Obesity Is No Laughing Matter

Usually Gar the Texan is quite refined and of impeccably good taste and manners. But, apparently he's having some marital/relationship distress and that somehow had him blogging about a long ago, back in the 90s, Internet sensation known as "Bob the Anal Fissure."

Well, I've long been puzzled by a certain delicate subject that usually I'd just let fade into the recesses of my curiosity, but Gar going on about his Anal Fissure Bob thing gave me the courage to be in really bad taste. For once.

It's good to dare to go where you've never dared to go before.

There was this guy in Granbury. That's a really nice Texas town outside the D/FW Metroplex. They put on great events. Best 4th of July Parade I've ever been to. And don't get me started on General Granbury's Birthday Party.

Anyway, this guy in Granbury weighed way way over a half ton. He was bed ridden. Unless there was a huge intervention, he'd die in bed. Now, when I read things like that, and you read it way too often, I think, who brings this guy the food? And what about his bathroom needs, both of the most basic nature, and things like taking a shower? How does that work?

Now I spent time with a morbidly obese person when I was in Tacoma. This person was not bed-ridden, no one had to bring food to her in bed, except on weekends when her husband was home. This obese person was totally mobile. She was able to forage buffet lines and dessert trays all by herself. But still, having seen the difficultly she had in getting to a prone position or putting on a shoe I could not help but wonder how safe a bath tub was. Or a toilet.

That guy in Granbury was totally non-mobile. So, who brought him the food? And where did the food go when his body finished processing it, since he was bedridden and couldn't get to the bathroom? When it came time to get the Granbury guy to a hospital in Dallas a wall to his bedroom had to be removed and a forklift lifted him, bed and all and put him on one of those flatbed trailers you see all the time here being pulled by a Ford pickup. He was hauled down I-30 to Dallas, operated on with what I don't remember. Stomach staple? Liposuction? I don't know.

I do recollect a follow up article quite awhile later. The guy was back home in Granbury, the wall to his bedroom fixed. He, able to walk. After a few more months of losing weight the Granbury Guy decided to see if he could drive to the store. I would hope not to get cookies and donuts. He got in his pickup, started it. And made it a couple blocks before it stopped. I don't remember if he ran out of gas or if the vehicle had a breakdown. I do remember it was too far for him to walk back home in his condition. I don't remember how he got back home. I imagine it involved calling 911.

Anyway, I Googled "obese person bathroom" and found an appalling amount of info. I was going to link to the specific websites, but some of it is so disgusting I think I'll just let you Google it yourself if you want to put yourself through that.

Suffice to say, it ain't easy being extra fat. One would think being in that condition there would be so many reasons to lose the weight. But having said that, one thing I read when I Googled the "obese person bathroom" string was that some obese people claim they can't help it. One woman claimed she went from petite to big in just a few months due to hormonal imbalances. Still seems that food going in the mouth had to be involved. I've never heard of hormones having many calories.

Okay, I'm being insensitive. I'll shut up about it now.