S07.E11: Jeanne's Story

[Minivanessa]

3 hours ago, AVM said:

The elephant in the room isn't Jeanne age 39 , its mental illness, her father was diagnosed with Schizophrenia, one look you could see he wasn't well enough to care for himself ,neither is she ,meanwhile the mother life has been a living hell for the choices she made in her life,, starting with having a baby out of wedlock with mentally ill man .

1 hour 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. And as far as Jeanne is concerned, I can't help from thinking that she was more afraid of losing her caretaker than actually being worried about her mother's well being.

^^Amen to that, especially the bolded parts.

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.

[junemeatcleaver]

Quote

That big bowl she ate right after the spiel about no carbs, looks like spaghetti. Spagetti and meatballs- or ground beef meat sauce,  with cheese

I assumed it was some kind of taco bowl.  It was cheese, meat, a boat load of sour cream and a little lettuce and she had some hot sauce by her pillow.

8 minutes ago, AVM said:

Jeanne mentioned being on disability,I wonder do case workers every make house-calls ?

You still have to reach out for help even after getting disability.  By her affect and general patheticness, I doubt she was getting the minimum support from whatever mental health office her county may have had.  I think she would have a little bit more self awareness if she interacted with someone besides her parents on a regular basis.

Does anyone think Jeanne will hit up the dating sites once her mom passes away?  This show is proof that there are plenty of controlling or damaged people willing to act as a nursemaid for participants of this show.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

This entire family is extremely mentally ill.  As outsiders we are looking at their home and understanding how horrible the conditions are.  Similarly their personal hygiene that is exacerbating their health issues screams at us.  That neither Jeanne nor her mother realized that she had feces encrusted in her wounds and that this could lead to a deadly infection is horrifying.  We expect all adults to understand this. They are living a nightmare but they accept is as their normal.  Jeanne complained that her life was not what she wanted and her mother stated that she wished Jeanne was never born if she knew where she would end up, but even with those comments, neither seemed to really understand how bad things are and what they could do to improve their lot.

The depression was palpable.  Per the episode description, dad was schizophrenic.  Depending on the severity of his illness, when it peaked and any treatment he may or may not have received, that could be a very hard life for him and those around him. 

Jeanne was as unlikeable a person we've seen.  She is also very damaged.  Do I believe she experienced trauma in her youth? Absolutely.  She shows too many signs. And she's had no real help in how to deal with that trauma.  Her mother is doing what she thinks will help; she is harming more than helping. Yes, there are many people who have lived horrible lives who find a way through.  She is not one of them. 

So ultimately it is a very sad situation that they are trapped in. Both Jeanne and her mother need long term psychiatric help so they can gather the internal resources to actually care about themselves.  Currently they do not.  While they certainly have created their own hell, they need a lot of help to get out of it.  That help needs to be more than Dr. Now telling them to follow the diet and taking care of the emergent medical issues.  

I don't like Jeanne, but I do feel sorry for her and her family and am saddened that such situations exist. 

[Minivanessa]

5 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

This entire family is extremely mentally ill.  As outsiders we are looking at their home and understanding how horrible the conditions are.  Similarly their personal hygiene that is exacerbating their health issues screams at us.  That neither Jeanne nor her mother realized that she had feces encrusted in her wounds and that this could lead to a deadly infection is horrifying.  We expect all adults to understand this. They are living a nightmare but they accept is as their normal.  Jeanne complained that her life was not what she wanted and her mother stated that she wished Jeanne was never born if she knew where she would end up, but even with those comments, neither seemed to really understand how bad things are and what they could do to improve their lot.

The depression was palpable.  Per the episode description, dad was schizophrenic.  Depending on the severity of his illness, when it peaked and any treatment he may or may not have received, that could be a very hard life for him and those around him. 

Jeanne was as unlikeable a person we've seen.  She is also very damaged.  Do I believe she experienced trauma in her youth? Absolutely.  She shows too many signs. And she's had no real help in how to deal with that trauma.  Her mother is doing what she thinks will help; she is harming more than helping. Yes, there are many people who have lived horrible lives who find a way through.  She is not one of them. 

So ultimately it is a very sad situation that they are trapped in. Both Jeanne and her mother need long term psychiatric help so they can gather the internal resources to actually care about themselves.  Currently they do not.  While they certainly have created their own hell, they need a lot of help to get out of it.  That help needs to be more than Dr. Now telling them to follow the diet and taking care of the emergent medical issues.  

I don't like Jeanne, but I do feel sorry for her and her family and am saddened that such situations exist. 

Well said! Wish we had a "this is gospel!" reaction button to your entire post. Jeanne was unlikeable and damaged and mentally ill. I must have posted five times last night during live chat, that I couldn't get my head around this family of people with apparently normal intelligence, not having a grasp of basic good personal hygiene. To the extent of feces-encrusted wounds. I know, mental illness. But it's still a staggering thing to contemplate and I suppose I don't want to think about it for very long. 

Yes, I snarked, and yes I also feel very sad and sorry for them. I wish I were more optimistic about what the future holds for them.

[Pepper Mostly]

2 hours ago, Trillium said:

At the end when she said another door will open I said out loud “Yeah, a door to a coffin”

Earned some points to The Bad Place for that but it’s the truth. 

When Schenee bleated "God has a plan for me" I said out loud "Yes, Schenee, he does. AN EARLY GRAVE".

1 hour ago, essexjan said:

I don't even want to imagine the smell in that house. Those poor dogs. They deserve so much better than that.

As for Jeanne, I knew from the first minute she sat in Dr Now's office, arms crossed with a sullen expression on her face that this was never going to work for her. But I'm glad she was able to shove it to Dr Now with her impressive "8lbs in 2 months" weight loss. Way to go, girl.

Right? Bet Dr. Now was weeping into his pillow every night. As Tim Gunn used to say to the Project Runway designers who were losing focus "I can't want this more than you do".

[atiyah9369]

This was a sad episode. I knew they weren't to clean just looking around the room she lived in. I had a feeling something bad happened to her dad when she didn't hear from him. Those dogs tore that house up in the time he had passed to when they came back home. When the episode ended I kept waiting for the black screen to announce another death.

[pdlinda]

38 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

As there are no children in the home, I do not believe they make house calls.  I believe Jeanne has to be re-certified every few years to continue in the system; however, that would be done through her visiting her doctor. 

I recall her saying that her condition had deteriorated significantly in recent months so perhaps when her next MD re-cert appt was scheduled and she needed medical transport to get to the office, maybe a red flag would be raised to get a home healthcare worker into the home. 

HOWEVER, again, as there are no children in the home (and they, I presume, own the home) no outside agency would be permitted on the premises without the permission of the owners.

[libgirl2]

4 minutes ago, atiyah9369 said:

This was a sad episode. I knew they weren't to clean just looking around the room she lived in. I had a feeling something bad happened to her dad when she didn't hear from him. Those dogs tore that house up in the time he had passed to when they came back home. When the episode ended I kept waiting for the black screen to announce another death.

I knew right away about her dad too. 

[Kenzie]

Jeanne, so used to lying to herself and others, never understood her opponent had X-ray vision when it came to detecting BS. 

Both times that she was in the hospital she spoke of "enduring" the controlled diet and wanting to get home where she could eat her own way. She never did understand that the controlled hospital diet WAS the same diet plan she was supposed to follow at home.

[Corvino]

I watched this episode while cutting out pieces for my next quilt. Therefore, I was looking down at the cloth and scissors when many of the most delightful details, like the live insect on her leg or the feces in the wound, came up. Missed it! I had to come read the Live Chat just now to appreciate all the details. Do I want to re-watch it to see it all??

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. It seemed to me the only saving grace in her life that she had invited her father back and forgiven him, and thus had over fifteen years of an intact (if dysfunctional) family before he died.

Oh dear, though: we had a whole month without molestation or rape being part of the background, and here we are again. Her grandmother making her smoke for punishment was something new, though.

I was relieved when they got home and the camera people showed six dogs, moving and alive, in one shot. That only leaves three to worry about.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Corvino
Forgot to say a couple of things before

[atiyah9369]

39 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

^^Amen to that, especially the bolded parts.

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.

It was too her, she knew they were going to feed her correctly. She fussed about that diet EVERYDAY!

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, atiyah9369 said:

It was too her, she knew they were going to feed her correctly. She fussed about that diet EVERYDAY!

Again, because it doesn't cross many of these people's minds that they need to put some effort into it and can't eat the way they used to. 

[toodles]

4 hours ago, AVM said:

The pattern we see in most cases is the 600lbsers  are beyond needy and consider themselves life's victims ,meanwhile the demand care and feeding while acting like bullies ..or royalty and as if something is owed to them.

Well said.  I would add selfish, entitled and self absorbed.  Jeanne is a female Sean. I can't do it because I don't want to.  Just fix it for me and make it go away and we all know how well this worked for him.

Edited March 14, 2019 by toodles
Autocorrect is not my friend.

[Mrs. Hanson]

5 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Again, because it doesn't cross many of these people's minds that they need to put some effort into it and can't eat the way they used to. 

Yep they think they get to go along like before and it is like, can you do math, lol?  You can't consume 12,000 and lose weight, people!!!  I was SO READY for my surgery:  my doc told me to drink Slim Fast for two weeks before my surgery (and that went over my birthday, btw) and he said to have a small piece of birthday cake.  Nope.  Two weeks means two weeks.  I would not take a communion wafer, lol!!!  

[atiyah9369]

19 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I knew right away about her dad too. 

I kept saying he is dead. He's dead. I guess they didn't have friends that could check on him.

[libgirl2]

4 minutes ago, atiyah9369 said:

I kept saying he is dead. He's dead. I guess they didn't have friends that could check on him.

They did seem very isolated in their home of filth. I don't think they have friends and maybe whatever family they have wrote them off. 

[atiyah9369]

4 hours ago, 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! 

I always tell my mom they think if they get surgery they will wake up skinny. Bless their hearts.

[Kenzie]

4 hours ago, Hana Chan said:

Her mother is now a slave to this creature that just lives in the house like a bloated tick.

I hate to say it but that is a very apt description.

[Mothra]

I was interested that Jeanne "took revenge" (and described it as such) on her grandmother by sneaking food.  She elaborated on it--something like first I started drinking her sodas, then eating her treats.  She was punishing her grandmother for being mean to her by stealing her grandmother's food.  I think Dr. Now made her mad when he wouldn't accept her lies--in fact, she seemed angry throughout most of the show--and I'm wondering if part of her problem with sticking to the diet was to "punish" Dr. Now for being so mean to her.

She lost 50 pounds while she was in the hospital, but she couldn't wait to get out of there and eat.  And while I do not for one second doubt the sincerity of her grief over her father's death, I do believe that she was glad to have a way to be out of the hospital and back home ahead of schedule.

I thought Dr. Lola was pretty useless, but I don't know what she could have done at that point to help Jeanne.  I fully expected to see the "In Memory Of" screen at the end.

[CousinOliver]

Jeanne will be lost if Mom dies first, but what if Jeanne goes first?   Will this be the best thing for her or the worst thing?  Maybe if Jeanne passes, Mom could get into a nursing home and just breathe?  I think this is the happiest possible outcome, unfortunately. 

Of course, with all those candles burning in a hoarded trailer...It’s not safe, let’s just say.  

[Kenzie]

2 hours ago, pdlinda said:

Further, I'm unclear about why, after understanding the invasion of the family's living space (complete with graphic, disgusting scenes of living conditions and personal hygiene) they decided it was a good idea to be on the show.

I think the squalor has long been normal to Jeanne. She never once said, "pardon the mess" or "I hate that I can't clean up for company."

[Deevee45]

I have incredible sympathy for people in such dire circumstances. Food fills a hole in their souls, and to expect that they’ll change their attitude without a ton of psychoanalysis beforehand is unreasonable. From the beginning, Dr. Now should insist on psychoanalysis immediately at least 2 times a week for anyone looking to enter the program. It’s what we do for drug addicts, and food is just as much an addiction. But that would mean the drama would be much decreased, which is counterproductive to ratings. Jeanne was never able to change a lifetime of thinking, excusing, and conniving to get food, if she didn’t get the therapy she needed beforehand. 

[KateHearts]

5 hours ago, calpurnia99 said:

the mom will die and she will wind up in a nursing home.  The nursing home will not bring her more than the normal food amount and she will lose some weight. She is only 27, what does she think is going to happen when her mom goes? She doesn't drive either.  She said once she got on disability get mom quit her job,  I wonder if that is why the mom was feeding her so much on the diet.  I don't blame her for not wanting to go back to work, in her bad health though and having jeanne to deal with.  But maybe in the back of her mind, if Jeanne gets skinny she is forced back to work, so can't allow that to happen. that diet meal was a pound of chop meat and a bag of shredded cheese with sour cream, protien!!!!

She is 39 years old.  She did mention that her disability was followed by Mom quitting her job since there "was income coming in." As if this is her job.

She said the parents were never married, then Mom referred to dead father as her husband.

5 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I'm betting someone from the Sheriff's office was feeding the dogs, or they found someone to do it.     I couldn't believe the mother said she was going to sleep on the same mattress her husband or whatever he was died on, and stayed on for days.

I was under the impression that Dad died a day or two after the Mother's surgery, and they went back home the next day after that. I think that Dad wanted to be sure Mom was ok, and then was able to let go and die. He didn't look the least bit healthy, and I'm sure the stress of worrying about the two of them from far away, with no means of going to see them, was the last stressor his body could take.

The complete lack of ownership of any responsibility for their physical selves in these participants is staggering.  "Why are you fat?" "My grandmother abused me."  I'm sorry, but even if it was as horrific as you describe, does that give you license to further abuse yourself? And continue to blame Granny as she rots in her grave?

The other comments we hear over and over are about how "I hope Dr. Now gives me the help I need," which somehow means, "If I heave my giant self into his office doors, he will take over from here." Never, "I plan to work with Dr. Now to get healthy."  Jeanne was especially guilty of this. She never seemed to look inward and had developed a very intricate system of allowing herself to eat ten times what a normal human does due to life stress.  "I NEED A BIG SODA WITH LOTS OF SUGAR BECAUSE I'M SO STRESSED," says no reasonably normal person ever.   I was fuming at the visit after which she was so MAD at how MEAN Dr. Now was and she would show him and THROW IT IN HIS FACE.  And DEMAN AN APOLOGY ."  Way to take charge, Jeanne.

Their house was straight out of an episode of Hoarders, right down to the cobwebby walls, the grimy carpet (what you could see of it) and mounds of laundry.  It definitely seemed to deteriorate over the course of the show.

Like others, I see no potential for change.  Someone who thinks putting out dog food (ok, there are nine dogs) as exercise or a giant bowl of taco meat slathered with cheese and sour cream as "maybe going a little over the 1200 calories one day" is not going to miraculously see the light anytime soon.  

Edited March 14, 2019 by KateHearts

[TurtlePower]

Wow, this episode. I admittedly was judgmental of this family for much of the episode. The home was a disaster--so filthy, it was utterly disgusting and made my stomach turn (the smell had to be terrible). Jeanne herself was not cleaned properly as Dr. Now mentioned she had feces on her backside and caused her to become infected. The whole family was a train wreck of dirt, soil and not caring for themselves. 

It was irritating that Jeanne seemed surprised she needed to lose weight on her own before she would be considered for surgery. She seemed to be living in her own delusional world and her mother was right there with her. With that mindset, I doubt she'd have made even if everything went well. 

When the dad died, what a shock. I felt very sad for them, especially at the end when Jeanne gave up on Dr. Now's program. While I did eventually have empathy for them, I think Jeanne is going to use it as an excuse to wallow in misery for the rest of whatever life she has left.  Jeanne may well be the next one we see on the news who has died after being on the show.

[MillieSparklepants]

I can't quite give her mother a total pass. I felt bad for her and yes, she had the dead eyes of the beleaguered caretaker, but something about the way Jeanne said she went on disability so then her mom "got" to stay home more made me think Mom was okay with the arrangement. She also looked kind of uncomfortable whenever Jeanne getting her mobility and her life back and could she really be that dim not to know that half a pound of ground beef mixed with a bag of cheese and a carton of sour cream was not eating light? They never made any effort to actually count calories, they just estimated they were eating about half what they normally ate.

Jeanne was horrific - perpetually six-years-old, full of excuses and manipulation. And the rant about society and rude people was pretty rich coming from someone who just smoked a cigarette next to a gas pump while hanging the rear end out the car door and screaming for her mom to get her a soda - a BIG one.

I noticed all the candles too. That house must have smelled horrific. Poor doggos, they deserve better.

[edie3]

6 hours ago, 88Keys said:

"the things she punished me for were ridiculous." 

like not washing her hair?

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think either the candles or the cigarettes Jeanne smokes, will burn the trailer to the ground some night.     I'm betting she was lighting up the second she got back to the trailer.  

[CousinOliver]

I’m wondering about this hygiene thing.   Why couldn’t Jeanne shower?  She’s certainly not the biggest poundticipant we’ve seen, and god and everyone knows that we’ve seen many, many of them take showers.  

It seems to me that the bedbaths have been reserved for the completely immobile.   Even when people need to be sitting on bath benches, or getting help in the shower, or even, for the love of all things good and right, getting hosed off in the back yard, the mobile folks take a damn shower.  Even when showering exhausts them for the rest of the day, taking a shower is what they choose to do with their energy.  

Jeanne was WAY too mobile to not shower.  Mobile homes usually have at least a full size tub in one of the bathrooms (newer ones often have both a large garden tub and large shower).  Why was she not bathing?  Why was she choosing not to bathe?  

[KateHearts]

4 hours ago, pdlinda said:

Further, I'm unclear about why, after understanding the invasion of the family's living space (complete with graphic, disgusting scenes of living conditions and personal hygiene) they decided it was a good idea to be on the show.

Again, I think it's akin to the people on Hoarders.  There is not a lot of logical thinking going on.  You and I would say, "My house is dirty; I need to clean."  We would say, "I'm gaining weight; let me look at what I'm eating and see if I can get this under control."  We would think, "I had a rough childhood which is compelling me to eat; I am going to find a counselor to help me put that in my past." 

These people don't think logically. They are emotionally stunted, immature, mentally ill- they have many organic reasons for which they don't take control over their lives or even have the wherewithal to examine what is happening to them and improve.

That's why it's no big deal to them to walk naked in front of a camera crew to be shown on national TV, or allow closeups of horrific skin manifestations or of them shoveling buckets of food into their mouths.

It is weird that, presumably, these people know that there is a TV show dedicated to people in their situation and they don't watch and perhaps see that the successful ones work hard, exercise, measure their food, and take an active interest in their recovery.  Jeanne especially. She seems to think that breathing Dr. Now's air will get her "the help I need."

Oh, and weighing 100lbs at the age of 6?  That's not "when you started to get chubby." You started long before that.

Edited March 14, 2019 by KateHearts

[zengirl1215]

2 hours ago, atiyah9369 said:

I always tell my mom they think if they get surgery they will wake up skinny. Bless their hearts.

A few years back I had an ulcer (that required surgery) and I was on the bariatric floor.  So I happened to be watching my 600lb Life on the TV and I was chatting with one of the nurses, who told me that she had a patient one time, as soon as the woman had woken up from gastric bypass surgery asked, "How much thinner do I look?" So the delusion of being insta-skinny is definitely there with some of them.  

[parrotfeathers]

I'm hoping someone will report the abuse of the animals and they will be seized.  And I hate to say that.

[CringeWatcher]

9 hours ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

Jeanne will be 800 pounds soon, thanks to her skinless chicken and orange diet.  

🤣🤣🤣

[ams1001]

18 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Frankly, her mom looked sick to me before she received her diagnosis about her hernia from Dr. Now.

Jeanne even mentioned in the voiceover early in the episode that her mom had had surgery a year or so ago and had been having health problems. She just didn't seem to care much except as it pertained to mom being able to take care of her.

16 hours ago, Morgalisa said:

When she told the police officer on the phone to have someone pick him up, I was so happy because I thought she was talking about the dogs.

I thought the same thing. Because of course they're going to have someone remove a dead body from the house

How long was it between her talking to the police and when they actually got home? The dogs had to be there for at least another night alone, right? Hopefully someone from animal control checked on them and made sure they had food and water and let them out (or maybe there's a doggie door?), even if they decided they didn't need to be removed (and I get it, they weren't in immediate danger and a shelter might have a hard time taking in all those dogs at once, and even if they did, their odds of being adopted are pretty low). Maybe they just decided not to show that part.

11 hours ago, alegtostandon said:

I had a friend whose husband had a massive seizure & died while laying on the couch while she was out of town.  Not only did the sofa need to be destroyed, the carpet around the sofa needed to be pulled up & destroyed.  I was shocked when mom said she had to sleep in the bed where dad had died.

My cousin passed away a couple years ago and wasn't found for about two days. I don't think they had to remove anything (he was found on the bathroom floor) but there was some cleaning that had to be done in the bedroom (which no one who knows would go into detail about, which I am okay with). We went back to the house after the funeral and while I didn't notice, my mom thought that part of the house still smelled off.

10 hours ago, alegtostandon said:

Instead of eating yogurt, crackers and bananas, this over 600 pound person ate skinless chicken and oranges!  I noticed they left out the half dozen mini cupcakes she devoured after eating a whole pizza!

Now, now, she only ate the whole pizza minus two slices. Moderation!

[Tabbygirl521]

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. 

Oh boy, here comes the third appointment so she can tell Dr. Now off and get her well-earned apology. 

Wow! She’s 670 and expected to be 578. It’s such a mystery how this happens. 

Oh god, they are both rotting. Mom’s intestines may become exposed?!?!?!?!

Edited March 14, 2019 by Tabbygirl521

[Tabbygirl521]

Grave Gardens. 

Gak , I finally looked up to see their home. Good god! You know there have to be huge spiders everywhere, too. 

I’m very sorry about their losing Larry but I feel like Jeannie was secretly relieved to have an excuse to quit the program. And look for something else that will actually work (eyeroll).  She just won’t accept that she needs to change her eating habit. 

Edited March 14, 2019 by Tabbygirl521

[calpurnia99]

1 hour ago, CousinOliver said:

I’m wondering about this hygiene thing.   Why couldn’t Jeanne shower?  She’s certainly not the biggest poundticipant we’ve seen, and god and everyone knows that we’ve seen many, many of them take showers.  

It seems to me that the bedbaths have been reserved for the completely immobile.   Even when people need to be sitting on bath benches, or getting help in the shower, or even, for the love of all things good and right, getting hosed off in the back yard, the mobile folks take a damn shower.  Even when showering exhausts them for the rest of the day, taking a shower is what they choose to do with their energy.  

Jeanne was WAY too mobile to not shower.  Mobile homes usually have at least a full size tub in one of the bathrooms (newer ones often have both a large garden tub and large shower).  Why was she not bathing?  Why was she choosing not to bathe?  

cousin Oliver, you are right about this,  the mobile ones shower. She explained that she was too big for their shower, that she got stuck in it, fell, and it took a really long time to get her up.

  Also the mom had a ruptured colon the year before, which had sepsis, she explained. I wonder the sepsis from the house

Edited March 14, 2019 by calpurnia99

[JJ1]

3 hours ago, Mothra said:

3 hours ago, Mothra said:

I think Dr. Now made her mad when he wouldn't accept her lies

But this is something I’ve noticed about so many people today. And, NO, I’m not talking politics here. Just ordinary people who choose to blatantly lie about the simplest of things and then get furious if someone calls them on it.  I will never understand how they think everyone is supposed to believe everything they say, even if it is obviously a complete lie. 🤔

[Bugfrey Von]

I can watch A LOT of garbage and my standards are tragically and hysterically low, but I had to stop watching about 5 minutes in. People are terrible, but those dogs don’t deserve to live like that. I hope someone rescues all of them. 

[xwordfanatik]

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?  I smoked in my 20's, got sick, gave it up, and only then did I start to gain weight.  Luckily, years later, I topped out at almost 250 pounds, lost almost 100 pounds, and have kept it off without smoking again.  If Jeanne has been smoking since childhood, I wonder why it didn't keep her from gaining hundreds of pounds?  

Jeanne reminds me of a woman I saw at Weight Watchers 5 or so years ago.  About that age, dark hair, glasses, and obviously over 500 lbs.  I more recently saw her at a local grocery store, and besides filling the cart on the mobility chair, she had another woman with her, filling up a regular grocery cart.

Jeanne's poor mother!  She's probably in her 60's (as I am) but looks at least 10 years older.  And, I can't help but think mom is back on duty feeding her unfortunate daughter.  Losing her husband (or boyfriend?  I thought Jeanne said they were never married) on top of her own surgery and other issues, I can't think of a more sad episode.  

[Motor City]

"Mothra:

I fully expected to see the "In Memory Of" screen at the end"

Me too

[aliya]

So, I actually paid for this thing and am watching close up on the computer 'cause I sure missed a lot of the detail y'all were talking about in chat. 

Here's a thought - many (most? all?) of the obesees say that food is the only thing that they have to look forward to. None of them read; I think only Sean knitted, but I don't see any other crafts; none of them paint; or make models; or embroider; or any of the myriad of activities that people do to enjoy themselves. No wonder all they do is eat. 

Side note - how do you get a hole in the BACK of your nightgown?

I dislike this woman, but I am sure that the thing on her leg is painful as heck. These folks don't stop problems before they get too big; I don't know how you ignore that kind of pain. 

[AVM]

1 hour 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. 

Oh boy, here comes the third appointment so she can tell Dr. Now off and get her well-earned apology. 

Wow! She’s 670 and expected to be 578. It’s such a mystery how this happens. 

Oh god, they are both rotting. Mom’s intestines may become exposed?!?!?!?!

lol ,My 600lbs Life keeps me from snacking ,I eat two hours before the show and never during or after.. Dr.Now magic.  PS.  I DVR  and FF the showers and most of the surgeries .last night I FF a lot.

Edited March 14, 2019 by AVM
added to

[fonfereksglen]

The wounds shown brought back a lot of memories.  Apart from the obvious part of wound care such as antibiotics,  special salves in bandages,  etc., there is often the very frequent trips to hyperbaric chambers. Like 3 times a week for an extensive period of time.

My sad thought was Jeanne would have been too obese to lay comfortably for any period of time and would have bolted from that treatment as well.

[DropTheSoap]

19 minutes ago, aliya said:

Here's a thought - many (most? all?) of the obesees say that food is the only thing that they have to look forward to. None of them read; I think only Sean knitted, but I don't see any other crafts; none of them paint; or make models; or embroider; or any of the myriad of activities that people do to enjoy themselves. No wonder all they do is eat. 

I’ve noticed that, also. TV and mobile phones/computers seem to be the only entertainment. No hobbies. No reading. Nothing but killing time from meal to meal. 

[KateHearts]

29 minutes ago, aliya said:

Here's a thought - many (most? all?) of the obesees say that food is the only thing that they have to look forward to. None of them read; I think only Sean knitted, but I don't see any other crafts; none of them paint; or make models; or embroider; or any of the myriad of activities that people do to enjoy themselves. No wonder all they do is eat. 

actually (and I was surprised) they showed a brief scene after Jeanne got home from the hospital the first time of her working on some sort of craft where she was dropping beads into some sort of frame. Like a little Lite-Brite type thing.

[Kenzie]

Jeanne admitted at the start that she hadn't bathed in years but her parents also had greasy hair. Did they ever show the bathroom? Many hoarders never let a plumber in when toilets and sinks need repairs.

Edited March 15, 2019 by Kenzie

[aliya]

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? I note that many of the successful obesees do keep a food journal or measure out their food and have measured portions available to eat. Still, you'd think that any reduction would have resulted in more than an 8 lb loss. 

"Before y'all's poor hygiene kills you." Dang. A savage Iranian with a Texas accent.

[DC Gal in VA]

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.

We often discuss what those odors must smell like and many here have expressed sympathy for the tv crew that have to spend hours and hours around poundticipants who live like Jeanne, as well as the first responders, nurses and other hospital staff they come in contact with. But, at least for me, I never considered Dr. Now.

It was the scene in his office where he observed that she might be in pain and she told him about her infection. He asked to see it and she dropped her pants, bent over and he went in up close and personal to examine it without a flinch. For some reason, it wasn't until that moment that I had even more respect for the compassion and professionalism of that man. How much noxious stench has he had to smell in his some 20 years of dealing with patients like Jeanne? Love him.

[Armchair Critic]

Last night I got home late and caught the end, I figured I would catch a repeat at 8 tonight like usual. But maybe because it was such an awful episode they aren't repeating it tonight, they have a different episode on?

Started watching it online but I really don't want to see it up close, these people are turning my stomach. 

Edited March 15, 2019 by Armchair Critic

[auntjess]

7 hours ago, pdlinda said:

wonder how they recruit people for the show???  Who, and under what circumstances, did someone from Jeanne's family (maybe church) contact the producers???  Everything about the episode highlighted the family situation which was DIRE on every level.  I'm unclear what the person who referred Jeanne for this world-wide exposure was trying to accomplish.  Maybe "shock therapy""???  

Further, I'm unclear about why, after understanding the invasion of the family's living space (complete with graphic, disgusting scenes of living conditions and personal hygiene) they decided it was a good idea to be on the show.

Jeanne seems to be one of those who believes that weight-loss surgery is a magic bullet, and the show is a chance to get very expensive surgery and medical care, for free.
They figure the invasion of privacy is an OK trade off.  Also, people who live with poor hygiene may not realize how bad they'll look to others.

What shocked me, was how totally alone these 3 people seemed to be, no friends, no family, not even mentioned.
Jeanne said she went to church until she got too big, did any church people wonder what happened to her?
And her father seemed normal.