pdlinda

As there are no children in the home, I do not believe they make house calls. I believe Jeanne has to be re-certified every few years to continue in the system; however, that would be done through her visiting her doctor. I recall her saying that her condition had deteriorated significantly in recent months so perhaps when here next MD re-cert appt was scheduled and she needed medical transport to get to the office, maybe a red flag would be raised to get a home healthcare worker into the home. HOWEVER, again, as there are no children in the home (and they, I presume, own the home) no outside agency would be permitted on the premises without the permission of the owners.

I wonder how they recruit people for the show??? Who, and under what circumstances, did someone from Jeanne's family (maybe church) contact the producers??? Everything about the episode highlighted the family situation which was DIRE on every level. I'm unclear what the person who referred Jeanne for this world-wide exposure was trying to accomplish. Maybe "shock therapy""??? Further, I'm unclear about why, after understanding the invasion of the family's living space (complete with graphic, disgusting scenes of living conditions and personal hygiene) they decided it was a good idea to be on the show.

AJ mentioned being involved in a SERIOUS (life threatening) motorcycle accident some years ago. I believe he mentioned that he sustained a head injury (TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). I worked with sufferers of these types of injuries for many years and his erratic and other behavioral traits are often seen in these types of patients. These types of injuries manifest throughout a person's life. I wonder if AJ is still involved in neuro treatment? I wonder if if EVER engaged in treatment? I also wonder if the accident was ever charged and/or whether personal injury lawyers were ever involved. One thing I know for sure: Alcohol consumption for that type of injury is usually NOT ADVISED.

I was surprised at her choice of casual clothing that didn't seem to reflect any recognition and/or awareness of the vision she was presenting to the world. I understand she is completely free to dress any way she chooses. However, those observing her are just as free to comment on her choice of clothing.

I agree. In most states a driver has to be 18 to drive. I thought the sis looked older than 18. I also noticed that Des was driving without wearing shoes??? Bare feet? Is that even safe? Glad trip was accomplished safely!

I was thinking she may have considered a wheelchair but maybe thought she wouldn't fit in it??? In truth, a standard sized wheelchair would be too narrow for her and who knows how many airlines have over sized wheelchairs. A reasonable assumption would be that if you can't fit in one airline seat you're too big to fly; even assuming a passenger would have to convert two seats to one that probably wouldn't justify the airline spending a lot of $$$ on a custom sized wheelchair because the demand simply isn't there.

Most of the parents (mostly mothers but also fathers and/or other close family members) are obese themselves, so that type of eating is, apparently, what was modeled for them. As far as the funds to buy all the food, most heavily caloric starchy/sugar/highly processed foods are from the "middle aisles" of the market that are available in bulk and are less expensive...very few fresh produce items or fresh proteins. I think a lot of the junk carb snacks might be in clearance status (day old stuff).

Why didn't she request a wheelchair????? They are available to all those who are disabled.

As a result of that very valid list of adjectives describing Maja, I was curious regarding WHY Christian hooked up with her in the first place!! I believe I recall him saying he was drawn to her for her kindness and sense of humor (am I imagining this????). Christian has a decent appearance and presents as "normal" in the cognitive area, so it seems very odd to me that he would have hung around Maja for 3 LONG YEARS!! I'm not seeing her looks or physical attraction having a role in this "relationship." I must be missing something...."what's wrong with this picture???"

Well, then, this placement might be the ONLY successful weight loss intervention Shawn will ever receive! I believe all licensed facilities employ a licensed dietitian to make sure each resident gets proper nutrition and if he doesn't have any visitors to supplement his daily meals maybe he'll FINALLY lose weight!! Also, these facilities have MD's and other med personnel to monitor each patient and I would imagine a weight loss goal has been established for Shawn.

When I saw how severely stressed Shaun was in the aftermath of the Houston hurricane and, regardless of how much assistance and support he received from the numerous community resources available to him, I understood that a nursing home would be the natural conclusion to his long journey into complete inability to function. I wonder how the meals are at the facility??? I wonder if they allow unlimited outside food to be brought in for the residents??

I believe I read that Sean's father finally found him a nursing home placement and that's where he is for the foreseeable future. Also, I think I also recall that they were going to do another update of him; however, he refused to participate.

I believe there's a psychological condition called, Compulsive Eating Disorder. It's really not about the food. It's about "free-floating" anxiety and other moods that Holly has encountered and experienced throughout her life. It's the "immediate gratification" of eating that quells her tense and stressful moments (that apparently go on all day long and have for many, many years) I guess the obvious conclusion would be that if Holly spent all the time she spends "eating" in intensive "therapy" (talk therapy and other therapies like maybe art therapy), she might have a chance to learn to cope with her moods more healthfully. HOWEVER, it's plain and obvious, that what I'm stating takes a mature and thoughtful approach to life. The obsession with eating is very childlike because the first thing an infant does is "eat" (breast milk or formula) and to advance to more mature ways of coping with life's ups and downs requires a lot of commitment to change. It's that HARD WORK that Holly will have to develop an affinity for or suffer the consequences. There is no Quick-Fix for Holly to transform her health profile and appearance. It's HARD WORK!!

Childhood trauma, abuse and neglect manifest in MANY, MANY different forms of self-destructive behavior. Many child victims of abuse and neglect suffer with other addictions, relationship dysfunctions and, yes, even self-harm. The people on this show suffer from expressing their emotional vulnerabilities and suffering through finding comfort in "food"; however, the missing piece of the puzzle is getting the information and support they need to start understanding what happened to them as children (that they were 100% NOT responsible for) and translating that into self-love behaviors that affirm their strength to have even made it to adulthood so they may live functional, productive lives. They are 100% RESPONSIBLE for getting this therapeutic help (probably for YEARS). The eating addiction is the symptom of this larger issue.

That's the nature of "addiction." Food gives them a "thrill" that mimics what other addicts experience with alcohol and other drugs. The only difference is that with other substances, you can excise them and never touch them again, but with food it's CONSTANTLY a temptation and you need it to live. Also, many other "drugs of choice" are not legal so you're constantly involved in the criminal justice system when indulging (that would include drinking and driving). With food, it is very plentiful and available with no criminal sanctions. I often thought that some of the 600 lbers scarfing down huge fast-food purchases while driving (including massive amounts of SUGAR and FAT ) would probably be impaired while driving; however, although there are laws regarding "driving while intoxicated" that usually refers to legal meds being used improperly). I don't think I've ever heard of a driver being pulled over for driving erratically due to over consumption of, say, donuts!!

Also, I noticed Robin's rotting teeth and wonder about her oral hygiene. With the abundance of sugar, salt, fat and chemicals she consumed, it's easy to assume her oral health is awful. I got such a kick out of David (from the benji and david episode) who got those magnificent new teeth (not dentures) that completely changed his life and his appearance (smile). Those teeth cost a "pretty penny" as I had a total remake of my mouth and it was extremely expensive. For Robin, I'm thinking she might have no choice but to go the route of dentures (even that's expensive but maybe covered by insurance).

I thought skin removal surgery in the thigh area where she seemed to have large masses of fat would assist her in walking and exercising. Also, as an "aside", if she would could run a comb/brush through her mangled hair it might really enhance her appearance. It looked like she had been a bleached blonde at one point and was growing it out (doubt it was that new "ombre" look) so maybe a haircut would be in order?? Perhaps, in the follow-up, she gets some desire to create a neater appearance than she had in the show. That would probably help if she ever wished to find employment.

I wonder if Nikki ever had skin removal surgery?? I noticed when Dr. Now saw her last time he mentioned his expectation that she would be at her target weight in 1 year; HOWEVER, he (as he usually does) never mentioned when she'd be ready for skin removal surgery. I looked online for updates about her but didn't see anything.

I don't think any of the Klein/Arnold families have any interest in reading these boards nor do I think they directly read the Facebook posts that are prolific. I think the publicity/production people from TLC read them but don't pass along negative comments. I noticed that there were many negative comments regarding the children's behavior on Facebook a while back; however, recently I noticed a change. With very few exceptions, only favorable comments are posted.

I have many of the same thoughts. I wonder if Will and Zoey have any understanding and/or appreciation of the fact that MOST children in the USA do NOT live the lavish lifestyle they do??? Even parents, who may be financially comfortable, do NOT access their children to all these material things ad infinitum seemingly to excess. I know the kids are on the young side; however,these are the years when values are instilled. Constantly indulging them with excessive creature comforts on demand may not result in success in the character-building department of life.

Zoey's speech is impossible for me to understand. Sometimes I see the closed captioning and can't match what the caption says she's saying and what I hear. Will's speech is a bit more understandable; however, I recall them saying he had a problem with hearing and goes to a speech therapist.

I am taken by all the INTERIOR stairs within the house. It seems there are many rooms where the family has to go up or down several stairs (even when answering the front door.). I shudder to think of any of them taking a fall onto those hardwood floors. I recall looking for homes and immediately rejecting any with "sunken living rooms" because my parents were older and I always believed in a distracted moment any of us would likely trip and fall with those stairs that many people call "attractive nuisances."

Can anyone please enlighten me regarding the speech issues each child has where TLC must put up "subtitles" of everything each of them says? I think I recall there were hearing problems that Will had that were diagnosed and treated some years ago; however, I don't recall anything similar with Zoey. There is definite improvement in Will's speech but I still can't make "heads or tails" of what Zoey is saying without the subtitles. Of course, this has nothing whatsoever to do with the essence of both children who are absolutely precious.

The people on the show lose a lot of weight fast because they change their diets so drastically and have so much weight to lose. If you have only a moderate amount of weight to lose, the normal expectation that I was taught was 2-3 pounds/week so you seem to be on track. I eat basically what you do as I lost 100 lbs 15 years ago and have kept the weight off. I watch the show religiously as it reminds me of what could have happened to me had I let my compulsive eating continue without end!! The only thing I add to what you eat are healthy fats (avocado, EVOO and nuts/seeds) as without that I would keep losing weight and my greatest accomplishment has been maintaining a healthy weight for a long period of time.