A man who weighed about half a ton when he was admitted to a hospital was recovering Wednesday from obesity surgery. Patrick Deuel, 42, underwent the procedure to reduce the size of his stomach four months after being admitted to the hospital at 1,072 pounds.
He had been bedridden since last fall and was malnourished because so many of his calories came from foods high in fat and carbohydrates.
Deuel had difficulty breathing and suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes linked to obesity that his doctor said were killing him.
Gastric bypass surgery was thought to be his best chance for permanent weight loss, but doctors said Deuel needed to lose some weight first, to gain enough strength so he could walk on his own and prove he was healthy enough to survive the surgery.
Before going into surgery on Tuesday, Deuel had lost 421 pounds. He said his diabetes and high-blood pressure were under control and credited the results to a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet and exercise.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/10/27/687699.html
He had been bedridden since last fall and was malnourished because so many of his calories came from foods high in fat and carbohydrates.
Deuel had difficulty breathing and suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes linked to obesity that his doctor said were killing him.
Gastric bypass surgery was thought to be his best chance for permanent weight loss, but doctors said Deuel needed to lose some weight first, to gain enough strength so he could walk on his own and prove he was healthy enough to survive the surgery.
Before going into surgery on Tuesday, Deuel had lost 421 pounds. He said his diabetes and high-blood pressure were under control and credited the results to a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet and exercise.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/10/27/687699.html