up to his apartment without help.
 
dianeseattle said:
The apartment manager called a little while ago. No word. She had the maintenance guy go to Eddie's apartment to see is he was there. He let himself in and no sign of Eddie. No calls to my phone and Eddie's phone doesn't have service because he hadn't paid for March. So no idea. I may call the ambulance service but I doubt they'd tell me anything, except where they took him, which would at least be a start. Yeah, his weight was a factor both in his fall and the severity of his injury. I wish he'd taken his phone, but as I said, I tucked my name, address and phone number into his pocket as he was being loaded onto the ambulance.

Before I had surgery I topped out at 263 pounds, so I don't mean to sound critical of obesity per se, but if you're carrying 100 or 150 extra pounds on your frame, it can be extremely difficult even to walk. And it certainly did in Eddie's case. When I was at my top weight, most people would never have guessed I weighed that much. I know his car keys are in his pocket because he asked me to pull them out, but I only had time to pull his phone out of another pocket before the medics loaded him up.

Even without the fall, he was at risk for health problems that could lead to dangerous places because of his weight. My hope is that they kept him for tests for things like congestive heart disease, since they obviously couldn't send him home. And he lives on the third floor, so no way could he make it up to his apartment without help.
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I so understand, Diane and I did not think you were being too critical. You're absolutely right. It's funny how relative it can all seem. At 160 I would have definitely thought he weighed a lot, but where I am now at 245 it doesn't sound that bad. 160 is a great weight for me. The "books" say at 5'4 I should weigh ~140, but I've been there and that's too skinny for me. Yep, it's all relative.
 
MelbaM said:
WOW! He weighs less than me and there was that much trouble! Jeez! 225 doesn't sound heavy at all. Sorry you (and especially HE) had that experience. Have you heard from him yet? I hope he's ok
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Eddie just called me, thank goodness. He remembered that he had my phone number stuck in his pocket. He said he had been told he dislocated his shoulder. Well, yeah, sure, but did so much more damage to it than that. Because I know him and how stubborn he is, I lectured him about not trying to get out of the hospital as soon as possible, but to let them do whatever they want to do for him. Anyway, he'll be there for maybe three days while they do tests. I mentioned CHF and it sounds like he's already been talked to about it by his doctor.

I know they wouldn't do weight-loss surgery on him at his age and in his health condition. But at least they'll find out of any of the comorbidities have reared their ugly heads yet.

I hope he'll consider moving to the ground floor, as I suggested and as the management here has already suggested to him several times. And somehow, I hope he'll be able to lose some weight. I don't think he's very knowledgeable about nutrition.

I think we can all be extra-grateful that we qualified for WLS and took that step to extend our lives.
 
MelbaM said:
I so understand, Diane and I did not think you were being too critical. You're absolutely right. It's funny how relative it can all seem. At 160 I would have definitely thought he weighed a lot, but where I am now at 245 it doesn't sound that bad. 160 is a great weight for me. The "books" say at 5'4 I should weigh ~140, but I've been there and that's too skinny for me. Yep, it's all relative.
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Actually, I was going to say 300 pounds, but I'm horrible at guessing weight. I'm sure it's somewhere between 225 and 300 and if I was going to say my real impression, it would be that he was closer to the high than the low.
 
Quick update: Eddie called today and gave me permission to go into his apartment so I could get his checkbook and pay his rent, and a couple of other things. He was moved from the hospital to a rehab facility about 30 miles south, where he's been diagnosed with injuries from a dislocated shoulder. Of course, what I witnessed was worse than a simple dislocation. And as it turns out, the office had a security camera aimed right at that spot when he fell, and for all the subsequent actions until the ambulance arrived. He'll be in the rehab center for two weeks, they say.

I'm so grateful for WLS that allowed me to get to a normal weight. I'm the same age as Eddie but I feel like I've got about 20 years-worth of health on him. I'm never going to be obese again. I'm so glad spring is here so I can start hiking and getting even healthier.
 
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MelbaM said:
I so understand, Diane and I did not think you were being too critical. You're absolutely right. It's funny how relative it can all seem. At 160 I would have definitely thought he weighed a lot, but where I am now at 245 it doesn't sound that bad. 160 is a great weight for me. The "books" say at 5'4 I should weigh ~140, but I've been there and that's too skinny for me. Yep, it's all relative.
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i agree with you Melbam, it doesn’t seem like a lot but it really is all relative. I spent 2 years at my top of 334 and in that 2 years I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, etc… it obviously takes longer than 2 years to establish poor health, but the beauty is that we can always improve it! In the 9 months I spent preparing for surgery I lost 60 pounds, dropped my A1c below 6, stopped sweating all the time and lots of other stuff. We only get one life, and it’s precious. Let us all remember that.
 
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