S05.E04: Kirsten's Story

[mamadrama]

1 minute ago, Azubah said:

It was? I missed that.

She said she could not afford to pay for the appetite suppressants he prescribed. 

[Azubah]

Just now, mamadrama said:

She said she could not afford to pay for the appetite suppressants he prescribed. 

Huh. Okay. Was that Cynthia? Because Phentermine is cheap. But whatevs. There are a lot of excuses floating around on this show.

[CouchTater]

LOL. Dr. Now chuckled when she said everybody feels they don't want to wake up at some point. 

She is making me giggle with all of her baby whining. Big ass baby. 

[Maggienolia]

27 minutes ago, Kelly said:

Very hard to feel sympathy for Kirsten.  She is just full of excuses.  Her parents contributed to this, and really "created a monster".  She really acts like a child.  Not a 38 year old woman.. 

And yet she looks like she's in her 50s. 

[EtheltoTillie]

53 minutes ago, MrsRopersCaftan said:

Me too! I have never disliked anyone on this show as much as I dislike her.  I feel so sorry for her son.  I can't believe they would leave this poor kid alone with her while they went back to Washington.  Gee, I can't imagine why a teenage boy would possibly be resentful of being handed THAT responsibility.

If Kirsten's not careful, she's gonna drown in her own tears.  She cries nonstop.  It's not an endearing quality in an adult.

You mean worse than Penny? Yes this is terrible. I may not be able to finish the episode. I couldn't finish last week either. After the first two episodes with successful people this is really tough. 

Edited January 26, 2017 by GussieK

[Azubah]

Okay, they're trying for five minutes of redemption...

[Tiramisu]

1 minute ago, GussieK said:

You mean worse than Penny? Yes this is terrible. I may not be able to finish the episode. I couldn't finish last week either. After the first two episode switch successful people this is really tough. 

Personality wise, I think she is worse than Penny.  Penny didn't seem emotionally abusive to her family, just bossy and defiant with her weight loss instructions.  She also doted on her son.  I think Kirsten may have some sort of learning disabilities too.  There's something "off" about her.

[liammaam]

That poor kid is damaged for life.  She expects her son to sit there and support her when she has been an absentee his whole life?  Woman, you are now reaping what you sowed.  He's heading down a bad path, and there is no support at home, from his mother or his grandparents, for him.

[Kelly]

Just now, Tiramisu said:

 I think Kirsten may have some sort of learning disabilities too.  There's something "off" about her.

I agree...there is something amiss about her. Maybe her drug abuse in the past caused permanent brain damage?

Her mom could probably use some therapy.  She had such a sad face.  :(

[Maggienolia]

4 minutes ago, Tiramisu said:

Personality wise, I think she is worse than Penny.  Penny didn't seem emotionally abusive to her family, just bossy and defiant with her weight loss instructions.  She also doted on her son.  I think Kirsten may have some sort of learning disabilities too.  There's something "off" about her.

Could be damage from all the past drug use. 

[Azubah]

And her daughter just vanished after the first half hour.

[fonfereksglen]

So, she lost some weight, while holding her mother hostage in Houston.  She has zero responsibility for her son.  Since she talked about paying for something, she has some sort of income without working.  Clearly isn't capable of working any time soon.  Must to nice to manipulate your entire environment to suit your needs.  

That was the third time we've seen that therapist who seems so sweet and understanding.  Unfortunately, she reminds me of Lafawnduh.  (Sorry.)

Edited January 26, 2017 by fonfereksglen
Forget something

[liammaam]

OH MY GOD HER FOOT

I HATE FEET

I REALLY HATE HERS

[Armchair Critic]

22 minutes ago, Kelly said:

Maybe her drug abuse in the past caused permanent brain damage?

I have read that people who are drug addicts often stay at the same mind frame of when they became addicts which for her is true, she is perpetually 14.

[Aw my lahgs]

"Fat person concentration camp"

[gonecrackers]

49 minutes ago, mamadrama said:

Dr Now prescribes supressants; it was revealed on last week's episode.

I am 20 minutes into this and already grinding my teeth from the whining.

I wonder why suppressants are used as the surgery cuts the stomach down so much & often they even feel sick afterward. Hopefully it's a temporary thing; not long enough to become dependent (emotionally even).

[Spooneroonie]

48 minutes ago, GussieK said:

You mean worse than Penny? Yes this is terrible. I may not be able to finish the episode. I couldn't finish last week either. After the first two episodes with successful people this is really tough. 

I think these recent episodes seem worse because they're all two hours long. Can you imagine two solid hours of Penny?!

[Armchair Critic]

54 minutes ago, CouchTater said:

Dr. Now chuckled when she said everybody feels they don't want to wake up at some point. 

He also looked like he wanted to laugh at her asking for the turkey sandwich. LMAO

[Pepperminty]

getting gang raped obviously damaged her, I thought she had done pretty well by the end. I hope she is able to recover and that her son turns out OK.

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, Nutella said:

"Fat person concentration camp"

OMG. I fell out with that comment! 

12 minutes ago, Spooneroonie said:

I think these recent episodes seem worse because they're all two hours long. Can you imagine two solid hours of Penny?!

Sadly, I would totally watch that. 

Who was buying her food when her mother went back to Washington and only poor Nico was left to care for her? He's 14 (15?)? He can't drive. Who was bringing her food in so she wouldn't die in her "fat person concentration camp" at home? (Frankly, the only thing she should have been putting in her mouth anyway should have been industrial-sized bottles of Prozac.)  

I've watched every episode of this show (and I've seen Penny's episodes like five times at least) and, I swear, at the 45-minute mark I really didn't think I could watch anymore because Kirsten was a human train wreck and her mother seemed beaten down by life.  But I think the worst part was her verbally abusing her son. The only reason they may have described him as "troubled" was because Kirsten was his mother. Without her, I think his life would be a lot better off. 

I need a shower after watching this show. So awful. 

[Noirprncess]

Penny made me angry - but this chick just makes me want to turn off the episode.  She whines at every, darn thing.  When she snapped at her father trying to help her out of the car just after whining about how far away the bathroom her mom parked - that was enough for me.

Dang - her hernia looked like a pregnancy belly BY ITSELF.  

[CousinOliver]

The mom said she'd be back in 10 days when she was leaving, so I assumed the parents laid in a 2 week supply of food.  

Nicko was seen walking to a convenience store for soda/snack, so I'm guessing any perishables, like milk, came from there.

Plus, there is obviously a camera crew around.  

[lovesnark]

I'm half an hour in and I'm so glad many of you feel the same way I do. I don't know if I can last for two hours of poor me whining. And, since I'm already on my way to hell in a hand basket, I'm not sure I believe her gang rape story. She's had a chip on her shoulder since the day she was born and will say anything to escape taking responsibility for anything.

[OSM Mom]

There's not enough cheese in Wisconsin to go with her whine... Christ on a cracker woman. STFU already.  

[Armchair Critic]

34 minutes ago, Pepperminty said:

I hope she is able to recover and that her son turns out OK.

I hope for Nico's sake none of the kids at his school ever see this show, I don't want to even think of the kind of teasing/bullying he would receive.

[Aw my lahgs]

11 minutes ago, CousinOliver said:

The mom said she'd be back in 10 days when she was leaving, so I assumed the parents laid in a 2 week supply of food.  

Nicko was seen walking to a convenience store for soda/snack, so I'm guessing any perishables, like milk, came from there.

Plus, there is obviously a camera crew around.  

There are grocery stores on every other block in Houston. He could have gone to one instead of the convenience store.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Nutella

[Noirprncess]

30 minutes to go and have ZERO hope that she will be successful.

"They are feeding me slop and starving me to death...." well aren't you trying to lose weight?

[ShortyMac]

2 hours ago, genieray said:

Okay I am a long time lurker but I had to make an account to say this girl and her entire family are truly insufferable. Have we ever seen a patient on this show cry and have so many tantrums in the first hour alone??! She's like a freaking toddler. 

For real. I can't stand her.

[Aw my lahgs]

3 minutes ago, Noirprncess said:

30 minutes to go and have ZERO hope that she will be successful.

"They are feeding me slop and starving me to death...." well aren't you trying to lose weight?

Hold on to that thought.

[LunaMia]

She is totally made of barf, especially the way she sneezed into her hand rather than her elbow, bleah. 

[jcbrown]

Good grief. 20 minutes in and I'm not sure I can stand to watch this whiner. Enabling mom, abusive asshole dad, abused kids, whiny beyond belief protagonist. I want to punch her and free her kids. 

[Muffyn]

So for 2  weeks she was living in Houston with her son and the only furniture they had was her bed and a walker with a seat?  Yeah, I don't now why the kid was acting out a bit.  I'm sure he really enjoyed sleeping on the floor and staring at the walls. 

when they were in Washington, didn't she say she was sharing a room with her son, her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend?  Nothing strange there.  Nothing at all. 

Save Neiko. 

When she was on the phone with her mother in the hospital, she sounded like Gilda Radner doing Lisa Lubner.  If only someone named Todd had come to see her. 

Edited January 26, 2017 by Muffyn

[okerry]

1 hour ago, lovesnark said:

I'm half an hour in and I'm so glad many of you feel the same way I do. I don't know if I can last for two hours of poor me whining. And, since I'm already on my way to hell in a hand basket, I'm not sure I believe her gang rape story. She's had a chip on her shoulder since the day she was born and will say anything to escape taking responsibility for anything.

Make me some room in that handbasket. I had the same thought while watching this: I wasn't sure I believed her story, either. I wonder if she was actually selling herself for drugs - it's not uncommon for female addicts to do that. Either way, it's tragic.

[Negritude]

I gotta hand it to Kirsten, her voice overs had some life, good modulation.  That's rare on this show.

I couldn't stand her saying she would put her mom in the worst nursing home, bitch she raised your kids! Not to mention let you move back in, did everything for you, got you set up in an apartment, apparently on a whim after she didn't feel like driving back, ugh!

[CarolMK]

I didn't like Kirsten for about 3/4 of the 2 hour episode, but after she agreed to therapy I felt she might be able to make some progress in her life. Like the rest of you, I too thought it was abusive to let the 14 year old son stay with her- her mom should have stayed and her dad taken the son back to WA.

I wish we had more of the backstory as to why she became heavy as a teen. The whole "my parents liked my brother better than me" seems a stretch. I did notice that the brother was blurred out in all photos, so I have to wonder if he's even in contact with his parents and Kirsten at this point, unless he just had no interest in appearing on the show. Even the whole story of being with the wrong crowd, that made her addicted to both drugs and food, seems strange. I thought most drug addicts spend so much time getting high, they're usually normal or below normal weight since they don't eat properly. It's hard to imagine being so severely addicted to alcohol, drugs, and food. When she stated she left home at 17, I wonder if she was working as a prostitute to support herself, and also why her parents, who seemed willing to go to great lengths to take care of her, let her leave home in the first place at that age. 

She did mention that she had managed to quit drugs and alcohol and I wonder if she was able to do that on her own or if she needed to go to rehab for those.  I do wish her the best in the future though I think she is really going to struggle. She needs to be able to find some type of real job, it doesn't seem like she's ever had one before. If going to the grocery store alone and being able to brush your hair are big accomplishments, you've got  along way to go. I wonder if she's truly mentally ill, the way she described her depression and anxiety, it sounded like it was consuming her life and let to her addictions. 

[Christina]

I kept missing huge blocks of this show, and decided to not rewatch it from the beginning. Nothing was her fault or her responsibility, and she was so damn aggressive.

With Penny, it became clear almost immediately that she had no intention of putting in the work to get better, but was going to continue to manipulate people and lie. She didn't deserve the benefit of the doubt, because she was very clear about her intentions. That's what made it easy to hate watch.

With this show, everyone was so damn unlikable. The mom and the son were victims but they still annoyed me, Dr. Now did something that annoyed me, and the way the therapist was speaking to her was annoying me. I think Kirsten was so frustrating to watch that the rest of the people became collateral damage. Last week was bad, too. Two hours may just be too long to be enjoyable. 

[mamadrama]

5 hours ago, gonecrackers said:

I wonder why suppressants are used as the surgery cuts the stomach down so much & often they even feel sick afterward. Hopefully it's a temporary thing; not long enough to become dependent (emotionally even).

I took it as a pre op script-something to help with the first round of weightloss, not anything to be used after surgery.

[notyrmomma]

I am addicted to this show, but this was one I nearly shut off in the first 15 minutes.  I have anxiety too and the constant whining, bickering, and complaining was really making it spike.  This woman has zero ability to deal with any of life's problems, thus the issues with food, alcohol, and drugs.  I have been mad at Dr. Now for the last two episodes because I didn't think he was being reasonable with the patients' symptoms (calling them psychosomatic and whatnot), but he was right on point with this chick - and boy did he have her number!  I especially liked it when he told her something like, you're 500 pounds, you are not starving to death.  LOL!!!!

There is no way that she got herself off drugs and alcohol.  

I think that comment about putting her mother in a nursing home was her attempt at humor.  It went over as gracefully as a lead balloon, but I think she was just trying to be funny/dramatic.

I have mixed feelings about Nicko.  Yes, he should have never been placed in that situation, but he also shouldn't have been acting like an ass either.  I have a son his age and I know if I would have put my son in that situation, he would have been as helpful as tits on a bull - 14 year old boys are not nurses and tend to be super selfish.  But if my son would have said things like that to me...OR MY MOTHER!, he would have gotten whatever little pleasure that he has in life taken away.  I too was wondering about his schooling.  Just as I worry about what those people do with their pets while they are in the hospital, I was thinking of all the school work that Nicko would have to make up.  He will probably have to make up his whole freshman year or 8th grade - whatever he was in.

[Barb23]

Wow, what an episode.  I knew she was a winner when she was whining for her mom in the shower during the first 5 minutes.  I, too, am questioning her past esp the drug addiction.  If she was using all the stuff she said she was & for a long time, how was she able to become & stay clean in just 8 months?  (think that's what she said.) I don't think she or Dr Now  even mentioned the drug addiction when he was going over her history on the first visit. It was just depression & the hernia. Did she even tell him about the drugs?  I'm sure it would have played a big part in her after surgery pain relief. 

Call me mean but I loved when Nico was eating his Cheetos & Big Gulp in front of her, knowing she couldn't do a damn thing.  If I was that Mom, I would have walked away & abandoned her on the motor scooter in the middle of the grocery story when she was whining.  Didn't she realize who was paying for all  the food & everything else?  How ungrateful. 

I call farce on the last part when she was acting like a semi-normal person showing her cooking & getting along with everyone.  I'm surprised she lost as much as she did.  If I was Dr Now, I wouldn't be expecting her to be back in a year weighing 200 lbs like he said. There's no way she will succeed - I see many  loaded pizzas & Big Gulps in her near future.  (Usually I want everyone to succeed but I just couldn't stand her.)

Edited January 26, 2017 by Barb23

[Guest]

5 hours ago, CarolMK said:

I wish we had more of the backstory as to why she became heavy as a teen.

My take on this: with the exception of the dad, they were all overweight. Mom certainly is and from what I could see of the blurred-out brother (I wonder why that was??), he was just as overweight, too. And both her daughter and her son seem to be a little on the heavy side as well. I think most of the family's weight issues have to do with poor nutrition and Kirsten has that and the added addictive behavior thrown in the mix. 

Edited January 26, 2017 by Guest

[Hana Chan]

On one hand, I wanted to feel sympathy for Kristen as she is a victim of sexual assault. But that sympathy really evaporated when she took no damn responsibility for any of her behaviors that put her in this situation. Doing drugs because your dad seemed to like your brother better? That is totally weak sauce. With her long history of addictions, she is a psychological mess and I knew from the start that this was going to be an uphill battle.

And that whole family is so dysfunctional... I felt tremendous sympathy for her kids since they got stuck with this total waste for a parent but that was about it. I want to root for these people because I know what a struggle they are facing but some of them... I just can't.

[Azubah]

1 hour ago, notyrmomma said:

There is no way that she got herself off drugs and alcohol.  

I don't want to rewatch, so I'm trying to reconstruct what she said. Didn't she talk about pot and acid? Those aren't very addictive. She did quit smoking -- and I'm not sure how she did that. Honestly, they drag these new shows out for two hours and then they don't tell you the interesting stuff. They were clearly giving her the "evil" edit (and she was giving them plenty of material), but with some information about how she quit all her previous drugs, she might have come off more sympathetic. 

[poeticlicensed]

Did anyone catch when Nico said that he didn't want to be there, because all Kirsten did was sit around all day and watch food shows? Those damn food shows drive me crazy. Dh, who is not obese but eats too much crap and not enough good stuff, is totally into those shows. I find that when he turns them on and I start watching with him, I think way more about food than I would normally. I can just imagine what someone with a food addiction thinks watching.

I think that Kirsten is just a straight up food addict. I didn't get the sense that she was addicted to drugs or alcohol. I think there was a fair amount of family dysfunction, but I was giving the side eye to "dad liked my brother best" as the reason she weighed 600 pounds. I think that Kirsten uses her obesity as a way to control those around her. She can't be alone, can't drive, can't even take a damn shower by herself. The world revolves around Kirsten. Her therapist needs to guide her toward independence. 

What happened to her daughter? Or was that her daughter? I got so confused. She talked about Nico like he was her only child. And speaking of Nico, I don't know when the episode was filmed, but unless it was the summer, why wasn't he in school? And where was Nico's dad? Was that ever explained?

Edited January 26, 2017 by poeticlicensed

[dahling]

This was the most unintentionally hilarious episode of this show that has ever been. My husband and I laughed and laughed until we could laugh no more. "If I could just have a turkey sandwich." Dr. Now: "You still weigh over 500 pounds, you are not going to starve to death." "My mom gets mad at me for eating in front of her, but she still watches all those food shows."

Ok, humor aside, this is a broken, dysfunctional family. It doesn't add up. Mom and dad created the Kirsten Monster, but take her children when she abandons them, take her in when she's homeless, and drive her sorry ass diagonally across the country to help save her life. Yet, their words and attitudes toward her seem to imply that they hate her guts (which I GOT - Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I GOT it).  The teenage daughter was living at home with her boyfriend? Well, that should end well. And poor Neiko, how dare they abandon him in Houston in an unfurnished apartment with Jabba the Hut?  He seemed like a very young 14, I wouldn't be surprised if there are some developmental delays there, simply based on what we know of his background, living conditions, and behavior. I agree with the earlier poster who said that while his anger is understandable, his behavior is unacceptable. He needs help. Free Neiko.

As a former super obese person who has spent almost 3 years losing 200 pounds through diet and exercise, I can't express how angry I get when people think that the world around them needs to change their eating habits. That's life, baby. You can't get away from stuff that's bad for you, it's everywhere. My husband says his office has doughnuts every Friday and he simply "can't resist" them. Bullshit. If you have any hope of long term success you have to put yourself in the frame of mind that that stuff is simply not for you, never again. I'm not trying to make light of their food addiction, which is severe - and I know because I am a food addict, too. But I can't live in a bubble, I have to live in the world, and I have to make peace with the fact that the world is full of food that I have to be able to say no to. 

[Toaster Strudel]

Mr Strudel & I were giggling like teenagers when Dr Now was trying to stuff her intestines back in.  It was done with all the grace of a butcher stuffing the meat grinder to make a batch of sausage with a tight deadline.

[poeticlicensed]

26 minutes ago, Toaster Strudel said:

Mr Strudel & I were giggling like teenagers when Dr Now was trying to stuff her intestines back in.  It was done with all the grace of a butcher stuffing the meat grinder to make a batch of sausage with a tight deadline.

That hernia was huge! My dh had a hernia operation last year and the surgeon commented to me that it was one of the biggest tears he had ever seen and it was 6 inches long. Her hernia had to be at least twice that size. I also noticed all the fat deposits under her skin. I don't think I will be able to eat anything for days after seeing that. 

[Azubah]

27 minutes ago, Toaster Strudel said:

Mr Strudel & I were giggling like teenagers when Dr Now was trying to stuff her intestines back in.

I really had to wonder about that. I would have thought that some kind of pre-surgical imaging would have let him know that the project was unmanageable. You can see why most surgeons simply won't take on cases like these 600 pound folks.

[gunderda]

That was one hell of a turnaround.  For once I wasn't even sure if I could watch the entire episode just have 10 min.  Her constant whining and crying was RIDICULOUS! And you could tell it was just tearing the family apart.  They all spoke like crap to each other, except to her because we probably couldn't handle being spoken to in a harsh tone.  When her dad was packing the van for their trip to Houston you could tell they were all just over it.  

I kinda get why she thought it would be a good idea for her and her son to say in Houston alone for a couple weeks. I think she had a feeling they would bond more, however it's dumb idea to take a 14 year old from the place he knows, from his friends, and stick him as sole caregiver.  But holy moly that was some passive aggressive (or maybe something else) shit he was doing with the chips and soda.  I suppose I could see a brother doing that to a sister and that's likely the type of relationship they had since she didn't raise him. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see her turn things around. and I was a little surprised when Dr. Now said that at some point down the road she may need a full bypass.  Not sure why he would do that when it seemed like she was doing just fine on the mini bypass she had.  Although it did appear that she was still eating rather large portions for someone that had their stomach reduced. 

[steff13]

13 hours ago, kgg said:

Not watching the episode yet, but I'm picturing Bart Simpson "I wash myself with a rag on a stick."

I think that every episode! 

All of the screaming and crying in the shower, ugh.

[stacyasp]

Omg she acted like a petulant 13 year old, most ungrateful bitch ever!!!!!!! Wanted to go home from the hospital to do it her way yet had to have mom help her do everything.  That serving of mashed potatoes was a lot! And soda is a big no no yet what is she drinking.....

Edited January 26, 2017 by stacyasp