S03.E12: Charity's Story

[Toaster Strudel]

The skin surgery was off her legs, no?  I thought the wings were left intact.

[Meraji]

I watch this show and other shows focused on weight loss to see the transformations and life improvements in these people's lives.  It also keeps me motivated to lose weight, always a plus. I'm really looking forward to seeing the progress that Charity makes by the update episode. Although she had setbacks, hopefully the mass removal surgery will get her moving. I loved the scene of her taking control of the food situation, whether or not it stayed like that. It was nice to see.

 

I went to her facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Supportcharitysjourney) to see what progress she's made since the end of the show, and it appears she only just had the wls in December and the mass removal surgery sometime in February. It surprised me how recent it was. I would imagine she's still healing from surgery at this point.

 

I figured the participants were all followed by the camera crew around the same time, lasting a year, maybe January to January. But I suppose it's rather staggered, thus some people showing more weight loss by the end.

[Bellalisa]

The skin surgery was off her legs, no?  I thought the wings were left intact.

Honestly it was not clear where he took it off! I did look like her butt was way way smaller at the end, she had pants on. It did not stick out nearly as much, so I thought it was the one on the but they took off. I think he took 2 off though. I don't know!!

[Meraji]

The skin surgery was off her legs, no?  I thought the wings were left intact.

 

Yeah, I think you're right. Dr. Now talked about doing the upper section first, then doing the lower section. At first I thought he meant surgery on the butt then the legs.  But it appears he meant first the thigh area, then the calf, and just on her lyphedema leg.

[purpleflowers]

Even though skin surgery comes after the stomach surgery usually, I thought that her protuberances looked like they could have been removed first, as they seemed to be attached only to her butt, and not an organ.

 

I thought maybe Dr. Now didn't want do skin removal or removal of those masses before she lost some weight because of the risk of putting such a heavy patient under anesthesia, or perhaps because of possible blood loss issues? NOT a doctor here, just guessing.

[purpleflowers]

I honestly don't know why people who are physically in pain from their mass and know that it's the food that's causing it, will sit on the couch and eat pizza. I'm sure there's some kind of very complex psychological factors, including depression and addiction  going on. It's really very sad.  

It is sad. I found the whole bunch of them quite depressing. I wonder if some of it just comes down to simply giving up, even if the weight is causing pain. I don't know if many of this show's patients are depressed or not, but if so, that may contribute. I know when I was depressed, lying or sitting by myself was what I wanted to do most of the time because even though I knew I was missing out on things, those other things weren't even appealing or didn't seem worthwhile. 

[aliya]

Another Iowan here (IC), completely shocked that this person is hanging out in CR.  I must have missed that part.

How did they lay her on the table for the bariatric surgery with the butt-wings (we are all going to hell for that, just so you know)?

 

The EMTs must have been shocked. I know they see a lot, but I'm pretty sure they haven't seen that before. Lord have mercy.

[MrHufflepuff]

How did they lay her on the table for the bariatric surgery with the butt-wings (we are all going to hell for that, just so you know)?

 

We live in a world with butt-wings.  We're already in hell.

[Micks Picks]

It's not so disrespectful of TLC to show what they show.  The participants allowed themselves to get in such a state and stay there.  It seemed normal enough for this woman to be filmed in this self-inflicted state, no shame there.  No shame with the lifestyle.  The EMT and we were shocked and want modesty for her, but she didn't care.  So I don't either.

[ethalfrida]

I am with everyone on the mystery of the "butt wings". I understand the seriousness of her situation and cannot help but feel sorry for her. I hate pitying people but in these case what can you do when a person is willing to go to those extremes to indulge themselves? And then, again, she just went so far with overeating she couldn't turn back.

 

And how sure are we that this show isn't catering to those who are getting off on watching these people suffer? Getting off on the grotesqueness of their bodies. Like another poster up-thread, I covered my eyes and/or looked away. It was just too much to take in. 

 

 

Note: sometimes my tablet inserts words that almost completely changes what I am trying to say. Apologies if anyone thought I was directing a comment to anyone here. 

Edited March 27, 2015 by ethalfrida

[stephinmn]

I TOTALLY missed that they were from Iowa. 

Ugh good lord.... I swear we are not that backwards here.... Cedar Rapids isn't even a dinky town either... in Iowa it's considered a city. 

I will vouch for Iowa. The cities are small, but they are really pretty progressive. I am surprised she didn't have any teeth, since Iowa also includes dental in their Medicaid. Maybe she just couldn't physically get to the dentist.

ETA: On her facebook, she mentioned "changing her insurance" so it would cover the surgery. I am guessing she need to switch from IA Medicaid to TX medicaid? I am sure Texas is just delighted about that. (AFAIK, Medicaid is 50% federal and 50% state funded) I am guessing this is why they move to Texas months before the surgery.

Edited March 27, 2015 by stephinmn

[Muffyn]

So upon closer inspection, there was some kind of white cloth tucked into Charity’s folds that may have acted sort of like underwear.  She also has a large towel or sheet covering the couch.  So she’s not quite twat to fabric, but given that she bathes with wipes it doesn’t matter much. 

 

I think her butt wings may actually be her butt.  It’s as if the weight of them is pulling them away from her body and they spread out from her always sitting.  It always gets me that there is a warning about the program including surgical procedures. There should be a warning about butt wings, lymphedema masses and toothless chewing. 

 

The masses were removed from the outside and inside of her left thigh.  When she said her dresses were loose on her, all I could think was they are now able to cover your ass – let ‘em hang!

[Micks Picks]

It doesn't sound to me like she had any dresses to begin with, since everybody on here commented on her lack of clothing.  So did she finally have the kingsize sheets stitched together to make a dress, which then got loose when she lost weight, or what.  

 

Regarding the dentist, I pay for dental insurance and go years without using it.  Terrified.  I'm immune to lidocaine so if I have anything done I have to put out and insurance doesn't cover it.  So there is $350 our of pocket and then the insurance is 50% leaving me the other 50%.  So about $2000 a year when I used to go..  But it's mainly fear that keeps me away.  They've got some great mouthwashes now that keep your mouth healthy.  Sounds like this gal just needs dentures, but please, the taxpayers pay enough for her as it is.  We who are barely making it and aren't on medicaid get resentful after awhile.  I could use a housecleaner once a week, an errand person, a driver, but I just need to earn less money, I guess.

[Armchair Critic]

When she said her dresses were loose on her, all I could think was they are now able to cover your ass – let ‘em hang!

 

I thought the same thing! When she said they were too loose, I thought no they finally fit properly. The new long skirt and top were more flattering, but I would be wearing a long top to cover up the butt wings.

Edited April 2, 2015 by HalcyonDays
Edited to remove potentially shaming comment.

[silverspoons]

I also was in shock about the "butt wings". I have wondered about the difference between lipedema and lymphedema. If you look up lipedema there are a few pictures of exactly the same "butt wings". From reading a few articles, lipedema can start to get worse after stressful sitautions and increased cortisol levels triggering a bad chain reaction of fat storage.

 

What I don't understand is Dr. Now admitted when doing the skin surgery that lots of fluid came out, so why didn't he use some form of lymph drainage earlier? I remember one patient last season who went to some sort of clinic and had her legs wrapped and some sort of compression treatments to help with the fluid. Other weight loss shows with morbidly obese patients have shown pre-surgery drainage.

 

I could not figure out the relationship. Forgetting the age difference and Uncle status , I didn't see any interaction, caring or love? As for caregiver payments, Medicaid only does this in certain states and Texas is not one of them. Iowa is a caregiver reimbursement state. Charity's daughter and fiancé don't need to be her caregiver 24/7. At least one of them could have worked, or both worked opposite hours. It is one thing if Charity is trapped inside by her weight, 2 other people shouldn't have to be.

 

Did they explain why she needed an ambulance? She could walk a few steps by herself or use a walker. Did we even ever she her in a wheelchair? I don't think so. Why could she not ride in the back of a minivan or van like others. Wasn't Chuck over 700lbs and still driving? Was it Charity's fat distribution that made her need an ambulance?

Edited March 27, 2015 by silverspoons

[cheatincheetos]

I was in CR about a year ago for a work event and the entire place smelled like cookies because of what General Mills was cooking that day (cranberry something or other) and it smelled so freaking delicious every time we went outside.  So maybe she needs to move so the air doesn't remind her of food..... lol 

Sounds like Northfield MN...the whole town reeks of the MaltoMeal plant (recently bought out by Post Cereal). Some like it, some don't.

 

I think her butt wings may actually be her butt.  It’s as if the weight of them is pulling them away from her body and they spread out from her always sitting.  It always gets me that there is a warning about the program including surgical procedures. There should be a warning about butt wings, lymphedema masses and toothless chewing.

Unlike Maleficent, I don't think she would miss those wings.

[Guest dutronc]

I also was in shock about the "butt wings". I have wondered about the difference between lipedema and lymphedema. If you look up lipedema there are a few pictures of exactly the same "butt wings". From reading a few articles, lipedema can start to get worse after stressful sitautions and increased cortisol levels triggering a bad chain reaction of fat storage.

 

I figured she needed the ambulance because they didn't have a car of any sort. 

 

I think you're thinking of Christina who had the hydrotherapy for lymphedema after her surgery, but I also remember Mayra from Half-Ton Killer who had a pre-surgery treatment for her fat distribution situation. Dr Now prescribed her something, and the fluid literally seeped out of her onto the floor. I was expecting a similar protocol this time, too.

[cheatincheetos]

 

I STILL can't get over the fact these women have no problem discussing their sex lives in graphic detail, like number of times per day they have sex. I guess that is why they have no problem with showing their naked bodies on TV too.

Maybe there needs to be a group called Oversharing Overeaters Anonymous?

[Bellalisa]

She said she needed the ambulance because she cannot fit into any other type of vehicle. She said that on the gofundme page for how she needed to be taken by ambulance to texas cause she can't fit in a car. At the end of the show she said that she knew she lost weight because she can finally fit in a vehicle and did'nt need an ambulance anymore. They showed her in a very large Van. I supposed she could have fit into a semi-truck or something like that............

[KarmaG]

Such a sad story. On the positive side, at least she wore shoes!

Why don't these people eat at a regular table with folks, knives, spoons and napkins? I have only rarely eaten on the couch and have NEVER eaten on the bed. Just gross and unsanitary. I think if this people had better eating routines, regular times at the table, they could better control eating habits.

 

I don't eat in the bed except when in the hospital (or recovering from surgery at home) but I do eat on the couch. I don't own a dining table, just dinner tray stands from Walmart. It's just my husband and I so we eat while watching a tv show and neither of us are obese or even a lot over weight.

Were they living in the same Houston apartment as some of the other people on this show? It looked familiar to me.

And I am guessing next season we'll be seeing Charley's Story because...DAMN.

 

No, they've never shown this particular complex before, at least not in season 2 or current. I believe I missed season 1.

 

I am surprised the daughter hasn't learned from watching her mom that what her mom does is the very thing she should not do.

[Barb23]

She said she needed the ambulance because she cannot fit into any other type of vehicle. She said that on the gofundme page for how she needed to be taken by ambulance to texas cause she can't fit in a car. At the end of the show she said that she knew she lost weight because she can finally fit in a vehicle and did'nt need an ambulance anymore. They showed her in a very large Van. I supposed she could have fit into a semi-truck or something like that............

It looked like she was in a Medical transport type of van. I used this type of service a few times getting to Drs. appointments when I broke my leg. I could still stay in my wheelchair, they just locked it in place. My sister was allowed to ride along as the van had regular seats as well. But it wasn't cheap by any means & insurance didn't cover it, at least in my case.

[Ocean Chick]

I think the butt wings were extensions of her regular butt, and I think that was what Dr. Now took off.  She was still lumpy and bumpy back there, as all the "regular" fat was still there, but the wings were definitely gone.  Now she's just regular super morbidly obese.  And yes, those dresses she was wearing definitely fit better with the wings gone.

 

I saw bits of white between the folds as well, but I don't think it's underwear.  I think they stuff Kleenex between the folds to sop up the blood from the cracked sores.  It probably stays there until her next cleaning, held in by the fat.

 

She's done so much damage to her body, I don't think she'll ever look "normal" again.  And I really hope that Charly is a lot thinner when we see them next year.

[auntjess]

 

I went to her facebook page (https://www.facebook...charitysjourney) to see what progress she's made since the end of the show, and it appears she only just had the wls in December and the mass removal surgery sometime in February. It surprised me how recent it was. I would imagine she's still healing from surgery at this point.

She hasn't updated this since January.  Hope it doesn't mean things aren't going well.

[purpleflowers]

 

I could not figure out the relationship. Forgetting the age difference and Uncle status , I didn't see any interaction, caring or love? As for caregiver payments, Medicaid only does this in certain states and Texas is not one of them. Iowa is a caregiver reimbursement state. Charity's daughter and fiancé don't need to be her caregiver 24/7. At least one of them could have worked, or both worked opposite hours. It is one thing if Charity is trapped inside by her weight, 2 other people shouldn't have to be.

 

This seems to be a pattern with the people on this show. We often see that they and/or their caregivers and family members are not working. They seem to be isolated from society and maybe when they don't have outside groups of people to compare themselves to, they can convince themselves that the way they are living is normal and healthy.

 

ETA: At least they don't SEEM to be working. The post below brought up good points on that!

Edited March 27, 2015 by purpleflowers

[Muffyn]

In this case, they moved to Texas to get the surgery and be on the show.  While I doubt Charity was working when they were in Iowa, we don't know if her fiance and daughter were.  This is one of the issues with this show in these later seasons.  In the earlier seasons, because we saw the people for longer periods of time, we saw them more at their real homes rather than Houston apartments.  Given that, we were more likely to see working spouses, other family members helping them out, etc.  Many of the people may well have been financially supported by their families.

 

In this season and last, in some other episodes I think we even saw some resentment from family members who basically shut down their lives to follow the person having surgery to Houston to be near Dr. Now.  However, the show does not make this clear; it is reality TV and that does not fit the story they want to tell.  This leads to the idea that no one works and everyone is getting a government check, even when that is not stated.  We simply aren't shown how the finances are handled for the vast majority of these people.  

 

As to why Charity needed an ambulance rather than driving in some sort of van like Penny did, while this may be an issue of sheer size and weight, it could also be that it hadn't occurred to her that is would be possible to set up a bed in the back of a panel van (rather than trying to sit up in a passenger van).  Or this made much better visuals for the show.  It took a lot of people to lift her into the transport ambulance.  They should be commended for their kindness and professionalism when helping her.  Another possibility, with her lymphedema she was unable to lift her legs into a van.  

Edited March 27, 2015 by Muffyn

[mrsjoe]

I also was in shock about the "butt wings". I have wondered about the difference between lipedema and lymphedema. If you look up lipedema there are a few pictures of exactly the same "butt wings". From reading a few articles, lipedema can start to get worse after stressful sitautions and increased cortisol levels triggering a bad chain reaction of fat storage.

 

I actually just read an article that addressed this topic last night.  If I understand it correctly, lipedema is almost pre-lymphedema, although lipedema does not always develop into lymphedema and lymphedemas don't have to begin as lipedema. Lipedema is a type of fat that is larger and more roughly textured than regular fat and accumulates on the bottom half of the body in symmetrical patterns. Lymphedemas are usually not symmetrical and have the lipedema type fat, but it is also full of fluid and stick out in those tumor-looking shapes off the body.  I think most of these people have had both kinds. The only one coming to mind that probably didn't was Zsalynn, whose fat seemed to be mostly just a large quantity of normal fat if I recall.

 

She hasn't updated this since January.  Hope it doesn't mean things aren't going well.

 

Hopefully this is just TLC not allowing them to post too much info to keep the show more interesting.

[ChicagoCita]

Maybe there needs to be a group called Oversharing Overeaters Anonymous?

 

 

I had a very large friend, who could have appeared on this show (since deceased), who made porn films and earned money doing phone sex. She could NOT understand why I didn't want to see her "perform."

 

Maybe I'm just a damn prude, but I *really* have no desire to watch any of my friends having sex, or talk in extremely graphic detail about their sex lives.  Has nothing to do with size, just not my thing.

Edited March 27, 2015 by ChicagoCita

[4leafclover]

If I remember correctly, Mayra Rosales (the Half-Ton Killer) had a very similar shape to Charity's.  And on that other show with the father/son surgeons there was a woman who had lost hundreds of pounds and still had her "butt wings" which were surgically removed after she had lost all of that weight.  

 

I agree with those who say there is something fishy going on here with Charity and Prince Charming.  On that link, she said they reconnected 3 years ago and that earlier in their "courtship" they were having sex up to 4 times a day (ewww, ewww and ewwww......).  However, in the show Charity said she hasn't been able to move well for the past 10 years because of her lymphedema.  I know, I'm putting way too much thought into this.  As far as her "fiance's" looks, could be FAS, but given his family's apparent proclivity for going to family reunions to meet potential lovers, its more likely his parents were cousins. 

 

I'll go stand in the corner now. 

[Cherrio]

If I remember correctly, Mayra Rosales (the Half-Ton Killer) had a very similar shape to Charity's.  And on that other show with the father/son surgeons there was a woman who had lost hundreds of pounds and still had her "butt wings" which were surgically removed after she had lost all of that weight.  

 

I agree with those who say there is something fishy going on here with Charity and Prince Charming.  On that link, she said they reconnected 3 years ago and that earlier in their "courtship" they were having sex up to 4 times a day (ewww, ewww and ewwww......).  However, in the show Charity said she hasn't been able to move well for the past 10 years because of her lymphedema.  I know, I'm putting way too much thought into this.  As far as her "fiance's" looks, could be FAS, but given his family's apparent proclivity for going to family reunions to meet potential lovers, its more likely his parents were cousins. 

 

I'll go stand in the corner now. 

Cue the banjo's

[Mom2twoNonna2-3]

I am going to hell in a handbasket for that one.

 

I'm right there with you. My son and I were watching it and I started singing "wiggle it just a little bit" as she walked down the hall of the doctor office. My 16 year old son dutifully scolded me. 

[Muffyn]

I did a few searches for Charity and I think she is another one of the famewhore contestants who will do anything to be on TV.  Here's an interview with her: 

 

http://www.ghananation.com/news/119551-world%E2%80%99s-heaviest-woman-charity-pierce-cries-about-battle-to-shed-her-weight.html

 

I am sure she's happy to have those huge lymphedema masses removed but unless she can get famous for her weight loss, she'll pack on the pounds again so she can continue her tear-filled interviews about her struggle.  As people have said, her stories don't add up.  There is something seriously fishy here.

[feetcuzzyfeefee]

I looked up lipedema on Wiki and pictures of a woman from behind and a leg that looked just like Charity's.   It's like fat cells run amok like a cancer and form that type of fat. 

[swankie]

It was sad to see Charity, Charly,  and the "fiancée" all sitting around on that couch, stuffing their faces, with no goals/aspirations in sight.  I'm sure they were all depressed.

 

 

The thing that grossed me out is that they were eating in the same room she took a crap in.  I don't understand why the potty chair wasn't in a different room.  He just wheeled it in and she plopped her wings down on it right in front of the couch.  And they were cleaning her with baby wipes.  WTF?!  No wonder she had bacteria eating sores on her.  I can't even fathom how she must smell.  I guess her daughter and fiancé have gotten used to it.  I feel nauseated just typing this.  Ugh!

[cynicat]

Getting off on the grotesqueness of their bodies

 

Raising my hand here.  I find it totally fascinating and watch every one of these fat shows not to mention my all time favorite, the 132lb tumor.  Watching how these folks function day to day, washing (or not), walking (or not) and even the very act of eating are completely riveting, like the proverbial train wreck where you can't look away.  I was hypnotized watching Charity's mouth when she ate.  

 

Charity is 7X my weight, which is mind blowing to me.  I may need an intervention from these shows because I'm totally addicted. 

[notyrmomma]

I also was in shock about the "butt wings". I have wondered about the difference between lipedema and lymphedema. If you look up lipedema there are a few pictures of exactly the same "butt wings". From reading a few articles, lipedema can start to get worse after stressful sitautions and increased cortisol levels triggering a bad chain reaction of fat storage.

 

What I don't understand is Dr. Now admitted when doing the skin surgery that lots of fluid came out, so why didn't he use some form of lymph drainage earlier? I remember one patient last season who went to some sort of clinic and had her legs wrapped and some sort of compression treatments to help with the fluid. Other weight loss shows with morbidly obese patients have shown pre-surgery drainage.

I have posted here ad nauseum how I don't get how these people don't lose weight after surgery (because I had the surgery and lost 100+ pounds with minimal effort), but I had never heard of lipedema before I read your post, so I googled it.  I read several different websites and they all had a common theme.  They all basically said that you can basically starve yourself and this type of fat just doesn't respond to that.  Bariatric surgery helps, but it mostly reduces your regular fat and not your lipedema fat.  According to the sites I read, you have to wrap your legs, do water exercises, stay on an anti-inflammatory diet, and have a special massage that helps drain fluid from your legs.  Apparently a specific type of liposuction will help too.  I wonder if this is what Charity's problem is (and Penny, and Pauline, and all the others who have surgery with lackluster results)?  

[Cherrio]

Raising my hand here.  I find it totally fascinating and watch every one of these fat shows not to mention my all time favorite, the 132lb tumor.  Watching how these folks function day to day, washing (or not), walking (or not) and even the very act of eating are completely riveting, like the proverbial train wreck where you can't look away.  I was hypnotized watching Charity's mouth when she ate.  

 

Charity is 7X my weight, which is mind blowing to me.  I may need an intervention from these shows because I'm totally addicted. 

Funny you mention watching her eat.  I noticed her mouth would touch her nose with each bite.    Very entertaining to me in a wonder why the hell I am watching this.

This is gross but I thought of that when the ambulance people were bending down to lift her and her dress was up. I'm sure they were gagging on the stench from her crotch.

 

LOL, ducking for cover before I get banned from this thread...

Ewwwwwwwwwww, but probably very true.    Hazmat gear should of been worn.     

[Brooklynista]

Ew...lol! I was wondering that also. She has to have some type of smell, they were only wiping her down with baby wipes.

Wonder how many baby wipes it takes to cover 800 pounds of flesh and wings.

[Barb23]

I looked up lipedema on Wiki and pictures of a woman from behind and a leg that looked just like Charity's.   It's like fat cells run amok like a cancer and form that type of fat.

When I watched the episode again, I noticed Dr Now kept calling the wings fatty tumors. I wonder how long the removal surgery took when he said they had to cut & sew up thousands of blood vessels.

I'm surprised she has lived to be 39, that her organs didn't just give up. Her poor heart trying to pump blood thru an almost 800 lb body. Like another poster said, she was four 200 lb bodies wrapped up in one.

  

Wonder how many baby wipes it takes to cover 800 pounds of flesh and wings.

When I had my broken leg, I used baby wipes too but mainly to wipe my hands before eating not for bathing. I had to do sponge baths but used real soap & water. How easy is that? I also used pre-packaged wash cloths made for sponge bathing. The hospital I was in used them -they are much thicker & somewhat coarser than a baby wipe. They have soap & aloe in them & you don't have to rinse. I couldn't believe her fiance stayed in the room when she used the porta potty. I used one of those too but everyone left the room when I did. I just can't imagine any one staying. I agree her lack of cleanliness hindered her sores getting better. By the way she cared for them, I'm sure she wasn't under a doctor's care.

[Granny58]

I guess the "wings" came from he lying on her back all the time and the fat had nowhere to grow but sideways. Not to be smart but,thats the most astounding behind I've seen in my life.

this is exactly what I think too.  Consider....people who wear corsets to train their waists.  The body is moldable.  that fat had to go somewhere.

[Granny58]

I was in CR about a year ago for a work event and the entire place smelled like cookies because of what General Mills was cooking that day (cranberry something or other) and it smelled so freaking delicious every time we went outside.  So maybe she needs to move so the air doesn't remind her of food..... lol 

OK, that would definitely do me in!!!!   I used to live near an M&M/Mars plant.  Some days, with the breeze in the right direction, I would just be salivating nonstop.

[ChicksDigScars]

I grew up in the same town as the Nestle's plant. We lived five miles from the actual factory, but the smell of chocolate was constant. On certain days, it smelled like peanuts AND chocolate, so we knew what candy bar that they were making that day.  This was preferable to driving to Milwaukee, where the smell was barley and hops from the various brewing companies (Miller being the largest). It's an acquired smell. 

 

ANYway, my guess on why Dr. Now didn't wait to cut off that lympodema until a certain weight loss had been achieved, because unlike the others, Charity didn't need excess skin from massive weight loss hanging, to give the surgeons plenty of "material" to make a nice closure. Her's were just hanging off her back like fanny packs. He could just snip them off. Plus, it was impossible for her to move around and get any sort of exercise to work along with the bypass. He had to do something more quickly or she'd end up like Penny. Just laying in bed like a vegetable, getting no exercise and stuffing her face, waiting for the weight loss fairy to magically come suck the fat away while she slept.  No wait. Vegetable is a bad analogy (especially for Penny). Laying in bed like a paczki.  

Edited March 30, 2015 by ChicksDigScars

[cheatincheetos]

I'm right there with you. My son and I were watching it and I started singing "wiggle it just a little bit" as she walked down the hall of the doctor office. My 16 year old son dutifully scolded me. 

Well. Dr Now did say she needed to be more active, so...

He had to do something more quickly or she'd end up like Penny. Just laying in bed like a vegetable, getting no exercise and stuffing her face, waiting for the weight loss fairy to magically come suck the fat away while she slept.  No wait. Vegetable is a bad analogy (especially for Penny). Laying in bed like a paczki.  

Oh, that Penny. She was waiting for the yellow brick road and instead a house came all the way from Kansas and landed on her.

[Guest dutronc]

Ugh, please do not disrespect paczki with that comparison. Paczki are noble and make life better, and do not browbeat their spouses.

[charmed1]

WTF TLC?! Seriously. It's bad enough filming these people in the shower, but on the toilet too? That is beyond exploitive. You can make the argument that they signed up to be filmed, but even the trashiest of reality shows allow their participants the dignity of bathing and relieving themselves in private. Jesus. I couldn't even eat after watching this.

Edited March 30, 2015 by charmed1

[ethalfrida]

WTF TLC?! Seriously. It's bad enough filming these people in the shower, but on the toilet too? That is beyond exploitive. You can make the argument that they signed up to be filmed, but even the trashiest of reality shows allow their participants the dignity of bathing and relieving themselves in private. Jesus. I couldn't even eat after watching this.

Trying to tell y'all that they are catering to a select group somewhere that gets off on the grotesqueness. I think it is inhumane to treat the participants like that but somebody somewhere is getting off on it. 

[Mom2twoNonna2-3]

I watched the S1E1 today (Melissa's story and follow up) and they didn't show the bathing scenes.

[KarmaG]

As many other posters in this thread, I keep wondering why I watch these shows?  As I have commented before, I think its because TLC is really nothing more than one of those now extinct carnival shows with bearded ladies.      

 Charity was even filmed shaving.

 

Somehow I missed the shaving part but I am happy that I did. It falls into the category of things I just don't need to see the people on the show doing. :)

[KarmaG]

I'm more tickled than I should be about the "butt wings" mystery. I'm still confused about what they're attached to. Maybe the back and butt?

 

 

I thought they were attached to her hips.

[KarmaG]

 I am guessing this is why they move to Texas months before the surgery.

 

I think it's the insurance thing AND knowing that Dr Now requires patients to be semi local (we saw last week that even 3-4hrs away is too far) for follow up/emergency visits.

[KarmaG]

   When I had my broken leg, I used baby wipes too but mainly to wipe my hands before eating not for bathing. I had to do sponge baths but used real soap & water. How easy is that? I also used pre-packaged wash cloths made for sponge bathing. The hospital I was in used them -they are much thicker & somewhat coarser than a baby wipe. They have soap & aloe in them & you don't have to rinse. I couldn't believe her fiance stayed in the room when she used the porta potty. I used one of those too but everyone left the room when I did. I just can't imagine any one staying. I agree her lack of cleanliness hindered her sores getting better. By the way she cared for them, I'm sure she wasn't under a doctor's care.

 

Oh those wipes are awesome. I just can't stand the smell of them. Nothing beats a real shower/bath but if for some reason you can't really bathe, those wipes are fantastic. 

 

I agree about the porta potty. There's no way my husband would stay in the room and there's no way I would let him or want him to. With my husband and doctors/nurses I have very little need for modesty but that is the one place I have to have it.

ETA: Sorry for all the single replies. I have an unexpected night off (the first in almost a week) so am slowly getting caught up in the thread.

Edited March 31, 2015 by KarmaG