S05.E12: Tracey's Story

[poeticlicensed]

I am super interested in Dr now's treatment plan for this one. It can't just be "eat less"

[okerry]

really curious what Dr. Now will say about this . . . .

[SkinnyMinnie]

"Tell me about your eating habits"... ALL THE FOOD GOES TO MY LEGS!

[ShortyMac]

2001??????? She's let this go on for 15+ years??????

[55Unicorns]

I want to smack that Mother every time they show her...

[okerry]

diuretics for her?? wouldn't that help at least somewhat?

[Pers]

I dunoo Dr. Now - I think there's something more at play here than just over-eating. I'm surprised he didn't put her in the hospital right away.

[EtheltoTillie]

Husband stating the obvious.  I think Tracy is in denial about how much she eats. As he pushes a full shopping cart. 

Edited March 23, 2017 by GussieK

[poeticlicensed]

Mom looks bigger than Tracey from the waist up

[Azubah]

1 minute ago, okerry said:

diuretics for her?? wouldn't that help at least somewhat?

That's everyone's first reaction, and it seems reasonable, but if you google "diuretics for lymphedema" you'll see it's not advised.

[Lizz]

5 minutes ago, 55Unicorns said:

Well, so far, I'm on her side...

So am I. It hurts to look at those legs.  I don't see how they could ever be fixed.  

I appreciate her modesty. Usually, we're flashed by every body part, male and female.

[55Unicorns]

Oh boy, she is sick as hell...she needs to be in the hospital...

[Armchair Critic]

She said the lymphedema started in 2001... why did she wait so long to treat it?

[Maggienolia]

@PsychoKlown (slightly off topic)Mandy Sellars was the UK lady with the huge legs. She has proteus syndrome (same condition John Merrick had). There's a good bit out there on her since that show aired (can't find the name of the original show).

And this YouTube 

[operalover]

I just started watching but this is sad. She seems like a human oddity. Like in the olden days they would travel around with human oddities in a carnival tour. Her stomach and upper body look okay to me- a few rolls.  How she let the lymphadema spiral out of control I don't know.

She sounds normal when she talks, like when she naturally described what lymphadema is, she sounded somewhat educated. Then when she was reading the script the writers wrong for her she sounds total illiterate and ignorant. "The road of Life is full of twists and turns and sometimes there is a big twist in the road"- whoever wrote that opening statement needs to be fired. She sounds like a moron reading that.

Anyway I feel sorry for her. No way to live.

Edited March 23, 2017 by operalover

[55Unicorns]

WHY do they let this go on so LONG???

[Azubah]

There aren't really good treatments for lymphedema. Sometimes you can manage it, but sometimes you can't.

[SkinnyMinnie]

Her eyes are sunken and blue. The husband should get her to a hospital.

[Azubah]

Yeah, her eyes look awful.

[Anchorabu]

She looks bad, really dark around the eyes.  

[chuckity]

She looks jaundiced.

[poeticlicensed]

She needs to eat eggs. Full of protein and easy to digest

[Pers]

Poor thing. You can see in her eyes that she's fading. My heart is breaking for her, she's very stoic but she really should be in a hospital or something.

[operalover]

1 minute ago, Azubah said:

There aren't really good treatments for lymphedema. Sometimes you can manage it, but sometimes you can't.

I would think when it first starts though you would need lose a lot of weight, because that is supposed to be very helpful. Isn't is a side effect of obesity? 

[Ivylady]

She should have been admitted to the hospital in Houston. That ride there and back did her in. I don't understand why she's not in the hospital now. 

[MrsRopersCaftan]

I can't even snark on this.  I'm too busy screaming, "TAKE HER TO THE HOSPITAL!" at my TV.  She seems really sick and not just putting it on like some of the other participants on the show.

[Azubah]

Just now, operalover said:

I would think when it first starts though you would need lose a lot of weight, because that is supposed to be very helpful. Isn't is a side effect of obesity? 

It can be. It's also a problem after cancer surgery and radiation when they kill off the lymph nodes. When it first started, if she lived in an ideal universe, she would have done weight loss, compression, pneumatic pumps, water exercise, etc. That might have contained it somewhat.

[aliya]

35 minutes ago, ChickenLatte99 said:

I like that Anthony is honest about wanting to be needed.

Yeah. I'm thinking it might not be too bad if he gets with the program and is willing to be needed in new ways. She's going to need a lot of work on those legs. I'm gonna say Anthony has job security for awhile yet.

[EtheltoTillie]

I kind of feel bad snarking on Tracy. She's not toxic personally. 

Edited March 23, 2017 by GussieK

[MrsClaus]

As much as last week pissed me off, this week is making me want to cry.

[Christina]

I have a cousin who ended up with lymphedema in her arm after a broken bone, and it's been years with treatment since the beginning, and it still looks like an elephant trunk. She probably wasn't ignoring it, they just couldn't do much about it. With her weight, she probably couldn't do some of the treatments. I know my cousin couldn't take one of the medicines because she has high blood pressure. They could only do that compression therapy, and she was being treated at one of the top hospitals for cancer in the state and U.S.

[55Unicorns]

As sick as she looks, I'm thinking ...liver failure?

[Yolo]

So far this is just blah, I wish her the very best though! 

[poeticlicensed]

Noooo! No rice!

[Maggienolia]

Wait. She was too nauseated to force down a bowl of broth and a couple of saltines and suddenly she's eating cabbage and jerk chicken with HOT SAUCE on top??? 

[Azubah]

But aside from the rice, that plate wasn't bad.

[MrsRopersCaftan]

Just now, poeticlicensed said:

Noooo! No rice!

Maybe it was fraaaaaahhhhd raaahce?

[GeorgieNY]

It looks like Lipedema, which leads to lymphedema. Reading about Lipedema, it says dieting does not help this condition. I feel terrible for her. 

[55Unicorns]

Just now, MrsRopersCaftan said:

Maybe it was fraaaaaahhhhd raaahce?

LMAO....

[Maggienolia]

1 minute ago, poeticlicensed said:

Noooo! No rice!

But it may be fried. So... 

[Azubah]

Just now, MrsRopersCaftan said:

Maybe it was fraaaaaahhhhd raaahce?

No no, this time it was "natural" and therefore lower carb. As opposed to unnatural rice.

[Armchair Critic]

Didn't this show used to be 1 hour? It starts dragging when they stretch it out to almost 2 hours before they show them getting the surgery.

[MrsClaus]

I missed it, how old is she?

[MrsRopersCaftan]

Just now, Azubah said:

No no, this time it was "natural" and therefore lower carb. As opposed to unnatural rice.

One thing I've learned from this show is that I have no idea how rice works, apparently.

[55Unicorns]

At least they're planning ahead a little...

[Ivylady]

She is someone else who probably needs to travel via ambulance. 

Someone who doesn't move without having a place to stay? Really? Impressive. 

The cheating because she's sick has me worried.

Just now, MrsClaus said:

I missed it, how old is she?

45 or 46 I believe.

[satrunrose]

I'm rooting for Tracey. She's helping to pack! She's trying to move with those horribly painful legs.  Come on Tracey! You can do it!

[Anchorabu]

Mom just yelled "they are moving and no one works? Who pays for this?"

[55Unicorns]

1 minute ago, Ivylady said:

She is someone else who probably needs to travel via ambulance. 

Someone who doesn't move without having a place to stay? Really? Impressive. 

The cheating because she's sick has me worried.

45 or 46 I believe.

She said they found an "extended stay hotel".  Whatever that is.

[Armchair Critic]

2 minutes ago, MrsClaus said:

I missed it, how old is she?

45 I think