[Abi] I've been lying in this bed immobile for seven years.
The only thing that motivates me to keep trying is Brenda.
[woman] Somewhere in me is this little glimmer of hope.
I just want to be a normal person.
[breathing heavily]
[man] You can't do it, and I just get mad.
[woman] If I'm not gonna make change now, I'm scared it's gonna be too late.
[grunts] It hurts!
[woman] I refuse to stop fighting. I have to do this for my children.
Oh.
-[Dr. Now] Hi, Abi. -[Abi] Hey, doctor.
-[Abi] Finally good to meet you. -How are you?
-[man 1] One, two, three. -[Abi screaming]
[Brenda] You okay?
Tired.
Tired?
-Here're your pills. -[Abi] Thank you.
-Can you bring me some water? -Yeah.
[Abi] I've been lying in this bed immobile for seven years.
My hips and my back are in agony,
just from me staying in the same position all the time.
The only thing that motivates me to keep trying is my beautiful wife Brenda.
It's time for your bath, Abi.
[Brenda] Got everything ready for you.
[Abi] She's my inspiration. My light at the end of this tunnel.
When I wake up, the first thing I have to do is bathe.
It's extremely painful. It's the worst part of my day.
Is it ok if I do your feet, while you wash your head and face.
-Yeah? -Yeah.
[Abi] And it's difficult, because this bed
is too small for me
and Brenda has to bring over a bucket bath.
In a bigger bed, I would have more space
to be able to maneuver and flip side-to-side better,
[Abi] In 2014, I was in a car accident.
I lost
feeling from my chest down.
And now
because I've been bedridden for seven years,
I've developed bedsores and lymphedema.
So every morning, Brenda has to thoroughly clean them and disinfect them.
-[Abi] You got it. -[Brenda] Should be good, yeah.
[Abi] But in my head, I try to maintain happiness.
Just to try and move through it and not dwell on it.
[Brenda] Scrambled eggs, bacon,
sausage and toast for breakfast.
All right.
-Your breakfast. -Yeah.
And coffee.
-Thank you, baby. -You're welcome.
I know, I think about food more often than I should.
And I know, I eat too much.
Is it good?
Yes.
[Abi] But, I have always liked food.
And the way I eat today is still a giant improvement,
on how I ate when I was a kid.
My sisters and I were born and raised in Puerto Rico.
We were a close knit Christian family.
And on Sundays we would go to church together.
And Caribbean comfort food was part of everything.
It wasn't a good diet
for a little kid to be, but I love it.
Back then, I was playing a lot of basketball.
So whatever I eat late at night would burn off
until I was 14. That's when I started having a growth spurt.
I grew to 6'4.
That's when I started gaining more weight.
I started liking more music,
so my physical activity was playing the drums.
And, you know, I started getting bigger.
It's crunchy, that's how I want.
-Crunchy bacon? -Yeah.
I thought, okay, I'm young and my metabolism will kick in.
No, it didn't. It stopped and kept on gaining weight.
[Abi] When I graduated from high school,
I went to a school in Florida, to become a sound engineer.
And going there was life-changing.
First time I had my own place and...
Because I was completely alone I had no parenting no nothing.
The apartment that I was living in,
had a fried chicken chain, right across the street.
And I wouldn't buy a combo, I would buy the bucket.
I ballooned to 450 pounds and my weight just piled up.
But I thought, "It's okay. I'm still young, I can lose weight later."
I graduated with honors,
which was one of the proudest moments of my life.
I came back to Puerto Rico
and I started working for the theater in my home city.
Which I was the most proud of, because I'm actually working for my city.
I learnt how to like ballet,
which I never thought I would be able to.
I wasn't focused on food.
I started losing a lot of weight,
plus my job dealing with so many
equipment that is heavy, it was like a working out,
so it made me lose a lot of weight.
So, I lost a 100 pounds.
I was 20-years-old when I started, actually in the dating scene.
One of coworkers, he told me about a new dating app for larger people.
And I saw Brenda's face and I was, like, she's cute.
And I just decided to send her a message.
She wrote back and we started a relationship over the phone.
And then went out on our first date.
We went to the movies
with my nieces and nephews
and they were like... And being kids.
And I'm, like, "Oh, my God, I'm so ashamed," then she's, like,
"Don't worry, I love this."
And she took control of the whole situation and she had them
eating off her head.
-Were the sausages good? -Yeah, everything was great, baby.
So I bought her the engagement ring
then the day before her birthday,
I was on my way to Brenda's house to propose to her
and a lady didn't stop at a stop sign
and I didn't see her before it was too late.
When her car hit me,
I didn't have any broken bones,
but my neck got whiplash and it came out of place.
Since, because of the accident I can't feel my legs.
They took me to an MRI machine
and got the X-ray imaging that was needed
to find out what was going on.
I had a problem with three discs.
They were damaging the spinal cord.
So immediately they took me to emergency surgery.
Honestly, it felt like he was the ICU for years.
[Brenda] He was basically quadriplegic, he needed help for everything at that point.
And once they saw that he was able to move his arms again
that when, you know, he was able to come home with a hospital bed.
Because the doctor told us that he might not
be able to ever walk again.
It really depended on his nerves and
seeing what they were able to do.
Go up the stairs. Stairs.
Good boy.
[Abi] After many months, my spinal cord lost all its swollenness
and I stared being able to move my legs.
I remember, the first day he moved his leg,
I was crying.
And we took a video of it and we sent it to all the family.
But that was enough for me to know
that he will get through this.
[Abi] I was finally allowed to move back home with my parents.
[Brenda] As soon as Abi got back,
I would basically stay at his house
days at a time, because I liked to be
the one that cleans him up.
Basically takes care of him.
I couldn't bend a knee
but I had her right next to me and I
got the ring and I told her,
"I love you with all my heart
and you're the one. I'm not looking for anything else."
[Brenda] I didn't fall in love with the body. I fell in love with his soul.
So I just wanted him to do better for himself.
'Cause I knew I was always gonna be there for him.
[Abi] My dad was a huge influence on me.
Um, he was so happy for me getting married.
It did affect me a lot when once
we lost him and I feel like,
I didn't really get to say good-bye the correct way.
But knowing what was coming ahead
it was blessing when my dad went when he did.
Because a year later, we had Hurricane Maria
And if he was still alive, that hurricane would have killed him for sure.
Hurricane Maria, struck Puerto Rico in September of 2017.
It was a huge category 5 hurricane
which affected the whole island.
We had no running water.
And we were without electricity at least in our case
for 56 days.
After the hurricane, because it took all the trees away,
it was mostly 90 degrees.
So I was basically cooking in my bed everyday.
Because I had a friend that saw the condition that I was in,
she's is, like, you need to get out of Puerto Rico.
She did a post
which was shared by a lot of people in Puerto Rico
and we got
referred to a foundation,
which was helping a lot of people after the hurricane.
They took me out of Puerto Rico and brought me here.
And then I moved to where my sister was living in Austin.
[Brenda] All right, I'm gonna go to the grocery store.
I'll call you when I get there.
All right. I'll give you a list.
You just let me, yeah.
All right take care of the boys.
[Abi] Brenda found a job, working for a auto refinancing company.
And then another job came up in customer service,
working with customers looking to refinance their vehicles.
Yes, you received the prequalification letter.
They had a vocational rehab program
and my case worker got me a desk and a headset,
so that I could work from my bed.
I'm sending them an email,
so that they could call you back as soon as they can, okay.
Thank you for calling. Have a nice day.
-[woman] Hello. -[Brenda] Hello.
-[cellphone rings] -Hey baby.
Hey, I am at the grocery store.
You need bread?
Bread and tortillas. I don't know if they are in the same area.
Yeah, they are. Yes.
[Abi] The plan for me this year is to lose enough weight
so I could get another surgery.
Because just being in this bed 24/7 for so long,
my muscles have atrophied in my legs, because I'm not using them.
And that caused
what we call drop feet.
So once they correct that,
I should be able to start rehab
and get my feet back where it should be,
to start walking again.
But in order to get there,
I know I need to start making better choices,
instead that what I'm doing right now.
My meals surround themselves with beans
just bread and carbs
and all these things that fill you up
but are the not best choice.
Oh, there's cookies over here.
Cookies?
Yeah, you want chewy kind chocolate chip.
Yes.
Okay. Sandwich cookies too, right?
Do they have the macadamia ones?
Yeah. Yeah, they do.
[Abi] The main thing that stops me
from not making the good choices
is that it tends to be more expensive.
-Receipt. -Thank you.
The time to prepare meals is just not there.
Somedays we're just either dead tired from working,
or just
tired from the day that we've been through.
So it's convenient
for us to take the bad choices
instead of just going
for the correct choices.
[dogs barking]
[Brenda] Think it's around lunchtime, do you want something to eat?
Sure. Um...
We got chips, right?
-Yeah we got chips. -I guess,
-sandwich and chips. -Okay.
[Abi] Since I first arrived in Austin after the hurricane
I went to the Capitol building once
Saw it. Ah this is great. Never been outside again.
All I see is the wall in front of me.
The walls right beside me.
[speaking foreign language]
[Abi] And my wife that comes in and out.
My only look of the outside world is
TV or the phone.
But I try not to dwell on it.
Because if I do, I won't be able
go day-by-day just thinking about it every day.
And the way I just try to keep that off my mind is with food.
Lunch time is the part of the day I enjoy the most,
because Brenda comes home from work
and we get to eat together.
And play video games together.
And that helps me to relax.
After she goes back to her job,
I do my work here in bed.
-Wanna go for pee pee. -[knock on door]
[dogs barking]
-[Abi] Enter. -[Brenda] Come in.
-Hey pa. -Hi.
Hey, baby.
We ready?
[speaking Spanish]
[Abi] The only time I see my sister Miriam now
is during her visits to help Brenda
take care of the largest back sores on my back.
She only sees me when I'm at my worst.
And even if I drink
the medication that they gave me for pain
my back is hurting, my hips are hurting
because I don't have that much movement,
so it's just extremely painful.
It's the worst part of my day.
When I have to take a bath
and it's just painful not just on me
it's painful on my family who help me.
I'm screaming bloody murderer
and they have to deal with it.
They are helping me out, but it's just so painful.
It hurts us all.
[speaking foreign language]
[Abi screaming]
And I try to live my life
not trying to complain.
Just trying to live through it.
But it's super hard.
[in Spanish]
[Abi screaming]
[Abi] Mother [bleep]
[Abi] Brenda has been by my side for nearly 10 years.
I don't want to take it for granted.
Thinking that she would stay with me forever. If I don't lose the weight.
I want to have a normal relationship with my wife.
[Abi] Oh, my God!
[Abi] But every time I try to change my eating habits
it's been so hard.
[screaming]
[Abi] But I hate living like this. And I can't go on much longer.
[Abi] I reached out to his office.
I told them I'm bedridden
and I need to find a way to get help.
So they set up a call to talk to him.
I'm really hoping Dr. Now can figure out a way.
Because no one else would help me.
-[Brenda] Hey, baby. -Hey.
Are you nervous?
-I am. -Yeah.
It's okay to be nervous.
It's fine, I guess.
Gonna get a...
[Brenda] A whoppin'.
You feel like, yeah...
No, you'll be fine.
Fine.
-Need any help? -[Abi] Pretty small.
All right.
-All right, thank you. -Good luck.
[line ringing]
[Dr. Now] Hello. Hey Abi.
[Abi] Hey Dr. Now. How you doing?
I'm doing ok. How about you?
I've been better, but I'm good.
You're in the bed.
Not walking, right?
[Abi] Yes. I'm...
I was walking, I was working, I was doing everything
and I had a car accident.
[Abi] That's when I...
I went paraplegic.
Um...
I lost the feeling from my chest down.
And I had to had
two surgeries
in my neck one through here and one through the back
to get, to try and fix that.
And it got fixed to a certain point.
But...
Since, I've been in the bed so long,
I've lost the strength in my legs.
Well, do you have a sensation in your feet?
I do, I do have a sensation on my feet,
but, since I've been so long in the bed
instead of having my feet normal like up,
they have both drop foot
so they are like in ballerina stance.
So that's why I can't put my feet
on the ground to try and stand up,
because if I would, I would
rupture my Achilles tendon.
[Dr. Now] Well, you know,
you may have to have operation to lengthen your Achilles tendon.
Um, but,
what is going on that you have not been able to lose weight?
Well, since I've been in the bed,
I, I don't do that I don't do that much physically.
Your physical activity is good for your stamina
but it's not a major factor for your weight loss.
[Dr. Now] Your weight loss has to do with your eating habit.
You're eating
way over what your requirement is for the calorie.
So you're gonna have to change your eating habit to the point
that you're gonna have a reasonable weight loss
and get your feet back on the ground.
So, who's bringing you the food?
My wife, normally.
Okay. Is she bringing you what you're asking for
or is she bringing you food
what she thinks is what you should eat?
Basically what I'm asking for.
I know I'm overeating completely.
Is your family gonna cooperate with that to give you less food?
Yes. Yeah.
And when was the last time you actually physically went to the doctor's office?
I would say, physically I went
three years ago.
Can you bend your knee at all.
I can bend it, but not
me actually bending it
it's just somebody has to push it.
Can you move your toes?
No.
So, we got a lot of issues that we need to address with you.
Uh, the longer you are in the bed,
the longer you are inactive,
the likelihood you're gonna be able to walk or move
-is gonna get less and less. -Yeah.
Do you have any physical therapy or anybody working with you?
No, not physical therapy. No.
I've been to the hospital.
They know that I need physical therapy.
But having a physical therapist come here,
we haven't gotten that yet.
-So, you're in a bad place right now. -Yeah.
So, I'm gonna see if we can get some physical therapist
to come in.
And see if they can work with you
to help you to get some strength in your leg,
and work with that foot drop, okay?
Okay.
I do feel like physical therapy would help me out a lot
to me eventually get to walking.
So that's...
Yeah, I, I really would love to go to physical therapy.
We'll see what we can do for you, okay?
So, um, what I'm gonna do is,
I'm gonna go ahead and send you some instruction
that I want you to read every day.
And see if we can get you to start to lose some weight, okay?
Okay. All right.
-All right. -Thank you, sir.
All right, Abi. Nice to meet you.
-Yeah. You, too. -And if you need anything, give me a call.
Okay, all right. Thank you.
-All right. Bye now. -All right. Bye.
Thank goodness I'm getting a little help and guidance from Dr. Now.
And I'm really excited about doing physical therapy.
I just really want out of this bed, and to have my life back.
So I'm ready to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
Brenda.
[Brenda] The coffee's already made.
'Cause, you know, I wake up, and we already have coffee.
[Abi] Ever since I spoke with Dr. Now, I've been doing the diet.
It's been a tough adjustment, but I'm getting used to it.
I've also been doing physical therapy
a few times a week for the past month.
It's been hard because of the pain.
-You're ready for Jason. -All right.
-Thank you. -You're welcome.
-If you need anything else, let me know, okay? -All right.
And I told Jason, the PT guy,
that I have to stop sometimes
when the pain gets too much for me to be able to move a lot.
What do you think you guys are gonna work on today?
We're working on, on trying to get my legs moving as best as I can.
-[knocking on door] -Come in.
Hey.
-Hey, Abi. -[Abi] Hey, man, how are you doing?
Good. How's it going?
Anything out of the ordinary?
-Same stuff? -No. I'm...
I'm good. I guess my knee hurts a little bit.
-Okay. -But I'm...
-I'm okay. -[Jason] Okay.
-I'm fine. -Right on. Okay. Good.
-Try to move as much as you can. -[Abi] Mmm-hmm.
[Jason] Okay. Bring this knee up.
All right. Bring it up again.
Hold. Hold for me.
Come down slow and easy.
[exhaling deeply]
Slide, yeah, a little bit.
Ready?
We're gonna straighten that knee.
And then, push down on me,
like you're pushing on the gas.
All right, big man.
All right.
-[Abi breathes deeply] -Push on me.
Push, push, push, push, push.
Yeah. Work with me.
-[grunts] -[Jason] Yeah. Now, you come back down.
Good, man.
[Abi] I'm hoping that the more I do it, the less it will hurt,
because I want to get out of this bed.
But I feel like I'm making some progress
with my legs a little bit, at least.
One of the big challenges is going to be the range of motion
that is in his ankles.
Uh, that is going to take a significant amount of work
for him to be able to have a unsupported supported seated position,
and eventually be able to stand up.
It should feel like work.
-It does. -Mean you're doing it right. Good. Yeah.
That means you're doing it right. Let it go.
Let's go. Strong. Come on, buddy.
I know the doctor was concerned to be able to waive off
the possibility of the blood clots.
He wants him to have that much more mobility.
That's definitely something that needs to be addressed.
All right. Increase your pace just a touch.
There you go, bud. Good.
Keep your breath moving. Don't hold your breath.
Good. Keep going. Let's go ten more seconds.
[Abi] Jason is giving me a great workout.
He got me the spark to pull up,
and he has me doing all sorts of exercises
to get my heart rate up and to build up my stamina.
And that all is going great.
-All right, man. -[Jason] Good.
-Keep working hard, okay? -Thank you.
[Jason] All right. You got it.
I'll talk to y'all later.
[Abi] Got it.
Well, that was a pretty good workout today.
Overall, I feel like I'm making good progress.
And I think Dr. Now will be happy with it.
It's hard, and I do have my limits.
And I hope Dr. Now sees the effort that I'm putting in.
And I hope he counts that for something.
[Brenda] You let me know if you need anything, all right?
All right.
Today, I'm going to see Abi,
then see what's going on with him.
I had a virtual call with him a couple of months ago,
and gave him the diet.
To see how much progress
he could make with his weight loss
and improving his mobility.
And now, after two months,
we will see how far he has come with that.
If he worked hard,
we should have some hopeful situation
with him being able to walk and change his life.
I'm having physical therapy come join me.
And I'm gonna assess his situation with physical therapy,
and see what option we got for Abi.
Hopefully we will see some level
of positive improvement with him today.
-Hi. -[Dr. Now] Hello.
-How are you? -Come on in.
Good. How are you?
Hi, Abi.
Hey, Doctor.
-How are you? -Finally good to meet you in person.
[Dr. Now] All right. You're doing okay?
[Abi] Um, I'm doing much better now.
I think I'm doing pretty good.
Um...
I'm already tired of salads.
But I'm, I'm looking with my wife to see if we can,
um, find something else that, that we could eat that's--
[Dr. Now] So, what are you eating every day?
A lot of salads.
Um, I'll eat for lunch and not dinner, but...
Okay. So, what are you drinking?
-Water mostly. Here. -[Dr. Now] Okay.
[Brenda] He likes to drink water a lot.
[Dr. Now] All right. So, no sugar and no juice, huh?
-No. -[Abi] No.
All right. How are we doing with your exercises
and physical therapy?
I've been doing my exercises.
This is why I have this here.
And this too, to--
-Breathing exercises? -Breathing exercises,
but it helps, like, the core.
-[Dr. Now] Mmm-hmm. -That's what, uh, physical therapist told me,
so I've been doing those since he got me those things.
So I've been doing those exercises.
All right. Uh, let me check a couple of things
and see how things are.
Take a deep breath.
[Abi breathes deeply]
Take another one.
[breathes deeply]
All right.
Do you have any stomach pain
-or anything right there? -No.
-Okay.
[Dr. Now] And do you have a feeling down here when I touch?
Yes.
You feel the...
-Feeling okay with that? -Yeah.
You have a lot of swelling in your feet.
You have the foot drop on your feet, too.
[Abi] Yeah. Both.
So I'll talk to, uh, physical therapist,
see if they can make some splint for your feet.
Can you move your hip?
[Abi] A little. A little bit.
-Like this. -Okay.
Uh, the other hip, too?
For this one...
This one is a little bit harder,
'cause this one hurts a little bit more in the hip.
Where do you have the pain?
Like, in the joint itself.
-In, in the hip joint? -Yeah.
So those, uh, knees, can you straighten them out?
I used to be able to.
I just lost a lot of strength in them
because I haven't done exercises with them.
-Mmm-hmm. -So I lost strength in them.
That's why I really do need the physical therapy
to get the strength back.
So, what you need, uh, to do is, uh,
you got all day to do your exercise on your leg.
Movement of the hip is gonna be very important.
And let me see how much you can do with this hip.
Okay.
Move this slightly.
[Abi grunting]
Okay.
And here you got a bunch of, uh, skin issues
that has been chronically infected.
-So, this oozes all the time? -Yeah.
[Dr. Now] You need to get all this infection under control,
'cause, you know, that is gonna be a problem, okay?
[knocking on door]
[Brenda] Come in.
-Careful. -Hi, Jason.
-Hey, Abi. Hey, Doctor. -Hey, man.
[Brenda] Hi.
You doing all right?
-Yeah. -Hey, man. How you doing?
How you doing, buddy?
-Abi. -[Abi] Good to see you.
We need to work on getting to move the hips.
And his joint are freezing.
And he has a significant foot drop.
If we get, uh, some right-angle splint made for him,
uh, to push him up a little bit.
-[Jason] And get 'em neutral. -Uh, see if we can work on those issues.
So we got a lot of, um, territory to cover,
but, uh, you know, you have to be
the driving force in all that.
-And do your own part. -Okay.
Because, you know, we can give you the road map,
but if you don't do the hard work,
you're not gonna benefit from that.
-[Abi] Yeah. -Gotta work hard at it.
-I know you can. -[Abi] Yeah.
Milestone will be for him
to get to the point that he can put, at least,
his feet on the ground and stand up.
Get you sitting at the edge of the bed here
within the next 30 days maybe.
-Being able to have that kind of trunk support. -[Abi] Sure.
[Jason] There's a possibility you'll be able to get out of this bed.
Yeah.
It's gonna be very difficult for you to stand up and walk.
-Yeah. -So we need to cut back
on whatever we give him now.
So make sure whatever he eat is protein, no carb.
-Okay? -[Brenda] Okay.
[Dr. Now] All right. And let's see if we can make some progress.
So, at this point, everything is up to you.
You have to work hard on your physical therapy as well.
-Yeah. -[Dr. Now] Okay?
This is a very difficult situation that we have.
His condition is much worse than I thought.
Abi has lost a lot of muscles.
He didn't have any reflexes on his joint.
So, he has frozen joint in the hip,
and both knee and both feet are dropped.
His hygiene is very poor.
You can tell with the smell in the house.
All those bacteria growing in the side of his thigh and hip area
indicate that he probably has
serious skin issues in his back.
Starting point will be to lose some weight
and increase his mobility.
So, we gotta work with him.
And I'm gonna be optimistic,
and see what kind of progress he's gonna make.
But at this point, this is gonna be a very difficult situation.
All right.
Appreciate your help, and see if you can speed up the work on him,
and tighten up a little bit more
-physical therapy for him. -[Jason] Okay.
-All right? -All right.
-Thank you. -See you soon, buddy.
-Thank you. -All right? Thanks for having me.
Thank you for coming all the way here.
Well, now I've got some idea of what's going on,
and what we need to do to get you out of this situation.
-All right. -[Dr. Now] Okay?
Yeah. Thank you.
All right. Well, see you all later.
-[Abi] All right. Thank you, Doctor. -If y'all need anything,
give us a call.
-All right. -[Brenda] All right.
All right.
-Bye, Abi. -Bye, Jason.
Bye, Abi.
-Bye. -[Brenda] Bye.
-Thank you, Dr. Now. -[Dr. Now] You're welcome.
[Abi] I'm really thankful that Dr. Now came to see me in person,
and for all the help that he's given me.
I wish I had made more progress for today.
But I feel like I finally have a chance to change things.
[Brenda] I think that we should start
with those stretches that he showed me.
So, he wants us to do the hands out like this.
So, wrist up and down.
[speaking spanish]
13, 14.
15.
Okay.
The next one.
Can't do anymore.
Five.
[Abi] I was doing really well
for a few weeks after Dr. Now came to see me.
[Brenda] Ten. You did it.
[Abi] All right.
Love you, baby.
[Abi] But I pushed myself a little bit too hard, and I hurt my knee.
Yeah, okay, I'm gonna make the salad.
[Abi] But I think I'll be back at it soon.
I just need to rest for, like, another week, I guess.
Man, this little kit brings everything, huh?
-[Abi] Mmm. Yeah. -Yeah.
It brings the croutons, it brings, like...
-Cheese, right? -Yup.
-It brings Parmesan cheese. -Okay. Yeah, that's fine.
-And then the Caesar dressing. -Okay. Looks fine.
Do we have, like, any extra chicken to put on it?
Yeah, I got a rotisserie chicken in there.
[Abi] Oh, okay. Can you put some, some of it in there?
Yeah.
I was reading, and it said that...
-Mmm-hmm. -...chicken would be good to add to a salad
-just because it's a protein, so... -Okay.
That's why I asked.
-Did you want the skin, or no? -Sure.
I'm still doing my upper body exercises, though.
I'm also still doing the diet and eating right, too.
So I must be making progress.
[Brenda] Okay. You ready?
-Your chicken Caesar salad. -Okay.
I cut back on my portions.
And I've been feeling hungry a lot,
so I must be doing something right.
Mmm-hmm.
-[speaking spanish] -Mmm-hmm. Mmm. It's good.
All right. So, your appointment is soon.
[Abi] Mmm-hmm.
So, I'm gonna push this, um, forward towards you.
-[Abi] Yeah. -So we can give you the laptop to sign in.
Okay.
Here's your laptop.
Give me your thermos.
[Abi] I have another follow-up call with Dr. Now today.
I've been making more progress over the last two months.
I worked harder this time,
so I feel like I did much better.
So I hope Dr. Now is happy with where I'm at,
and that he has some specific next steps for me
that would help me make more progress faster.
[line ringing]
-Hi, Abi. -[Abi] Hey.
How are you doing, Abi?
I'm good.
And yourself?
I'm good. And so what's going on with you,
what kind of progress are you making?
Yeah, I'm just doing my exercises every day.
Um...
Doing, doing the legs.
I'm trying to push 'em in, push 'em out.
Try to, like, bend the knees and push 'em out.
It's been getting easier because I lost weight.
Well, are you able to sit on the bed?
I haven't tried that 'cause I don't...
I don't trust this bed.
What's wrong with that bed?
I don't trust the, the side rails on it,
'cause I would have to pull on them or just trust on them
to be able to sit on the side of the bed.
The diet, I've kept doing it.
Um, I've been going pretty strong.
Um, we're both doing it, me and my wife,
so we've lost a lot of weight.
I don't know how much I'm weighing right now
'cause I would have to go to a hospital to weigh myself.
But I've kept doing the diet for every meal,
and we're working on that.
Breakfast, I just do just eggs,
no, no toast, no anything like that.
Lunch, kind of the same thing.
Um...
And dinner is the, like, strongest meal.
But I'm still... I'm...
I'm doing much more salads and all that
to just, you know...
work with it.
So, for breakfast, how many eggs are you eating?
[Abi] Three.
Three?
Maybe cut it back to two.
And dinner, a smaller portion.
Okay.
-Yeah. -Also, in the meantime,
you have to do your part, uh, doing daily exercises.
Cut back as much as you can with your eating habit.
-Mmm. -If you're not hungry, don't eat.
And see if you can lose more weight more rapidly.
All right sir.
All right. I'm happy I managed to see you again.
And if you need anything, give me a call.
-All right. -Yeah.
And we'll see what's going on,
and see what we can do for you, okay?
All right. All right, sir. Thank you.
-All right. Bye-bye. -All right, bye.
All right.
How was it?
He, he seems to see that I have lost weight.
-Mmm-hmm. -Guess we can't, we don't know how much it is.
I'm positive and negative, so it's, kind of, like, "Eh."
-Yeah. -I'm in the middle, but it's...
I just have to look at it in a positive way.
We just have to get that done.
I don't need a cheerleader. I don't need that.
I already have one there.
But, um, I don't...
I need structure or a goal.
I don't have a goal. I just have tasks to do.
[makes sound]
[Abi] If you have a goal, then you have a set place that you want to get to.
But when it's just...
"Yeah, we'll see how we're doing for next time."
That's not a goal.
That's, uh... It's probably nothing.
So, I feel like I'm...
doing the things and effort, but I'm not getting anywhere,
and that doesn't feel good.
[Abi] Dr. Now called me a few days ago,
and told me that he arranged for transport to come get me.
I guess we're going to the hospital to see Dr. Now,
and have him, I guess, do some different checks
on my health,
and to, at least, get a goal going.
[Brenda] Morning.
-[Abi] Hey, good morning. -Hey.
I brought your toothbrush and stuff.
Thank you.
You ready for today?
I'm as ready as I can be right now.
With everything that's going on,
I've gotta keep in my head that everything's gonna be okay.
[Brenda] Yeah.
[Abi] But I'll be honest, I'm nervous.
because I don't know what to expect
or how long I'm gonna be gone from my home and away from Brenda
because she can't go with me because she has to work.
And I'm also worried what kind of toll this is gonna be on my body.
So this isn't gonna be easy for me. So, I'm nervous.
But I know this is gonna be for the best,
and that I need to do this.
Th ambulance should be on its way.
Okay. All right.
-You're done? -I'm done, yeah.
-Thank you. -All right.
Right there.
[sighs]
[machine beeping]
[indistinct chatter]
[dog barking]
[Brenda] Stop.
-Hi. Welcome -[medic] Hi.
-[Brenda] Come in. -[medic] Is it okay...
[Brenda] Oh, they'll come back in.
[Abi and medic conversing indistinctly]
See that foam underneath? we've got that.
It's underneath if we need to pull it out.
[indistinct conversation]
[medic] All right, slideboard coming in, guys.
Watch yourself.
[indistinct conversations]
[medic] All right, reel up. Ready? One, two, three!
[Abi screams] [bleep]
[medic] On the bed, on the bed.
[bleep]
-[medic 1] All right, keep pulling. -[medic 2] Let's go.
[medic 1] Keep pulling, keep pulling, keep pulling.
[overlapping chatter]
[medic] Ready? One, two, three!
All right!
That's it, Abi. That's it!
[Abi groaning]
[medic] That's it. That's the worst of it, okay?
[Abi] My left hip...
-[medic] Your left hip? -[Abi] Yeah.
[medic 2] This go up a little bit?
-[medic 3] Here. Going up? -[medic 2] Yup, going up a little bit.
All right.
That's it. Awesome.
Oh it's doing the opposite.
[Brenda] The pain, it was hard for me to see. It's always hard
'cause he cries a lot in pain
and it makes me feel his pain. So, it makes me tear up
'cause I love him. I don't wanna see him go through pain.
I'm happy he's going through this
and he's finally gonna get the help he needs.
Bye baby, I love you too.
[speaking indistinctly]
[Brenda] Yeah, call me when you get there.
-I love you. -I love you too.
[Brenda chuckles]
[medic] Yup, you got it. You're good.
[Abi groans in pain]
[medic] Don't worry.
[bleep] my hips.
[medic] Well, we're pulling in literally right now. Okay, sir?
Once we get you up
into the hospital, it'll be nice and cool.
And then from there, we'll get you to your floor,
and hopefully, they will give you some more pain meds, okay?
[indistinct conversations]
[Dr. Now] This trip likely took a lot out of Abi.
He's used to the comfort of his bed, and not having to move ever.
So, this is a lot of activity for him.
So we will run some tests on him and get his current weight,
and address any issues we need.
And then let him rest a little before we start him working with PT here.
But we're gonna start Abi on a controlled diet immediately
to try to get his weight down as much as we can.
And then once we do that, we will bring in some specialists
and consider what options we have for him at that point.
Being here is gonna help to determine
what level of his progress is slow
because of his lack of effort
and to what degree he may need some treatment to help him.
-[medic 1] One person count please. -[medic 2] On the head.
-[medic 2] You got... -[medic 3] One, two, three!
[Abi groaning in pain]
Mother [bleep]
[groaning] Could you lift my back, please?
[medic] Yes, we're gonna slide you up, we're gonna slide you up real quick, okay?
[Abi groaning]
[Dr. Now] He will likely need some operations
to be able to walk normally again.
It is likely he can start to get up on his own.
And at this time, if he just apply himself
to rehab his whole body and lose some weight.
So we're gonna help with that as much as we can.
But with all these issues, it is very clear
we have a lot of work to do with Abi.
[exhales heavily]
[Dr. Now] So Abi, how you feeling?
It was rough trip?
It was pretty good. It's just at the end, like...
It just got rougher and really hard.
Okay.
Um, it was, it was...
It was better than I was thinking it was gonna be.
Better than what you were thinking, huh?
Yeah, definitely.
All right.
But now we're in AC here, so I'm happier with that.
-Your leg doing okay? -Yeah.
You could check whatever you need.
Any pain in your stomach?
-No, no. -Hmm.
How's your diet coming along?
It's been... I've been going at it.
All right, um, we're gonna get some tests done and see what kind of
shape you're in,
and what we need to do to get everything straightened out for you, okay?
So at this point, um,
I think, um, we gotta do something to improve your condition.
-We gotta make some changes, okay? -No problem.
[Abi] Right now, we just... we gotta get my blood drawn and the test going.
I'm hoping for a good bill of health.
I know that, not necessarily, my body right now is in a good state,
just because of the sores and... and all of those other things that I have.
But I feel good,
you know, as good as I can feel for...
for being in a hospital.
[Abi] Being here at the hospital has been an adjustment for me.
It's been hard, to be honest.
But I meant it when I told the doctor
I'm here to do whatever I need,
as long as I get help. And I meant that.
But it's still been hard with the diet,
and being away from Brenda.
You know, I've never been away from her like this.
So I would say, that's been the hardest part.
We have had Abi in the hospital for almost a month now.
When he first arrived, we got his weight
and he was 728 pounds.
He is at 605 pounds, so he lost 123 pounds on a controlled diet.
So that has been a big improvement for him.
But the diet has been hard for him.
He's been constantly complaining that he doesn't have enough to eat.
Thankfully, his family isn't in Houston.
So he doesn't have anyone to try and sneak in food.
So we have been able to keep control over his eating habit for now.
And so, the result of that are good.
-[male nurse] Hello. -Hey.
-[female nurse] Hello, Mr. Abi. -Hey, guys.
-[female nurse] Hi, how are you? -I'm, I'm good.
-[male nurse] We're gonna look at your wound first... -First?
-[male nurse] Yes. -Okay.
[in Spanish]
[Abi groaning] [bleep]
[male nurse] You're good, you're good.
[bleep]
[Dr. Now] He was septic when he got here
because the blisters on his side and his back were infected,
mostly because he goes to the bathroom in the bed
and sits in it because it takes a whole group of people
to move him and clean him.
And there was no way his wife could handle that.
But we have been doing that for him everyday.
So his overall condition has improved too.
The biggest struggle we have with him is his PT.
Can you lift this leg straight up?
I'm getting dizzy, uh.
They push forward with him, but there is only so much that can be done.
He's mentioned he misses home but we need to keep him here for a bit longer
because if we send him home now, he will just go back to what he was doing,
and end up undoing all the progress he has made here.
So we need a strategy to help prevent that.
One option I'm considering is doing weight loss surgery on him
to try to give him a fighting chance if he goes home.
But we need to get his weight down
and I need to see more effort from him
before that is an option.
[Abi] The doctor has been giving me homework to do with the diet
and my understanding on nutrition.
So I've been working on that.
It gives me something to do, so I don't mind it.
But I'm hoping that at some point soon,
Dr. Now is gonna take me to the next level, you know.
And I need something more to make this go faster.
We have made more progress with Abi.
We had his weight down almost 200 pounds since he arrived.
So he lost another 80 pounds last month.
So I think with his progress and effort
that the next step for him is to do weight loss surgery.
Normally, we are prepared to send him home first to see how he does.
But in Abi's case, I think the environment he is in,
and the fact that he is completely immobile
sets him up for failure. So we need to give him
a tool that gives him a fighting chance
to do this on his own.
[door knocks]
Hello, Abi.
Hey, Dr. Now.
-How you doing? -I'm good. I'm...
So how is everything coming along for you?
Everything's good.
Great. I hear you're doing better with your PT.
Yes, yes.
In your last session, what were you able to do?
I was able to do everything that they asked me to do, um...
Well, you're still not getting up, so we still have a ways to go with that.
They're working on these and you moving your leg for me?
Yeah.
How much you can straighten up your knee?
That's tough. I'm straightening in and out.
That's about it?
Okay, How about the other one?
I'll take this out.
Let's see, this one moves still.
Okay.
So I'm getting strong on both legs.
I've been doing my exercises everyday
and trying to get as strong as I can.
That's good because we gotta get you out of this bed.
Yeah, that would... That would change my life.
A big part of that is your weight loss,
which we have made good progress with.
Let's check it and see where you at today.
527, so you're down 201 pound exactly
since we brought you here.
I'm worried if we send you home in the same environment
with you still in the bed, that you could gain your weight back
instead of continuing to lose.
But, with the weight loss surgery,
you're gonna be able to have better tool to do that.
So, are we... are we looking into that or,
or is that a possibility--
Yes, with your current progress,
that is the next step for you.
So, we're doing endoscopy, look inside your stomach next week.
Yeah.
And if everything's okay, maybe in a week or two,
we can do the weight loss surgery, okay?
That would be awesome. That would be great.
So we will plan on that.
Keep working hard and we will set that up.
Thank you, doctor.
All right, Abi.
We gotta do something to get you
-out of this situation, okay? -All right.
-All right, I'll see you later. -Thank you, bye.
[exhales heavily]
[Dr. Now] Hopefully, everything is good
and we can move ahead with Abi's weight loss surgery soon.
Once we do that and he recovers,
we will work more closely with some specialists,
especially an orthopedic surgeon,
to see if we can get a game plan for what it will take
to get him walking again.
Hey.
[Brenda] Hi, baby.
Hey, how you doing?
[Brenda] I'm good.
Dr. Now gave me great news.
We're planning on doing the surgery.
-[Brenda] That's great news. -Right?
-[Brenda] Are you excited? -Yes.
[Brenda] Do they know, like, when the surgery...
I don't, I don't have a set date yet.
But at least it's gonna be soon.
-[Brenda] That's awesome. -Yeah.
[Brenda] Aw, that's so great, baby, I'm so proud of you.
Yeah, yeah.
But I'll let you go, I know you're working.
-[Brenda] Yeah. -But I love you, Ma'am.
[Brenda] I love you too. I'll call you when I get out of work, okay?
[in Spanish] I love you.
[Brenda] Bye baby, I love you.
[Abi] When I heard Dr. Now tell me I was finally gonna get the surgery,
I couldn't believe it.
This is that big step I've been praying for,
and working hard to get.
I feel really blessed right now that I'm getting this chance.
And I know it's gonna change my life.
So I'm very happy right now.
Hey, Abi.
How you feel?
So, we're gonna do your surgery today.
Everything will be better after that
and hopefully, we're gonna get you to the point
you get orthopedic surgery and get you up
and change your life, huh?
All right, so we'll get started in a few minutes.
And see where the next step is.
All right, let me get started.
Okay.
[Abi] This is a great day because I'm getting my weight loss surgery today.
I've been hoping for this day for a long time now,
and it's finally here.
The only thing is, I wish that Brenda was here.
Being apart from her for this long
has been one of the hardest parts of this process.
So she and I were both hoping that she could be here today.
But she couldn't because of work.
But I know she's here, supporting me in spirit.
So is my mom.
I called her in Puerto Rico to tell her I'm getting it today,
and she's also happy for me.
So I feel everyone's support and love,
and I feel blessed that I'm getting this opportunity.
[Dr. Now] Today, we're gonna try to do weight loss surgery on Abi.
All his tests look good.
And we have his weight down a great deal.
So he's ready for his sleeve gastrectomy.
The biggest obstacle is gonna be
getting him on the operating table.
[screams in pain]
[Dr. Now] And he has a lot of frozen joint
and a difficulty to move his extremities.
So that's gonna be a very difficult situation
to move him to operating table and position him
to the way that's gonna fit in the operating table
because his legs are rotating upward
and that's gonna be a challenging situation.
So this probably will be one of the most challenging patient
to position for any weight loss surgery
but we're gonna give it a try.
[Dr. Now] There, we're good.
But his size is not only a challenge to get him on the table,
but it also still make him high-risk.
So that means, his body is still under lot of strain.
[Dr. Now] Okay, starting the first incision.
Get the light off of here.
Get this light off of here.
Go up. Hold it there.
Bring the robot.
So if there is any concern the surgery is adding to the strain
and pushing his body too hard,
we may have to stop the surgery.
But obviously we hope that won't be necessary.
All right, I'm gonna transition to robot.
Because this operation is an important step for Abi,
because it is an operation that we're gonna take almost about 80% of his stomach out,
and leave him with a small, narrow 20% stomach volume
that is gonna help him to eat less and be able to lose more weight.
So this is gonna be a very important deal for him
that is going to help him a lot.
Without it, I don't think he will be able to stay on track
back into his old environment.
So, this should be a big help for him.
[Dr. Now] All right, undock the robot.
All right, we can remove the stomach.
Keep pulling, keep pulling, keep pulling.
He's got a very long stomach.
Okay.
Put that on the table over there.
Just, um, need to close.
Okay, we can suture him up.
Room light on.
Yeah.
Good. Abi's surgery went very well.
That was probably one of the most
challenging weight loss surgery that we have done for a while,
with his condition because of his functional paraplegia, and lower extremities.
But after we got all the challenges met,
his surgery went very well.
We were able to do a sleeve gastrectomy and complete the surgery.
But we're gonna keep him here, in a controlled environment
for another while longer, to see what potential
for orthopedic procedure, to get him to the point
that he's gonna be able to function normally.
And hopefully those orthopedic procedures would do some corrective changes
on his lower extremities, change his life, and get him out of that bed.
[Abi] Since my surgery, I've been adjusting
to how it feels to get full so quickly.
But it's crazy how a few spoonfuls fill me up now.
And that's just whole new feeling.
Come in.
-Hey. -Hye, Abi.
[Abi] Hey, doctor.
How do you feel?
Doing good.
It's been about a week and half
since Abi's weight loss surgery,
he's recovering well.
I'm keeping him here in the hospital for a little bit longer
to make sure we have a good game plan before we send him home.
Well, let's see how the, uh, stomach is doing,
and thing heal okay?
Okay, we can get rid of all these bandages.
Also, with his hygiene at home his suture would likely get infected.
So, he needs to stay here, for his whole recovery.
But with his weight down, and gastrectomy surgery done,
our focus with him is on the next big step to get him out of the bed.
So I had an orthopedic specialist examine him.
-This is Dr. Lin -Hi, how are you? How's it going?
-I'm good. -Good.
They're going to attempt an MRI,
but there is no way Abi's leg can go in the machine with how they're frozen.
So, can you show me what you can do yourself?
-Like, can you move your hip yourself at all? -Sure, sure, sure, sure.
[Dr. Now] So they managed to get some portable x-rays done.
Those wouldn't have worked if he still had all the weight on him.
So now, we're able to confirm that the bone in his upper leg, femur,
has in fact infused to his hip.
So, this one is...
That's not bad either, yeah.
-I can push it a little bit. -[Dr. Lin] Yeah.
[Dr. Now] So essentially his femur and his hip, now are one bone,
that have to be broken up surgically.
[Dr. Lin] Yeah, certainly we need to build your strength up.
I mean, I think some of the surgery, getting your weight down
will help with that.
-[Abi] Mmm-hmm. -[Dr. Lin] You have a lot of spasticity.
This is not unusual for someone with your injury.
-[Abi] Mmm-hmm. -Um, um, but at the same time,
it's good that your able to, kind of, move to some degree.
I mean, the fact that you're able to straighten your knee
-is a big improvement. -Yeah.
-So, I think let's see how much weight you can lose. -Yeah.
How much strength you can gain back,
and then we'll see if you hit a plateau.
If you do there are options available,
but I think further down the road, as you...
as you gain... gain some of that function back.
You know, obesity, you know affects your joints too.
It's not just a mechanical thing,
it's a chemical thing too.
I mean, a lot of the fat produces a lot of enzymes that break down your body too.
So, that weight loss in itself has a direct affect
-to making your joints healthy as well. -Yeah, I'm... I'm n my way
to being a model.
-There you go. Yeah, there you go. [chuckles] -So...
-[chuckles] -[Dr. Lin] All right, sounds good.
Well, good seeing you again.
And if the... you know, so, well, you know, we...
Looking forward to seeing how you're doing, so...
-All right. -[Dr. Lin] Okay.
All right, Abi. We'll see you later.
-[Abi] All right. -Keep working hard...
-[Abi] All right, -...and do your exercises, okay?
-All right, all right, doctors. -[Dr. Now] All right.
Evy situation is a unique one,
and that his weight has, uh, contributed to some degree to his immobility.
But with how long he's been bedridden without the use of his lower body,
it's caused his joints to become very stiff.
Uh, and essentially, they almost act like it's fused together.
So to correct the situation, uh, it may require surgery at some point
to regain mobility in his joints.
And that's not gonna be a quick or easy process It's gonna take time.
He may have a very limited range of motion
with his joints being stiff, but with the motion he does have,
he needs to move around as much as possible
to regain as much strength to his lower body as he can.
If he does that, he may even be able to stand,
but he's gonna need operation to walk.
So, long-term, there's a good chance we can get Abi
out of that bed, and potentially walking again.
Whoa!
[whispers] So tired.
-Hey, everybody. -[Rosa] Hey.
[all] Hello.
[Abi] Today, is a special day, because my mom has come
all the way from Puerto Rico to see me.
[Rosa speaking in Spanish]
[in Spanish]
[Rosa speaking]
[Abi speaking]
-[Abi chuckles] -[Rosa speaking]
[Rosa speaking]
[Abi speaking]
[Rosa speaking]
[both chuckling]
[Rosa speaking]
[Miriam speaking]
[Abi in English] I haven't seen my mom in a long time,
and it feels really good to see her,
and to have her here with me.
There was a part of me that didn't want her to see me in this bed.
But now that she's here, I'm happy to be together,
and hopefully she would see how much progress I'm making,
and how I'm turning my life around.
-Hello. -[Abi] Hey, Dr. Now.
How y'all doing?
-Good, thank you. -[Abi] Good, good.
All right, Abi. You're doing all right?
-[Abi] Yep. -I hear you got your family here.
Yep. My mom, my sister, my niece.
[Dr. Now] Well, nice to meet you all.
My mom came from Puerto Rico, my sister from Austin area.
[Dr. Now] Well, that's great. So, you're doing okay?
-[Abi] Yes, I'm doing much better now. Yeah. -[Dr. Now] All right.
It has been few weeks from Abi's weigh loss surgery,
and we have his weight down, to 489.
So we helped him to lose a great deal,
but after Dr. Lin, the orthopedic surgeon, saw him
he felt Abi's weight needs to be around 350
to try to start to put weight on his legs.
So, we will work towards that.
Well, you know that Abi's got a long road ahead of him.
Once we get his weight down a little more,
we need to see what we can do with the rehab with his legs.
And hopefully, get him to the point that he will be
ready to have some orthopedic surgery
to improve his legs and be able to walk and get out of this bed.
And that is gonna be something that he has to work hard at.
We're on that goal, I know I'm... I'm getting stronger in my legs.
Dr. Lin told me that I'm getting stronger in the legs.
That's why everyday we're getting the... the physical therapy.
I'm pushing them, they're pushing me
to get that stronger. I am getting stronger,
and that's my goal, I... I wanna do everything that I can.
That's great, and I'm glad you decided you're gonna follow that.
Uh, the big challenge will be when you go home.
And that is when, nobody is there,
-you have to do your own part. -[Abi] I know.
-Right. -And get your strength back by working hard with PT.
-[Dr. Now] Okay? -Right. Yeah.
All right, so Abi's doing okay.
He's making progress.
So, we gonna keep working with him and see if we can get him to the next step.
-Okay? -We're looking forward to it,
and even if it sounds like a lot of challenges,
those are little goals that help him stay focused
on something that he needs to achieve.
Okay, that's super.
It's nice to have support of family.
Yeah, that is... it is... helps out a lot.
[Rosa speaking Spanish]
[in English] She was to thank you.
[Dr. Now] Oh, you're welcome.
That's our job to make his life change.
-Okay, we'll get him to next level. -[Abi] Yeah, okay.
So, it's a long road but we keep working on it.
-Thank you, we appreciate it. -[Abi] Thank you.
We do appreciate everything.
-[Miriam] Yes. -[Dr. Now] Well, you welcome. All right.
Uh, if y'all need anything let me know.
-I'll see y'all later. -[Abi] Thank you.
If Abi's moving his leg more,
and getting to a point where he can stand,
and transfer to a wheel chair,
we will perform the orthopedic procedure,
to hopefully unfuse his leg in one operation.
It may take multiple procedures,
but we're hoping it can be done in one.
If the progress gets to where he needs.
So, after Abi fully recovers here,
within the next week we will move him back to solid food.
But it's gonna be very important to keep working hard
and losing weight. If he wants to be able to ever walk again.
[Abi] Bye, guys.
-[in Spanish] -[Abi chuckling]
-Bye. -[Carolina] Bye.
-Hey, Abi. -Hey, doctor.
All right, how are you today?
I'm waking up, but I'm okay.
Well, this is your time to move on to the next step,
which is going to send you home.
So, we're gonna send you home today.
So have physical therapy come visit you, three times a week.
So, we'll make physical therapy to work with you and get your strength up.
So you need to keep up with that.
And I'm gonna give you a goal of losing 20 pound a month.
And in three months we're gonna bring you back and check your weight.
And you should be able to lose at least 60 pounds by then.
Okay, let's check your weight and see where you're at today.
So you're weight today is, uh, 477.
Uh, so, you've lost about 250 pounds from your highest weight.
So that is good, but you still got almost 130 pounds
to lose to get to your goal of 350.
-Okay? -Okay.
All right, now you show me what you can do with your leg and your progress there.
[grunting]
okay, some movement in your knee.
All right, how much you can do with your hip?
Try to straighten it and lift it up and all that.
[exhales]
[Dr. Now] It's been about a month and half since Abi's surgery.
We have made some more progress
to build up the strength and stamina in his legs.
But Abi, he doesn't push himself as much as he should
during PT, so his progress isn't as fast as it could be.
All right, let's see how you're doing the other leg.
At this point, we have had Abi in a controlled environment for three months.
And ultimately, he's not going to be able to stay
in an environment like this forever.
So it's important we see if Abi is still willing to do what he needs,
if he is on his own.
Yeah, so. These are exercises that you do on your own,
but we'll have a PT to come and help you with that.
-Mmm-hmm. That's what I'm-- -Okay?
Yeah, that's what we're trying to-- [grunts]
-Ow! -So we'll get the PT to come and work with you.
And, um, after three months, uh, I would expect that you will lose, uh,
at least 60 pounds.
-Mmm-hmm. -And you have a some more strength and mobility
in your hip and your leg.
So if you lose that 60 pounds, then we'll see what option we got for you
to consider orthopedic procedures for you, okay?
But if you don't, then this will be it.
All right, thank you doctor.
And if you need anything, let me know.
-Perfect. -All right, Abi.
-Have a great trip back home. -Thank you, doctor.
Thank you so much.
-All right, you're welcome. -Bye.
[Dr. Now] Abi has come a long way so far.
But his still has a ways to go.
This is a chance to show me he's serious,
that he's gonna do what he needs
outside a controlled environment.
-[man 1] Ready? -[woman 1] Ready?
[man 1] On head man's count.
[woman 1 and woman 2] One, two, three.
[man 1 exclaims]
But if he doesn't, and the progress is not there,
in a few months, then we are just going to be wasting
a lot of important resources on him,
especially, after all those we have given him.
So it's gonna be important for him to work hard,
and hit the goal I gave him.
If he doesn't that will be it.
[man 2] Let's try and cover him. Cover him right here, real quick.
Should be good.
[Abi] I know I still have a lot of weight to lose before I can get on my feet.
And sometimes I get discouraged that I'm not there yet.
Sometimes it feels like I'll never make it,
but I know I gotta keep fighting.
And when I need inspiration, I think about my dad,
and I know he would want me to.
And I think about Brenda, and paying her back
for all that she's done for me.
And I know I gotta keep at it.
I'm grateful for Dr. Now and the help he's given me too.
-Whoo! -[man 2] All right.
[Abi] It just hurts a lot.
-No. [crying] -[man 2] Do we wanna go all the way?
I don't know. [crying]
[man 2] All right, all the way.
[Abi] But I know I gotta do it.
And the more weight I lose, I know it will get easier.
So I'm gonna do whatever I need to do to get out of this bed.
[man 3] We got you, he's good.
[woman 3] He's all good.
[man 3] Yeah, he's on...
-[both] He's good. -[man 2] All right.
We have Abi back in the hospital.
It's been three months since we sent him home
to see if he's gonna stick to his exercises like he needs.
The big question is, if he's sticking to his diet,
and losing weight like he needs.
But if not, the plan with him is gonna drastically change today.
-Hi, Abi. -Hey, doctor. How are you doing?
I'm doing okay. How about yourself?
I'm good, good.
[Dr. Now] Well, good to see you again.
How is your physical therapy, and exercises and all that been going?
It's... It's been going, lot better, lot smoother.
Trying to keep my legs moving.
Great, and you're sticking to your diet?
Yeah, it's... it's hard but I'm... I'm trying to keep there.
[Dr. Now] Great, so let's see how your weight's doing, okay?
-All right. -You were 477 when you left,
then you should be 60 pounds down, so you should be 417.
All right, it looks like, uh, you lost another 56 pounds.
Um, you still can pick up the pace a little.
But you still moving in the right direction how you need.
So, I'm happy with that. I'm proud of your progress, keep it up.
Um, if you lose another 70 pounds, you'll be down to 350.
We can do you orthopedic procedure,
and hopefully with that we're gonna be able to get you up walking.
That would be awesome.
So, uh, and it's important to keep your strength up with your legs.
Get your feet back on the ground,
and walking again.
That's what we want. [chuckles]
So that would be almost 10 years
-since you last walked, huh? -Yes, yes.
So it's gonna take a lot of work,
and it's a long road, but as long as you stick with your diet and your PT,
we'll get you there.
-It'll get you there. -All right, thank you, thank you.
All right, so we're gonna do some tests on you,
and we're gonna get the... some lab work
and making sure everything's okay.
And if you don't have any new infection,
or issues we need to address,
and everything is okay, we get you going home tomorrow.
-Okay? -Perfect.
-So, keep up the good work,
and we'll get you up walking pretty soon.
-All right, all right. -All right, Abi.
-[Abi] All right. -I'll be back and see you later.
All right, thank you, doctor.
-All right, nice to see you again. -[Abi] All right.
All right, bye. Thank you.
[Dr. Now] Bye.
I am very happy to see that the first time since starting with him,
I am verifiable proof that Abi is taking things seriously.
That is very encouraging and I am proud of him for coming this far.
He lost somewhere between 300 to 350 pounds at the this point,
depending on how his weight was, before coming to the hospital.
It's getting there.
He's just at 200 pounds away from his target weight.
But the focus is on getting him to walk again.
So if he loses another 70 pounds, and gets his legs to where they need to be,
then we'll be able to do his orthopedic surgery,
and help him to get out of that bed.
Hey.
Look who we found.
-Abi, hey. -[Abi] Hey, man.
[Patrick] So, hoping to get you moving again today.
Can you swing the leg toward me?
Just kick it out this way.
Yeah, great, great.
[Abi] I've been working hard and doing what I need to get my weight down.
[Patrick] Can I help it a little bit?
Too much, okay. Now, stop right there, take a deep breath.
[Abi] And I'm almost in the 300s and that feels really good.
And I know when I finally stand up,
I'm gonna be amazed at how light I feel.
-[groaning] -[Patrick] Okay.
[Abi] So, I'm still focused on getting to 350,
so I can get the surgery I need to walk again.
[Patrick] Okay, stop right there and relax.
[Abi] I feel like I'm getting better and better.
[Patrick] Better than you thought? [chuckles]
-Yeah. -I went farther than I have.
-[Patrick] Yeah? Okay. -Yeah.
Okay, kick it up towards me, ready?
-[Abi grunting] -Okay, set it down,
as we do the heels gonna come off the bed.
Like let it out, let it out.
My leg is here too, so it won't fall.
Now we have a whole foot off the bed.
[Abi] Mmm-hmm.
The doctor says, if I apply myself
I lose a little bit more each month,
I could be ready for my leg and hip surgery in three months.
So that's my goal and that's what I'm working towards.
-[Abi shouts] Stop, stop, stop. -[Patrick] Okay.
[Abi] This is as far as I'm getting.
[Patrick] Okay, take a deep breath. We're gonna hang out here,
because this is great exercise.
You're using your core to maintain.
Right?
It's not fully sitting up, but it's... it's quarter, half.
-Sideways. -[Patrick] Right? [chuckles] You're sideways sitting up.
-Yeah. -[Patrick] Okay.
-Well, I'm gonna bring this leg back up. -[Abi] Ow, ow.
-Ow, ow, ow, ow [groaning] -Okay.
-Let it fall. -[Abi exhales]
[grunts]
Hey you got yourself back in pretty good.
-[Brenda] Mmm-hmm. -Right?
-Couldn't do that before. [chuckles] -[Brenda] You couldn't
-do that before? -[Patrick] Couldn't do that before?
-Amazing. Good work. -[chuckling]
[sighs]
-[Patrick] Progress. -I know.
-You know. -[Abi] Eventually...
-[Patrick] Yes. -...getting to the side of the bed.
So today, 25, 30% of the way,
next week, 40% of the way,
-further, further, you know. -Yeah.
[Patrick] It's a pleasure working with ya.
-I wish you the best, all right? -[Abi] All right.
-[Brenda] Thank you. -[Patrick] All right, thanks guys.
-[Abi] Thanks, man. -[Brenda] Thank you.
[Abi] It's been a long journey,
but I'm closer to where I wanna be than ever.
-[Brenda] Doing amazing -[Abi] Yeah.
That was so much more than...
-I have seen you done in years, and wow. -[Abi] I've done. Right.
And I have hope now that I'm gonna be able to do it finally.
And I won't give up until I do.