Ben Hayman, 41, went to see his GP in February 2022 after feeling dizzy and lethargic and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He was given insulin to self-medicate, but rapidly began losing weight
A man who shed half his body weight following a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis has been dubbed “the most complex case they’ve ever seen” by medical experts, according to his partner.
Ben Hayman, 41, from Halifax, initially sought medical help in 2022 after experiencing dizziness and lethargy. After being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, he was prescribed insulin for self-administration, but quickly began losing weight.
Initially, this was attributed to a successful weight loss class he had been attending for a month, but it soon became apparent that something more serious was at play. Over the course of three years, Ben’s weight plummeted from 22 stone to 11 stone.
During this period, he battled a series of debilitating illnesses, including a blood clot, sepsis and cavitating pneumonia, which resulted in a hole in his lungs. Doctors initially diagnosed him with malabsorption and stomach ulcers, but remain baffled as to the root cause of his health issues.
Last month, an attempt to get out of bed ended disastrously when his legs gave way, causing him to shatter his femur. He is currently awaiting surgery at Calderdale Royal Hospital, Halifax.
“We just wish he could be well and that we could live the life we had previously,” said Ben’s partner, Joanne McKernan, 42. “It all just came out of the blue. It’s so sad to see a man deteriorate like he has. He was a strong, 6ft 4in, well-built man.
“He’s missed out on so much of our six-year-old’s life and he can’t work and provide for his family anymore. It sucks.”
A sales manager working in Manchester, Ben faced a frightening ordeal when he was rushed to the hospital last February after turning dizzy, delirious, and a ghastly grey. Doctors discovered it was Type 1 diabetes combined with dangerous acidosis.
“We had a little boy and we were doing all the normal things a family would when he first went to hospital,” Joanne recalled.
Sent home with insulin and instructions to self-medicate, Ben seemed set for recovery, even shedding a stone in weight by March 2022 after signing up for a slimming class.
“It was great. He stopped going in April as we thought it was working really,” said Joanne.
Despite hopes of improvement, Ben’s condition worsened, leading to an alarming four-stone weight drop in just ten months and repeated illness that sent him back to hospital in December 2022.
At the hospital, his critically low potassium levels baffled everyone. “No one knew what the problem was,” explained Joanne.
“He had so many procedures – MRIs, CT scans, colonoscopies, endoscopies and X-rays. We’ve lost count of how many. They tested him for Crohn’s, bowel cancer and pancreatitis and it was none of those.”
Ultimately, Ben was diagnosed with malabsorption and stomach ulcers, though the reasons behind these conditions continue to elude doctors.
Over the past year Ben has endured three hospital stints as his health failed to improve and he lost weight at an alarming rate.
In a dramatic twist of fate, by November 2023, he was reliant on Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) for essential nutrients and minerals, but hope sparked in January 2024 when he went off TPN as his stomach ulcers seemed to heal.
Come April 2024, disaster struck when Ben collapsed at work, paralysed in his arms and legs. Doctors identified critically low potassium levels and promptly put him back on TPN, where he remains to this day.
His energy levels on the upswing, the struggle isn’t over for Ben; he’s still often sick and has lost an astounding 11 stone in just three years – half of his body weight. Since May last year, his health has been further complicated by sepsis and pneumonia from an infection linked to his TPN canula.
Adding insult to injury, a blood clot that journeyed through his body and a destructive pneumonia punched a hole in his lung. Tragedy didn’t end there; while trying to get out of bed at home last month, Ben’s legs buckled, resulting in a shattered femur.
Surgery or even an epidural is a no-go due to his frail condition and sky-high infection risk. Despite numerous procedures and tests, a definitive diagnosis eludes Ben.
“Still we’ve not really got a full diagnosis, other than he just struggles to absorb things,” explained Joanne. “We’ve seen doctors and specialists in three hospitals. They say it’s the most complex case they’ve ever seen.
“There’s now so much going on in his body with all the different issues. It’s been really hard. We were going on holidays, travelling, socialising and taking our son abroad every year before.
“But since he’s become poorly, everything has stopped. Ben can’t work and provide for his family anymore. That was his main priority. For our son, daddy being ill is the norm.”
Despite his condition, Ben remains technically employed by his company, which has shown understanding, allowing him to work a maximum of one day per week. However, his current three-month hospital stay has prevented him from working.
“It sucks, to be honest. There’s just so much information, so many hospital visits and still the only cause we know is that he struggles to absorb things,” Joanne said.