S03.E05: Amber's Story

[gunderda]

Oh I also noticed that the surgery seems a lot less invasive than in the past? Just seems like in past seasons the patients were in so much pain afterwards and stayed in the hospital for awhile.  Amber seemed to be not in that much pain pretty quick afterwards AND she walked out of the hospital after only 3 days. 

[gardendiva]

Islandgal140, you have articulated something that has bothered me from the beginning with this show and Dr. Now in particular. These people don't get to be the size they are simply because "they like to eat", in the same way that a falling-down alcoholic does not end up on Intervention because they like to have a few drinks.

There is something deeply flawed either in their satiety sensations, or they are eating due to psychological issues or traumas. Either way, these things have to be addressed before the patient can fully recover from their addiction and go on to learn to eat at reasonable levels.

I know every once in a while (that we see) Dr. Now has suggested therapy or working with a nutritionist, but it should be standard operating procedure to include therapy to treat the underlying issue that made these people almost eat themselves to death. Every single patient should be treated with counseling alongside the surgery.

Edited February 5, 2015 by gardendiva

[Hero]

Amber is so different than all the others that have come on the show. She is very aware to as why she is the size that she is

She is really articulate and I hope that she does really well in life.

[scowl]

I'll have to watch this one. I got so tired of watching the hopeless cases.

[Momof2boyz]

I believe Amber said that Rowdy was sexually frustrated because they didn't have sex. She didn't elaborate about the reason. One would assume it was because of her weight. 

She said that she wasn't able to at her current weight.

[Cherrio]

Rowdy looked like he could've been a character from the movie Napoleon Dynamite.

 

 

Yeah, I don't see how sex (meaning intercourse) could've been logistically possible at her starting weight. Just nope.

 

I think those two slept downstairs due to the fact that Amber couldn't get up the stairs without help so she/they had a makeshift bedroom in what was probably meant to be a dining or family room.

 

I have come to the realization that I have never really warmed up to Dr. Now. Not that I dislike him but I don't necessarily like him either. His bedside manner is stilted to say the least. I don't know. I just wonder if there is more to his approach to weight loss besides a meal plan and the surgery, followed by skin surgery. I like that he sent Amber to a therapist which made me wonder if addressing the root cause of his patients over eating is ever a concern. I just wonder if his practice isn't just a few steps away from being a surgery mill.  

I think the problem/observations with Dr. Now is that he is first and foremost a surgeon, so he isn't going to be the person to address problems in depth or show much compassion.  I did see Melissa I believe and other therapists/nutritionists working with the patients before and after surgery.   

         My problem with him is I think his demands of his patients to lose weight before being considered are way too low. A 20 or 40 lb. loss is nothing to be person of that size.

[Tuckerlee]

For some reason, Amber's story made me sadder than the others. Maybe because she was so young and self aware and didn't really try to make excuses or lay blame like some of the others *coughPennycough*. I wish her the best.

My impression of Rowdy was that he was just a lazy bum looking for a free ride. The family let him live there and most likely eat and stay rent free. A sweet deal for him. He did seem supportive of her weight loss, so I will give him that.

In re the sex thing: maybe somebody else knows the answer, but I seem to recall reading that at such high weights, your hormones and such will cause a person to have virtually no sex drive. This, coupled with the size issue, could be why Amber and Rowdy weren't having sex.

[NYCFree]

The thing that struck me about Amber's eating (and others' on this series) was the HUGE bites of food she was taking. In one scene, she picked up a piece of chicken on her fork that I would have cut into two or three pieces and put the whole thing in her mouth.

I had lapband surgery. It sort of acts like gastric bypass in that it creates a small pouch out of the top part of your stomach using an inflatable belt that can have liquid added or removed to make it tighter or looser. Learning to take tiny bites and chew everything to almost liquidity has a huge learning curve. I ate one way for 46 years and had to learn a whole new way to physically eat.

My surgeon required clearance from a mental health professional and provides for group therapy. My insurance required I had a six month doctor supervised diet. They had no specific weight loss number, just a showing that I could be committed and have a downward trend.

Coming to turns with a food addiction is a very, very long process.

[KarmaG]

Oh I also noticed that the surgery seems a lot less invasive than in the past? Just seems like in past seasons the patients were in so much pain afterwards and stayed in the hospital for awhile.  Amber seemed to be not in that much pain pretty quick afterwards AND she walked out of the hospital after only 3 days. 

 

I think it depends on each patient and how their recovery goes. I agree it seems faster but I bet we see longer stays than hers in the rest of the season.

[rubyred]

So I fell down a rabbit hole and watched yesterday's marathon, culminating in Amber's story. One thing I really noticed in comparison to the other stories they've shown, of all the patients doing that "life is full of challenges/lemons/box o' chocolates" voiceover in the beginning, Amber was the first one who actually sounded like she could have written or said that. Chuck, in particular, could never have been self-reflective enough to sum up his experience in soundbites like that. (Gah- I did not like Chuck.)

 

Does anyone know what happened with Ashley? She was part of the 7-year group, and I liked her and was rooting for her. Her mom was a jerk who thought she was hilarious teasing Ashley about her weight, and her dad died of cancer a few years into the program.

[Armchair Critic]

I forgot to mention last night that I cringed when I saw Amber digging into the folds of her skin with that big brush when she was cleaning herself. That looked like it would hurt. I have noticed other people on that show would sit on a seat in the shower, but maybe her bathroom wasn't set up for that? It makes me uncomfortable when they show these people almost naked, but I am guilty because I watch it.

[Cherrio]

So I fell down a rabbit hole and watched yesterday's marathon, culminating in Amber's story. One thing I really noticed in comparison to the other stories they've shown, of all the patients doing that "life is full of challenges/lemons/box o' chocolates" voiceover in the beginning, Amber was the first one who actually sounded like she could have written or said that. Chuck, in particular, could never have been self-reflective enough to sum up his experience in soundbites like that. (Gah- I did not like Chuck.)

 

Does anyone know what happened with Ashley? She was part of the 7-year group, and I liked her and was rooting for her. Her mom was a jerk who thought she was hilarious teasing Ashley about her weight, and her dad died of cancer a few years into the program.

I saw that particular show again and oh that mother. I kept wishing I could aim a rifle at the tv and off her.   She was evil.

[KarmaG]

I forgot to mention last night that I cringed when I saw Amber digging into the folds of her skin with that big brush when she was cleaning herself. That looked like it would hurt. I have noticed other people on that show would sit on a seat in the shower, but maybe her bathroom wasn't set up for that? It makes me uncomfortable when they show these people almost naked, but I am guilty because I watch it.

 

I agree, I thought it looked very painful. And really she was taking a mostly dry shower, she was sitting on the toilet washing herself. There was no shower in the bathroom she was using. I am glad she had enough decency to kick the camera crew out before washing her private parts, unlike some previous cast members.

[Cherrio]

I agree, I thought it looked very painful. And really she was taking a mostly dry shower, she was sitting on the toilet washing herself. There was no shower in the bathroom she was using. I am glad she had enough decency to kick the camera crew out before washing her private parts, unlike some previous cast members.

The brush looked dirty too. Those kind of brushes are meant to be cleaned regularly, they can harbor lots of bad stuff.

[aliya]

Something I noticed about the surgery - Dr Now said her stomach would be the size of a baseball. Previously, he and other surgeons I've seen said the stomach would be the size of an egg or walnut.  This seems more realistic to me. Maybe the weight doesn't drop off in 12 months, but it for some reason, it just seems better over the long term, especially re getting adequate nutrition. I've read where some post-ops actually become malnourished; this might alleviate that. 

 

And heck yeah about the brush going into the skin folds. It looked so hard and abrasive and the depth of the fold!  Oy!  I admit to watching her preview a few times on TLC's site (I'm terrible, I know it) and just cringed every time.

 

I remember Amy - the woman from MTV who had gastric bypass. I even sent her a few supportive emails after her show aired. Here is her info about her struggle with lymphodema. http://www.amylhwilliams.com/lymphedema.html

What a burden to deal with.

Edited February 6, 2015 by aliya

[Guest]

I remember Amy - the woman from MTV who had gastric bypass.

Wow! Thanks for that link! I used to visit her page a lot to track her progress and haven't in years it seems (since she hasn't updated in over five years). I hope she's doing well.

[Muffyn]

I have come to the realization that I have never really warmed up to Dr. Now. Not that I dislike him but I don't necessarily like him either. His bedside manner is stilted to say the least. I don't know. I just wonder if there is more to his approach to weight loss besides a meal plan and the surgery, followed by skin surgery. I like that he sent Amber to a therapist which made me wonder if addressing the root cause of his patients over eating is ever a concern. I just wonder if his practice isn't just a few steps away from being a surgery mill.  

I get the same feelings about him.  The sessions we saw with the patient who now works for him were more about encouraging people to have the surgery,  She was honest with them about how hard it is and that they have to change their behaviors.  But people at this stage really need more guidance to change such core ways of how they live and interact with the world.   I'm glad he suggested therapy to Amber.  All if the people on this show would benefit from counseling, nutritionists and group support.  

 

On the show Amber says that she has gained around 200 lbs since meeting Rowdy.  He is attracted to large women.  Her statement regarding sex is, "I think he wishes we could be intimate but I'm not really at a space where intimacy is something I can indulge in."  so that could mean at a space emotionally or simply we're sleeping on couches in my parents living room.  I do find him creepy, although I can admit some of that is just because he looks like a creeper. They never say he's not working though.  He could well have a job that he was okay with leaving.  I have friends with really good mechanical skills who find they can usually find a job wherever they move.  

 

I think there may have been a much longer delay with getting to the surgery because they had to figure out how they could get her to Texas.  They were on a small jet coming out of Oregon that she could barely fit in.  We saw how difficult it was for her to get through the airport.  

 

She seems like a really sweet person.  I do wonder if something happened to her really early in life that made her anxiety issues worse and is part of the basis for her weight gain. 

Edited February 7, 2015 by Muffyn

[DangerousMinds]

I really don't think Rowdy's job or lack of one was pertinent to the episode. The unemployment rate is still high in this country though. He may have been working part-time as well. I just didn't care.

Amber seemed to suffer from intense anxiety and even panic attacks. As someone who know the comfort of food, and continued to experience its anxyiolotic effect, I understand how eating truly works to reduce anxiety and stress. I wonder if she was ever prescribed any type of antidepressant or anxiety medications, because I think she would have benefitted from them, even if just for the short term. Along with therapy, of course.

[aliya]

If you remember, Melissa (season 1) became a support group leader for Dr Now's practice. I don't think he's just a surgery mill.  As far as I know, from people who had the surgery and talked about the process online, some kind of counseling is required. I even commented on 'Fat Doctor' (a UK show) about people who didn't seem to have addressed their mental issues with food and was told by the show's producers that they require counseling in the UK, they just don't show it on TV. After my comment (and I'm sure I wasn't the only one) they did have a few episodes where they showed therapy sessions. I'm sure there's some issue about privacy, both here and in the UK, that puts a damper on showing therapy for all of the patients.

[KarmaG]

I really don't think Rowdy's job or lack of one was pertinent to the episode. The unemployment rate is still high in this country though. He may have been working part-time as well. I just didn't care.

 

I had similar thoughts about him. I was just happy Amber had a supportive partner. His job status isn't my business and had nothing to do with Amber's issues. I also think him getting fast food when she was eating healthier was a production move. Makes no sense he'd be so supportive and then suddenly scarf down fast food in front of her.

[silverspoons]

I wondered why she could not have worn fuzzy/slipper socks at least. I have EDS and 5 years ago I was unable to get my left foot into any type of shoes. My doctor was more focused on my vascular issues and "shoe problem" he didn't seem to care about. I went through over 100 pairs of fuzzy slipper socks while waiting to find a solution. I bought the socks in black and wore dark pants or a long skirt when I went to the doctors office or my kids school. I was finally able to get a clog mule type shoe by mail order and I was so happy to feel normal again. While waiting for the shoes I didn't dare go to a store or park. It was not only the fear of dirt but what if I got cut or hurt. I also wondered when Amber walked on the pavement, were her feet so callused that she didn't feel the heat?

 

As for Rowdy, I was happy she had some support outside of her family. I do wonder what will happen when/if she is at her goal weight, active, working or going to school? Will she want to explore her options with other men? Will Rowdy not find her attractive as a thinner women? Will she feel guilty and stay with him?

[Morgalisa]

 

I have come to the realization that I have never really warmed up to Dr. Now. Not that I dislike him but I don't necessarily like him either. His bedside manner is stilted to say the least. I don't know.

In my experience, some surgeons do not have a good bedside manner.  They are used to dealing with people who are asleep.  Of course, some doctors in general do not have a good bedside manner, but when I was working in the medical field, I saw this a lot in surgeons.

[Muffyn]

The reason I commented on Rowdy's job was because there is a tendency for people to decide all of the family, etc. on these shows, unless it is explicitly stated what they do, are freeloaders that do not work and live off of government money.  There is no reason for these shows to have to explain the work situation of every person unless it has something to do with the story.  We heard that Amber went to college, left school and worked until a year before the show started. She certainly seems to be on the road to gaining her independence.  With that, I would suppose she will either go back to school or look for work.  Given how much happier she seemed being able to get out more, I can imagine her joy at being able to work again.  

[DangerousMinds]

Exactly.

[MrsClaus]

I have a question.  Was Amber's boyfriend with her in Texas?  I know they showed her brother and then talked about him going back home, but I don't remember Rowdy being there or did I just miss him?

[PityFree]

Rowdy didn't seem to be there at first. That gives me hope that he had a job or school things to wrap up or transfer before he could stay with Amber in TX.

it looked like her brother stayed with her at first.

Edited February 7, 2015 by PityFree

[KarmaG]

I have a question.  Was Amber's boyfriend with her in Texas?  I know they showed her brother and then talked about him going back home, but I don't remember Rowdy being there or did I just miss him?

 

I think they just didn't focus on him much. He was on the drive to Texas, he drove the Dodge Neon. He also helped move the furniture into the apartment. 

Edited February 7, 2015 by KarmaG

[aliya]

OK, maybe I'm thinking about Amber too much, but this morning in the bathroom, I wondered if she was able to use the toilet. We saw her sit on one, but she's got a lot of fat. I wonder if she can do what she needs to do without getting it on her skin. Might she wear diapers? 

The logistics of being that big are overwhelming. Is there no point where you say to yourself, jeez, 'I can't see my feet?' or 'I don't fit behind the wheel of my car anymore.' so that you start to try and get things in hand? Who wants to do their bathroom functions on a bed or wear diapers due to weight?

[KarmaG]

Who wants to do their bathroom functions on a bed or wear diapers due to weight?

 

Penny :P

[DangerousMinds]

There is currently only a 5% chance of long-term success with this surgery, so unfortunately Penny is more the norm.

[Oldernowiser]

I wonder what that really means? "Success" as in weight loss, longevity, or improvement in comorbidities? How do they define long-term?

ETA: The wonders of the internet...from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery website:

"However, longitudinal studies find that most bariatric surgery patients maintain successful weight-loss long-term. ‘Successful’ weight-loss is arbitrarily defined as weight-loss equal to or greater than 50 percent of excess body weight."

Actually, it answers some other questions that come up on the forum quite often. Obviously, they have a pro-surgery viewpoint, but it's still interesting reading.

https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-misconceptions

Edited February 8, 2015 by Oldernowiser

[Pixel]

There is currently only a 5% chance of long-term success with this surgery, so unfortunately Penny is more the norm.

 

I thought the 5% statistic was that morbidly obese people in general have a 5% chance of success at getting to a normal weight, not that the 5% was with the surgery.

 

I know several people who have had gastric sleeve. Off the top of my head I can think of 6. Of those 6, all at various phases post surgery, 5 have been very successful. The 6th has gone back to her old eating habits and stopped losing weight, and has started to gain it back. She's also not exercising.  Another friend of mine had a lap band (along with her husband) and they both have had no success and her husband had so many complications he had to have his removed or he was probably going to die.  I would definitely not recommend lap band.  So...I don't know if that figure for success includes all types of bariatric surgery, but in my anecdotal experience it definitely seems like the sleeves are way more successful than the lap bands. Safer, too.

 

As far as counseling goes - yes, in order to get this done most surgeons (and insurance companies) require at least a year of psychotherapy before you can get approved for the surgery. My friend didn't want to go through that, so she went to Mexico. I went with her, and while we were pleased with the staff and the surgeon was fantastic, I think that's the very definition of a surgery mill. No follow-up, no pre-counseling, no nothing. My friend has been super successful with her surgery and has lost 75 lbs in in less than a year (and she technically wouldn't have been fat enough for the procedure in the US either!), but you have to be motivated to do that.  And you have to be very careful if you choose to have surgery in a foreign country. We researched the hell out of the surgeon she went to before she scheduled her surgery.

 

Amber is the first person on this show that I thought had her mental shit together. There's got to be something we didn't see, because she seemed too smart and self aware to have gotten herself to almost 700 lbs to begin with!  When she said she was a 150 lb 5-year old, it made me think of a coworker I have who has a 180 lb 8-year old girl.

[aliya]

As far as counseling goes - yes, in order to get this done most surgeons (and insurance companies) require at least a year of psychotherapy before you can get approved for the surgery. My friend didn't want to go through that, so she went to Mexico. I went with her, and while we were pleased with the staff and the surgeon was fantastic, I think that's the very definition of a surgery mill. No follow-up, no pre-counseling, no nothing.

 

Oh yeah, that reminds me of a woman I was following for a while on YT. First she was doing Atkins, then something else, then she went to Mexico for the surgery. Sadly, she had a ton of post-surgical issues and it has not been smooth going for her. I think she is better now, but it must have taken her a good year or more to deal with the complications, etc. 

[Pixel]

Oh yeah, that reminds me of a woman I was following for a while on YT. First she was doing Atkins, then something else, then she went to Mexico for the surgery. Sadly, she had a ton of post-surgical issues and it has not been smooth going for her. I think she is better now, but it must have taken her a good year or more to deal with the complications, etc.

 

My friend did very well and left after two nights. Another guy who was enormous, probably at least 500 lbs, had the same surgery the same day, and spent a month in their version of an ICU in Mexico.  This was not because of anything the surgeon did, but if he'd had proper pre-screening, etc., maybe they'd have told him that he wasn't a good candidate for out-of-the-country surgery. You just never know, which is why it's such a crapshoot to get surgery far away from home.  I went with because I'm a critical care nurse, and I wanted to make sure she was well cared for. She didn't need me, but I'm glad I went. It was quite an interesting experience.

[Bellalisa]

if the boyfriend was trying to enable or sabatage they would have shown us! This was the first episdoe that I have seen where the patient never had any setbacks or failures. They never showed her cheating. They never showed her not having good results. She made excellent progress. i think after 2 years she was down 250 pounds (Penny!). When she was supposed to lose wieght pre-surgery she got out and walked even though it was painful (Penny!). And she wieghed a good 100 pounds more than Penny does AND had what looked like much worse leg lymphodema.

Except for him eating the fast food at the table, they didn't show the family or bf enabling her. It almost boring for the lack of drama. I think it IS possible that he just loved her without any fetish or ulterior motives behind them. After all she is a beautiful girl with a great personality and gorgeous face. I don't know why we are all sure he has either a fetish or is using the family for money. We are a bunch of pessimists, lol. Maybe he enjoys her company. I know I know I can't believe I'm saying this because I am the first to call shenanigans on the part of the partner/spouse. 

[gunderda]

I wondered why she could not have worn fuzzy/slipper socks at least. I have EDS and 5 years ago I was unable to get my left foot into any type of shoes. My doctor was more focused on my vascular issues and "shoe problem" he didn't seem to care about. I went through over 100 pairs of fuzzy slipper socks while waiting to find a solution. I bought the socks in black and wore dark pants or a long skirt when I went to the doctors office or my kids school. I was finally able to get a clog mule type shoe by mail order and I was so happy to feel normal again. While waiting for the shoes I didn't dare go to a store or park. It was not only the fear of dirt but what if I got cut or hurt. I also wondered when Amber walked on the pavement, were her feet so callused that she didn't feel the heat?

 

No traction with socks I would imagine.  Which wouldn't matter for outdoors but indoors if she were wearing socks she would likely fall on her butt. 

 

I'd like to know how she got around not wearing socks/shoes to all of these places.  Does "no shirt, no shoes, no service" not exist anymore?

[silverspoons]

No traction with socks I would imagine.  Which wouldn't matter for outdoors but indoors if she were wearing socks she would likely fall on her butt. 

 

I'd like to know how she got around not wearing socks/shoes to all of these places.  Does "no shirt, no shoes, no service" not exist anymore?

I wore slipper socks when needed, they have rubber grippers on the bottom so they are not slippery. Some of the slipper socks are actually very thick so they would add some protection.

 

I can't believe how they no shoes rule is not enforced these days. My daughter is in a gifted group and was working on a group project so I had 5 of the other gifted kids at my house. My background includes working on IEP's and after spending time with these gifted kids over the last 2 years, many are more socially awkward and quirky then kids with learning disabilities. While working on the project , I decided to get the kids pizza and treats. We loaded into the car and I arrive at the pizza place to find 3 of these kids forgot their shoes. One had her head in a book, and the other 2 just forgot because they were engrossed in some science debate. I told them to go out to the car and wait while I got the pizza but the pizza place said they could stay. Then I ran into target and I told them to stay outside and they came and target didn't care. I ended up giving my daughter $3 to go to Michaels and get $1 flip flops because I was not only embaressed but worried about injury.  I was shocked no store cared even when I asked the manager.

[gunderda]

I wore slipper socks when needed, they have rubber grippers on the bottom so they are not slippery. Some of the slipper socks are actually very thick so they would add some protection.

 

I can't believe how they no shoes rule is not enforced these days. My daughter is in a gifted group and was working on a group project so I had 5 of the other gifted kids at my house. My background includes working on IEP's and after spending time with these gifted kids over the last 2 years, many are more socially awkward and quirky then kids with learning disabilities. While working on the project , I decided to get the kids pizza and treats. We loaded into the car and I arrive at the pizza place to find 3 of these kids forgot their shoes. One had her head in a book, and the other 2 just forgot because they were engrossed in some science debate. I told them to go out to the car and wait while I got the pizza but the pizza place said they could stay. Then I ran into target and I told them to stay outside and they came and target didn't care. I ended up giving my daughter $3 to go to Michaels and get $1 flip flops because I was not only embaressed but worried about injury.  I was shocked no store cared even when I asked the manager.

oh yea! i forgot about slipper socks!  Not sure why... I have quite a few myself lol 

[KarmaG]

oh yea! i forgot about slipper socks!  Not sure why... I have quite a few myself lol 

 

I do too from surgeries (2 hip replacements in less than a year and I'm only 41!). I never wore them except in the hospital but they sent pairs home. I swear those things just never leave. I thought I'd gotten rid of them and then found 2 more pair the other day.

[aliya]

I watched the extended version from up close so I could read the comments (why are they so dang small???). Y'all are right about no shoes. How does she stand the hot Texas sidewalk and asphalt? Even the grass when she went on a walk with her brother - it looks nice, but you don't know what's in it. Yuck. 

 

Every time I watch one of these shows, I'm surprised at how differently people carry their weight. 

[Pixel]

You get used to the hot ground in bare feet after a while. When I was a lifeguard, the bottoms of my feet were tough as hell. Now? I have to hotfoot it across the beach, yelping.

[auntjess]

I was pretty sure she did have on yellow slipper socks in one scene, and sandals in some.
She was barefoot in the park.
There must be huge costs for rent, travel, and transportation in Houston, apart from doctor and hospital costs.
I wouldn't think that TLC pays near what it costs, but I'd love see something addressing this.

[Quof]

I saw Amber's story for the first time last night. Damn, she was bright and articulate (did she sound like Ellen Page to anyone else?), and at least tried to do things for herself.  She also recognized that she was a burden to those around her, and apologized when appropriate, and also said thank you each time some one helped her.   But I fell asleep.  Did they really just show a very short period after the surgery, so we really have no idea how she fared?  I was rooting for her more than anyone else who has appeared on the show.

[deedee2]

 

(did she sound like Ellen Page to anyone else?)

 

Yes! Thank you! I knew she sounded like someone and never would have come up with Ellen Page! But that is exactly who she talks like!

[xls]

Amber is so different than all the others that have come on the show. She is very aware to as why she is the size that she is

She is really articulate and I hope that she does really well in life.

Such a sweet and beautiful girl! 

Why do these stinking Mothers keep feeding their children to death? I thing jealousy is an underlying part of it. I think constantly overfeeding them is an act of hostility.

Edited February 12, 2015 by xls

[GreyBunny]

Agree with everyone else that Amber is super pretty and articulate. And it pissed me off to no end that people were taking cell phone pictures of her in the airport. Not everything is fodder for your Facebook timelines, assholes.

 

If someone is moving through the airport flanked by a crew running alongside holding cameras and boom mikes, people are going to snap photos.  If she didn't want photos taken, then she shouldn't have caused that kind of commotion, and she can't complain about a few snapshots when she's decided to put her private life on television.

[Darknight]

Why did she weigh so much at 5? Why does she have a loser bf?

[KarmaG]

If someone is moving through the airport flanked by a crew running alongside holding cameras and boom mikes, people are going to snap photos.  If she didn't want photos taken, then she shouldn't have caused that kind of commotion, and she can't complain about a few snapshots when she's decided to put her private life on television.

 

That's what I thought too. I don't think she'd have gotten the same attention had it just been her and her family running through the airport (even with her on the luggage cart). It was the camera crew running along with them that got her the attention.

[momofsquid]

I agree that the people in the airport were not necessarily snapping pictures of Amber but of the whole spectacle. Odds are they didn't know what was going on. They saw a camera crew and a very large woman being wheeled around on a luggage cart in a strange position that made her look like a figurehead. They may have thought they had stumbled into a movie shoot and just wanted to show their friends, "Hey, look what happened at the airport today! I think I saw George Clooney!" I understand that Amber was feeling extremely self-conscious and assumed that they were mocking her and I guess that's the message we have to take from it. We all have moments where we feel like a dork and think everyone must be staring at us, and if you're 600 pounds that feeling is 24/7.

Edited February 12, 2015 by momofsquid

[KarmaG]

I agree that the people in the airport were not necessarily snapping pictures of Amber but of the whole spectacle. Odds are they didn't know what was going on. They saw a camera crew and a very large woman being wheeled around on a luggage cart in a strange position that made her look like a figurehead. They may have thought they had stumbled into a movie shoot and just wanted to show their friends, "Hey, look what happened at the airport today! I think I saw George Clooney!" I understand that Amber was feeling extremely self-conscious and assumed that they were mocking her and I guess that's the message we have to take from it. We all have moments where we feel like a dork and think everyone must be staring at us, and if you're 600 pounds that feeling is 24/7.

 

And if they kept the pic, when her episode aired they could show everyone, "look! I saw her on her way to Houston and here's proof!"