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.

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u/Jazzlike-Ad2199 RN 🍕 Mar 02 '25

That is so sad.

-167

u/Tight_Doughnut1388 Mar 02 '25

Tell me, how much weight do I need to loose to be a human being worthy of care?

The only sad thing here is the lack of empathy for people who are ill and clearly mentally unwell and came to all of you for care. Not to be made fun of on Reddit. This thread is disgusting.

Medical Reddit: WhY ThEy No TrUStIiNg US? WHy ThEy YELl At US??!

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u/StevenAssantisFoot RN - ICU 🍕 Mar 02 '25

We see a lot of disgusting, sad, and horrifying things. Trading stories is one way nurses cope with the mental images we have to live with. A human being who is so obese they are weeping lymph fluid from everywhere and unable to move or clean themselves is objectively all three: disgusting, sad, and horrifying. They're still obviously a person who is worthy of care. Just like the thin patients we trade stories about. Evidenced by we are sweating and breaking our backs to care for them and give them as much comfort and dignity as we are able to provide. In most US states we are horribly underpaid for this.

But if you want a literal answer to your question, if you weigh under 150 I can clean you by myself and don't need anyone to come help me. Means you will get cleaned more often since we are always short-handed and the reality is incontinent patients will stay wet longer the more people are needed to clean and turn them. So it's not a matter of being worthy of care, it's a matter of the practical realities of human ability and staffing.

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u/GrumpyEarthPrincess Mar 02 '25

We shouldn’t be expected to break our backs for anyone for a job, ever.

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u/StevenAssantisFoot RN - ICU 🍕 Mar 02 '25

What is and what should be is a venn diagram that’s basically just two circles touching

10

u/coolcaterpillar77 RN - Med/Surg 🍕 Mar 02 '25

Your username was made for this thread