S06.E21: Sean & Dottie's 2018.07.25

[Colleenna]

8 hours ago, Colleenna said:

I can say that at 5 years, he had not regained. After that, I lost touch so I can't say for sure. 

Okay, so being the nosy beeyotch that I am, I looked him up on FB. He does appear to have gained maybe 40# back, but (a) it's been 40 years; (b) 40 back from 400 lost is not so bad; and (c) he's almost 80. So I'm sure he's not as active as when he lost the weight. 

[3girlsforus]

38 minutes ago, Colleenna said:

Okay, so being the nosy beeyotch that I am, I looked him up on FB. He does appear to have gained maybe 40# back, but (a) it's been 40 years; (b) 40 back from 400 lost is not so bad; and (c) he's almost 80. So I'm sure he's not as active as when he lost the weight. 

LOL. I must be a nosy beeyotch too because when I saw you said you lost touch with him my first thought was ‘this is the Internet age - find the guy’ LOL

[Caoimhe]

14 hours ago, MillieSparklepants said:

Mom said she'd bring him treats to make up for the yelling and then later to make up for the divorce, but there's something missing here. She was so afraid of Sean growing up and leaving her that she resorted to turning him into a helpless, 1000 pound man on the edge of death? It's mind-boggling. 

The whole “food as comfort” and “food as reward” thing leaves a lot of victims who learned from a young age that this IS how you comfort or reward yourself.

13 hours ago, Colleenna said:

Okay, so being the nosy beeyotch that I am, I looked him up on FB. He does appear to have gained maybe 40# back, but (a) it's been 40 years; (b) 40 back from 400 lost is not so bad; and (c) he's almost 80. So I'm sure he's not as active as when he lost the weight. 

Wow, that is an amazing success story!

[Colleenna]

11 minutes ago, ThereButFor said:

The whole “food as comfort” and “food as reward” thing leaves a lot of victims who learned from a young age that this IS how you comfort or reward yourself.

Wow, that is an amazing success story!

Yep. Maybe he's part unicorn, but I don't see any glitter :-D. 

Totally OT... every time I see your name Phil Ochs's song starts in my head. 

[jpc1]

On 7/27/2018 at 12:36 PM, 3girlsforus said:

This is it exactly. He doesn’t want the resources available to him. He has therapy at the ready. He refused. He has a diet told to him. He has personal care givers. He doesn’t want any of it. He wants to be in a care facility and everthing else isn’t good enough. He even said after that appointment with Dr Now that ‘he didn’t get the help he needs’ meaning the care facility. He has LOTS of help. It’s just not what he wants. 

You're exactly right, 3girlsforus.  Much like my son when he was 6, Sean confuses "needs" with "wants".  What he needs is to get well.  That takes effort and commitment.  What he wants is to be immune from the negative consequences of his illness without any effort or commitment.

[jpc1]

On 7/27/2018 at 9:23 PM, pdlinda said:

It is very costly; however, with his acute needs I think that is the most efficient way to go.

I don't disagree, pdlinda.  However, I'm not sure there are too many long-term care facilities with the infrastructure and staff to support his acute needs, so additional financial resources would have to be found.  Let's say it would require an infusion of an extra $X per year to support his acute needs.  For that same $X per year, I would guess that the same long-term care facility could support the needs of 3 or 4 additional people with a modicum of ability and will to contribute to their own care and betterment.  This gets into murky territory:  $X per year to help 3-4 extra people who actually give a damn vs. $X per year to help 1 who doesn't but who happened to be on TV.  Who's more "deserving"?  Who decides?  That's one of the brutal realities here - the absolute cost of helping Sean isn't the only relevant factor; there's also the opportunity cost of not helping others in order to help Sean.

[jpc1]

On 7/27/2018 at 2:00 PM, DC Gal in VA said:

5. We will also care about you as a human being and do everything within our power to teach you the life skills you were unfairly deprived of for over the first twenty years of your life. In return we expect you to try, to cooperate and, for God's Sake, learn how to use the words "Please" and "Thank you."

6.  Your unit will have state-of-the-art smart-refrigerator technology that can sense what you're putting into it and, if it violates your dietary guidelines, play an audio file in Dr. Now's voice saying, for example, "Dere is no protein in mashed potato."

[WhitneyWhit]

47 minutes ago, jpc1 said:

6.  Your unit will have state-of-the-art smart-refrigerator technology that can sense what you're putting into it and, if it violates your dietary guidelines, play an audio file in Dr. Now's voice saying, for example, "Dere is no protein in mashed potato."

I would love a fridge that spoke to you in Dr. Now's voice. 

I go to get ice cream "Dis not good sitchation"

My husband gets me something "You are enabling her"

Go to the fridge too many times in one day "You must consume tirty tousand calories in a day" "You will be dead soon"

[ams1001]

4 hours ago, jpc1 said:

6.  Your unit will have state-of-the-art smart-refrigerator technology that can sense what you're putting into it and, if it violates your dietary guidelines, play an audio file in Dr. Now's voice saying, for example, "Dere is no protein in mashed potato."

 

3 hours ago, WhitneyWhit said:

I would love a fridge that spoke to you in Dr. Now's voice. 

I go to get ice cream "Dis not good sitchation"

My husband gets me something "You are enabling her"

Go to the fridge too many times in one day "You must consume tirty tousand calories in a day" "You will be dead soon"

Remember the Staples "Easy Button" commercials? A friend gave me a button that looks like that but it plays about 5 or 6 random variations on "no" ("NO!", "Not a chance!", "Absolutely not!"). We need one of those with Dr. Now phrases.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

 

I would love a fridge that spoke to you in Dr. Now's voice. 

I go to get ice cream "Dis not good sitchation"

My husband gets me something "You are enabling her"

Go to the fridge too many times in one day "You must consume tirty tousand calories in a day" "You will be dead soon"

 

In an interesting coincidence, I just bought a new refrigerator tonight. I would have paid extra for this feature. Maybe I can train Alexa?

[CatherineM]

They have those programable teddy bears that you can record things on. Someone could make up one to give to participants. 

[aliya]

Was this the last M6PL of the season?

[ams1001]

8 minutes ago, aliya said:

Was this the last M6PL of the season?

Looks like it might be...this week and next week are reruns starting an hour early. (Next week is Schenee!) I googled season 6 episode list and google shows eps up to Sean & Dottie July 25. (IMDB's episode list only goes to May.)

[DC Gal in VA]

On 7/28/2018 at 4:08 PM, aliya said:

That show was one of my favorite addictions. However, I didn't agree with the food I saw; it looked so unappetizing, no wonder the patients cheated. There was another show about folks in a facility in Ohio, I think. The environment seemed more human focused. I became FB friends with one of the show's subjects, tho sadly he died a few years ago. 

Sean could use something like the Ohio facility, but it would have to be structured - here are cooking lessons, here is how we clean the house, here's how you talk to people who are helping you, here's how you manage your finances, get the electric & gas turned on, etc. I don't think he has a low IQ. He might benefit from an online community college class that's done in real time so that he actually has other people to talk to. I just see him as a sad case, but not beyond redemption. 

I think I remember this show as well aliya and I couldn't agree more about the meal choices; completely unappetizing, unimaginative and, uninspiring. As a bonifide foodie, to be told that this would be the way I had to eat for the rest of my life to reach and maintain a healthy weight would be extremely depressing for me.

While I found this show interesting, I felt that their methodology for treating extremely obese people to be far less than professional or even ethical. IIRC, the head of the facility would allow his patients to have as much unhealthy and fattening delivery food as they desired. If this is the same show, the patient wouldn't even have to get someone to sneak in pizza and "frayhhhhd rice" a la James K and Lethal Lisa. His justification was that they were adults and the facility just couldn't block their "rights" to make their own decisions. This was appalling to me and no different than a treatment center for alcoholics and/or drug addicts to allow residents the exercise of their free will to have drugs or alcohol provided for them on the premises.

Is this the same show you are referencing?

Edited August 4, 2018 by DC Gal in VA

[aliya]

12 minutes ago, DC Gal in VA said:

I think I remember this show as well aliya and I couldn't agree more about the meal choices; completely unappetizing, unimaginative and, uninspiring. As a bonifide foodie, to be told that this would be the way I had to eat for the rest of my life to reach and maintain a healthy weight would be extremely depressing for me.

While I found this show interesting, I felt that their methodology for treating extremely obese people to be far less than professional or even ethical. IIRC, the head of the facility would allow his patients to have as much unhealthy and fattening delivery food as they desired. If this is the same show, the patient wouldn't even have to get someone to sneak in pizza and "frayhhhhd rice" a la James K and Lethal Lisa. His justification was that they were adults and the facility just couldn't block their "rights" to make their own decisions. This was appalling to me and no different than a treatment center for alcoholics and/or drug addicts to allow residents the exercise of their free will to have drugs or alcohol provided for them on the premises.

Is this the same show you are referencing?

Yup. I agree with the assessment re outside food, but I believe there were legal issues with letting them do what they were doing. That said, I think it would be fair to say, "I can't stop you from bringing in food, but if we find out you consistently bring in food, you have to go. The program is for people who want to make a change."

[TVWatcher12]

I am glad someone mentioned Sean’s horrific feet! And he never wore shoes anywhere in this episode - I am horrified! Poor me, poor me. I feel bad he lost his mother but the wallowing in this episode is just over-the-top!

[Otter]

4 hours ago, TVWatcher12 said:

I am glad someone mentioned Sean’s horrific feet! And he never wore shoes anywhere in this episode - I am horrified! Poor me, poor me. I feel bad he lost his mother but the wallowing in this episode is just over-the-top!

In his defense, his mother kept him so stunted emotionally so he can't really communicate on a meaningful level.  First time I saw him I really thought he had Asperger's.  Maybe he does, but he has no skills in interacting with anyone but his mother who made him feel like the master of the universe while keeping him as a toddler.  

Sigh, don't think he knows how to wear shoes.  I wonder if his toes are so splayed in an attempt by his brain to keep him upright with more "foot area"?  He borders on the Assanti "hooves".

27 years old.  Should be some of the best times of his life but so wasted.  I have a lot of empathy for him even though he has no empathy for anyone but himself.   He was taught that.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Sigh, don't think he knows how to wear shoes.  I wonder if his toes are so splayed in an attempt by his brain to keep him upright with more "foot area"?  He borders on the Assanti "hooves".

Quote

 

He may not be able to find shoes that fit. And he couldn't put shoes on without help unless they were slides or flip flops - even then he'd have a hard time seeing where to put his foot.

[kokapetl]

Dottie’s butt was quite an interesting shape. Does assal horizontology cause that?

Sean’s flat affect was a huge red flag. Shouldn’t Dr Now have referred him to a psychiatrist? Dr Now does not seem skilled at treating, or managing the treatment of mental illnesses. 

Edited August 6, 2018 by kokapetl

[Minivanessa]

16 hours ago, Otter said:

In his defense, his mother kept him so stunted emotionally so he can't really communicate on a meaningful level.  First time I saw him I really thought he had Asperger's.  Maybe he does, but he has no skills in interacting with anyone but his mother who made him feel like the master of the universe while keeping him as a toddler.  

Sigh, don't think he knows how to wear shoes.  I wonder if his toes are so splayed in an attempt by his brain to keep him upright with more "foot area"?  He borders on the Assanti "hooves".

27 years old.  Should be some of the best times of his life but so wasted.  I have a lot of empathy for him even though he has no empathy for anyone but himself.   He was taught that.

Yes. His mother infantilized him to the point that although I think he's probably of normal intelligence, he's not equipped to cope with life. As snarkworthy as his behavior is, it ultimately saddens me more than annoys me because of that.

[gonecrackers]

Sean seems smart enough, just totally disgusted with himself & his life. He's very depressed & has trouble helping himself rather than wallowing in the muck.  I wish he had more people in his life looking out for him & gently nudging him in the right directions.

I thought his father was a prick, honestly. It sounds like he was abusive when Sean was a kid, so the mother-son dynamic became a different kind of toxic, but then he just makes a cameo to 'help' him move (not sure what he did exactly), & disappears again. He's just as responsible for Sean's condition but obviously doesn't give a shit.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Shouldn’t Dr Now have referred him to a psychiatrist? 

He did and Sean saw him a few times but refused further sessions - even when the psychiatrist offered to come to his home.

[kokapetl]

13 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

He did and Sean saw him a few times but refused further sessions - even when the psychiatrist offered to come to his home.

Was that Dr Paradise? He’s not a psychiatrist. The only time I’ve seen a psychiatrist on this show was when Steven Assanti was admitted to a drying out facility. 

I just saw Dottie’s sutures. Jesus God, what a hacked up mess. 

[gonecrackers]

7 hours ago, kokapetl said:

He’s not a psychiatrist

I believe he's a psychologist; he's definitely more than the usual licensed counselor or social worker they typically see on the show.

Edited August 7, 2018 by gonecrackers
not past tense

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Was that Dr Paradise? He’s not a psychiatrist. 

That was who I was thinking of...

[MillieSparklepants]

On 7/31/2018 at 6:27 PM, ams1001 said:

 

Remember the Staples "Easy Button" commercials? A friend gave me a button that looks like that but it plays about 5 or 6 random variations on "no" ("NO!", "Not a chance!", "Absolutely not!"). We need one of those with Dr. Now phrases.

Straying off topic here, but I desperately wanted a GPS that would insult you in Alan Rickman/Snape's voice. "I said RIGHT turn, you idiot. Ten points from Gryffindor."

[AZChristian]

21 minutes ago, MillieSparklepants said:

Straying off topic here, but I desperately wanted a GPS that would insult you in Alan Rickman/Snape's voice. "I said RIGHT turn, you idiot. Ten points from Gryffindor."

LOL. 

[kokapetl]

Just what was the Dr trying to do with her buttwing?

 

[WhitneyWhit]

On 8/6/2018 at 12:18 PM, gonecrackers said:

Sean seems smart enough, just totally disgusted with himself & his life. He's very depressed & has trouble helping himself rather than wallowing in the muck.  I wish he had more people in his life looking out for him & gently nudging him in the right directions.

I thought his father was a prick, honestly. It sounds like he was abusive when Sean was a kid, so the mother-son dynamic became a different kind of toxic, but then he just makes a cameo to 'help' him move (not sure what he did exactly), & disappears again. He's just as responsible for Sean's condition but obviously doesn't give a shit.

Sean's dad definitely seemed harsh when Sean was packing his mother's things, although I can't blame him for not wanting to park Sean and his hospital bed in his living room for the rest of Sean's life (and let's face it, his dad will bury him) the way his mother happily did.

Is it wrong that I have questioned exactly what Sean's mom meant by abusive? Sean said his dad got in his face but, I don't know, seeing their their (Sean and mom) relationship and how she doesn't want anything to upset him and will say yes, even to the detriment of his health, has always made me wonder if she would view discipline as abuse which led to his father becoming frustrated with both of them. Just a thought. 

[ams1001]

20 hours ago, MillieSparklepants said:

Straying off topic here, but I desperately wanted a GPS that would insult you in Alan Rickman/Snape's voice. "I said RIGHT turn, you idiot. Ten points from Gryffindor."

That would be perfect for me, since I can indeed get myself all turned around even with a GPS. Zero sense of direction, here.

[MillieSparklepants]

16 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

That would be perfect for me, since I can indeed get myself all turned around even with a GPS. Zero sense of direction, here.

Same!

2 hours ago, WhitneyWhit said:

Sean's dad definitely seemed harsh when Sean was packing his mother's things, although I can't blame him for not wanting to park Sean and his hospital bed in his living room for the rest of Sean's life (and let's face it, his dad will bury him) the way his mother happily did.

Is it wrong that I have questioned exactly what Sean's mom meant by abusive? Sean said his dad got in his face but, I don't know, seeing their their (Sean and mom) relationship and how she doesn't want anything to upset him and will say yes, even to the detriment of his health, has always made me wonder if she would view discipline as abuse which led to his father becoming frustrated with both of them. Just a thought. 

This is a valid point. I think there's more to the story than we've been told. 

[Colleenna]

On 8/6/2018 at 12:18 PM, gonecrackers said:

Sean seems smart enough, just totally disgusted with himself & his life. He's very depressed & has trouble helping himself rather than wallowing in the muck.  I wish he had more people in his life looking out for him & gently nudging him in the right directions.

I thought his father was a prick, honestly. It sounds like he was abusive when Sean was a kid, so the mother-son dynamic became a different kind of toxic, but then he just makes a cameo to 'help' him move (not sure what he did exactly), & disappears again. He's just as responsible for Sean's condition but obviously doesn't give a shit.

Wow, I totally disagree. I thought his father was reasonable, bordering on lenient. I probably would have told Sean "You cannot keep all this. You can keep 10 boxes and no more. "

[gonecrackers]

3 hours ago, WhitneyWhit said:

Sean's dad definitely seemed harsh when Sean was packing his mother's things, although I can't blame him for not wanting to park Sean and his hospital bed in his living room for the rest of Sean's life (and let's face it, his dad will bury him) the way his mother happily did.

I didn't mean he should do that; of course not. He just needs someone nudging him, you know, getting him to a counselor etc. If he had someone who gave a shit (other than Dr. Now) in his life he may find a reason to try.  Not necessarily, but maybe.  And he is his father; he could at least try.

32 minutes ago, Colleenna said:

Wow, I totally disagree. I thought his father was reasonable, bordering on lenient. I probably would have told Sean "You cannot keep all this. You can keep 10 boxes and no more. "

I also wasn't speaking of the moving etc. Of course he was right in trying to help him sort; that wasn't what I was talking about.

Maybe I just want to see Sean succeed & I worry he's at risk of suicide as well.

[WhitneyWhit]

18 minutes ago, gonecrackers said:

I didn't mean he should do that; of course not. He just needs someone nudging him, you know, getting him to a counselor etc. If he had someone who gave a shit (other than Dr. Now) in his life he may find a reason to try.  Not necessarily, but maybe.  And he is his father; he could at least try.

I also wasn't speaking of the moving etc. Of course he was right in trying to help him sort; that wasn't what I was talking about.

Maybe I just want to see Sean succeed & I worry he's at risk of suicide as well.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you did, I was just speaking in general.

[CoachWristletJen]

13 hours ago, WhitneyWhit said:

Sean's dad definitely seemed harsh when Sean was packing his mother's things, although I can't blame him for not wanting to park Sean and his hospital bed in his living room for the rest of Sean's life (and let's face it, his dad will bury him) the way his mother happily did.

Is it wrong that I have questioned exactly what Sean's mom meant by abusive? Sean said his dad got in his face but, I don't know, seeing their their (Sean and mom) relationship and how she doesn't want anything to upset him and will say yes, even to the detriment of his health, has always made me wonder if she would view discipline as abuse which led to his father becoming frustrated with both of them. Just a thought. 

That was my thought. We only saw a few clips, and basically Sean had done nothing but piddle around in his junk all day not wanting to part with much of anything. I'm sure that his dad was getting pretty frustrated as in, "Son, I can't help you if you don't either let me donate some stuff or you do it." I can see Dottie getting bitter about Sean's dad leaving her and keeping Sean away from him in retaliation, and then acting downright rabid when he tried to visit or maintain contact. "You can't see him today. He's sick. He's always sick." Etc.

Sean just wanted to piddle and reminisce about the childhood that he was still having.

His mom seemed to be the one with anger problems and she obviously would have said whatever she could to try to discredit Sean's dad. Sean seemed pretty suggestible so if Dottie said his dad yelled in his face, then Sean would accept it as truth.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

We only saw a few clips, and basically Sean had done nothing but piddle around in his junk all day not wanting to part with much of anything. I'm sure that his dad was getting pretty frustrated as in, "Son, I can't help you if you don't either let me donate some stuff or you do it."

I had nothing against Sean's father. I think he saw the enormous amount of work that needed to be done and he knew they had limited time to do it. He was trying to make Sean live in reality, a place that Sean has never even visited (probably never seen a postcard; definitely doesn't have a t-shirt). 

Sean was coddled his entire life. He doesn't need more of that from anyone else including his father.

[Guest]

15 hours ago, gonecrackers said:

Maybe I just want to see Sean succeed & I worry he's at risk of suicide as well.

I want Sean to succeed, too, but I doubt he’s a suicide risk—that would involve some self motivation. Sean would want someone to commit his own suicide for him. 

[gonecrackers]

We see so little & hear so little even of their backgrounds it's difficult to make a determination either way. I'm not saying he had a great mom, but I'm also not going to let dad off the hook. Way too many times dad's off the hook because he leaves - mom is left with the mess (he usually created), may or may not handle it well but if she doesn't handle it well she's the whole source of the problem. Now please don't take my words out of context, because Sean's mom was definitely an enabler & abusive in her own way, but I'm not going to buy into the father being innocent in Sean's outcome either.  That's just my $.02.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

I want Sean to succeed, too, but I doubt he’s a suicide risk—that would involve some self motivation. Sean would want someone to commit his own suicide for him. 

I don't know that I see Sean committing suicide but I can see him ignoring bedsores and skin infections until he succumbs to them. 

[DC Gal in VA]

On 8/8/2018 at 3:34 AM, kokapetl said:

Just what was the Dr trying to do with her buttwing?

 

Lord have mercy kokapetl you got me on that one. All I can say is that with that kind of disfigurement, any type of change to make her hips look anywhere near normal would require a series of surgeries, not just one. Someone during the Live Chat for this episode mentioned what I had already described her hips resembling, that being a flying saucer. Also, meaning no disrespect to Dr. Now, but any kind of additional finesse plastic surgery should be done by someone more experienced in that area.

Unfortunately, people in her situation are kinda stuck with Dr. Now because their skin removal surgeries are free as participants in the show. Anything done more expertly by a skilled plastic surgeon would have to be paid for by them which would probably be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

[gonecrackers]

I thought he started on her stomach, not the butt wings. It was kind of left open ended but because of her post-surgery isolation in the hotel she said she wasn't going to do anymore surgeries. She had also been smoking which could be dangerous pre-surgery & inhibit healing. I hope she can get to where she wants & needs to be eventually.

Maybe she can find someone closer to home to take over her case.

Edited August 9, 2018 by gonecrackers

[IvySpice]

I go back and forth between crumbs of grudging compassion for Sean and rooting for the hurricane.

This is a person no one loves. No one. His doctor cares about him, but that's not the same thing. I wouldn't last a day on this planet if everyone who ever loved me was dead. (Thank God my list is more than one person long.)

A charitable viewer might note that hoarders -- including depressed people who can't muster the will to walk to the toilet -- might be too embarrassed to let a therapist into their pit. If that were my house, I sure as hell wouldn't want anyone seeing it.

Then again, he let the camera team in, so...with addicts, there has to be some point where you allow them to die in their addiction if that's what they choose. We seem way beyond that point with Sean.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

This is a person no one loves. No one. His doctor cares about him, but that's not the same thing. I wouldn't last a day on this planet if everyone who ever loved me was dead. (Thank God my list is more than one person long.)

I agree. That must feel terrible. Part of what Sean needs to work through - and what he has no insight into - is how it became the case that he had only one person who loved him. 

Quote

A charitable viewer might note that hoarders -- including depressed people who can't muster the will to walk to the toilet -- might be too embarrassed to let a therapist into their pit. If that were my house, I sure as hell wouldn't want anyone seeing it.

True but Dr. Paradise sounded flexible. Sean could do therapy by phone or FaceTime. I definitely think he is clinically depressed and desperately in need of treatment for that.

[aliya]

On 8/8/2018 at 2:34 AM, kokapetl said:

Just what was the Dr trying to do with her buttwing?

 

OMGoodness. I love Dr Now, but wow. Frankenstein. And what is that - fat or pus between the top and vertical stitches? I've had breast reduction surgery. If my stitches looked like that I would have sued the doctor. I realize Dr Now isn't a cosmetic or reconstruction surgeon, but jeez Louise.

[IvySpice]

Dottie is one situation where Dr. Now made the wrong call offering the skin removal surgery. If she can't stop smoking, and she doesn't have anyone to stay in town with her and help her, then there's no hope that an awful incision like that will heal.

[gonecrackers]

Dr. Now does some great work, but a plastic surgeon he definitely is not.

[Wanda]

With regards to the skin surgeries, it seems like Dr. Now is capable of using a more refined technique. When he’s doing a ‘final’ surgery he uses much smaller stitches, particularly on the arms and legs. I think these operations when the patients are still 350-400 lbs are being done with the knowledge they will be needing more when they are closer to goal weight. Some people are told they need to get close to 200 lbs, while others have such large lymphodemas or overhanging stomachs/hip wings that they can’t move much and get them removed at much higher weights. Those are the surgeries that resemble Helen Kellers’ patchwork quilt work. In Dotties’s case she was not caring for her incisions plus smoking some. What is shown is a wound that isn’t healing and is getting infected.

[Minivanessa]

14 hours ago, Wanda said:

With regards to the skin surgeries, it seems like Dr. Now is capable of using a more refined technique. When he’s doing a ‘final’ surgery he uses much smaller stitches, particularly on the arms and legs. I think these operations when the patients are still 350-400 lbs are being done with the knowledge they will be needing more when they are closer to goal weight. Some people are told they need to get close to 200 lbs, while others have such large lymphodemas or overhanging stomachs/hip wings that they can’t move much and get them removed at much higher weights. Those are the surgeries that resemble Helen Kellers’ patchwork quilt work. In Dotties’s case she was not caring for her incisions plus smoking some. What is shown is a wound that isn’t healing and is getting infected.

I agree. What we don't see, and they don't yammer on about on the show, although I think they mention it, is all the painstaking vascular work these skin surgeries involve. So many veins to tie off and steps to take to prevent excess blood loss before closing the incision.

I've been critical (mostly privately, can't remember if I've ever posted about it) of some of the scars resulting form Dr. Now's work. But that's a good point, that some of these surgeries removing large growths, overhanging stomachs, and hip wings, are probably not the final editions, but essentially done to allow the patients to live in more comfort and attain something like normal movement. It's not about "pretty," it's about getting to something more like normal and less painful and crippling.

[gonecrackers]

I think once they get down to a certain weight it's a better idea to get a plastic surgeon though, & of course not smoke!

But I also think if they stick with Dr. Now through the whole thing it's probably covered financially.

[CoachWristletJen]

16 hours ago, Wanda said:

With regards to the skin surgeries, it seems like Dr. Now is capable of using a more refined technique. When he’s doing a ‘final’ surgery he uses much smaller stitches, particularly on the arms and legs. I think these operations when the patients are still 350-400 lbs are being done with the knowledge they will be needing more when they are closer to goal weight. Some people are told they need to get close to 200 lbs, while others have such large lymphodemas or overhanging stomachs/hip wings that they can’t move much and get them removed at much higher weights. Those are the surgeries that resemble Helen Kellers’ patchwork quilt work. In Dotties’s case she was not caring for her incisions plus smoking some. What is shown is a wound that isn’t healing and is getting infected.

Exactly. And, I think time is still of the essence here. These people are still fairly large and it's a matter of getting them out from under anesthesia as quickly as possible. That skin will probably be removed at a later date with the rest of the buttock wing in a later surgery and he will use smaller stitches and a more refined technique. Also, his strengths include tying up all of those blood vessels, keeping her safe, functioning, healthy, comfortable, and able to continue to lose more weight.  We don't know what Dottie told him in regard to her smoking and her aftercare plans. Sadly, she had neglected those stitches for awhile for them to get to that point. She was not keeping herself clean or doing what she was supposed to do. Dr. Now was upset because he realized she had seriously jeopardized her own life. Not sure Dottie realized fully that.

Edited August 12, 2018 by CoachWristletJen