The 500 lb. Naked Man

You read that right. This was my other grossest call. We got a private call (not 911) to a home of a man who needed transport to the hospital for an appointment. He lied in bed. He was 500lbs. And he was naked. Why, you ask?

Well, he claims medication made her obese and it’s not his fault. I’ve heard this exact line from every morbid obese person I’ve ran on. “It’s not my fault”. Some medications can make you retain weight, but not 500 pounds worth.  And he was naked because a worker comes once a month to bathe him, and this was the day he was to be cleaned. So in addition to the sight, the smell was atrocious as well.

In cases like these, it takes up to 6 men to move him. We needed two other units to come in and perform what is called “A Lift Assist”. All in all, 3 Ambulances were taken out of commission in a very busy area during peak 911 hours. As a result, other units had to cover a greater area and scramble to make due. So when someone had a real legitimate emergency, the response time for an ambulance would be delayed because the unit is coming from further away. All because this man had a doctor’s appointment.

So there we were, six young men standing around the bed of a naked 500 lb. man, who hasn’t moved from his side in six months, trying to figure out how to get him off the bed and onto our gurney. At this point, I said, “Think smarter, not harder, guys.” I suggested we use the thick comforter already under him to move him. It took great strength and care to comfortably and respectfully move him, but we did it.

Three ambulances and a hospital visit was paid for by Medicare, so by you, the taxpayer. Obesity, a preventable disease mind you, causes all Americans to pay 100 MILLION dollars a year. But it’s not just that. Ambulances, Fire Department, and Doctors have to spend 3x as much time dealing with obese patients, which leaves them less time and availability to help you. In England, ambulance services have to buy larger rigs to accommodate the growing rate over obesity. See Link

This man was young and it was very sad this is what his life had become, but when obesity weighs down others, I find it hard to have sympathy.