Posted on 08/11/2004 2:49:06 PM PDT by Calpernia
STUART, Fla. -- A dramatic rescue ended tragically in Stuart, Florida, a rescue so difficult firefighters say they have never seen anything like it.
It happened late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning at the home of a 600-pound woman who was having trouble breathing. Rescuers went in not knowing how difficult it would be to get her out. 40-year-old Gail Grinds was literally stuck to her couch and had to be removed surgically at the hospital.
Authorities estimate she had been on the couch anywhere from two to five years.
Martin County Fire amd Rescue crews faced what seemed to be an impossible mission. Everyone going inside had to wear protective gear. The stench was so powerful they had to blast in fresh air.
They tried to cut out the front door, but at four-and-a-half feet wide, it wouldn't work. They had to cut plywood since a normal stretcher wouldn't do.
An ambulance was too small, so they brought in a trailer to get her out. While rescue crews came up with a back-door rescue plan, detectives secured what had become a crime scene, questioning family members about how it got so bad.
Using planks, they loaded the woman on to the trailer, still attached to the couch. Removing her would be too painful, since her body is grafted to the fabric. After years of staying put, her skin has literally become one with the sofa and it must be surgically removed.
Detectives are investigating whether they have a case of neglect, or if it is simply a very sad story.
Grinds was taken to the Martin Memorial hospital where doctors removed her from the couch, but she died in spite of all the attempts to save her life.
Based on his reasoning for supporting Kerry, I'd say he's both.
My cat bit me on the back of the ankle once when I refused to feed him.
My husband tells me I'm mean when I tell him he eats too much. So I slap another steak on the grill and tell him to be sure to pay up on his life insurance (ooh, I AM mean).
That lady is better off dead, she must have really hated herself.
For dieting cats, I would recommend weight loss formula cat food. I think that's safer for you than putting less food out!
For dieting cats, I would recommend weight loss formula cat food. I think that's safer for you than putting less food out!
"...How did she go to the bathroom?..."
She went on the couch. How else would she and the couch become one? What goes in HAS to come out and what comes out hardens and becomes a bondo-like substance. This is truly not the kind of thing to read over breakfast.
Told a lefty friend about this, got the usual BLAME THE FOOD CORPORATIONS bulshi*. Amazing.
For awhile. But continued immobility would lead to diminished bowel motility, which in turn would cause all the moisture in the unexpelled fecal matter to be absorbed through the lower intestinal wall. The accumulated fecal matter that had already been expelled and densely compacted by her sheer weight, would also block any further elimination. As the hardened, impacted bowell mass continued to accumulate, she would be chronically constipated. The urge to defecate would probably subside altogether at this point.
It's not unheard of for surgeons to have to remove a hundred pounds or more of impacted feces from the chronically, pathologically constipated.
So many of them DO occur here in Florida! I wonder why?
Terribly sad waste of a person's life.
As for the lady who became one with the couch, she must have been sick in the head, IMHO. Normal people don't go to that extreme. And the people around here should be held accountable for not reporting the situation.
And I'm going to help him kill you. That was just WRONG.
Actually, she only 460 lbs. She lost 140lbs in 2 minutes when the cut the couch off!
I've never understood when I've read stories like this about huge people who cannot get out of bed but can eat 6 or 8 hamburgers a meal. If I had a family member who could not get up and was dependent upon ME to bring food, you can bet I'd be serving salad and broth until the weight came off.
If I would have known...I'd have said something. As I'm sure many Freepers would have....
Or did you me "her" instead of "here"? LOL!!
Take Care,
How could the body continue funtioning with all that old fecal matter? It seems the person would die of internal poisoning... We had to put our horse down last week because he had a bowel obstruction. He was only totally blocked for 3 days before we were forced to put him down. How could a person keep eating or not have terrible abdominal pain ofr so long? GROSS!
I am so sorry - I wish this had come up while we were at your place Sunday. I just had a colic episode with my horse, but he recovered. Vet said there have been many, with the heat and dry we've had, pastures are dead, and horses end up ingesting a lot of sand and dirt trying to eat the nubbins of dead grass that remains. Is that what happened in your case? - I'd like to hear your story so I could know more about it. This was the first case of colic I've ever had after 20 years now with horses. If you wish, you can respond on the saddle club thread, where it isn't off topic. (click my profile to find the thread)
>>>We had to put our horse down last week because he had a bowel obstruction.
Oh Tina! I'm so sorry! ::virtual hug::
>>When one eats carbohydrates serotonin is released in the brain which in turn creates a cozy, comforting feeling.
Now that is interesting. Does this NOT happen in everyone? Cause carbs make me feel sick. Is this true in others? Is that why not everyone understands this?
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