My BMI is 40 are they less likely to ventilate me?

[FuckADuckie]

If I did get it because I'm on the list of secondary issues?

I just read this somewhere and am terrified now :(

On a thread where someone asks about refusing ventilation for over 80s the op is jumped on for ageism - but as soon as someone is fat then you get some quitd atrocious posts that yes, it is fine to refuse treatment to a fat, but otherwise OK, mother of 4 children - fuck me

Well, I never saw the thread were there were accusations of ageism but all of us who have underlying conditions, including the morbidly obese, won't make the cut because there is no room for hurt feelings when it comes to medical resources and medical outcomes.

Did you see the article on the guardian about who needed ICU in London? It looks like overweight and not even obese is the largest group.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/21/doctors-warn-coronavirus-could-overwhelm-nhs-intensive-care

Most (139) were male, 71% of all cases; the median age was 64 although 37% were under 60; only 18 patients had “severe co-morbidities”, such as underlying heart conditions or lung disease; while 63% were overweight, obese or morbidly obese. Two patients had been pregnant within the last six weeks.

No, I didn't see that nongenerationalpha, I'll have a look, thanks.

63% of adults in the UK are overweight or obese. If anything, that ICU figure actually suggests weight isn’t a risk factor.

Not in London, London has a much lower percentage of people who are overweight than the national average at slightly over 50% but interesting the children in London are more likely to be overweight by average and so contributly significantly to that % , so if younger adults in London who are presenting with severe covid -19 symptoms to the tune of 63% that's likely to be significant.

@Hercwasonaroll
"OPs BMI is clearly high due to the drugs. They can make you pile on weight. This is a fact."
Sigh.
Given that she has not even stated which drugs she is taking I dont see how you can claim this is fact. The are a lot of people on drugs due to mental illness. There is not a corresponding number of people with a BMI of 40.

58% in London according to the NHS, with no statistically significant regional variations for obesity. Those ICU figures are within what you’d expect to see if there was no increased risk with weight, but given the small sample size they indicate that there’s a possible small risk increase which is worth gathering data on. They’re not in the ‘all fat people will die’ arena.

I was looking at this, I guess it depends where people are coming from.

Yeah, but I agree it's a long way from all fat people will die and I didn't mean to suggest anything that it might be a factor.

Than

OP you are important, none of us expected to be in situation where there would be a shortage of equipment needed to ventilate people who are ill.
Please focus on your well-being and on building up your health

Op I am sorry that you are so worried and I'm sorry that there is a couple of super-twats on this thread.
Yes you are at higher risk because of your weight which you already know. First of all stay at home as much as you possibly can to avoid getting sick at all. Secondly, no you can't lose 4 stone immediately but you can start to change your lifestyle and eating habits now. It is really really hard, but think about why you are scared and what ownership you can take. Remember every pound that you drop is making things better for you. Don't worry but do start to act to make your lifestyle healthier.

My family members are about to start to have to make these decisions. They are expecting war time medicine. No ICU for over 60s, morbidly obese, smokers. Ventilator will go to the person most likely to survive. This was preventable. Our leaders saw what was happening in Italy and did nothing.

People do know NICE have actually released guidance on this? There’s no need to make up guidance that your relatives have speculated about. You can look up the guidance and see that those speculations are inaccurate.

This is a massive shock to us all
we lived in a world where lots of people had health conditions, or issues that made them somewhat vulnerable health wise, but it was perfectly possible to carry on with your life and manage those conditions/issues
Suddenly everything has shifted and we are all scrambling to adjust to the new reality

yes, good point although I know even in the 1950s my NHS doctor father in hospital was having to decide who would live or die, who has which operation based on need, risk, who should have priority, who is it best to save. It is just it is a bit more in the public eye now and hospitals may have to make more of those decisions all at once which a horrible dilemma. One 20 something man who had complications of malaria died recently because of NHS overload or partly that , no ambulance for ages etc. No coronavirus but a casualty indirectly of the virus. Let us hope none of us need an appendix out.

I don't know why the focus is just on getting a ventilation or not. What you need to consider is how likely the ventilator is to be effective if you are in the unlucky position of needing one. The more weight you can lose, the better your odds of beating this thing when/if you catch it.

I'm obese and have joined SlimmingWorld online and lost 4 pounds this week. I'm hoping I'll be out of the obese category in the next couple of months and hopefully won't catch itge virus before then. I'll try and get down to normal weight before I get it if I can. I have tried and failed with SlimmingWorld before (I am breastfeeding which makes me very hungry) but I have the motivation now as I want to do everything I can to ensure that I am around for DS.

@PanicOnTheStreets85

Well done! 4lbs ina week is a huge achievement

"Almost two thirds of patients who fall seriously ill from coronavirus are obese and nearly 40 per cent are under the age of 60, an NHS audit has revealed.

Sixty-three per cent of patients in intensive care in UK hospitals because of the killer virus are overweight, obese or morbidly obese.

While the average age of people suffering the most serious symptoms of coronavirus is 64, 37 per cent are under the age of 60.

The Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre analysed all admissions to critical care units in the UK up until midnight last Thursday.

At that time, there were 194 coronavirus patients in ICU. That number is thought to have soared in the last four days.

The document provided the first in-depth look at patients who have needed round-the-clock care and boosted medics' understanding of the virus that has crippled society.

Its finding that obese people are at risk of serious complications from COVID-19 will be concerning for health bosses, as two thirds of adults in the country fall into the category. "

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8142005/Being-obese-raises-coronavirus-risk-Medics-warn-patients-high-BMI-likely-die.html

Terrifying

I'm thoroughly confused by that article.

"Almost two thirds of patients who fall seriously ill from coronavirus are obese...

Sixty-three per cent of patients in intensive care in UK hospitals because of the killer virus are overweight, obese or morbidly obese."

Am I missing something? The first refers to obesity, the second to overweight+obesity. Aren't 2/3 of the UK population overweight/obese anyway? (commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn03336/)

I think we can certainly draw from it that if we can lose weight so much the better.

I've been diagnosed with cancer in the last week. I won't be getting the surgery, which would normally take place within 4 weeks, for up 6 months. There will be no ventilators available. It's scary times for everyone. Not only will there be people dying because of the ventilator numbers, further down the line there will be deaths because of delays to surgery.

I'm so sorry gingersrum, that must be a big worry

And yes, I agree with you, the illness and deaths caused by coronavirus will only form part of picture.