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S05.E11: James K's Story


Message added by PrincessPurrsALot

James K. used pidgin English when describing Chinese food.  Such mocking behavior of a presumed accent is racist.  Please do not perpetuate his use of that language. 

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On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 2:12 AM, embarassed2bhere said:

I've wondered this during past shows, and it's an even clearer issue for me tonight:  This is clearly a personal emotional/psychological/mental health issue... Why not address that earlier in the process?

At one point near the end, I thought that Dr. Now said therapy would be no use, and didn't get all of his sentence.

On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 2:48 AM, DC Gal in VA said:

After James was denied insurance (Medicaid?) to cover the cost of his trip to Houston and the GoFundMe was a bust, didn't the local fire department donate an ambulance and the time and great patience of both firefighters and EMTs to haul his massive, whiney, complaining ass, first out of their home and into the ambulance, then drive him to Houston? I mean those guys deserve many thanks and shiney, diamond studded platinum halos for what they did for him. We don't see or hear everything of course because of editing and he may have said it, but I don't recall hearing him say "thank you" to them even once.

The local fire department came out and took the measurements of the bed, doorway, and van, and determined that taking him in Lisa's van would be a very bad call.
The hired-with-dad's-mortgage-money ambulance took him, although the local guys may have helped load and move him.

  • Love 2
On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 10:53 AM, flappa1016 said:

2.  How can the catheter even be inserted, given that he can't spread his legs any further?  In one of the gofundme pages linked upthread, there's a picture of him with the catheter snaking out from between his thighs. I'm surprised that the catheter doesn't get permanently closed off from the weight of the fat of his legs.

When my father was dying, we used external male catheters, like a condom. and it connected to a bag or some container.

  • Love 3
On 3/16/2017 at 6:06 PM, Maggienolia said:

I loved that part too. I don't know how Dr. Now has done this for as long as he has. I'm guessing the burnout rate has got to be incredible. But since he's also vascular surgeon, maybe this isn't the ONLY kind of medicine he practices and gets a break. I sure hope so. 

I want "Hey y'all doing?" as my ringtone...anybody know how

USE RINGTONE MAKER. SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS, TABLET IS ACTING WONKY.

  • Love 1
1 hour ago, Carrie said:

I understand your anger and frustration because I share it, but I can't agree with you here.  There will always be outliers who appear to exploit the system struggling in the margins of society.  However, the taxes we spend on their care is neglible compared to revenue lost through tax loop-holes that jumbo jets could fly through, investor fraud and graft rampant among some of the most powerful & wealthy 1%, as well as corporations.  It's always dangerous to generalize from "red herring" examples.  If we did kick James ( as vile as he is ) off all assistance - what would we do?  Let him die on the street? I think we can laugh about that spectacle facetiously, but I don't think any of us really want to live in a country where we abandon those we judge undeserving.  Who will determine those standards?  As someone said up-thread  - it's a slippery slope.

I am sorry but I disagree. There's a difference between a hand up and a hand out.  I am all for giving people a hand up when they are in tough straights and are doing everything within their power to fix the situation.  This man is a user and a parasite. Maybe throwing him out on the street is exactly what he needs. The welfare system is enabling him just just as much as Lisa.

Edited by Kid
Correct typo
  • Love 13
1 hour ago, Carrie said:

If we did kick James ( as vile as he is ) off all assistance - what would we do?  Let him die on the street? I think we can laugh about that spectacle facetiously, but I don't think any of us really want to live in a country where we abandon those we judge undeserving.  Who will determine those standards?  As someone said up-thread  - it's a slippery slope.

Exactly. As loathsome as I find James, it's not my job to deem him unworthy of assistance. Also, he's most likely on social security disability, not cash welfare. He's totally disabled due to his weight. Even if he manages to get the surgery, as someone else mentioned, he's destroyed his body, so he most likely wouldn't be able to work. It's a sad case of his own making.

  • Love 6
11 hours ago, Swiss said:

 I have watched this show since the beginning, when Melissa was the first person profiled.  Look how this show has evolved, and not in a good way.  Now it's ..Let's find the most shocking case/person we can find.   To me, this episode should have never been made/aired. 

I agree.  This was not uplifting or inspiring.  It wasn't even interesting.  More like horrifying and uncomfortable.  Surely they knew pretty quickly that this guy wasn't going to accomplish anything?  The best they could do for the end was to get him to "sit up."  And it really wasn't him sitting up at all- it was three other people hauling him into a sitting position.  I felt terrible for those therapists.  They probably threw their own backs out moving him. 

I don't really have much to say that hasn't already been said.  One person up thread said James was like an animal.  At one point, watching him, I had this bizarre feeling that I was watching a literal talking head.  Just a head, attached to a blog of useless tissue.  It was very disconcerting and surreal.

As for the house fires, maybe they're the kind of people who let their house go until it's so filthy and disgusting and falling apart that they have to either walk away or torch it.  Something is really suspicious about one person having three fires.  (Also, how did he get out of them?!)

  • Love 7
4 minutes ago, 88Keys said:

I agree.  This was not uplifting or inspiring.  It wasn't even interesting.  More like horrifying and uncomfortable.  Surely they knew pretty quickly that this guy wasn't going to accomplish anything?  The best they could do for the end was to get him to "sit up."  And it really wasn't him sitting up at all- it was three other people hauling him into a sitting position.  I felt terrible for those therapists.  They probably threw their own backs out moving him. 

I don't really have much to say that hasn't already been said.  One person up thread said James was like an animal.  At one point, watching him, I had this bizarre feeling that I was watching a literal talking head.  Just a head, attached to a blog of useless tissue.  It was very disconcerting and surreal.

As for the house fires, maybe they're the kind of people who let their house go until it's so filthy and disgusting and falling apart that they have to either walk away or torch it.  Something is really suspicious about one person having three fires.  (Also, how did he get out of them?!)

I'm also curious about the house fires. Typically one would assume it's for insurance purposes. But I doubt they owned any of the three houses that burned, so what would be their motive? If they were renters, at most they would of had renters insurance (doubtful) and that doesn't cover the dwelling. 

Also, he had been bed bound for 2-4 years, so how long ago were the fires? The house would have been burned down 3 times over before they could have gotten big baby out. 

First time is not too surprising, second time is plausible but THIRD fire is suspicious as all get out. Just can't see what the motive would be. 

  • Love 3

I don't know if this has already been answered sufficiently, as I've only read to page 12 so far, but my semi-professional theory regarding the cellulitis (I'm not a doctor, but I am an RN, although I've had very little dealings with the super-obese) is---James initially had lymphedema on his legs, which can cause cellulitis.  It looked like the cellulitis was on top of the lymphedema (cellulitis can occur on the surface of the skin, in which case the systemic spread of the bacteria would not occur).  I believe that is why he was not in need of IV antibiotics.  

Edited by 4leafclover
  • Love 10
On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 9:02 PM, Ms. Bubba said:

I think Lisa should have gotten some therapy. It would be wasted on James.

But if it was successful, she'd leave him, and then there goes the show, or TLC has to find him a caregiver.
And one thing that irked me, was when he was praising his dad for refinancing his house for James, he said things that sounded like his dad was the only one who'd helped him.
At that point, Lisa and Bayle should have at least taken a day or so off.
He's so ungrateful.

  • Love 5
On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 9:47 PM, Awfarmington said:

Dr Now is pissed again. For a second, I thought he was about to pull out a club and start beating some sense into him. But I guess that's frowned upon. 

Only off-camera.

On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 9:54 PM, Suzy123 said:

Does anyone else get really hungry while watching this show, get food ready, but then is too grossed out to eat it? This happens to me way too often and then I have to remind myself to NEVER eat during this show.

Nope, I was eating my Papa John's pizza while watching.  But it was thin crust.

On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 9:55 PM, Fraahdriceandgravy said:

I recently gained some weight and was feeling not so slim yesterday.  Watching this last night has made me feel way "looser" now.  

Hmm.  Did you recently get a new mattress, because that could be what's making you feel larger?  True.  I heard on The Learning Channel.

  • Love 20
1 hour ago, Kid said:

This man is a user and a parasite. Maybe throwing him out on the street is exactly what he needs. The welfare system is enabling him just just as much as Lisa.

Bravo.  I could care less what happens to James.  To liken his plight and his needs to that of a veteran, a child, or an elderly person is the most ridiculous thing I have heard in a long time.  James is a fat fuck who put himself in his situation.  Now he wallows in it, and WE pay for it.  He did it to himself.  He receives no sympathy from me.  Put him out on the street.  Let's see how fast he manages to stand on those nasty legs.

  • Love 8
11 hours ago, marz said:

Wouldn't it be great to hear what Dr. Now really has to say about these lumps?  He is so mild-mannered on the show (with the exception of James, and can we blame him?) but get a couple beers into him and I bet he'd light up!

Several of the people who've been on the show, say despite his brusque manner on the show, he's really caring when dealing with them off-camera.

Did we ever see Dr.Now, or any doctor, doing anything about James' legs?  They must have done something, but never heard of him being given antibiotics, and never saw an improvement.

Edited by auntjess
  • Love 2
16 hours ago, Toaster Strudel said:

One thing I am curious about.  Lisa said that James would yell if she didn't bring him food.

That's not what I observed.  Mostly she was offering him food, even offering second helpings using her sweetest voice.  Instructing Bayley on the exact manner in which he enjoys his gargantuan breakfast - doused in gravy.  Quickly running to get Chinese food.  Bringing him huge portions of dessert while cooing, is it good?  Do you like it?  Are you pleased? How 'bout that pie?

He didn't need to put up much of a fuss for Lisa to excitedly deliver the calories, like he's doing her a favor somehow.  She was abjectly submissive.

You know, this statement just got me to thinking...she DID do all of those things!  BUT she also shoveled a large portion of that food into HER mouth too!  I wonder if she doesn't have a level of food addiction herself.  That's why she feeds him like she does, he is her secret cover.  She can eat outrageously and when anyone might say something, she can point to him!

Just a thought.

  • Love 8

Thank you all for providing a place to finally vent about TLC's patch editing.  O. M. G., somebody make it end.  The vid chat between Dr. Now and James, please, felt like I was on a roller coaster.  The CALENDAR on Now's wall behind him even changed!   Thank God they at least keep the good Dr. in the same shirt or I might as well watch the show while pulling myself around on a Sit and Spin. 

One of the worst ever was last week.  You 'think' Dr. Now comes into the room and talks to Tanisha during only her slip up, but the talk is two, three visits patched together.  Although it is hysterically funny to watch Dr. Now's Elvis burns grow short to long and short while he spoke two sentences, and a big sore/pimple was there, healed, gone, back again during the same two sentences, I feel like the editors may be thinking we are really duppable.  There's a visceral reaction when they do this-making you uneasy and sensing something's wrong at minimum.  Anyone who can make them stop doing this horrible editing-in many TLC shows-please tell them viewers will be fine with real reality. 

Edited by WillowG
  • Love 8
3 hours ago, Kid said:

I am sorry but I disagree. There's a difference between a hand up and a hand out.  I am all for giving people a hand up when they are in tough straights and are doing everything within their power to fix the situation.  This man is a user and a parasite. Maybe throwing him out on the street is exactly what he needs. The welfare system is enabling him just just as much as Lisa.

Well there will be a lot of corpses on the streets then.  That's not my view of America - hope that's not where we are headed. ?

Edited by Carrie
  • Love 17
6 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Well wings707 since, by your sheer participation in this thread and thus having been assigned your own personal pair of gasoline soaked drawers, please know that it's the proper attire everyone here will be wearing on our collective trip to Hell. For further explanation, please check out my post on page 3 of this discussion. Welcome!

LOL!  Thanks.  I accept them with pride. What a crazy ass saying!  

  • Love 4
7 hours ago, Ivylady said:

Exactly. As loathsome as I find James, it's not my job to deem him unworthy of assistance. Also, he's most likely on social security disability, not cash welfare. He's totally disabled due to his weight. Even if he manages to get the surgery, as someone else mentioned, he's destroyed his body, so he most likely wouldn't be able to work. It's a sad case of his own making.

Yes you can't just throw him off assistance now but if he didn't get free stuff to start with he may not have ended up here. The government is an enabler and life destroyer. It is supposed to be assistance not dependence. The difference is like helping a person get up and walk instead of carrying them. It should never be in the interest of a person and a caretaker to keep a person sick but that is the corrupt situation the current free handouts create.

  • Love 10
12 hours ago, Honey said:

I want to stick a pin in him, and see if he deflates.

It cracks me up that the highest donation on his Gofundme page is from a Mexican Grill restaurant.

I think the Mexican restaurant may be confused and think "Go Fund Me" is kinda like a paypal account and that's actually James' invoice for one of his appetizers. 

  • Love 10
24 minutes ago, operalover said:

The new GoFundMe

He is fat because of his thyroid, by the way

It's hard to read. Lisa never learned to put a space between a period and a new sentence.

 

https://www.gofundme.com/ezv9tkyc

Interesting how different doctors work. James broke his ankle and had to stay in bed for a while and got lymphedema. I broke my right arm and left leg at the same time and my doctors wouldn't give me a prescription for a wheelchair just a walker with a platform. My forearm was broken so they said I could manage the walker with my left arm and right elbow, which surprisingly, I could (though I admit I rented a wheelchair with my own cash for long trips [pushed by my uncle] and general day to day movement after my arm could manage it...I did have to use the walker multiple times a day to get from living room to bathroom however). Of course the reason for this is to get me moving to avoid blood clots and other side effects from a sedentary lifestyle. So did James have a bad doctor or did he ignore the doctors orders to move everyday?

  • Love 5

He has 3 GoFundMe pages now? I mean, did she not see the damn show? Does she really think people are going to give up their hard earned money to a guy who spent two hours whining and complaining and defying the doctor, stuffing his face with Chinese food ? Are they so disconnected from reality that they can't see how he looked to the viewing public. The delusion continues. 

  • Love 7
35 minutes ago, FCOL said:

Interesting how different doctors work. James broke his ankle and had to stay in bed for a while and got lymphedema. I broke my right arm and left leg at the same time and my doctors wouldn't give me a prescription for a wheelchair just a walker with a platform.

I don't think this was the result of a doctor's instructions. I'm firmly in the belief that he did this on his own because there is no way that he would be able to haul his bulk around on crutches, even at the lower weight he was at the point. I busted up my ankle really badly stepping off a curb (broken in five separate places) and was in a cast that went up to my hip for nearly two months. I still got around on crutches and I weighed nearly 200 pounds at the time. My doctor said it was important for me to be as active and out of bed as possible to avoid things like pneumonia and blood clots.

To be blunt, I don't believe that James has been under the care of a doctor for years. Long before he saw Dr. Now. A local doctor would have been working actively on his multiple comorbidities and would have been crucial in helping to get approvals for things like the skin condition and whatever is going on with his bladder (because I've never seen urine that color in my life). The fact that he was in heart failure came as a total surprise supports that suspicion. I'll bet anything that Dr. Now is the first doctor that he's seen since he got into that bed and never got out.

  • Love 3
28 minutes ago, poeticlicensed said:

He has 3 GoFundMe pages now? I mean, did she not see the damn show? Does she really think people are going to give up their hard earned money to a guy who spent two hours whining and complaining and defying the doctor, stuffing his face with Chinese food ? Are they so disconnected from reality that they can't see how he looked to the viewing public. The delusion continues. 

she deleted the transportation one and started this new one.

He has seen plenty of doctors before Dr.  Now. He was in a hospital in KY for 3 months. There were also tons of perscription medications on his bedside table before he went to Dr. Now. Doctors have tried to help him but he is beyond help. I love the empty bottle of Dr. Pepper in the photo on the side of his bed! Only drinks water, has a thyroid condition!

I see she deleted the one negative comment that popped up this morning. 

Edited by operalover
  • Love 6
14 minutes ago, poeticlicensed said:

Are they so disconnected from reality that they can't see how he looked to the viewing public.

This is what's getting me.  I feel like some of the comments here, and on the GoFundMe page have gone beyond the pale.  We all acknowledge that he's whiny, entitled, non-compliant, passively abusive to Lisa/kids with his self-destructive behavior. That's all on him.  But to wish death on the guy? To criticize Lisa for what appear to be her actions driven by fear (of his wrath, of being alone, of having no clue what she'll do if she's not caregiving for this guy)? Most people have no idea what makes these people tick, even Dr. Now. I think they baffled him more than anything.

Read the latest GoFundMe page and tell me that we're dealing with even an average educational level here.  Lisa was, by my calculations, 30 when she and James met WITH 4 KIDS already.  The marriage is described as abusive.  After her two kids with him, she had six.  I doubt she's finished high school. James says he couldn't return to school after his mother died (he was around 15).  People on the GFM page are posting comments about Lisa's spelling and grammar ("it's not lipidema, it's LYMPHADEMA"- which, by the way, is also incorrect). 

I guess what strikes me is the nature of a lot of the comments that attack them at a level they can't defend- their lack of education and comprehension. Sure, James could fill a DSM with his psychological issues, but one thing I've learned caring for indigent patients for years is that it's not my place to judge others based on the fact that I've simply been luckier in life than they have-to have a loving family and to have been given an education. As much as some people nod their head and parrot back what you say to them, they do not get it.  I do try and explain things very simply at a level that people will understand, but even the more educated people are befuddled by medical jargon and instructions when they are stressed and sick. As for calories and nutrition- we all know that an eggroll isn't low-carb and a slab of cheesecake contains a day's worth of calories. But many people have no clue... and although there is a wealth of education on the internet (and these people are well-connected, for sure) it takes a certain level of intelligence, perseverance and willingness to wade through what's out there.

I think James' attitude is reflected in the comments he makes about getting to Texas:  "I need to get to Texas to get the help I need.  If I don't get the help I'm gonna die."  You never hear him say, "I'm going to DO MY PART to improve my life and my health." It's a common attitude of a lot of people towards medicine- "this doctor/pill/surgery will cure me."  James and Lisa don't have the insight or intelligence to realize that.  But to attack them at such a base level as I've seen after this episode is really disheartening to me.

  • Love 23

@KateHearts - I don't have time to write much, need to be out the door for an appointment. But I see your point above.

I think that James' behavior as shown on the show was just so despicable that people can't help but react negatively. And since this is a snark site (although IMO the PTV boards where I hang out bring the snark without a lot of mindless cruelty), those reactions get posted.

I think I've already posted my mixed feelings about James and his posse including Lisa. I'm no medical or psychological professional, so I don't know what the deal is. But James is functioning at an astoundingly infantile level. He lies (literally - sitting up was a few seconds with a lot of help) in bed 24/7/365, is brought everything he needs, shits himself and needs to be cleaned up afterward or lies in it if he's not, and has an attitude of 100% entitlement and expectation that the people around him will care for him. And if he doesn't like what's happening he lets everyone know - babies cry, James whines and bitches and complains. 

I don't know the pathology of that level of infantilism in a 46 year old man, or what can be done about it. 

IOW I know the dude's a delusional loon, and no longer functioning at whatever level of maturity he may have achieved in the past. In that sense, I agree that it just ain't right to condemn him on a base level. And I saw that "LYMPHADEMA" comment and smiled, didn't look it up but I think that's not right either. 

OTOH I was calling bullshit just a few sentences in to Lisa's wall of text. 

  • Love 8
13 hours ago, GussieK said:

Okay, I made Dr. GussieK look at the teevee screen.  He said the condition is known as elephantiasis nostras verrucosa.  It's a really bad kind of lymphedema.  We're used to seeing bad lymphedema on this show, but this is worse.  One description says verrucosa is a "cobblestonelike appearance." 

Wow thanks GussieK. With trembling hands I looked up images of that condition and they look exactly like what's on James' legs. I really do feel sorry for anyone with that condition, even a jerk like James. But could Dr. GussieK explain why he has a diagnosis of cellulitis? Can cellulitis mutate into that condition?

13 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

Oh god. That is one of my major pet peeves. It sounds so awful. Slogging through this delicious meal. Trudging  

I love to eat and could lose some pounds. But even I sometimes lose my appetite if a giant load of something is served to me. Not even appetizing. 

Some restaurants have childrens or senior meals.  They are smaller and usually enough.  

13 hours ago, GussieK said:

Okay, I made Dr. GussieK look at the teevee screen.  He said the condition is known as elephantiasis nostras verrucosa.  It's a really bad kind of lymphedema.  We're used to seeing bad lymphedema on this show, but this is worse.  One description says verrucosa is a "cobblestonelike appearance." 

So I just looked this up.  So gross.  But it did mention that part of the treatment was elevation of the affected limb, which reminded me - while he was spending years in his bed it didn't look like he had any elevation at all!!!  Even dopey ole' me knows better than that!  Surely a medical professional (and he surely has had to have seen one if he has a catheter) would have told me that.  Mind boggling.

13 hours ago, GussieK said:

Okay, I made Dr. GussieK look at the teevee screen.  He said the condition is known as elephantiasis nostras verrucosa.  It's a really bad kind of lymphedema.  We're used to seeing bad lymphedema on this show, but this is worse.  One description says verrucosa is a "cobblestonelike appearance." 

I always wondered about Olivia's bad, bad leg, which had a somewhat similar appearance.  And even after she got to under 200 lbs, her leg was wrapped up in a couple of scenes.  That is just an awful complication of obesity.  

14 hours ago, Kid said:

Btw, the campaign that they put up when the show was being filmed got an additional $45 in the last 2 days.  That was the one that stopped at $300 5 months ago and caused his dad to refinance the house.  It was for medical transport to Houston.  Did the people who made those 2 donations see the same show we saw?  

That campaign is trending right now.

"There's a sucker born every minute."

James and Lisa must pray at the church of PT Barnum.  ;)

  • Love 3
3 hours ago, operalover said:

The new GoFundMe

He is fat because of his thyroid, by the way

It's hard to read. Lisa never learned to put a space between a period and a new sentence.

There is a bottle of Dr. Pepper in the photo. 

 

https://www.gofundme.com/ezv9tkyc

Seriously operalover? Well shit on a  cracker, that's ridiculous! Don't they know that millions of people have watched their shit show of a life on M600PL? Not only are they liars, but bad liars. The only way it's a thyroid condition is if his thyroid is made of a giant slab of cheesecake and egg rolls covered in gravy!

  • Love 5
7 hours ago, Carrie said:

Well there will be a lot of corpses on the streets then.  That's not my view of America - hope that's not where we are headed. ?

 He is a result of unbridled good intentions. He wasn't born disabled. He was enabled to become that way. He is a product of the system  and a system that enables him to get this way will pay for his funeral.

As I said, he is a user and a parasite and the responsibility still lies with him not the welfare system. Because, he did not want to hand up he wanted a handout.   He  wanted to do nothing but sit and eat and the checks kept a-comin'.   He was given a gift with this show, but it took work and our man baby did not want to do any work. And, he sat there and whined that  they did not give him the services that he was ENTITLED to.   He is entitled to NOTHING. Nor am I, nor are you, nor is anyone. And we all need help sometimes, and I am the first one that will throw money at someone who needs a hand UP.  I have no sympathy for him at all.

Edited by Kid
Typos
  • Love 11
3 hours ago, operalover said:

The new GoFundMe

He is fat because of his thyroid, by the way

It's hard to read. Lisa never learned to put a space between a period and a new sentence.

There is a bottle of Dr. Pepper in the photo. 

 

https://www.gofundme.com/ezv9tkyc

His thyroid huh?. It really couldn't be the 1600 cal meals several times a day, right?

  • Love 5
7 minutes ago, Noirprncess said:

His thyroid huh?. It really couldn't be the 1600 cal meals several times a day, right?

I call BS on the thyroid. I have a relative who had thyroid cancer and had hers removed--she has to work her butt off, but she manages to stay at a normal weight. 

And geez, a FOURTH go fund me page? James, lose 150 lb and go back to Dr. Now. Dr. Now IS your go fund me answer. 

  • Love 1
30 minutes ago, Noirprncess said:

His thyroid huh?. It really couldn't be the 1600 cal meals several times a day, right?

I just clicked "Report" on this campaign for reason "factually incorrect information".  She alleges "James needs a lot of medical attention that he cannot receive.", however, we all saw that he DID receive help and threw it away.  Urge others to report if this campaign bothers you.

  • Love 6

If James does not control his Cellulitis and faces the loss his legs (gangrene/infection) he will die. I have a disease that may involve an eventual Below the Knee Amputation (BKA). I have researched the amputation option and the mortality rates are scary. I know there are a ton of factors and I am actually in a lower risk group but people die from amputation complications all the time. James would never be a candidate and would never survive anyway. I have been non-weight bearing (NWB) for almost 10 months and get yelled at by my Dr for gaining 4lbs. He tells me it is all diet and exercise plays no part which I understand but I also need exercise as it is a mental thing too.

During my last surgery I needed to move from one stretcher to another and get on my stomach for a nerve block and didn't understand the joy my nurses expressed when they said "we love when a patient can move themselves". Now I understand a bit better.

Edited by spacefly
  • Love 5

I think what a lot of people fail to realize is this: James' unfortunate story, like the people who have died after being featured on Intervention, is a part of the addiction narrative.  Many addicts simply will not ever accept help.  Clearly James was offered help- intensive hospitalizations, during which he still ate what he wanted.  Dr Now did the right thing by walking away.  James will die, probably sooner than later.  This is an inevitable outcome if we are going to seriously discuss any kind of addiction.  Not everyone gets well.  

Im sure they all jumped up (obviously figuratively) and said the right things to get approved for the show- we will do anything, James is ready to change, etc, etc.  Who's to say any of these people are willing to do any of the work?  TLC is probably more concerned with capturing a little bit of drama and the all-important naked shower scene.  However, I doubt anyone knew this episode would turn into...this.   But- it IS a potential outcome when working with a severe addict.

Lisa is obviously severely damaged and on a certain level, I feel sorry for her.  But she knowingly brought two kids into this mess when she wasn't even divorced, and groomed them to be little enablers/indentured servants too.  Poor Bayley has probably never had the opportunity to go on a sleepover or learn about who she is as a person because she's too busy wiping her dad's ass.  As a mother, Lisa had a right to do better by her.  If SHE wants to choose to live that life, fine- but let the kid have a life of her own.  

As for people not being "smart" enough to learn about nutrition- that's just BS.  My 8 year old niece understands that sugary cereals are not healthy and snacks are okay if you eat a dinner with veggies and protein .  No ones asking them to understand organic chemistry.  In college, I was in Americorps and one of the things we did was teach nutritional classes to area residents (including teen moms).  These were farmers, coal miners, people with a HS education.  Everyone undersoood perfectly fine.  Even the developmentally delayed in group homes can be taught about cooking and foods to a certain extent.  This is merely an excuse.  

 O one can save someone like James, or for that matter, someone like Lisa.  Maybe if they agreed to a long term inpatient program, maybe.  But it's doubtful they'd agree.  Just let them go and liberate anyone else like Bayley from the situation.  That's all you can do.

  • Love 15
8 minutes ago, Elizabeth9 said:

As for people not being "smart" enough to learn about nutrition- that's just BS.  My 8 year old niece understands that sugary cereals are not healthy and snacks are okay if you eat a dinner with veggies and protein .  No ones asking them to understand organic chemistry.  

Perhaps not. But here's what I've experienced (both are true stories):

-30-something man, in heart failure, morbidly obese. Has had heart surgery to save his life. Surgeon walks into his hospital room to find him eating fried chicken, brought in by his wife. Doc says, 'I thought we discussed your diet and that you need to lose weight in order to qualify for a heart transplant," to which patient replies, "I'm doing better doc; I used to eat a whole bucket of chicken and now I'm down to 3-4 pieces."

-50-something SURGEON who tells me she is struggling with her weight even though she'd been eating a "healthy" lunch- a filet o' fish from mcdonalds. Inference: it's fish, therefore it's healthy.

some do not understand...I stand by that. Others choose not to. Not for us to figure out which is which-the ending is the same and I go back to what I posted earlier. Not everyone can be fixed, either because they deny  their situation or the cards are not in their favor.

l

  • Love 10
Message added by PrincessPurrsALot

James K. used pidgin English when describing Chinese food.  Such mocking behavior of a presumed accent is racist.  Please do not perpetuate his use of that language. 

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