Man drops over 500 pounds in seven months

[cycloneye]

Half-ton man drops nearly 500 pounds
Friday, January 21, 2005 Posted: 5:46 PM EST (2246 GMT)



SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota (AP) -- Patrick Deuel is half the man he used to be.

Deuel, 42, was scheduled to leave the hospital as early as Friday, seven months after he checked in in grave condition, at 1,072 pounds.

After undergoing stomach-reduction surgery in October, he is down to 610 pounds and is healthier.

Now, the Valentine, Nebraska, man looks forward to the simple things others take for granted, such as taking out the trash and shoveling snow.

"We've given him (another) shot at life ... and I hope he seizes on it," said Dr. Fred Harris, leader of the nine-person medical team responsible for Deuel's care at Avera McKennan Hospital.

Deuel was admitted on June 4.

Heart failure, diabetes, high blood pressure and other problems caused by severe obesity threatened to kill him. He had trouble breathing and was malnourished because so many of his calories came from foods high in fat and carbohydrates. He had been housebound for seven years and bedridden for months.



Wow that is incredible how he has dropped over 500 pounds in seven months.