S07.E11: Jeanne's Story

[Tabbygirl521]

The parents clearly had their own issues but as always I ask, how do you look at your 700-lb kid, about whose situation you feel some guilt, and say “I am so sorry; here’s a dozen scrambled eggs with cheese and gravy. How was that pizza?” Lola and Dr P have their work cut out for them when dealing with these kinds of history and dynamics. I wonder how many poundticipants really stick with therapy for any length of time. 

On another note, did Dr Now REALLY have to explain that you have to wipe your butt every time?? I had trouble looking at the screen for this episode and I think I tuned some of it out as well.

maybe mom is so exhausted and in pain that sometimes she just thought Fuck it. 

[ShaNaeNae]

22 hours ago, OoogleEyes said:

Did they even *have* sheets?

23 hours ago, gardendiva said:

I doubt there were sheets on the bed to begin with. Most of these people never seem to use sheets.

There wasn't any and the mattress was all brown.  Blrghlrghbluh.

[fonfereksglen]

8 hours ago, zillabreeze said:

Oh dear. I knew that was f-d up when I typed it.  (Fellow depressive) Yup.  Some of those meds will pile on the pounds.  Some might not (damn, I wish) It takes what seems like forever to fix depression.  When I get there, I'll PM the answer 😁

I hold with the theory that depression has to be addressed with these folks BEFORE you just say "1200cal, and call me in the morning" .  

While we know what they look naked, that they can eat 30 dollars worth of fast food and several pizzas for a snack, we really don't know anything about their meds or most of their other medical issues. 

I have noticed next to bed stands multiple bottles of meds.  For what?  Who knows.  But to assume their obvious boredom is  depression might be a false assumption.

[Hana Chan]

I honestly don't care about Jeanne's fate. She's an adult and she was offered help and refused it. Dr. Now instructed her on what she needed to do and she ignored those instructions. She was offered psychiatric help and was resistant to that. In the end, that's all on her. She might have endured some painful things in life, but at some point she needs to stop using them as an excuse to keep shoveling food into her face. 

My concern is for her mother, who clearly is on her last legs. Yes, the house is a mess but the poor woman has had to do everything on her own, including wiping her adult daughter's ass every time she takes a shit, after having major surgery. She never was given a chance to really heal and do the necessary follow-up care, otherwise her doctors would have seen the problems with the surgical site long before it was addressed by Dr. Now. 

And now she has another major surgery to recover from, her husband is dead and her daughter is still a bloated mass demanding full time care to keep her never-satisfied maw filled. She's isn't going to have a chance to heal because she now has to take care of the house on her own (and I don't doubt that she's totally overwhelmed and trying to do things to the best of her ability) because we know that her daughter isn't going to lift a finger to help. I'm really hoping that social services in that town intervene before the woman kills herself. Jeanne probably wouldn't notice until feeding time is five minutes late.

Edited March 15, 2019 by Hana Chan

[WonTon]

10 hours ago, gardendiva said:

You forgot “The Man With the 132 Pound Scrotum”.

OMG?!?!? Is that for real?

[Tabbygirl521]

7 minutes ago, WonTon said:

OMG?!?!? Is that for real?

Indeed it is. Or was; I believe the poor fellow has passed away from unrelated causes. Catch a viewing if you can find it; sad but trainwreckily entertaining at times. 

[libgirl2]

15 minutes ago, Hana Chan said:

I honestly don't care about Jeanne's fate. She's an adult and she was offered help and refused it. Dr. Now instructed her on what she needed to do and she ignored those instructions. She was offered psychiatric help and was resistant to that. In the end, that's all on her. She might have endured some painful things in life, but at some point she needs to stop using them as an excuse to keep shoveling food into her face. 

My concern is for her mother, who clearly is on her last legs. Yes, the house is a mess but the poor woman has had to do everything on her own, including wiping her adult daughter's ass every time she takes a shit, after having major surgery. She never was given a chance to really heal and do the necessary follow-up care, otherwise her doctors would have seen the problems with the surgical site long before it was addressed by Dr. Now. 

And now she has another major surgery to recover from, her husband is dead and her daughter is still a bloated mass demanding full time care to keep her never-satisfied maw filled. She's isn't going to have a chance to heal because she now has to take care of the house on her own (and I don't doubt that she's totally overwhelmed and trying to do things to the best of her ability) because we know that her daughter isn't going to lift a finger to help. I'm really hoping that social services in that town intervene before the woman kills herself. Jeanne probably wouldn't notice until feeding time is five minutes late.

And then who will bring her her food and wipe her poopy butt? 

[Tabbygirl521]

8 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

And then who will bring her her food and wipe her poopy butt? 

“Who will bring me fo-oo-ood?

and who will wipe my butt?

and who will kiss my ruby lips

when she is gone?

look away! Look away!

look away, over Yandro...”

Edited March 15, 2019 by Tabbygirl521

[TVWatcher12]

I have not finished the episode yet but wow! She had FECES in the folds of her skin?!?!🤮🤮🤮🤮 The poor hospital workers and just yuck! Secondly I guess smoking does not keep your weight in check! Lastly, why oh why do these people lie about their food intake? Seriously?! I love how she slipped one day and gained 30 pounds. 

Edited March 15, 2019 by TVWatcher12

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, TVWatcher12 said:

I have not finished the episode yet but wow! She had FECES in the folds of her skin?!?!🤮🤮🤮🤮 The poor hospital workers and just yuck! Secondly I guess smoking does not keep your weight in check! Lastly, why oh why do these people lie about their food intake? Seriously?! I love how she slipped one day and gained 30 pounds. 

I guess not! 

[DC Gal in VA]

6 minutes ago, TVWatcher12 said:

I have not finished the episode yet but wow! She had FECES in the folds of her skin?!?!🤮🤮🤮🤮 The poor hospital workers and just yuck! Secondly I guess smoking does not keep your weight in check! Lastly, why oh why do these people lie about their food intake? Seriously?! I love how she slipped one day and gained 30 pounds. 

What's even creepier and more disturbing TVWatcher12 is that Barbara, her mom, echoed the lies! That poor woman has been so brow beat and brainwashed with guilt by this selfish hose beast. Oranges as a snack!? Yeah, right.

[88Keys]

16 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

I’m watching this now and made the mistake of trying to eat lunch too. Error! I can’t even look at the screen for about 80% of this and I’m still ready to heave. 

I was eating supper when the dripping infected wound came on.  And then he said it was full of feces...I had to put the food down.

15 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

Sorry if this has been asked before (I'm just now watching this sad story) but, have we ever seen another smoker on My 600 lb. Life?  

Dottie.  Dr. Now got onto her for it.  

14 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Oh the (thankfully imagined) smells of that episode. The smells of her never showered, wet wiped body, her hair (did she/mom wet wipe that too?), that horrible feces impacted infection, the unwashed clothes we all saw piled up in the laundry area, that musty, dusty trailer and, those poor dogs who have probably never been given a proper bath in years, if ever.

I fee like the camera crew should have had to wear respirators, and should have gotten hazard pay.

13 hours ago, AZChristian said:

We got home from Las Vegas around 4:45, and I started watching this episode right away.  You folks were right . . . Jeanne is a piece of work.  A BIG piece of work.

But I must say this:  I expected the house to be a lot worse based on what I read here.  Yes, it was filthy and cluttered . . . but nowhere near hoarder level.  

I agree that it wasn't a true hoarder house, but it was definitely filthy and unhygienic.  Dust and cobwebs everywhere, dog crap on the floor, unwashed clothes and bedding...I mean, the fact that they both kept having infections spoke volumes, both about the environment they were living in and their lack of hygiene.  

[Minivanessa]

5 hours ago, fonfereksglen said:

While we know what they look naked, that they can eat 30 dollars worth of fast food and several pizzas for a snack, we really don't know anything about their meds or most of their other medical issues. 

I have noticed next to bed stands multiple bottles of meds.  For what?  Who knows.  But to assume their obvious boredom is  depression might be a false assumption.

I've also noticed those prescription med bottles in several episodes. Without explanation. I can't believe that none of these patients, for example, are Type 2 diabetics at those enormous weights with Lord knows what havoc has been wreaked on their metabolism and the insulin-triggering levels of carbs they're constantly eating. But IIRC we've seldom if ever seen that issue addressed on the show. 

I have first hand experience with depression. More than once. It's the very devil to experience, and can be the very devil to treat. The only thing they can do with drugs is to put you on one and wait weeks to see how - or if - you respond. In my case, after a week or two on Prozac I ended up in the bathroom at 2 AM being copiously sick. My doc cheerfully said, "yes that often will happen but we just have to give you the med and see if it does." Yikes. Other antidepressant drugs either made no difference or left me so spaced out I couldn't function. They never found my magic pill although I was on one med for a few years - because it wasn't obviously harming me, I could function, I figured it might be helping, and no way in hell was I going to get labeled as one of those "treatment resistant" problem patients. So I took my meds like a good girl. And gained weight I still have. Bah.

Based on my experience, I get irritated when people seem to think that docs can just toss a scrip at a depressed patient and make things all better. [Not saying that anyone has done that on this forum. Just to be clear.] No matter if they weigh 100 pounds or 650 pounds. It's great when those pills work, but they don't always by any means.

Edited March 15, 2019 by Jeeves

[Mothra]

5 minutes ago, 88Keys said:

I agree that it wasn't a true hoarder house, but it was definitely filthy and unhygienic.  Dust and cobwebs everywhere, dog crap on the floor, unwashed clothes and bedding...I mean, the fact that they both kept having infections spoke volumes, both about the environment they were living in and their lack of hygiene.  

I am ashamed to say I didn't notice how filthy the house was until the last scenes.  I don't fault Jeanne's mother for this; she is sick and  has her daughter to take care of.  We don't know what was going on with Dad, whether his mental illness was being treated or what it meant to the running of the household.  I am sure that the mom's first bowel repair surgery failed because she was not able to refrain from strenuous lifting and stretching; I bet the hernia came from that, too, and now that she is unable to spend recovery time in the hospital, this hernia/bowel repair will rupture as well.  You're not supposed to lift over something like 5 pounds for the first few weeks after that kind of surgery, and hell one of Jeanne's breakfasts weighs that much.

A long time ago I belonged to a usenet forum where there was a poster who called him/herself DoesNotWipeRight.  I'm wondering if that was Jeanne--no, I guess she'd have been too young.  Maybe it was her mother.

It's very sad to bear witness to these two poor women trudging inexorably to their deaths.

[Kellyee]

Quote

I finally watched this episode and felt the same way about it as when I watched Sean's episodes: devastating sadness. Jeanne and her parents were just broken human beings. Poverty, mental illness, lack of education, isolation—there was nothing in that household that suggested to me they knew one moment in their lives that had anything remotely to do with the meaning of joy. Nothing. That human beings have to live their life in such a state of sorrow and depression is nothing short of inhumane to me. Of course everyone has personal responsibility over their lives but, in this case, so many factors prevented them from making better choices. It just doesn't seem like it was possible for them to turn their lives around and it's far too late now. Their house seemed to be the physical manifestation of their emotional lives. It was just a complete tragedy.

All three of them appeared to suffer from some form of mental illness. Jeanne's mother was either mentally ill or at least just severely depressed. The house was filthy. They needed assistance from Adult Protective Services, not lectures from Dr. Now. There have been a few of these episodes now where the mental illness is so obvious that having a camera crew film it seems exploitive.  Either Jeanne or her mom are going to die next, and its really sad.

[zillabreeze]

6 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

Not saying that anyone has done that on this forum. Just to be clear.]

Oh. I'm afraid I did.  Not the "toss a script part",  but was bitching about the lack of info about coming at these people from ALL angles.  Nutritionists, meds, shopping & cooking education... Put these damn people in a pool and help them exercise!    1200 Cal and Dr. Wig are just a joke.

Yup.  Been there, doing that with depression.  She's a ruthless bitch and I certainly apologize for if I came across as insensitive to that struggle!

I keep remembering when TLC was The LEARNING Channel.  It's been Freakshow Central for so long, I should know better!  Mea culpa!

[ShaNaeNae]

43 minutes ago, TVWatcher12 said:

 Lastly, why oh why do these people lie about their food intake? Seriously?! I love how she slipped one day and gained 30 pounds. 

I was just saying the same thing when I watched it last night.  I can see maybe, MAYBE lying if you gain when you're supposed to be losing.  But why lie at the initial visit?  You're here for help, come clean about your addiction.  

[AZChristian]

1 minute ago, zillabreeze said:

1200 Cal and Dr. Wig are just a joke.

1200 is a pretty standard diet plan.  But I 1,000% agree with you about Dr. Wig being a joke.  Whenever she comes on screen, my brain starts singing, "Her name is Lola, boobs like a showgirl."  

On the other hand, I like Dr. Paradise!!!!

[libgirl2]

3 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

1200 is a pretty standard diet plan.  But I 1,000% agree with you about Dr. Wig being a joke.  Whenever she comes on screen, my brain starts singing, "Her name is Lola, boobs like a showgirl."  

On the other hand, I like Dr. Paradise!!!!

I agree that the diet plan is not so bad. I also haven't found Lola to be the most useful. Does anyone think maybe they do see someone else behind the scenes for private therapy? Or maybe if they see Lola we don't get to see the really therapy session? 

[CatherineM]

I bought episodes of James, Penny, Lisa and Schenee so I can replay them to listen to the lies. I remember being over 600lbs. and telling my doctor that “I don’t eat like that.” Looking back, I knew I wasn’t doing 1200 calories, but I truthfully didn’t think I was eating that badly. My view of portion sizes was, and still is, very skewed. When I stop weighing and measuring and recording my food, I can gain quickly. When they say they are doing everything right, they may believe it. 

[Minivanessa]

6 minutes ago, zillabreeze said:

Yup.  Been there, doing that with depression.  She's a ruthless bitch and I certainly apologize for if I came across as insensitive to that struggle!

I keep remembering when TLC was The LEARNING Channel.  It's been Freakshow Central for so long, I should know better!  Mea culpa!

No worries. You didn't come off as insensitive. You certainly didn't do that "just give them pills and make them happy" thing which is what really fries my grits. We're cool. Sorry for your struggles with depression. "Ruthless bitch" is a perfect description of it.

[LuvMyShows]

23 hours ago, WonTon said:

(BTW, I'd love to see a special episode where the film crews tell us how they feel filming messes like this.)

OMG that would be the greatest thing ever!  There is so much behind-the-scenes dirt (no pun intended) that they could dish about everything -- houses, transport, REAL eating habits, Dr. Now's office, Dr. Now himself...could be TLC's next big hit!!!

On 3/14/2019 at 10:07 AM, AVM said:

Dr Now did not buy for a minute that she ate what her mother claimed she did .. Her family size casserole she ate on her "diet "proved Dr Now right as always.

14 hours ago, aliya said:

How are you that big and only lose 8 lbs??? They must be delusional about what they are eating, no? Most diets give you the amount of food you can eat - why didn't they measure their food?

Answer to the bolded question is easy...did you see their house and how they live?  If they can't pick up after their dogs, and wipe their butts, and keep a certain level of cleanliness -- which are all normal life skills and not punitive -- why on earth would they do something that is so "extra" and in their view, unnecessary and punitive, as weighing their food?  Plus I believe that they genuinely have no idea about food contents, and no brief diet overview is going to get them to truly understand the food info that they need to internalize in order to be successful.  That is like only problem #3 or 4 in severity for the lifestyle that they are living currently.

20 hours ago, Jeeves said:

I'm still a little haunted by that scene where both Jeanne and her mom were being sent to the hospital by Dr. Now, because both had serious infections. Jeanne was nearly sobbing (IIRC), saying "I thought I was going to get weight loss surgery, but instead I'm having to go back to the hospital." Saying "hospital" like it was prison or worse.

That was such a jolt - what a disconnect from reality. Not "I have another infection which has to be treated and this is a disappointing setback for my weight loss program." Just a childish tantrum: "I don't WANNA GO to the hospital! I want my WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY!" 

And this is the woman who was shocked to be told on her first visit to Dr. Now, that she would have to LOSE WEIGHT before getting the surgery, by eating what the doctor told her to. I think she never internalized that, and never grasped what bariatric surgery really meant, and how would fit into an overall program of weight loss. I think her IQ wasn't subnormal-  but there's something not quite right in her head.

This.  Of all the poundticipants we have seen, Jeanne seemed the most removed-from-reality in terms of actually being at a manic level about NEEDING the surgery because she saw it as a fix-all.

5 hours ago, ProTourist said:

I don't think Jeanne and her parents would qualify as hoarders, unless nine dogs would count as hoarding them. I think they are slovenly and lazy, and accept to live in squalor, but don't seem to hoard anything that I've noticed.

I agree.  We've come to associate squalor/filth with what we see in hoarders, but they are two different aspects that happen to go together with hoarders, but don't have to be linked that way. 

19 hours ago, Corvino said:

But her father dying-- and the stories of sudden death you guys brought out-- all that was sad sad SAD. Dr. Now was indeed lovely to her mother in his condolences, but a daughter losing a father is a big thing. He should have said something nice to her too.

I noticed, and wondered about that, too.

On 3/14/2019 at 10:28 AM, libgirl2 said:

And she was another one saying how much she wanted the surgery..... as if that will just magically make the pounds disappear.... girl you have to work at it! 

21 hours ago, DropTheSoap said:

I can’t imagine going from the all-food-all-the-time to 1200 low fat calories a day. I eat about that in a day and it’s not always easy. But I also eat about that per day because I knew I had to change my health. So while I have some empathy, no one can do for Jeanne what she refuses to do for herself. 

21 hours ago, Hana Chan said:

I got so fed up with Jeanne's complaints about being on a "restricted diet" and her delusion that this magical surgery will make all her problems go away. She doesn't get that if she's serious about losing weight, the way she had been eating will be a thing of the past forever. 

21 hours ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

This is why Jeanne will NEVER be successful even if she should obtain the surgery.  Dr. Now probably won't do a surgery but let's say she goes to Mexico or something:  She will never have what I call "obedience to the system" as I had gastric bypass in early 2006.  You do therapy, ultrasounds, multiple doctor appts, a liquid diet for two weeks prior to surgery then drink liquid food for about two months then gradually introduce very simple foods, one at a time, to determine what might make you vomit.  When people tell you "Geez you look good!"  You want to reply:  "Well I should!  I have been drinking soup and eating what seems like bird seed for four months!!"  She is not now, nor will she ever be, in the right head space to accept the changes ahead of her.  She comes across as too emotionally stunted to and selfish to accept the life change in front of her.  People like her are why I went to only two support meetings afterwards:  The constant whining about not being able to bang down three Whoppers and a sheet cake made them sad.  Really?  You didn't catch on to the fact that you will never engage in that behavior again?  People told you, you just thought you would be different.  There.....rant over.

Many people think this surgery is "the easy way out" and let me tell you, there is nothing easy about it.

The part about the whining for Whoppers and sheet cake really made the point clear, and got me to wondering something...do these people think that everyone eats that much so they should be able to as well, and that's why they are sad/resentful/unwilling and think it's unfair, because now they are unable to?  Or do they think that other people don't eat that much, but they should be able to, because of whatever unfairness life has thrown at them?  

Likewise, with the flip side, do they see people of more desirable weight, and not recognize that those people also work hard at it?  It's not just them who are being asked to work hard...it's everyone who wants to be healthy and of a healthy weight.

And for the love of all that is holy, how on earth, in this day and age, could anyone think that surgery will magically fix it or that it's easy?  As someone said elsewhere in this thread, it's like they think that they just have to get to Dr. Now's office, and then he takes over for responsibility.  I truly don't understand.  Did someone they know have surgery, and then get to keep eating as much as they wanted?  Doubtful.  They certainly didn't watch M600PL and come away thinking they'll be able to eat whatever they want or that it's easy.  And I've never seen an article that implies it.  So where do they get that notion from, especially given that it's actually counter to whatever they would see/read/encounter?  I guess it's just the power of mind over matter, but in this case, gone disastrously wrong.

Quote

The tears, the pouting, the whining, her temper tantrums and, especially, the LIES, none of that crap worked on him. He was in rare form last night! Hahaha, the best she could do was huff and puff back out to the car and declare that she would prove him wrong and enjoy throwing her weight loss in his face; which never happened. And, oh yes I forgot, get his heartfelt apology!

I noticed this and it really made me curious.  From what we saw at the start of the show, pretty much all the patients are as delusional and lying as Jeanne was.  But he doesn't light into them like he did to her.  So it makes me think there was more that we didn't see, to explain how angry he got.

[WonTon]

35 minutes ago, CatherineM said:

I bought episodes of James, Penny, Lisa and Schenee so I can replay them to listen to the lies. I remember being over 600lbs. and telling my doctor that “I don’t eat like that.” Looking back, I knew I wasn’t doing 1200 calories, but I truthfully didn’t think I was eating that badly. My view of portion sizes was, and still is, very skewed. When I stop weighing and measuring and recording my food, I can gain quickly. When they say they are doing everything right, they may believe it. 

I often wonder that because they are eating a low carb, high protein diet they still think they can consume as much as they want because "it's healthy." I think you're right about portion control really being the big problem.

[fonfereksglen]

56 minutes ago, Kellyee said:

All three of them appeared to suffer from some form of mental illness. Jeanne's mother was either mentally ill or at least just severely depressed. The house was filthy. They needed assistance from Adult Protective Services, not lectures from Dr. Now. There have been a few of these episodes now where the mental illness is so obvious that having a camera crew film it seems exploitive.  Either Jeanne or her mom are going to die next, and its really sad.

APS can't  just swoop in and take over.  This family had income, shelter, food and transportation.  Your house can be as filthy as you want it to be.   This certainly was an appalling story of what a mess people can make of their lives, much of which was their own decisions.

[Minivanessa]

4 minutes ago, fonfereksglen said:

APS can't  just swoop in and take over.  This family had income, shelter, food and transportation.  Your house can be as filthy as you want it to be.   This certainly was an appalling story of what a mess people can make of their lives, much of which was their own decisions.

Yep. I remember that Dr. Now called APS out of concern for James K.'s welfare. It went nowhere - and that was a call from a mandatory reporter, not some random citizen. In the case of Jeanne and her mother, maybe APS could coordinate some offers of assistance but I doubt they could force them to accept anything unless they were literally unable to care for themselves at all. 

[leh2955]

On ‎3‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 7:22 PM, junemeatcleaver said:

Were they the filthiest people they've ever had on the show?  I don't recall an entire family looking like they were allergic to soap and water.

This episode was horrifying! The walls were literally covered in draping spider webs. And that fan. The rest was unspeakable. I thought I'd have nightmares last night over this. Without question, it is excruciatingly sad to see such dysfunction and cluelessness. I wondered if Dr. Now had ever seen that house... surely behind the scenes he'd have to have known so I wonder, under those conditions, would he have approached the two of them differently - like call the heath department??? Those two need more help than that of that sweet talking fake psychotherapist. If she's a psychotherapist, so am I.

I agree - the episode probably should not have aired but at the same time, it is a testimony to struggles and background of these people and why they have such struggles with eating and 'such'. From past generations to past generations, I doubt this family ever had a real vegetable or meats. They literally eat slop. But that's learned behavior so how can we judge?

[leh2955]

47 minutes ago, LuvMyShows said:

But her father dying-- and the stories of sudden death you guys brought out-- all that was sad sad SAD. Dr. Now was indeed lovely to her mother in his condolences, but a daughter losing a father is a big thing. He should have said something nice to her too.

I also wondered why he didn't console the daughter. I ALSO WONDERED why the mother was crying and without a single tear. Anyone notice that? Sometimes I wonder how much is scripted and how much is not.

[fonfereksglen]

33 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

Yep. I remember that Dr. Now called APS out of concern for James K.'s welfare. It went nowhere - and that was a call from a mandatory reporter, not some random citizen. In the case of Jeanne and her mother, maybe APS could coordinate some offers of assistance but I doubt they could force them to accept anything unless they were literally unable to care for themselves at all. 

Just one more comment.  In my limited experience, APS does quite well with dealing with the elderly, especially with financial issues.   And our ADRC offices are extremely helpful with guiding people to resources and helping with filing paperwork.   But, the help has to be asked for and welcome.

[Twopper]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

I agree that the diet plan is not so bad. I also haven't found Lola to be the most useful. Does anyone think maybe they do see someone else behind the scenes for private therapy? Or maybe if they see Lola we don't get to see the really therapy session? 

I don't think many therapists are going to want to have real sessions televised so I think we do get just a snippet of the therapy they get.  I suspect it is a re-enactment done after at least a few real sessions.  Also sessions generally are 50 minutes.   I do think Dr Now tries to match patients with the therapist he thinks will be best for them.  They replayed an episode with Tanisha (I think I got the name correct) who was very faith oriented, and he sent her to a Christian therapist.  Maybe Lola is good for some folks because of her soothing voice, and Dr P is a little more confrontational.   They are, I hope, also in group therapy with other WLS patients, and in family therapy with their enablers (but I know many family members are extremely resistant to the idea that anything they have done or not done has contributed to the patient's obesity). 

[Natalie68]

16 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I didn't notice the candles but with all the cobwebs draped across the walls that seems like a supremely bad idea.

She does know that surgery happens in a hospital, doesn't she?

That place is going to go up in flames super quickly.  I finally finished watching and by the end mom also has a potty chair since she is recovering from surgery.  I feel awful for both of them but very frustrated and also angry.  They do not have to live like this!  It also doesn't say much for the safety net in that area since emergency crews saw the state of that home, the health of the two surviving women and dogs and they seemingly have no help.  It seems like APS should get involved.  Neither can care for themselves.  Very scary and sad.

Edited March 15, 2019 by Natalie68

[newyawk]

Watching now.

The mom made me LOL when Jeanne complained about feeling like a leper and the mom was like, "But lepers are thin. We wouldn't fit in with them. Then we'd be lepers AND fat." ROTFL

One thing that always irritates me is when the patient says, "If Dr Now can't help me, then my only option is to go home and wait to die."

As opposed to going home, getting a therapist, cutting calories, and eating smaller portions, making an effort on your own? Yes, I suppose your only option is to wait around to die.

It pissed me off when she said that  her grandmother would punish her when she was a little girl, by making her smoke cigarettes. Her grandmother was obviously a sick fuck. WTF does that to a child? I found it interesting that she still smokes. I would think that she would associate cigarettes with her asshole grandmother and avoid them, but maybe he psychology is that she thinks she deserves to be poisoned because she hates herself so much.

Jeanne has obviously been victimized, but she has also unfortunately learned to embrace the victim mentality. She is defensive, selfpitying, weak, whiny and unaccountable.  Dr. Now doesn't have the experience to recognize what works and when he is being fed a steaming line of bull?  He owes her and her mom an apology? LMAO!! Walking around with a bleeding tumor on her leg isn't enough of a motivation for her to lose weight?

Speaking of which, the state of that weeping sore on Jeanne's leg was shocking. I don't know if anyone on the show thus far has had an infection that was gushing blood like that.  And her mom's rotting stomach sore, OMG.

When the patients complain about bland food, I always wonder why they aren't seasoning it. Like, where was the pepper for those eggs?  That doesn't have sodium or calories.

I enjoyed when she showed up at her followup appointment and did not have that giant success to "shove in Dr. Now's face."  Great tail-between-the-legs moment.

I really didn't like that it took Jeanne having to go back into the hospital for Dr. Now to arrange for psychotherapy for her ("We have no other choice") as if it is a last resort. it should have been the FIRST STEP, especially after the things she told him about her past.

What a terrible way to find out about the death of her father. and to have to have the phone conversation on camera. I felt very badly for Jeanne and her mother, that on top of all of that, and surgical recovery, this happened. I hope the show helped with funeral arrangements/expenses, it would have been the right thing to do.

I hated the way this ended.  It was tragic and felt hopeless.  I hope Jeanne is able to turn herself around before she dies.

[aliya]

I'm answering this at work when I should be...working, but I had to comment about the idea that these people get minimal diet instruction. I've mentioned before, that I looked into WLS. I got as far as an appointment for the shrink, and decided against it. I had a group meeting w/the dietitian. We got a big, glossy book on foods and food sizes, with pictures. The dietitian answered questions by email. They catered to my lactose intolerance and had vegetarian options. I expect Dr. Now, and most bariatric surgeons, have similar set ups.

We don't see everything. I give some of them a few tries at the diet because it is so different for them, however, the successful ones eventually get the knack. They have to, or they won't lose the weight at the rate Dr Now requests. I bet they can contact the dietitian as needed - and we've seen some house calls. We also see people who looked like they'd be major failures (like Susan) understand what they have to do, do it, and be successful.

I blame the lack of weight loss right on the people who are not losing weight. They have the info, they decide they don't want to use it. 

[libgirl2]

23 minutes ago, Twopper said:

I don't think many therapists are going to want to have real sessions televised so I think we do get just a snippet of the therapy they get.  I suspect it is a re-enactment done after at least a few real sessions.  Also sessions generally are 50 minutes.   I do think Dr Now tries to match patients with the therapist he thinks will be best for them.  They replayed an episode with Tanisha (I think I got the name correct) who was very faith oriented, and he sent her to a Christian therapist.  Maybe Lola is good for some folks because of her soothing voice, and Dr P is a little more confrontational.   They are, I hope, also in group therapy with other WLS patients, and in family therapy with their enablers (but I know many family members are extremely resistant to the idea that anything they have done or not done has contributed to the patient's obesity). 

I agree, we see a maybe 5 minute session? That isn't therapy, that's a scene on a TV show. 

[libgirl2]

14 minutes ago, newyawk said:

When the patients complain about bland food, I always wonder why they aren't seasoning it. Like, where was the pepper for those eggs?  That doesn't have sodium or calories.

I think the seasonings they prefer are grease and salt. 

[Mollysmom]

I've had several thoughts about all these people, but really wondered during this episode - 

If Dr. Now wants people to eat 1200 calorie diet, why does he not tell them to get a food scale and explain how to use it? I belong to My Fitness Pal, and every day there are people asking why they aren't losing weight because they are "tracking their food". Turns out they aren't weighing the food and are usually eating 500-600 calories more than they think they are. I have found most people have absolutely no clue how much they eat every day unless they are meticulously weighing solid foods and measuring liquids. Eyballing portion sizes doesn't work. 

The other thing I wonder about is how these people aren't dying of pneumonia or blood clots, laying in bed all day? I was in the hospital for 5-6 weeks several years ago and they gave me a shot every day to prevent blood clots, and made me breathe into a spirometer so I wouldn't get pneumonia because I couldn't get out of bed. 

I also think these people need very intensive therapy before they even think about loosing weight/having surgery.  

[aliya]

9 minutes ago, Mollysmom said:

The other thing I wonder about is how these people aren't dying of pneumonia or blood clots, laying in bed all day? I was in the hospital for 5-6 weeks several years ago and they gave me a shot every day to prevent blood clots, and made me breathe into a spirometer so I wouldn't get pneumonia because I couldn't get out of bed.   

Good point. My grown son had his tonsils out a few years ago and had to stay over night (apparently he had the biggest tonsils they'd ever seen and were afraid he might bleed to death if he started bleeding at home) and he had to use compression socks just for  one night - what the heck do these people do who don't ever move around?

[ProTourist]

3 hours ago, CatherineM said:

I remember being over 600lbs. and telling my doctor that “I don’t eat like that.” Looking back, I knew I wasn’t doing 1200 calories, but I truthfully didn’t think I was eating that badly. My view of portion sizes was, and still is, very skewed. When I stop weighing and measuring and recording my food, I can gain quickly. When they say they are doing everything right, they may believe it. 

Yes, this is why I think they need the poundicipants' boot camp, including the food journal that they'd bring with them to each doctor appointment, similar to the way a diabetic brings along his/her meter. Of course, the meter like the scale does not lie, and a person could write down lies in a journal, but I do think it would help many of them.

[libgirl2]

13 minutes ago, aliya said:

Good point. My grown son had his tonsils out a few years ago and had to stay over night (apparently he had the biggest tonsils they'd ever seen and were afraid he might bleed to death if he started bleeding at home) and he had to use compression socks just for  one night - what the heck do these people do who don't ever move around?

When I had my hysterectomy, I had to wear those socks and they had me up the next day walking down the hall. I also was recently sick and spent time in bed, my neck ached for days. 

[Jessiebg]

I’ve only kinda watched this episode last night. However, I never saw any photos of her as a child. Don’t they always document the disturbingly age-inappropriate weight gain with pictures? Did I miss that or did her mom really never take any photos of her daughter (or they were just lost in that horrible house)?

[AZChristian]

50 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I think the seasonings they prefer are grease and salt. 

And Jeanne was POURING salt out of the round container, NOT sprinkling it on her eggs!!!!

[libgirl2]

Just now, AZChristian said:

And Jeanne was POURING salt out of the round container, NOT sprinkling it on her eggs!!!!

I saw that. Not even a salt shaker.... they probably don't even have one in their house. 

[AZChristian]

Just now, libgirl2 said:

I saw that. Not even a salt shaker.... they probably don't even have one in their house. 

The probably have several . . . but they can't find them, because they're covered with spider webs.

[Suzywriter]

On 3/14/2019 at 8:10 AM, parrotfeathers said:

I hope they at a least changed the sheets.

Poor dogs.

I doubt that they have any clean bedding. When a person passes, they usually release urine and feces...I am horrified at the thought.

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Suzywriter said:

I doubt that they have any clean bedding. When a person passes, they usually release urine and feces...I am horrified at the thought.

Oh God, I forgot about that! I was thinking more dead flesh..... ugh. 

[Colleenna]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

I think the seasonings they prefer are grease and salt. 

Specifically, BACON grease and salt. 

::grabs gasoline soaked underwear, takes seat on bus to Hell::    :-) :-)

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, libgirl2 said:

Oh God, I forgot about that! I was thinking more dead flesh..... ugh. 

Maybe she will just throw a towel over it. 

[AZChristian]

3 minutes ago, Suzywriter said:

I doubt that they have any clean bedding. When a person passes, they usually release urine and feces...I am horrified at the thought.

I almost hurled when Mama "sort of" wiped Jeanne's backside and then Jeanne took her naked butt and sat on the side of her bed.  Then later we saw that poop-covered, infected mass hanging from that area . . . I would not have sat down on ANYTHING in ANY room of that house.  Even if I wiped off the spider webs first.

[Suzywriter]

30 minutes ago, ProTourist said:

Yes, this is why I think they need the poundicipants' boot camp, including the food journal that they'd bring with them to each doctor appointment, similar to the way a diabetic brings along his/her meter. Of course, the meter like the scale does not lie, and a person could write down lies in a journal, but I do think it would help many of them.

At the boot camp, there would be no locks, personal attendants in the rooms, and a camera to record everything as they have in drug rehab.

 It's a blow to one's ego to scrutinized, but these poundticipants are attempting to rewire addiction. 

I love planning this imaginary Island Of Recovery with my pounders

I 

[Minivanessa]

17 minutes ago, Mollysmom said:

I also think these people need very intensive therapy before they even think about loosing weight/having surgery.  

I don't disagree that the patients we've seen on this show pretty much all need intensive therapy. 

But these are super morbidly obese individuals who don't have a far horizon ahead of them. If they don't significantly reduce their weight, and the extreme stress the weight puts on their body, they don't have long to live. They need to think about losing weight like, yesterday. And start on a weight loss program like, today. 

Dr. Now's not bullshitting when he tells patients, you need to get serious about this program or you are going to die. Of course he's not going to waste resources by performing super-risky bariatric surgery on 600+ pound patients who have not bought into an overall weight loss program. But IMO he probably makes a judgment call that while patient X isn't a textbook case of progress in therapy etc., the patient has managed to follow instructions and lose a targeted amount of weight, and assuming there aren't any other big obstacles, the patient gets the surgery. Which will give the patient a fighting chance to get their weight down out of the super morbidly obese range, and to add some years - hopefully healthier years - to their life. In which to continue whatever therapy they need. We've seen just this season, the range of possible outcomes, from amazing success to gut-wrenching delusional "I'm doing something else instead of Dr. Now's program" which IMO means failure. Different folks, different mindsets, different results.

The opening credits disclose that a very small percentage of super morbidly obese people succeed at significant weight loss. Dr. Now is, or at least was, one of the few surgeons in the US even willing to perform WLS on people this size. In that sense he must spend his professional life fighting a lot of losing battles. The odds are against his patients in so many ways. The clock is ticking, the months are flying by, and there just isn't time to put these patients through very intensive therapy before getting them knuckled down into a weight loss program hopefully assisted by WLS. You can't do intensive therapy with a corpse.

I believe he takes a responsible approach to accepting patients and in what he requires patients to do before being approved for surgery. I'm sure it's not perfect, and not pretty. It's life vs. death, and that seldom is.

[Suzywriter]

1 minute ago, AZChristian said:

I almost hurled when Mama "sort of" wiped Jeanne's backside and then Jeanne took her naked butt and sat on the side of her bed.  Then later we saw that poop-covered, infected mass hanging from that area . . . I would not have sat down on ANYTHING in ANY room of that house.  Even if I wiped off the spider webs first.

Leave the spider webs. They were the cleanest thing in the house.