S05.E06: Operation Complication

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Jazz is rushed into emergency surgery due to a major complication.  While staying with Jazz for her recovery in New York, Jeanette learns Jack is fighting for his life in a health crisis of his own.  

Somehow things that really are scary seem less so when written as a reality show description.   Will they survive? Let's find out together. 

[Emmeline]

Can anyone in the know tell me if Jazz has to be on hormone replacement therapy for the rest of her life?

The co-author has the cute on trend glasses.  Jennette should get a clue.  Hers are the worst.

I wondered why Ari wasn’t with Jazz and Jennette going back to the hospital, now I know, the boyfriend.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Emmeline

[doodlebug]

30 minutes ago, Emmeline said:

Can anyone in the know tell me if Jazz has to be on hormone replacement therapy for the rest of her life?

The co-author has the cute on trend glasses.  Jennette should get a clue.  Her’s are the worst.

I wondered why Ari wasn’t with Jazz and Jennette going back to the hospital, now I know, the boyfriend.

 

Yes, Jazz will need to take hormones, mainly estrogen,  for the rest of her life.  

Edited February 6, 2019 by doodlebug

[woodscommaelle]

Next week on ‘I am Jeanette.’

Greg was not having these conversations on tv.  I felt bad for him, but I also felt bad for Jeanette. And Jazz.  This was a sad episode.

[Gramto6]

At the beginning of the episode, why was Jeanette in a hospital bed?

This was a hard episode to watch, Jazz has really had a tough time getting through the surgeries. It looks like it might be taking a toll on her parent’s relationship...

[Honey]

Jeanette needs a makeover so badly.  She always just looks....greasy.

I'm so glad that her Dad was okay.  I really like him a lot.

Greg seemed just so "off" this episode.  He is always so caring, but he was not all supportive to Jeanette on the phone.  I don't understand that.  Then when he finally arrived he was unshaven, and just seemed irritated about something.  Am I imagining this?  Did anybody else notice he seemed off?

[Madding crowd]

I felt bad for Jeanette until she made it clear her speaking engagement was more important than her daughters health. And people you see once a year at a conference are not your friends, they are acquaintances.

I do think Jazz had a great attitude and I feel for her with all the complications. I think Greg didn’t seem himself because he is worried about his daughter and he knows Jeanette will put her fame over anything else. 

[sATL]

5 hours ago, woodscommaelle said:

Next week on ‘I am Jeanette.’

Greg was not having these conversations on tv.  I felt bad for him, but I also felt bad for Jeanette. And Jazz.  This was a sad episode.

I am a little worried about Jeanette. what is she doing for  her stress level? Was it recommended that she see a therapist/clergy/counselor/life coach during all of this? She is coming close to PTSD. She is now saying she can't leave the house ..

Her dad and Jazz still have to go through a recovery process , where heaven forbid , things can happen. . Does she have any friends that could have called, hopped a fight to NY or stop by the hospital in Miami? The publisher was right - Jeanette needs a hug and a shoulder to cry on ... I said that last week.

What does Greg do for a living ? I Little concerned about the rush getting back to work. hmmmm..

Is a day-nurse that much out of the budget ?  A prior generation ago, a few women in my family would take (in the day time; no overnight) clients who were  recovering from illnesses/ surgeries/elderly/physical limitations/injuries  - assist with bathing, light meal prep, change dressing, medication, light walking, bed changing,  - kinda like a nurses aide/LPN/home health aid. That line of work doesn't exist anymore ? I thought I saw a commercial about such a service recently..

Raymond is a cutie.... too bad he only sees Jazz as a little sister.... can that be changed one day ?

Edited February 6, 2019 by sATL

[maggiegil]

2 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I felt bad for Jeanette until she made it clear her speaking engagement was more important than her daughters health. And people you see once a year at a conference are not your friends, they are acquaintances.

Especially when there isn't an actual need for Jazz to be there, she'll just be tagging along to see people. To even think about going against Drs orders when there has been major complications is crazy!

If this conference is that essential they should have scheduled the surgery for after the conference especially given the fact they knew that the surgery was likely to have a long recovery time and there was a high probability of complications.

 

At the start of the episode I really felt for Jeanette when there were the complications with Jazz and then her Father but I felt like she was so unfair to put it all on Greg. Jeanette should not have agreed to this if she could not cope on her own. Jeanette is a person who needs a support network no matter what shes doing and I think it was obvious to most viewers that she would need a lot of support through this, they should have gone with a more local surgeon or waited until more people like her Mother or Greg could have gone with her for the duration of the recovery. Greg also should have seen this coming and held more firm about the surgery not being so soon or made himself more available.

 

The complications and 1 surgery now turning into 2 or probably 3 surgeries made me think of last year when they were getting the consultations and how most surgeons said it would be 2 surgeries but then Dr Bowers/Ting said that it could be done in 1 and that seemed like that was main reason they took for choosing a surgeon, it kind of proves if a Dr is willing to offer you the moon when others say it can't be done, its probably too good to be true.

Edited February 6, 2019 by maggiegil

[TomGirl]

4 hours ago, sATL said:

 

Raymond is a cutie.... too bad he only sees Jazz as a little sister.... can that be changed one day ?

I don’t think it’s likely that Raymond is into girls...

[Visaman666]

7 hours ago, Honey said:

Jeanette needs a makeover so badly.  She always just looks....greasy.

I'm so glad that her Dad was okay.  I really like him a lot.

Greg seemed just so "off" this episode.  He is always so caring, but he was not all supportive to Jeanette on the phone.  I don't understand that.  Then when he finally arrived he was unshaven, and just seemed irritated about something.  Am I imagining this?  Did anybody else notice he seemed off?

I think that was code for a divorce. She even said that they were separated for two weeks.

[readheaded]

8 hours ago, Honey said:

Jeanette needs a makeover so badly.  She always just looks....greasy.

I'm so glad that her Dad was okay.  I really like him a lot.

Greg seemed just so "off" this episode.  He is always so caring, but he was not all supportive to Jeanette on the phone.  I don't understand that.  Then when he finally arrived he was unshaven, and just seemed irritated about something.  Am I imagining this?  Did anybody else notice he seemed off?

Agreed on the makeover.  I'm really over those "cold shoulder" tops.

5 hours ago, maggiegil said:

Especially when there isn't an actual need for Jazz to be there, she'll just be tagging along to see people. To even think about going against Drs orders when there has been major complications is crazy!

If this conference is that essential they should have scheduled the surgery for after the conference especially given the fact they knew that the surgery was likely to have a long recovery time and there was a high probability of complications.

 

At the start of the episode I really felt for Jeanette when there were the complications with Jazz and then her Father but I felt like she was so unfair to put it all on Greg. Jeanette should not have agreed to this if she could not cope on her own. Jeanette is a person who needs a support network no matter what shes doing and I think it was obvious to most viewers that she would need a lot of support through this, they should have gone with a more local surgeon or waited until more people like her Mother or Greg could have gone with her for the duration of the recovery. Greg also should have seen this coming and held more firm about the surgery not being so soon or made himself more available.

 

The complications and 1 surgery now turning into 2 or probably 3 surgeries made me think of last year when they were getting the consultations and how most surgeons said it would be 2 surgeries but then Dr Bowers/Ting said that it could be done in 1 and that seemed like that was main reason they took for choosing a surgeon, it kind of proves if a Dr is willing to offer you the moon when others say it can't be done, its probably too good to be true.

I thought the other surgeons told Jazz that she'd need more than one surgery to get all the major work done, whereas with Drs. Bowers and Ting, the second surgery is more just touch up and cosmetic revision?

[Honey]

1 hour ago, Visaman666 said:

I think that was code for a divorce. She even said that they were separated for two weeks.

I think she meant separated by miles, not formally separated.  Although using the word "separated" was an odd choice.  I would have thought "apart" more appropriate.

[configdotsys]

I realize that medical issues are scary and feel for both Jazz and her grandfather and what they went through in the hospital but I just can't deal with Jeanette making this about her and what she is going through, what she has gone through, what she needs, how she wants to go to the conference with Jazz because if Jazz can't go, she cannot..... Also, calling the husband and going on about Jazz popping and "If it would have happened in the hotel...." but it didn't so just stop it with the dramatic. Same with her mother, ".... he would have bled out and died on the table." But he didn't. Why do people bring that stuff up in the heat of the moment and on the phone? Talk about that later, when the person is home. The situation is already tense enough.

Edited February 6, 2019 by configdotsys
added a dropped line

[Julyolo]

I think Greg has been aware for a longer time than the viewers what this has become in their family dynamic. It is one thing to be supportive. It is another thing to seek reflected glory from the situation of your child. There are many special needs children-which I consider Jazz to be-whose parents use the inherent heightened emotion  to feed their own need for drama and attention. Two aspects of last night show pointed this out. The first one was Jeanette's insistence about the conference, and the second was the preview of Jazz looking to move out.

[bichonblitz]

8 hours ago, maggiegil said:

Greg also should have seen this coming and held more firm about the surgery not being so soon or made himself more available.

Greg doesn't hold firm on anything when it comes to what Jeanette and Jazz want. They totally disregard his opinions and feelings. Jeanette has no respect for him, it's team Jeanette and Jazz only. Maybe he's sick of it. I would not blame him at all.  Also, Greg has a family to support, 2 sons to put through college. He has to work.  

Edited February 6, 2019 by bichonblitz

[Scarlett45]

3 hours ago, Julyolo said:

I think Greg has been aware for a longer time than the viewers what this has become in their family dynamic. It is one thing to be supportive. It is another thing to seek reflected glory from the situation of your child. There are many special needs children-which I consider Jazz to be-whose parents use the inherent heightened emotion  to feed their own need for drama and attention. Two aspects of last night show pointed this out. The first one was Jeanette's insistence about the conference, and the second was the preview of Jazz looking to move out.

Yes I see this in my Sib group. My mom didn’t suffer from this but I saw it a lot. The “Mommy Martyr complex” we call it; which only lasts so long at best. When the parents no longer get attention for parenting a child with “special needs”(goodness I hate that term) they don’t know what to do. 

[Kid]

1 hour ago, bichonblitz said:

Greg doesn't hold firm on anything when it comes to what Jeanette and Jazz want. They totally disregard his opinions and feelings. Jeanette has no respect for him, it's team Jeanette and Jazz only. Maybe he's sick of it. I would not blame him at all.  Also, Greg has a family to support, 2 sons to put through college. He has to work.  

 

Amen, amen and amen!!!!

Edited February 6, 2019 by Kid

[woodscommaelle]

10 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

The “mommy matry complex” we call it; which only lasts so long at best. When the parents no longer get attention for parenting a child with “special needs”(goodness I hate that term) they don’t know what to do. 

Sounds like Munchausen.

[Scarlett45]

3 minutes ago, woodscommaelle said:

Sounds like Munchausen.

Not exactly- unlike Munchausen by Proxy the child’s disability and need for care is actually REAL and the parent is caring for them properly. They aren’t abusing or neglecting them.

But you know how even mothers of typical kids get so wrapped up in caring for their children’s needs that becomes their ENTIRE identity?? It’s like that, only in the disability space it gets dialed up 100x because 1. The child’s needs are greater, 2. The social consequences are different. 

[jcbrown]

I fast-forwarded through most of Jeanette's drama last night, which made for a pretty short episode. And good grief, HD does her no favors between the sun damage and the spackled on foundation and the sparkly eye shadow and the terrible glasses and hair. And what grown-ass woman wears an off-the-shoulder top to her kid's surgery? Such an attention-seeker.

[Kid]

“Stoic” is not a word that I would use to describe Jeanette as the co-author of Jazz’ book did.

[doodlebug]

20 minutes ago, woodscommaelle said:

Sounds like Munchausen.

In Munchausen, the parent is actually factitiously creating the medical issues, injuring the child on purpose, insisting that painful surgeries and procedures be performed.  In "Mommy Martyr", the issues are already there and the child has to undergo various painful evaluations and therapies; the parent isn't directly causing the situation.  However, what they are doing is using that situation to call attention to themselves, to get praise, or approval or even financial gain.  I'll bet I if someone asked Jeannette to describe herself, she would do so completely in terms of being the mother of a transgendered teen and the activities she has taken up due to this.  No mention of her husband, her other kids, her interests or hobbies.  Nothing about where she's from or what her college major was. Jeannette defines her own existence completely in terms of Jazz' sexual identity and uses that to draw attention to herself, to feel good about herself, to feel superior to others, to have people tell her what a saint she is, how she is a far better parent than anyone else, how she has personally furthered the cause of transgender children more than anyone else, ever. If you asked her to describe Jazz, I expect her answer would totally involve the fact that she is transgender.  No mention of her soccer playing, her relationship with her siblings, her personality; she reduces Jazz to the single trait that will give Jeannette the attention she craves. The constant low level whining about how hard it is, how much she has missed, how consumed she is with her child's issues; is the martyr complex and allows Jeannette to direct attention away from Jazz and to herself.

Edited February 6, 2019 by doodlebug

[ClareWalks]

11 hours ago, sATL said:

Raymond is a cutie.... too bad he only sees Jazz as a little sister.... can that be changed one day ?

Raymond is clearly gay.

[Kid]

Jeanette really needs to quit whining. She has no job.  Her JOB is to take care of her daughter.   Her husband is a lawyer.  She should have to deal with his kind of stress every day. Yet, she expects him to bring in the big bucks and do her job as well. This is a reality show and she may be nothing like this. And I hope it’s all a script.  But if she is really like this, it’s obvious she’s never had any adversity in her life and I have no idea how he deals with someone this needy.  I understand this is stressful but she really needs to make herself a gratitude list.

And, oh my God, this must not have been so bad because she isn’t concerned about dragging her daughter to the conference.  Her daughter can go to the conference next year. One would think that, given what happened, if she had any sense at all she would not even consider having Jazz travel to a conference.  

Once again, she pays no attention to the concerns that her husband raises.  But when things go to hell, she wants to make sure that he’s right there in the middle of it.  Run, Greg, run!!!  The man is a saint.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Kid

[Muffyn]

To me the huge focus on Jeanette last night was because that's where the drama was.  She was clearly upset at the situation.  While Greg is more controlled in his outward reactions, that't not who Jeanette is.  While I would rather be around Greg (and I have often been told I am cold because I do not react like Jeanette), I can understand her reactions and feel sorry for her.  She was the adult* caring for a child in a city away from home.  Most people would prefer to have their partner with them during a time of great stress.  And, as she stated, this was much harder than she expected.  Other moms told her, but often we don't understand until we're in the middle of things.  When overwhelmed it is hard to find the way out.  Given that Jazz had complications, things were much worse than any of them were prepared for.  She was due for a breakdown.  The cameras were there when it happened and the producers ate it up. 

*yes, Ari is an adult. As Jeanette's child, she is not someone Jeanette is likely to lean on. She would see herself as needing to be strong for Ari.  Hence her decision not to tell the girls about grandpa's situation until he was stable.

I always look at this show with a bit of a side eye.  The focus of the show is Jazz.  They only have this show because Jazz is transgender.  So whenever that can be the focus, it is. while Jeanette is more wrapped up in Jazz's life than she is for her other children, I don't get the sense that the others have been neglected.  It is the issue of having special needs child.  There will be a differing amount of attention, not necessarily neglect.  I also suspect that outside the show they talk about more than Jazz and her vagina.  The twins and Ari seem to be doing well.  Somebody did something right in raising them. 

I saw Greg as simply very tired.  He is also dealing with his father-in-law's emergency surgery and his daughter's emergency surgery.  He was trying to help Jackie while Jack was in the hospital and is clearly concerned for his daughter.  His being more quiet and looking exhausted is not a sign of impending divorce to me. It's a sign that he is worn out between the emotional toll and the travel.  They all need a really long nap. 

[bichonblitz]

28 minutes ago, Kid said:

Once again, she pays no attention to the concerns that her husband raises.  But when things go to hell, she wants to make sure that he’s right there in the middle of it.  Run, Greg, run!!!  The man is a saint.

He really is awesome. From what we can see, he is a patient man, a good husband, father, family man and provider. I would marry him myself if I could! 

[Azanscrazyhair]

49 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

I fast-forwarded through most of Jeanette's drama last night, which made for a pretty short episode. And good grief, HD does her no favors between the sun damage and the spackled on foundation and the sparkly eye shadow and the terrible glasses and hair. And what grown-ass woman wears an off-the-shoulder top to her kid's surgery? Such an attention-seeker.

Ugh. Thank you.    I'm always amazed at her hair and makeup.    The 80s are over.    She could also be the poster for sunscreen and moisturizer. 

[Christina87]

1 hour ago, Kid said:

Jeanette really needs to quit whining. She has no job.  Her JOB is to take care of her daughter.   Her husband is a lawyer.  She should have to deal with his kind of stress every day. Yet, she expects him to bring in the big bucks and do her job as well. This is a reality show and she may be nothing like this. And I hope it’s all a script.  But if she is really like this, it’s obvious she’s never had any adversity in her life and I have no idea how he deals with someone this needy.  I understand this is stressful but she really needs to make herself a gratitude list.

And, oh my God, this must not have been so bad because she isn’t concerned about dragging her daughter to the conference.  Her daughter can go to the conference next year. One would think that, given what happened, if she had any sense at all she would not even consider having Jazz travel to a conference.  

Once again, she pays no attention to the concerns that her husband raises.  But when things go to hell, she wants to make sure that he’s right there in the middle of it.  Run, Greg, run!!!  The man is a saint.

 

PREACH!!! I get so tired of people who luck into the ideal lifestyle not appreciating how good they have it. I'm guessing that Jeanette would agree this is the ideal lifestyle, because I don't see her lasting two days in the workforce. Speaking of the workforce, she's lucky that she doesn't have to take time off to go to the surgery herself. She's also lucky that this surgery is even possible financially. She and Greg are a team, and she's doing her job right now by being the parent who is with jazz, while the other works to provide. That doesn't mean that Greg is completely inaccessible, or that she can't text or call him as much as she wants. It just grinds my gears when women feel they can't do anything without their husband there. I've had to do a lot of things that I didn't want to do alone, being single, but it made me stronger and more confident in myself, every single time.

I know my dad loves me to death, but if I had surgery, I know for a fact he wouldn't take multiple days off for it. He would be back at work after the first day, and I'd understand it, as would my mom, who would be fine sitting in the waiting room for days because she would see that as her job, and she is a strong person. I'm sorry if I sound cold, but I strongly feel that adult women should be able to get through hard things without a man sitting beside them holding their hand. A lot of times, marrying a provider means that you have to do more things on your own, not because your husband doesn't care (unless maybe you're just a trophy wife, but obviously Greg cares), but because they are always hustling to make money. That's how my last relationship was, and honestly I appreciated the security, even if it meant he  couldn't always come to everything because he was working. Of course he took off work sometimes, like when I went to the ER, but I would never have expected I'm to stay home for an extended time afterwards to care for me. Some people are different, and would rather marry an artist who comes with them everywhere, and that's their choice, but it wasn't Jeanette's choice. It seems like she is really out of touch with reality, and takes her money / lifestyle for granted. Then you add in the whole stage parent thing, and she crosses over into insufferable territory. I am worried for her, as she's clearly not emotionally healthy, and I feel for her, but she needs a therapist, not coddling. 

Edited February 6, 2019 by Christina87

[Scarlett45]

38 minutes ago, Christina87 said:

She and Greg are a team, and she's doing her job right now by being the parent who is with jazz, while the other works to provide. That doesn't mean that Greg is completely inaccessible, or that she can't text or call him as much as she wants. It just grinds my gears when women feel they can't do anything without their husband there. I've had to do a lot of things that I didn't want to do alone, being single, but it made me stronger and more confident in myself, every single time.

I know my dad loves me to death, but if I had surgery, I know for a fact he wouldn't take multiple days off for it. He would be back at work after the first day, and I'd understand it, as would my mom, who would be fine sitting in the waiting room for days because she would see that as her job, and she is a strong person. I'm sorry if I sound cold, but I strongly feel that adult women should be able to get through hard things without a man sitting beside them holding their hand. A lot of times, marrying a provider means that you have to do more things on your own, not because your husband doesn't care (unless maybe you're just a trophy wife, but obviously Greg cares), but because they are always hustling to make money.

I haven’t seen the episode yet but I know what Jeanette is like and I agree with you. Jeanette is an adult woman, it’s her job to be there for JAZZ right now. She’s not the one having surgery. Of course Greg cares about how Jeanette feels and how she’s handling things but his job is to be at work right now. 

It doesn’t take two people to sit in the waiting room for days on end. It’s 2019, grab an iPad or kindle and read for pete’s sakes!

[Zuleikha]

But you know how even mothers of typical kids get so wrapped up in caring for their children’s needs that becomes their ENTIRE identity?? It’s like that, only in the disability space it gets dialed up 100x because 1. The child’s needs are greater, 2. The social consequences are different.

I think this is unhealthy but also that it's a pretty natural consequence of taking a driven, capable woman and giving her no other outlet to channel it into. This is where I find a lot of child/parent dyadic activism to be frustrating. I feel like there can be a lot of push to deny the impact of the child's needs on the parent--who is almost always the mother.

[Concerned]

So what does Jeanette have left once Jazz flies the coop? She’s already an adult as are Jeanette’s other children. Jeanette’s at the stage of life when the kids only come home at Christmas. It’s one thing to be the mother of a child who is in transition, but less exciting to be the mother of a woman in her 20s who is more into friends than family. I suspect the “Jennings” family has run its course and the tight knit nuclear family of parents and children has run its course.

[readheaded]

1 hour ago, Concerned said:

So what does Jeanette have left once Jazz flies the coop? She’s already an adult as are Jeanette’s other children. Jeanette’s at the stage of life when the kids only come home at Christmas. It’s one thing to be the mother of a child who is in transition, but less exciting to be the mother of a woman in her 20s who is more into friends than family. I suspect the “Jennings” family has run its course and the tight knit nuclear family of parents and children has run its course.

Jeanette is the President of the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation.  http://www.transkidspurplerainbow.org/

[Christina87]

1 hour ago, Concerned said:

So what does Jeanette have left once Jazz flies the coop? She’s already an adult as are Jeanette’s other children. Jeanette’s at the stage of life when the kids only come home at Christmas. It’s one thing to be the mother of a child who is in transition, but less exciting to be the mother of a woman in her 20s who is more into friends than family. I suspect the “Jennings” family has run its course and the tight knit nuclear family of parents and children has run its course.

That's a really good question. As sad as it sounds, I totally could see Jeanette being thrilled if one of her kids had an unplanned pregnancy, and she could raise the child. You know a family's dysfunctional when the parent would be alllll about that!

[msrachelj]

6 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I fast-forwarded through most of Jeanette's drama last night, which made for a pretty short episode. And good grief, HD does her no favors between the sun damage and the spackled on foundation and the sparkly eye shadow and the terrible glasses and hair. And what grown-ass woman wears an off-the-shoulder top to her kid's surgery? Such an attention-seeker.

she would look much nicer with a transformation by professionals. . she dresses too young, makeup is terrible, glasses bad, hair bad. she is stuck in a time that has passed.i'd love to see how pretty she would look with a complete do over. 

4 minutes ago, Christina87 said:

That's a really good question. As sad as it sounds, I totally could see Jeanette being thrilled if one of her kids had an unplanned pregnancy, and she could raise the child. You know a family's dysfunctional when the parent would be alllll about that!

watched a show on some cable channel the other night about these 3 children who have some kind of serious condition where they don't age normally. one boy was the size of a 12 year old maybe but was in his 30's. severely disabled and his mother had to do everything for him. maybe it was her way of coping with the situation but she actually said she likes having him stay this way because he is always with her, if he were "normal" he would not be her baby, literally, anymore. 

[msrachelj]

4 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I haven’t seen the episode yet but I know what Jeanette is like and I agree with you. Jeanette is an adult woman, it’s her job to be there for JAZZ right now. She’s not the one having surgery. Of course Greg cares about how Jeanette feels and how she’s handling things but his job is to be at work right now. 

It doesn’t take two people to sit in the waiting room for days on end. It’s 2019, grab an iPad or kindle and read for pete’s sakes!

this whole scenario is nuts. they can afford a nurse, if even for 1/2 the day. end of story.

[RemoteControlFreak]

14 hours ago, Visaman666 said:

I think that was code for a divorce. She even said that they were separated for two weeks.

I think he just didn't want to have an unscripted conversation on camera.  This show may seem like unscripted reality TV, and it is, but most of the scenes with Greg, Jazz's siblings, and even with Jazz, are either one person talking to the camera or a specific short situation, typically shot inside the family's home, talking about one discrete topic. Jeanette seems like the only person who is willing to have herself filmed at any time, in any place, and in less controlled situations.

Edited February 7, 2019 by RemoteControlFreak

[sATL]

5 hours ago, Concerned said:

So what does Jeanette have left once Jazz flies the coop? She’s already an adult as are Jeanette’s other children. Jeanette’s at the stage of life when the kids only come home at Christmas. It’s one thing to be the mother of a child who is in transition, but less exciting to be the mother of a woman in her 20s who is more into friends than family. I suspect the “Jennings” family has run its course and the tight knit nuclear family of parents and children has run its course.

I've been wondering the same thing. Let me go back in time - what did Jeanette do prior to being a stay at home mom ? I suspect it wasn't a long career so I thought maybe she would seek going back into that profession, after some re-tooling/education of course.

 

4 hours ago, readheaded said:

Jeanette is the President of the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation.  http://www.transkidspurplerainbow.org/

Great - but most Presidents are for a term .. Is this her own foundation , which I guess could be president until ___ .

Surely she has a passion/interest/skill of her own....outside of all of her children.. something that perhaps involves adults closer to her own age. If anything, spend more quality and quantity time with Greg. I would think in between all of the goings on, they would have discussed , as husband and wife, what they want to do in the "next chapter" of their life. There was an above post stating that Greg is a lawyer. Is there something she can do for his firm? She is lucky is that she doesn't have to work for money , which leaves the possibility open for many endeavors. Surely Jeanette has got to realize there is a big world out there that don't involve tag-teaming with your children and what they are up to as 20-somethings..

I would admit I don't know (b/c I didn't watch the early seasons that much) how much involved Jeanette was in the other 3 lives as they grew up - was she the sports team mom, band parent, on the PTA/school boards, etc. 

Edited February 7, 2019 by sATL

[gingerella]

I am only 11 minutes into this episode and already I was to bitch slap both Jeanette and Jazz. First of all, Bowers and Ting have said how many times that this is the most common complication that can occur and to be prepared for it. And yet...Jeannette whines and opines at now unfair it is blah blah blah fish cakes. You know what’s UNFAIR Jeanette? All the people around the world who want to have gender reassignment surgery but cannot because they can’t afford it, or they live in a country where they’d be killed if they did, or they live inpoverty so deep we cannot even fathom it. THAT is unfair Jeanette, not Jazz having the most common form of complication. Be glad and thankful that Dr. Ting came to the hotel to examine Jazz and got her into surgery immediately to fix the problem. If she as to have one or even two or three surgeries to sort it all out to a get a best outcome, isn’t that worth it given she’s wanted this since she’s could speak?

And don’t get me started on Jazz’s woe is me thing...again, she wants this so much but as usual, she expects it all to go according to Jazz World and she’s learning that life doesn’t always go according to what’s in your head. And Jeanette, if Jazz actually has a friend visit her in hospital, get the fuck OUT and give her alone time with her friend FFS. Jesus H Christ, this woman is just so codependent, it’s really sad to watch.

Jeanette seems to thrive on drama. It’s sad to say, but I think it’s true. She can’t just say her Dad had surgery and complications, she has to emphasize HE ALMOST BLED OUT AND DIED! She really needs some serious tough love therapy. 

I just can’t with these people. They seem to have no appreciation for how lucky they are. 

ETA: This conference, seriously?!? The way Jeanette negates Greg’s wanting to follow doctor’s orders just makes me so....grrrrrrr!

Also, anyone else thing Emir is trans? Just me?

Edited February 7, 2019 by gingerella

[Yeah No]

50 minutes ago, gingerella said:

I just can’t with these people. They seem to have no appreciation for how lucky they are. 

I can't stop thinking the same things watching this show.  It would be nice to see them acknowledge their good fortune once in a while.  I now see where Jazz gets her self-centeredness from.  It comes from mom.  I just tuned in last week after not watching the show since season 1.  I see Jeannette's fame-ho qualities too.  And she was clearly not happy with Greg for not being around.  But being a lawyer is no joke.  He can't just drop things when there's an important court appearance, etc.  I think she was just really stressed out at the time so hopefully when the crisis was over the conflict was smoothed over.  But I feel for Greg having to deal with this situation.  I also feel like he plays second fiddle to Jazz/Jeannette.

It was worth it for me to watch this episode if only for seeing Jazz's expectations cut down to size.  Now she says she would just be happy with a "working" vagina if not a "pretty" one.  Boy, there is so much room for later disappointment here I fear that her satisfaction level with the results is never going to be that great given the possible compromises ahead.  I truly wonder whether Jazz isn't seeing a vagina as some kind of magical possession that perhaps it may never be for her.  She seems to have too many hopes riding on one thing that may not be able to live up to even half of the expectation.

[gingerella]

9 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

It was worth it for me to watch this episode if only for seeing Jazz's expectations cut down to size.  Now she says she would just be happy with a "working" vagina if not a "pretty" one.  Boy, there is so much room for later disappointment here I fear that her satisfaction level with the results is never going to be that great given the possible compromises ahead.  I truly wonder whether Jazz isn't seeing a vagina as some kind of magical possession that perhaps it may never be for her.  She seems to have too many hopes riding on one thing that may not be able to live up to even half of the expectation.

You know, maybe this was a good thing in that it’s made Jazz realize that just having the surgery is a huge achievement for her and it doesn’t have to be America’s Top...nevermind, I won’t put you all through that again! Seriously though, maybe she’ll become more realistic which honestly, would serve her well in adulthood.

[Honey]

Could someone please slap Jazz upside the head, and tell her that flowers and sunsets are pretty, vaginas are not.

[missnoa]

The season preview also shows the doctor telling her she's gonna require a couple more surgeries. I really do wonder how much her being on hormone blockers from a very young age leading to less to work with downstairs than most others have has affected how difficult her surgery experience is gonna be.

As for Jeanette, her entire life is tied up in Jazz. If Jazz ever moves out and cuts the apron strings, Jeanette is not going to do well.

Edited February 9, 2019 by missnoa

[Polliwollidoodle]

On 2/6/2019 at 7:49 PM, msrachelj said:

this whole scenario is nuts. they can afford a nurse, if even for 1/2 the day. end of story.

THIS. I know it's easy for me to spend other people's money, and I fully recognize that money does not grow on trees and is not endless.

However, the family seems to enjoy a very nice lifestyle, traveling and such for various medical visits readily (unless do you think  this is sponsored or covered for the story line?)....

so way back when Jeannette was saying that she had to serve as full time nurse for recovery it just didn't ring true for me. Certainly I would have thought that even for the first few days post op out of the hospital that they could have had some nursing staff coordinated.

oh and on a side note- I missed these forums BIG TIME !!!

happy they are back!

[ThinkerBell]

It appears that Greg has had enough of the spotlight, hence his comment over the phone to Jeannette that they would discuss things "later". He was aware that he was being recorded and gave the impression that some things should remain private and within the confines of the family. By contrast, Jeannette and Jazz seem to be quite comfortable with viewers having access to even the most personal moments. I was a bit shocked when the camera crew were allowed to remain in the room when the doctors examined and dilated Jazz's new vagina.

Edited February 9, 2019 by ThinkerBell

[Twopper]

3 hours ago, mayvenne said:

so way back when Jeannette was saying that she had to serve as full time nurse for recovery it just didn't ring true for me. Certainly I would have thought that even for the first few days post op out of the hospital that they could have had some nursing staff coordinated.

It may not have been possible to  get a nurse immediately after unless they planned in advance for one.   This happened to me when my mom was released from the hospital after an accident.  I was 30ish, and I have no nurse-like tendencies so I was terrified, because she needed 24 hour care, and I had a family.   Anyway, I was on a wait-list for about 2 days before I could get anyone.   This was 20+ years ago, so maybe it is easier now to get someone.  I didn't even need an RN,  an LPN or aide would have been all I needed. 

Jeanette  just reminds me of someone who hasn't encountered many serious situations in life;  both her parents were healthy until her dad developed heart issues. 

I didn't quite understand why she was so adamant about going to the convention.  Sure Jazz has friends there, but this isn't the 1960's when the only time you see your friends is in person.  They can skype, face time or do group messages.  Jeanette is important at these events because she is the mother of a trans teen who gets a lot of publicity which makes Jeanette more important in her eyes than the other parents.  I think she likes the attention she gets at the convention, and she is very upset about being deprived of it.  It isn't like the convention date wasn't known in advance.  They could have asked to delay the surgery until afterward if it was important to Jazz to go, but I don't think Jazz would have wanted the delay.   When Jazz moves out, Jeanette is going to have a really bad case of Empty Nest.  Also even if she keeps going to conferences, her importance will lessen as Jazz is now an adult and won't need her mother to go with her.

[TwirlyGirly]

On 2/7/2019 at 7:17 AM, Honey said:

Could someone please slap Jazz upside the head, and tell her that flowers and sunsets are pretty, vaginas are not.

Well....there are a lot of people who believe many of the paintings by artist Georgia O'Keefee were inspired by - if not actually depict - the vulva:

[kicotan]

When Jessica and Jeanette were chatting on the bench outside, Jeanette told Jessica that Jazz’s “whole vagina fell off...well, the face of it”.  Didn’t Dr. Ting say her vagina was doing just fine and intact?

It’s so annoying that Jazz and Jeanette can’t just say the word “vulva” when that’s what they are talking about.

[Natalie68]

On 2/5/2019 at 7:37 PM, Honey said:

Jeanette needs a makeover so badly.  She always just looks....greasy.

I'm so glad that her Dad was okay.  I really like him a lot.

Greg seemed just so "off" this episode.  He is always so caring, but he was not all supportive to Jeanette on the phone.  I don't understand that.  Then when he finally arrived he was unshaven, and just seemed irritated about something.  Am I imagining this?  Did anybody else notice he seemed off?

I noticed it as well.  It really seems he is very uncomfortable with all of this being on tv.  I also wondered if once this show is over they will divorce.  I am not sure why but it went through my head.  Maybe that Jazz has taken so much time and energy that all of their issues could have been pushed aside but once Jazz is out of the house they won't know what to do with each other.  

On 2/6/2019 at 4:33 AM, readheaded said:

Agreed on the makeover.  I'm really over those "cold shoulder" tops.

I thought the other surgeons told Jazz that she'd need more than one surgery to get all the major work done, whereas with Drs. Bowers and Ting, the second surgery is more just touch up and cosmetic revision?

ME TOO!  They are not attractive.

[parrotfeathers]

On 2/9/2019 at 10:36 AM, Twopper said:

When Jazz moves out,

Even as an occasional view of this show, she and mom are so dependent on each other I'm not sure how that will ever happen.  What would either of them do all day?