S06.E21: Sean & Dottie's 2018.07.25

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Sean must overcome recent tragedies in his life before he loses all the progress he's made over the last two years; Dottie struggles to stay on track while maintaining her family life and dealing with new pains in her body.

This is the regular episode thread.  It will open after the US East Coast showing.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Pounders, What do we do? We avoid discussing how money is being snatched from the public's wallet for the participants unless it’s specifically revealed on the show. Anything else is pure speculation not to mention also a slippery slope toward talking politics. 

[Wanda]

This is going to be a depressing episode ( for some reason this thread is unlocked instead of the live chat so I’m anticipating).

[ams1001]

2 hours ago, Wanda said:

This is going to be a depressing episode ( for some reason this thread is unlocked instead of the live chat so I’m anticipating).

Welp, you weren't wrong!

[Wanda]

Wow. A rollercoaster ride from depressing to morbidly depressing. And then the ride crashed into a wall to end.

[calpurnia99]

This ended very abruptly with DR Now saying Sean could be dead in a month or two and Sean saying "I'm going to be working on it" and Dottie doing like crap.  Sean is a disaster, an absolute disaster, the hurricane was a blessing, his hoard got thrown out and sorted through otherwise he would have died under it. Although his place is still a disaster.

[calpurnia99]

15 minutes ago, CoachWristletJen said:

Sean talked about pushing himself to rock bottom.  (I forget his exact words.) 

I think he's trying to force the State's hand. He knows that if he gets bad enough, they'll put him into a facility where he's cared for 24-7, and that's what he wants.

Just goes to show that a person doesn't have to be very bright in order to manipulate the system!

Yes I agree, Dr Now had his number, he likes other people to do everything for him. 

[sainte-chapelle]

OMG.....the sheet...the pizza....the bucket! Have you no shame? There must be some mental health issues here.

[QuinnInND]

Has anyone checked to see if Sean is still alive? And where in the hospital was he being seen? A storage unit? 

4 minutes ago, sainte-chapelle said:

OMG.....the sheet...the pizza....the bucket! Have you no shame? There must be some mental health issues here.

He's a stunted man baby. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Per Matt Paxton on Hoarders, we're all just five bad decisions away from pooping in a bucket.  Sean apparently hit  bad decision number 5.

[toodles]

19 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

Per Matt Paxton on Hoarders, we're all just five bad decisions away from pooping in a bucket.  Sean apparently hit  bad decision number 5.

Yikes!  I better watch myself.  Today wasn't one of my better days.?. I don't want a bucket in my future.

Edited July 26, 2018 by toodles

[GoldaVining]

Dottie is my favorite of all the participants on this show over the years. I was very happy to see there was an update on her. Sean's story is so unbearable on so many levels that I don't even want to think about it anymore, but I am rooting for Dottie! I think Dottie is a darling with a sweet nature and a loving heart. I think she has been overwhelmed for a lot of years by her hard life but I really believe she can do this and have a great future with Chris and Landon. I also love Chris which is unsettling, but there it is. He probably skipped grad school, but I think he is handsome in a blurry kind of way and he appears to have a steady job and a kind heart. 

Sean's church volunteers reminded me of a time when I volunteered with the Salvation Army. One day the major asked me to help a woman who was about to be evicted unless she cleaned out her hoard. A friend went with me and we arrived to find a very large woman lying on a bed, wearing a very large diaper, watching The Young and The Restless. All around her was garbage higher than the bed and in the corner of the room it was piled right to the ceiling like a landslide. The garbage around her were mostly plastic shopping bags full of donated food packages, bags of rotting bread and produce, dirty clothes, and hundreds of her old dirty diapers. The smell was incredible. My friend and I filled probably 30 black garbage bags before we could see the floor. On the floor was a shag rug covered in rat droppings and there were onions rooted in the shag. I will never forget for the rest of my life digging onions out of shag carpeting.

[skipnjump]

It was a depressing episode and really hit home for me to start working on my diet and exercising.  I call BS on Dottie not knowing what to order in a restaurant after 2 years+ on a high protein diet.  You order a mixed salad with vinaigrette dressing on the side and maybe some salmon or chicken grilled or lightly baked.  Not Caesar salad and macaroni and cheese!  After all this time, she's never gone to a library to check out books on whatever diet she's on for tips or gone online to look for tips and/or support groups?  I know Sean is a giant man-baby thanks to his Mom, but the whining about being so poor that all he could eat was delivery pizza.  I think we've all been poor and you make it work.  I've lived on beans and tuna fish before.  Sigh....

[AVM]

A very sad episode all around,both patients have low coping skills , Sean is a child in A large body and Dottie is understandingly depressed ..Both need long term care. No quick fix  for either..

Edited July 26, 2018 by AVM

[Suzywriter]

2 hours ago, skipnjump said:

It was a depressing episode and really hit home for me to start working on my diet and exercising.  I call BS on Dottie not knowing what to order in a restaurant after 2 years+ on a high protein diet.  You order a mixed salad with vinaigrette dressing on the side and maybe some salmon or chicken grilled or lightly baked.  Not Caesar salad and macaroni and cheese!  After all this time, she's never gone to a library to check out books on whatever diet she's on for tips or gone online to look for tips and/or support groups?  I know Sean is a giant man-baby thanks to his Mom, but the whining about being so poor that all he could eat was delivery pizza.  I think we've all been poor and you make it work.  I've lived on beans and tuna fish before.  Sigh....

I thought the mac and cheese was for her baby boy's meal.

[Suzywriter]

I guess some people follow the diet as written, but never pay attention to the structure. I once knew and saw with my own eyes a kind, hard-working man who rented a room from my grandmother. He was overweight. His doctor advised him to eat his normal meals but to not eat bread, rice, potatoes or pasta.

He came home with a bag of bakery yeast donuts and asked my grandmother to please butter the donuts and put them on his plate instead of any of the side dishes listed because his doctor said his sugar was high.

He genuinely thought he was following the plan! He didn't know that the ingredients in donuts were the same as bread, but with more sugar and grease added. It happens, folks.

[calpurnia99]

The one confusing thing about this episode is that at the beginning Sean was set on a care facility and Dr. Now said they are for people that need it, they are not a hotel, you don't need that, they are not long term, but if you lost some weight, maybe they could help you there. Sean heard that if he loses weight, he can go live in a Care Facility, because he said this several times. I'm not sure what Dr. Now meant but maybe he could admit Sean for a short time for physical therapy if he weighed less? Anyway it was not clear why Sean needed to lose weight to get into one, but Sean was hanging on this hope as he mentioned "soon I'm going to try to get started on the healthy eating as soon as I get settled in I'm going to try to start". And then once I lose weight I can get into a care facility and they can wait on me hand and foot. He really wanted to get into this Care facility but it was not enough motivation to lose the weight. "I have no doubt Ill do what I need, and once i have my living situation figured out, I can get started but for right now I need to take a break" OK

This poor poor woman, his home health aide, coming over to clean him up, and he is naked in a sheet eating an entire pizza in a shithole mess. 

 

How did I miss this on the first watch? he is in a tiny apartment but sometimes he doesnt have the energy to walk to the bathroom so he pisses in a bucket for the personal care assistant to empty. If she doesn't come the bucket sits there full. He can stand up and pee in the bucket but can't walk 5 steps? He says that pizza is the cheapest thing to buy for food. Isnt it like $12 for a medium pizza? Then he says he has more time now. Like what was he doing before?

Edited July 26, 2018 by calpurnia99

[steff13]

5 minutes ago, calpurnia99 said:

The one confusing thing about this episode is that at the beginning Sean was set on a care facility and Dr. Now said they are for people that need it, they are not a hotel, you don't need that, they are not long term, but if you lost some weight, maybe they could help you there. Sean heard that if he loses weight, he can go live in a Care Facility, because he said this several times. I'm not sure what Dr. Now meant but maybe he could admit Sean for a short time for physical therapy if he weighed less? Anyway it was not clear why Sean needed to lose weight to get into one, but Sean was hanging on this hope as he mentioned "soon I'm going to try to get started on the healthy eating as soon as I get settled in I'm going to try to start". And then once I lose weight I can get into a care facility and they can wait on me hand and foot. He really wanted to get into this Care facility but it was not enough motivation to lose the weight. "I have no doubt Ill do what I need, and once i have my living situation figured out, I can get started but for right now I need to take a break" OK

I think Dr. Now's thinking was that Sean had to prove that he was motivated enough to lose some weight on his own to get into a care home.  Here in Ohio the average monthly rate for a facility is $6570.  That's a very expensive and valuable resource to give someone.  He probably wants Sean to prove he's not going to waste it. 

[AVM]

4 minutes ago, steff13 said:

I think Dr. Now's thinking was that Sean had to prove that he was motivated enough to lose some weight on his own to get into a care home.  Here in Ohio the average monthly rate for a facility is $6570.  That's a very expensive and valuable resource to give someone.  He probably wants Sean to prove he's not going to waste it. 

A monthly rate for a facility is $6570.A hotel with room and maid service probably would be cheaper.. How sad..

[Pepper Mostly]

3 hours ago, skipnjump said:

It was a depressing episode and really hit home for me to start working on my diet and exercising.  I call BS on Dottie not knowing what to order in a restaurant after 2 years+ on a high protein diet.  You order a mixed salad with vinaigrette dressing on the side and maybe some salmon or chicken grilled or lightly baked.  Not Caesar salad and macaroni and cheese!  After all this time, she's never gone to a library to check out books on whatever diet she's on for tips or gone online to look for tips and/or support groups?  I know Sean is a giant man-baby thanks to his Mom, but the whining about being so poor that all he could eat was delivery pizza.  I think we've all been poor and you make it work.  I've lived on beans and tuna fish before.  Sigh....

Sean wanted pizza, so he says its all he can afford. His mama always enabled him so he thinks that's actually the case. He doesn't know what things cost, or how to prepare any food. It never occurs to him that he could learn to cook and take care of himself. That ship has sailed. If he doesn't get into this mythical care facility he dreams of (seriously?) he will die. The end.

[suzeecat]

Sean obviously does not have what it takes mentally to live on his own and make decisions on his own behalf.  I wasn't watching closely, but his dad came to help, then disappeared?  How cold is that???  If something doesn't change soon, he will surely die.  This was truly depressing to watch.

[Armchair Critic]

There is something wrong when a 20 something year old guy would rather live in a care facility than try to make a life for himself. In some ways I feel sorry for him because he was so sheltered he doesn't know any better. But then I want to shake him because there are people who truly need to be in a care facility and not just because they are a glutton continuing to eat large quantities and lying around expecting to be helped.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Armchair Critic

[QuinnInND]

Dottie was at a steak house and ordered a Caesar salad? I guess she missed the memo that steak is protein. And I'm sure they had fish too. Ugh. 

Was I seeing things or was that poor woman who came to help Sean not wearing gloves when she dumped out his potty bucket?? God the stench in that place. I can't imagine.  I wonder if she was a mandated reporter or something.. Because that's not healthy. She wasn't getting paid enough for what she was doing, that's for sure. 

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, Suzywriter said:

I thought the mac and cheese was for her baby boy's meal.

Yeah, Chris asked him if that's what he wanted and he said yes. I didn't think Dottie was eating it. (Though they would do well to teach him good eating habits now while he's young. But that could be said for all these folks with little kids.)

 

1 hour ago, calpurnia99 said:

The one confusing thing about this episode is that at the beginning Sean was set on a care facility and Dr. Now said they are for people that need it, they are not a hotel, you don't need that,

What Sean probably needs is a social worker and a group home of some sort. But he'd have to be at least somewhat self-sufficient and mobile for a group home to take him.

 

1 hour ago, calpurnia99 said:

 He says that pizza is the cheapest thing to buy for food. Isnt it like $12 for a medium pizza? Then he says he has more time now. Like what was he doing before?\

And you know that pizza was one meal for him. That would be 3-4 meals if I got it just for myself (which I wouldn't, because if I'm gonna get pizza, it's not gonna be from Domino's). So for him that's a $12 meal, but only $3-4 per meal for me, but there are a lot of better options if you're really that broke (leaving aside the calories and fat that neither one of us should be eating, and I don't weigh anywhere near 600 pounds). The place I usually go (as an occasional treat, because they're pricey and, well, it's pizza) makes smaller than average pies (a large would be at most a medium anywhere else) with super-thin crust, and if I'm hungry half of a pie is easy to do in one sitting, but for most pizza I would normally only eat 1-2 slices. There's a place that sells by the slice that I stop at once in a while and I usually don't even quite finish two.

[dahling]

Sean is just about the most pitiable human being I've ever seen.  His mother infantilized him and taught him nothing.  He spent his life as her prisoner and and doesn't know how to cook or keep house, or even throw things away.  Whatever income he has from whatever source, it's not much. He's physically helpless and we watched him becoming more so as he slipped into full Assanti mode toward the end, draped in a sheet, crapping in a bucket, and eating a pizza for dinner.  At one point earlier they showed him eating a microwaveable Healthy Choice Steamers meal (I have some experience with these.... 7 Weight Watchers points) and even though they have a bit of rice, they're around 300 calories. I wonder what happened to eating those? Maybe it was too hard to get groceries, or even to stand up to microwave them. And of course, pizza is more fun.  Much more fun.  He says he didn't want to have to have a personal care assistant, but I think he was quite pleased to have someone coming in and taking care of him.  Dr. Now told him he had to lose weight to be admitted to a care facility, but I think what Dr. Now hoped would happen was that Sean would lose weight and start becoming more independent and realize he doesn't need one. Doesn't look like that's going to work out. 

His quality of life is appalling, both mentally and physically.  I half expected this episode to end with his suicide.  

That neighbor was something of a saint to help a guy he barely knows.  Nothing was packed. The movers showed up to a hoarder's den, and they were only paid for 4 hours?  How did that move even happen?

Add me to the "Dottie is a sweetheart" fan club.  I felt so sorry for her alone in her hotel room. Yeah she screwed up with the smoking (and lying about it) and gaining weight, but I still think she has a good heart, and I remember how hard she worked to take care of her disabled son. Also, she is extremely, extremely pretty.

What the hell was with the ending of this episode? It was kind of like Empire Strikes Back. Luke's hand is chopped off by his father, the dark lord of the galaxy, Hans is captured and encased in carbonite, everybody is in the worst position they could possibly be in...and...SCENE. When do we see the end?

[steff13]

That neighbor was a nice guy.  And he cracked me up when he made the comment about the handsome guy in the mirror.  I don't think I saw Sean or Dottie's original episodes, but it's clear that Sean's mother has really handicapped him.  Where was Sean's dad?  He was at the beginning of the episode, but not later on.  He didn't help Sean move or even when his apartment was flooded. 

What happened to Dottie's son?  Was he ill or in an accident? 

[Kid]

12 hours ago, calpurnia99 said:

This ended very abruptly with DR Now saying Sean could be dead in a month or two and Sean saying "I'm going to be working on it" and Dottie doing like crap.  Sean is a disaster, an absolute disaster, the hurricane was a blessing, his hoard got thrown out and sorted through otherwise he would have died under it. Although his place is still a disaster.

Maybe I’m heartless, but I have to ask the question -  it really that much of a tragedy if Sean is dead in a month?  He is of no value to anyone including himself.  He has no quality-of-life. When you are a victim of child abuse, and his mother’s   Munchausen syndrome by proxy was abuse, you either fight and free yourself or you become Sean.  I don’t know the reason you become Sean. Mental illness, lack of character, desire to remain a victim because you have no responsibility??  All the resources that went into him could’ve gone toward a person who is working their ass off to survive and do something about the obesity, to clean up after natural disaster, or to recover from financial ruin.  She broke him, but he needs to fix himself, and if he can’t do that, so be it. I have no sympathy for him.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Kid

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, dahling said:

What the hell was with the ending of this episode? It was kind of like Empire Strikes Back. Luke's hand is chopped off by his father, the dark lord of the galaxy, Hans is captured and encased in carbonite, everybody is in the worst position they could possibly be in...and...SCENE. When do we see the end?

That is HYSTERICAL!

So, hand to god, during last week's episode, I flipped through my guide to see how many more weeks TLC was going to keep this show going on. This week's episode description was accurate, then for next week, it listed Part 2 of Sean and Dottie's follow up. But, PLOT TWIST!, yesterday the guide for next week's schedule changed and showed another new WATN episode for Milla and Charity. And then! PLOT TWIST 2: Electric Boogaloo! I checked later last night and next week's Wednesday schedule is filled up with Dr Pimple Popper episodes. As we know, the TLC people who provide information to the cable companies are crackheads of sorts—times are never right, programs that are supposed to air don't, etc, some shows show up out of the blue. My presumption is that next week we'll see part 2 of this episode but god only knows. Why not just give them each a separate episode?! 

As for Sean, he has nothing but my sympathy. He is both physically and mentally disabled. And while I would like to be all, "OMG! Just cook a healthy meal already! Throw out your hoard!" that would be me projecting whatever semblance of intelligence and normalcy I have onto a man who has neither. Yes, his mother died and he needs to carve out a life for himself, but he has been handed nothing but a shit hand in life—and yes, in large part because of his mother's actions. But here we are. Left to deal with the aftermath of horrific parenting and a human being in dire need of assistance and direction. There is no way Dr Now can really believe that a few stern words with Sean can turn him around. He's too far gone for that. He 100% needs to be in a setting where he can gather some life and coping skills and work out his issues with food addiction. 

I nearly cried after he came home from the hospital to find his house flooded and all he could do was sit on some random stoop, draped only in a hospital gown, and recount how terrible and shitty his life has been. He's not wrong. It was, and is, terrible and shitty. No human being deserves to have that kind of misery. I'd be eating a goddamned pizza, too, if I were him. That said, I hope Dr Paradise (who was name checked last night but didn't appear) can help coach him through this and get him the help he desperately needs. 

Related: thank god it's Dr Paradise they called in instead of Dr Instagram Make-up Tutorial Gone Wrong. 

[ams1001]

21 minutes ago, dahling said:

His quality of life is appalling, both mentally and physically.  I half expected this episode to end with his suicide.  

That neighbor was something of a saint to help a guy he barely knows.  Nothing was packed. The movers showed up to a hoarder's den, and they were only paid for 4 hours?  How did that move even happen?

I had the same thought about him possibly attempting suicide.

When I moved I had to pay a minimum of 4 hours and it only took two, because I had everything ready to go, except about a carload of stuff that I either needed (clothes and stuff; my condo closing got pushed back and my lease was ending so I had to stay with my parents for a bit and most of my stuff got stacked in their garage) or didn't have time to pack properly. I took that stuff myself later in the week.

 

17 minutes ago, steff13 said:

That neighbor was a nice guy.  And he cracked me up when he made the comment about the handsome guy in the mirror. 

I don't think I saw Sean or Dottie's original episodes, but it's clear that Sean's mother has really handicapped him.  Where was Sean's dad?  He was at the beginning of the episode, but not later on.  He didn't help Sean move or even when his apartment was flooded. 

What happened to Dottie's son?  Was he ill or in an accident? 

I liked that the neighbor talked to him and joked around like he was just a regular guy and not like he was just doing it because he felt sorry for him.

I think Sean's dad lived in California? I wonder if he helped him financially at all. As much as it sucks, I can see why he wouldn't want to give him too much physical help because he'd end up right back where he started, except in Dad's living room.

Dottie's older son had cerebral palsy and was unable to walk (and I think non-verbal). Even at 600 lbs she was picking him up and moving him in and out of bed and whatnot. His death happened during her first episode; I believe he was 9 years old.

Edited July 26, 2018 by ams1001
forgot a line

[steff13]

40 minutes ago, dahling said:

Add me to the "Dottie is a sweetheart" fan club.  I felt so sorry for her alone in her hotel room. Yeah she screwed up with the smoking (and lying about it) and gaining weight, but I still think she has a good heart, and I remember how hard she worked to take care of her disabled son. Also, she is extremely, extremely pretty.

I actually think Sean would be attractive, if he took care of himself.  And if he wasn't a giant helpless baby. 

[QuinnInND]

32 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

 

I think Sean's dad lived in California? I wonder if he helped him financially at all. As much as it sucks, I can see why he wouldn't want to give him too much physical help because he'd end up right back where he started, except in Dad's living room.

Dottie's older son had cerebral palsy and was unable to walk (and I think non-verbal). Even at 600 lbs she was picking him up and moving him in and out of bed and whatnot. His death happened during her first episode; I believe he was 9 years old.

Dottie's son was 13 when he passed away. 

And Sean's dad is a complete douchecanoe. No support, nothing. He came for whatever reason to "help" Sean pack up, but didn't like him keeping stuff that reminded him of his mom. Which was practically everything, but that's not the point. He was an asshole. 

And Sean has indeed been dealt a shitty hand by life. Unfortunately, he has no skills or ability to pick himself up and make a better life. As much as I snark on him and want to smack him, there's a small bit of pity for him too. 

[Mothra]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

What Sean probably needs is a social worker and a group home of some sort. But he'd have to be at least somewhat self-sufficient and mobile for a group home to take him.

I was pondering where on earth Sean could live, and I never thought of a group home.  I think you're right:  a group home for people who can sort of take care of themselves (toilet, feed, dress) but need help in learning life skills.  Sean seems pretty intelligent but ignorant--I forget his first show; did he go to school?  Graduate from high school?  I do believe that living with a few other men his own age and being responsible in part for shopping, cooking and cleaning would be a great start for him.  If he didn't graduate from h.s. he ought to be encouraged to take the GED test and then try to get a job.  At his current weight and with the concurrent health problems, like his skin infections, he probably would not qualify for such placement.  I wonder if he were taken to a group home to see what it could be like for him, if that would be any kind of encouragement for him to lose weight.  And I don't know why he hasn't been assigned a social worker--without venturing into the where does he get his money forbidden zone, he has to be on the radar for social service agencies, doesn't he?

I think he's very mobile given how big he is, which makes it all the more disgusting that he was using a bucket.  He was perfectly capable of getting himself to the toilet.  He wants to be taken care of.

 

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

And you know that pizza was one meal for him.

Yep.  Just as the poundicipants don't eat just one burger or Happy Meal, Sean has no sense of how much he's eating.  I thought the same thing--especially if money is tight, why wouldn't he have one or two slices and freeze the rest for a couple more meals?  A person whose mother had not infantilized him might also realize that for $14, he could have bought cans of tuna, or a few pounds of hamburger (no buns), or some chicken breasts.  The tuna doesn't even require cooking.

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, QuinnInND said:

And Sean's dad is a complete douchecanoe. No support, nothing. He came for whatever reason to "help" Sean pack up, but didn't like him keeping stuff that reminded him of his mom. Which was practically everything, but that's not the point. He was an asshole. 

I'll take your word for that because I wasn't paying enough attention during that scene and I doubt I'll watch it again.

[calpurnia99]

He said that after a couple of trips to the fridge and the toilet he got too tired and had to use the bucket. It was nuts as the toilet was very close to the bed. He kept saying everything was so much stress so he was taking a break and eating pizza and lying around, but he was making everything worse. I know he is in pain from all that fat hanging everywhere and the rashes and his feet. The crappy food and laying around is just making him feel worse and get worse. The whining in the last scene was so depressing, he was saying this is what it is right now, I can't do anything right now, taking a break, can't deal I'll eat what I want. He is quickly going to be back to bedridden and 1000 pounds. Then  he will get the nursing home I guess.

His father tried to help but I think got fed up. They didnt really show those scenes.  I can't say I blame him for not wanting Sean to live with him. And he needed to stay in Houston for Dr Now program and the dad had a job in California. They didn't tell us much but I think the dad could not bear his own son, and I can't say I blame him. Sean could whine and complain to his mother and she would try to help him and give in to him. 

[Mothra]

I do feel bad for Sean.  His mother totally fucked him over.  I assume she and his dad were divorced, and I would bet her relationship to Sean was a big source of friction in that marriage--which might further explain his father's lack of interest in helping him move, especially help him move all those things that remind Sean of his mother.  BTW, I noticed big snowflake window decorations in one of the boxes of things Sean needed to keep--boy needs help and a reality check.  It would have been far better for him if Harvey had destroyed more of the stored shit.

And I don't buy that he gets too tired to walk to the toilet.  If he has to pee every hour or so, isn't that enough recovery time to gain strength for the next visit to the loo?  No, he wants to be taken care of, and I suspect he gets off in having someone have to deal with his urine.

I wonder if his father sends him money, and if not, why not?  I also wonder what his mother's source of income was, and if she left anything to Sean.  Does he have any other relatives?  I know that if I saw my cousin, say, in such a state and on TV, I'd write him a check as often as I could.  Enabling?  Probably.

[Ray Adverb]

The episodes all blur together for me and they usually aren't very memorable.  Was this a followup for Sean?  Was he one of the train wrecks from last year?  Had he gotten surgery?  I think he did.  James King I distinctly remember was the first patient who never got surgery, and he was the 3rd to last episode last year.

[AVM]

3 minutes ago, steff13 said:

Sean has had surgery; Dr. Now mentioned that Sean's stomach had been reduced by 90%, and he had re-stretched it to half its original size due to his overeating. 

 

I would assume Sean is eligible for SSI.  He has income from somewhere, he can pay for pizza from Domino's.  His mother was older, she may have received Social Security or Social Security Disability herself. 

Sean a perfect example of no life skills, his Mother ruined his life for some reason to hold on to him being a  forever child to point he was wearing diapers until he got help from Dr Now .. as for Dottie smoking is the least of her problems,not using common sense is her major problem ... Dr Now mention she did not even keep herself clean after being released from the hospital ... Both  beyond sad cases.

[steff13]

2 minutes ago, AVM said:

Sean a perfect example of no life skills, his Mother ruined his life for some reason to hold on to him being a  forever child to point he was wearing diapers until he got help from Dr Now .. as for Dottie smoking is the least of her problems,not using common sense is her major problem ... Dr Now mention she did not even keep herself clean after being released from the hospital ... Both  beyond sad cases.

I wonder how old Sean was when his parents separated.  If he was young, I wonder if his mom focused on raising him and over compensated, continuing to treat him as a baby/small child, even though he was an adult.  I haven't seen his original episode (it's on next weekend, so I will watch then), but they showed a clip of her creating some kind of a chart for him with hand print cutouts on it.  It seemed like she was making goals for him to want to lose weight.  Not dissimilar to the charts we made for our kids.  When they were potty training.  When they were preschoolers.  

[ams1001]

5 minutes ago, steff13 said:

I wonder how old Sean was when his parents separated.  If he was young, I wonder if his mom focused on raising him and over compensated, continuing to treat him as a baby/small child, even though he was an adult.  I haven't seen his original episode (it's on next weekend, so I will watch then), but they showed a clip of her creating some kind of a chart for him with hand print cutouts on it.  It seemed like she was making goals for him to want to lose weight.  Not dissimilar to the charts we made for our kids.  When they were potty training.  When they were preschoolers.  

Yeah, they made a chart of things they would do when he got to different goal weights. One of them being going to an amusement park, which seems like the kind of thing you promise your kid for good grades or something (my mom used to take us to Great Adventure after orthodontist appointments in the summer when we were around late elementary/middle school age). A goal chart is probably a good thing but the style of it was very kindergarten.

I'm pretty sure he never got to do any of those things.

Edited July 26, 2018 by ams1001

[AVM]

1 minute ago, steff13 said:

I wonder how old Sean was when his parents separated.  If he was young, I wonder if his mom focused on raising him and over compensated, continuing to treat him as a baby/small child, even though he was an adult.  I haven't seen his original episode (it's on next weekend, so I will watch then), but they showed a clip of her creating some kind of a chart for him with hand print cutouts on it.  It seemed like she was making goals for him to want to lose weight.  Not dissimilar to the charts we made for our kids.  When they were potty training.  When they were preschoolers.  

I am sure his original episode is available online , Dr Now saw through the destructive influence Sean's mother had on him, and he forbid her for awhile visiting him ,shortly after  she died...

[Caoimhe]

I don’t believe Sean will ever find anyone to “take care of him” the way Mommie Dearest did.  What he really needs is daily physical and occupational therapy along with continued (and frequent) counseling sessions.  I feel awful for that poor care assistant, they can’t possibly be paying her enough to put up with him.   He just doesn’t want to take the smallest bit of responsibility and to be honest I’m finding him more irksome to watch than even the infamous James K.  He looks to be on course as one of the biggest failures ever!

Edited July 26, 2018 by ThereButFor

[AVM]

Just now, ThereButFor said:

I don’t believe Sean will ever find anyone to “take care of him” the way Mommie Dearest did.  What he really needs is daily physical and occupational therapy along with continued (and frequent) counseling sessions.  I feel awful for that poor care assistant, they can’t possibly be paying her enough to put up with him.   He just doesn’t want to take the smallest bit of responsibility and to be honest I’m finding him more irksome to watch than even the infamous James K.  He looks to be on ourse as one of the biggest failures ever!

So sad but true,the damage has been done,,its unfortunate that show did not focus on philological help provided to Sean for him to unlearn the destructive behavior taught him thru by  Mothers 'love ' for him..

[CoachWristletJen]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Yeah, they made a chart of things they would do when he got to different goal weights. One of them being going to an amusement park, which seems like the kind of thing you promise your kid for good grades or something (my mom used to take us to Great Adventure after orthodontist appointments in the summer when we were around late elementary/middle school age). A goal chart is probably a good thing but the style of it was very kindergarten.

I'm pretty sure he never got to do any of those things.

 

I made charts like that for my kids when they were, like 4 and 6. Then they got a little too old.

I couldn't imagine Sean doing anything at an amusement part except getting wheeled around from food stand to food stand. He was still a long way from riding on any of the rides.

Mama wanted to keep her baby bird in perpetual childhood. So warped and sad.

1 hour ago, AVM said:

I am sure his original episode is available online , Dr Now saw through the destructive influence Sean's mother had on him, and he forbid her for awhile visiting him ,shortly after  she died...

Yes, I remember when Dr. Now confronted her because she was deliberately overfeeding him and keeping him sick. She got really crazy, weird and screamy.  She was very sick in the head.

Also correct me if I'm wrong, but in the original episode, Sean was approaching 1000 pounds, and he was growing so fat that his skin was literally getting stretched too thin and starting to crack and break.

Most of the people on the show have some kind of online presence, but I don't think Sean does. I don't think he has any real contact with other people. I think his mom kept him isolated so she could have him all to herself. And now, he doesn't know what to do or how to relate to people..

Edited July 26, 2018 by CoachWristletJen

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, CoachWristletJen said:

I made charts like that for my kids when they were, like 4 and 6. Then they got a little too old.

I couldn't imagine Sean doing anything at an amusement part except getting wheeled around from food stand to food stand. He was still a long way from riding on any of the rides.

Mama wanted to keep her baby bird in perpetual childhood. So warped and sad.

I've seen some charts (geared to adults) meant for developing good habits, but they were, like, Excel sheets where you put an X or something in the day's cell and it helps you see at a glance how many days you've kept up your habit (and encourages you to want to put in that X to keep the streak going). I can see that being useful for things like building good eating and exercise habits. Theirs seemed more like just a cutesy way of listing the things they wanted to do when (if) he hit the goal but it didn't seem to be actually tracking progress. More like a dream board or wishful thinking than a useful tool.

I think the amusement park was the 200-lb goal.

[Ray Adverb]

12 minutes ago, CoachWristletJen said:

Also correct me if I'm wrong, but in the original episode, Sean was approaching 1000 pounds, and he was growing so fat that his skin was literally getting stretched too thin and starting to crack and break.

I think I remember Sean now.  In the original episode, didn't his first weigh in exceed the 850 pound capacity of the scale?  He could only get a weight on a bariatric bed.  I seem to recall also that he came in heavy for his first appointment, then later got rushed to the hospital after gaining almost 100 pounds more.  He was around 1000 pounds and at Death's door.

[calpurnia99]

From the original episode the scene where Dr. Now reads the riot act to Sean's mother is one of my favorite, it is EPIC in epic My 600 pound life scenes:  Unfortunately the clip is no longer on youtube ( I looked and looked because I watched it recently)  you would have to find the original episode. He basically tells her that she is NOT a doctor, she doesn't know medicine. She was insisting they run some test. They showed a small clip from it last night, but the whole thing is epic. He says your son is losing weight in spite of you trying to kill him. And you don't know what is best for him.

I guess he kept saying that if he lost some weight that Dr. Now would be happy with him, and this way Dr. Now would assist him into getting into the care facility. It's unreal this was his motivation!

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, Ray Adverb said:

I think I remember Sean now.  In the original episode, didn't his first weigh in exceed the 850 pound capacity of the scale?  He could only get a weight on a bariatric bed.  I seem to recall also that he came in heavy for his first appointment, then later got rushed to the hospital after gaining almost 100 pounds more.  He was around 1000 pounds and at Death's door.

At the beginning of this episode they said his highest weight was 1003. I remember because that was the first thing I commented on in the live thread. The thought of a person weighing 1003 pounds is mind-boggling. Like, I forgot to even start my original comment with a "hello" to everyone in the chat like I usually do. 1003 pounds.

[Ray Adverb]

10 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

At the beginning of this episode they said his highest weight was 1003. I remember because that was the first thing I commented on in the live thread. The thought of a person weighing 1003 pounds is mind-boggling. Like, I forgot to even start my original comment with a "hello" to everyone in the chat like I usually do. 1003 pounds.

It's interesting that someone now has to weigh this much to shock us.  When I first saw this show I couldn't comprehend a person over 500 pounds.  Now I see a person on this show who's around 500 and I think "only 500.... that's downright svelte".

[tpel]

I felt uncomfortable watching parts of this episode. Dottie, maybe a week post-surgery, is left alone in a hotel room with no assistance. Sean, barely mobile and emotionally crippled, is dropped off in front of his mold-infested apartment to fend for himself. Yes, Dottie shouldn't have been smoking, and yes, many of Sean's problems are his own (and his mother's) making. Still, cameras recorded physically and/or mentally compromised people in dangerous situations, and nobody thought to intervene? 

Perhaps there was some behind-the-scenes intervention for Sean, as the new apartment materialized rather quickly. But Dr. Now seemed surprised to learn that Dottie was on her own in the hotel.

[Caoimhe]

33 minutes ago, CoachWristletJen said:

I get that Sean has mental health issues. I get that his mother crippled him emotionally, mentally, and physically.

That being said, human beings do have some free will. We are not autobots who are complete victims of circumstance and genetics. So, can't we at least say that Sean is one of the laziest, most entitled slobs that we've ever seen? 

Absolutely.  There are people who grow up with few to no life skills (for whatever reason) and many of them LEARN despite all the hardships.  Sean never will.