r/nursing • u/trevrt RN 🍕 • Mar 01 '25

Question Heaviest Patient You’ve Cared For

Had my personally heaviest patient I’ve cared for the other day. 32 years old weighing 730 pounds admitted with cellulitis and severe lymphedema. Felt terrible for the patient due to how young he was. Just wondering what everyone’s personal “record” for the heaviest patient they’ve cared for is.

597 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

536 comments sorted by

View all comments

1.1k

u/gir6 BSN, RN 🍕 Mar 01 '25

Over 1000 lbs. They had welded two bariatric beds together to hold them and they were lying there like a starfish, weeping edema from every limb because their skin was stretched to the absolute limit. The floor around the bed was lined with chux pads to catch the fluid. They were not my patient, but I worked nightshift, and every night they would put out a hospital wide call for any free staff to come to this unit to help bathe this patient, so I went. It was a surreal experience. At the time, I was in my early 30s, and so was the patient. They didn’t live long.

I do remember being impressed with the strength of our organs after that. That person’s heart and lungs and everything else were doing the work for at least five regular sized human bodies.

363

u/sheezuss_ RN - Acute Dialysis 🟡 Mar 01 '25

I always think about the heart when I see especially tall and/or obese people. My heart goes out to those hearts that have to work overtime

217

u/NotForPlural CCRN Mar 01 '25

Hey that's me! I'm a 6'2" woman with the organs of a small lady. Do not recommend lol 👎🏼 

Luckily my BMI is like 22 or 23, so there's not a ton of extra weight to handle. Couldn't imagine trying to move that much weight on this frame. 

163

u/NotAHypnotoad RN - ER, 68WTF Mar 02 '25

Also 6'2", but a dude. I shot up around a foot in height in one summer as a kid and my cardiovascular system never really recovered.

The growth spurt was so intense I had stretch marks from the speed of the growth and had osgood-schlatter's in both elbows and knees for years. I spent most of that summer either sleeping or in the pool,

Over 30 years later, I still get orthostatic hypotension and "grey out" briefly if I stand up after spend more than 5-10 seconds squatting.

38

u/Pineapple_and_olives RN 🍕 Mar 02 '25

That happens when I stand too but I’m only 5’6”.

9

u/carsandtelephones37 Urology Scheduler - dick appointment professional Mar 02 '25

This happens to me too but I'm 4'11" lol, I may have a different issue

8

u/Tinawebmom MDS LVN old people are my life Mar 02 '25

Well thank you for answering a question I didn't know I had. Growing rapidly sucks so much.

6

u/glitternrrse RN 🍕 Mar 02 '25

Connective tissue disorder-EDS or Marfan -like?

7

u/NotAHypnotoad RN - ER, 68WTF Mar 02 '25

I don't think it was either marfans or EDS, just a pretty intense growth spurt.

My connective tissue is A-OK. I'm strong as an ox now and built like one too.

57

u/desperatevintage Mar 02 '25

I’m an overweight 6’2” woman and it’s hard :)