My heart aches as I write this, but I'm reaching out for help and support for my bedridden, morbidly obese younger brother. He's been struggling with his health, weighing over 900 lbs now, dealing with lymphedema, and now relying on oxygen due to shortness of breath. We've hit roadblocks finding care facilities.

The reality is stark: there are no local resources equipped to handle someone of his size on a regular basis. His lymphedema worsens, and we're doing our best with compression supports, but it's an uphill battle. We've reached out for help, made countless calls, but options are slim. He has dealt with a lot from being home schooled due to bullying, experiencing SA trauma at a young age, and dealing with the death of our grandparents and mother in a few short years. When the pandemic happened that's when the weight piled on, he ended up with pneumonia, and became bedridden. I am also obese at 350lbs and my dad is over 400.

I'm reaching out here, hoping to find support groups, connections to individuals who've faced similar challenges (700 or more pounds), and stories of real people who have successfully overcome immense weight struggles against the odds. It seems there is nothing out there exclusively for people and families with loved ones who become bedbound from their weight at 700 or more pounds (except one humiliating tv show/doctor who asked "what do you expect me to do?").

I know this is the internet and so no one is required to be nice, but this has mentally wrecked my family, especially me because I don't want my little brother to die. For example, I'm not the one who controls the food. I don't even live with him, but I try to visit once or twice a month and help around with household tasks since Since it's gotten this bad I've personally had to be heavily medicated and seeking therapy because I started having panic attacks in the middle of the night being afraid I'd wake up and get a call he is dead. He is only in his 20's. He should be living his life and not stuck in a bed.

We acknowledge the hurdles ahead: addiction, breaking enabling patterns, therapy, and more. But amidst it all, my brother remains hesitant to seek help publicly, fearing the stigma and spectacle. Please, if you have insights, resources, or personal experiences with being over 700lbs or having a loved one reach that weight, let me know. I'd love to reach out to people privately to hear what successfully worked to save their lives. This feels like it's the end for him if we don't do something fast.

The decision is hard. How are you doing?

One of the horrible parts is being so large is fear of accidents. And why aren't there larger chairs? I broke at least 2 back in the day. I needed to sit! My feet were a 10 pain wise.

Along the way in my transformation I discovered some thing that might help.

I got a bariatric walker (I called it wide-ass). It has a basket to carry stuff and has a seat. It allowed me to go out more as well as a great resting place when gardening. I wish I had gotten it sooner. So basically, bring your own seating!

My greatest memory was when when there was a fire alarm when I was getting chemo. We all evacuated on a cold winter day, bringing along our buddies, the IV stands. I grabbed my coat and walker on the way. I sat in toasty comfort while everyone else stood and froze.

I still have the walker but mostly use it for moving stuff back and forth from the garage. I hope this helps.

Yes! I had the sleeve on 8/11/23. I'm adjusting, learning the peculiarities of my new stomach. I just had my 3 month check up and was struggling with fatigue. A B-12 shot was wonderful and solved my problem.

The decision? When I was 440 lbs, my life was full of sadness. I finally broke down and moved back to my hometown. So many friends and extended family are here. Needless to say. I'm so much happier. I've been changing from dwelling on the past to looking forward.

My biggest help been my boyfriend of 2 years. We were each considering WLS when we met, both of us 330-340 Looking back, it's hilarious some of the things we tried to avoid surgery. We even did serious juicing for a while.

We went through it all together with our surgeries 2 months apart. He has a RNY so we have both similar and different ways of eating that seem to work. The support from people - both on message boards and in person - has been crucial. I NEVER could have done this when with my mentally abusive Ex.

Many people end up leaving a partner who sabotages their choices. I realized that situation would never help me. I was going to make my own choices So I left on 2015.

Since then I've lost weight in fits and spurts. Medifast was helpful for me as I learned about protein drinks and bars. Lost 75 lbs and gained back 45.

So both of us were ready.

Are there any specialized weight loss programs or services designed for individuals like me with a higher BMI? I weigh over 500 lbs