Me too - I don’t fully agree with the whole BMI thing, because even at my lowest I was a size 8 but 11 1/2 stone and still obese
But I’d love to hear someone’s facts and opinions who knows what they’re talking about
Im sure everyone knows by now that I’m an ICU nurse and I’ve worked through both waves, and this one is DEFINITELY worse, and this is down to people becoming more lax in their rules and still socialising.
We class obesity as part of past medical history. I disagree with this entirely as so many other medical professionals, as it feels like everyone is obese as BMI doesn’t really mean shit. The issue with obesity with COVID is the proning. Proning is when we roll you and you lay on your tummy for up to 16-18hrs. Proning takes around 8 people to flip and it’s really hard when you are proning someone who not only is above 5ft7, but above 110kgish. We have to lie you on your side, and then lift you to get you on your tummy and it’s really hard on your back. You have to get this move right as you need this once chance to get them proned.
the manoeuvre isn’t the issue, the actual proning is. You have a lot of weight around the chest and it causes the lungs and heart to work harder, especially if you’re proned.
also some medication is dosed by weight, so if you’re above 100kg you will need a bigger dose.
although we have noticed more obese patients this time around, they are not dying quicker than let’s say an “average” sized person. I had 6 deaths last Monday, one was a patient who was 135kg and that was their only past medical history. They were 40s. However the patient next to them was 50s, and they died too. The patient in the side room was of the BAME community and in their 50s and died. But the patient who weighs 120kg and is 5ft is making improvements, and is being discharged to rehab this week.
What I’m trying to say is that it’s luck of the draw. The person in their 40s who died shook the entire unit as they hadn’t even had any hospital admission in their lives. We have seen people die who really shouldn’t, and others who survived. We had a patient of the BAME community and obese, who arrived in A&E with oxygen stats of 22% (you are usually 100%!) and they were discharged today!
Yes, Emma and Tony are at risk as they are fat and in their 30s. But so is my Dad, who is a low BMI but an asthmatic. My issue with them being offered the vaccine is NOTHING to do with their weight, it’s my own selfish jealously that I can’t hug my Dad after a year as he is patiently waiting the vaccine.
The police use BMI as part of the medical, so you would get super fit strapping muscley blokes who were over the BMI limit and therefore failed the medical! This was a good few years ago so hopefully they have moved on from this, or let the doctors decide if the applicant is fit or not if they are over the BMI limit.
The police are so strict. I applied as a young woman (like early 20s) and was denied on my asthma and eyesights!