S07.E22: Janine

[Raiderred]

I think she has low estrogen high testosterone due to menopause and she has a lot of hair thinning, esoecially the classic male pattern balding. I think a couple of the wigs looked pretty good on her but she is still a huge pain in the ass. I noticed Dougie did not accompany her to the park to paint. Me thinks Doug hit the road.

[Twopper]

On 6/2/2019 at 10:50 AM, Colleenna said:

The frontal "crack" is most likely due to the linea alba, a long piece of fibrous tissue that runs from the breastbone to the pubic bone. As a person gets more obese, the LA will stretch somewhat, but eventually it can't stretch any farther and the fat pillows grow on either side of it. 

At least that would be my guess. 

Interesting.  I must have slept thru the lesson on the linea alba during anatomy, but I vaguely remember something about it being visible during pregnancy.  I don't think I noticed it much when I was pregnant, though, because I was more concerned about stretch marks and not waddling when I walked.

Edited June 3, 2019 by Twopper

[Twopper]

On 6/1/2019 at 3:12 PM, Lynn said:

Regarding the pointed area at the end of one of Janine's lymphedema closures, I had 2 of those after a bilateral mastectomy. They are known as "dog ears." If there is a lot of fat and tissue removed, the skin doesn't match up flatly.  Plastic surgeons have a technique of extending the cut further out the end at an oblique angle and basically taking off the corner.  My cancer surgeon was not an artist, and I had to have corrective surgery later.

Thanks, I learn so much from my peeps on this forum.   Having researched the alba linea or linea alba, I have now learned about "ab cracks" and "hip dips."  And now I know about "dog ears."  

[Colleenna]

4 hours ago, Twopper said:

Interesting.  I must have slept thru the lesson on that during anatomy, but I vaguely remember something about it being visible during pregnancy.  I don't think I noticed it much when I was pregnant, though, because I was more concerned about stretch marks and not waddling when I walked.

You may be thinking of the linea nigra, the dark line that typically runs from a woman's belly button to her pubes during pregnancy. Not sure if all women experience LN.... I've never been pregnant. And I'm not a gyn, nor do they let me play one on TV. 😄

[Twopper]

31 minutes ago, Colleenna said:

You may be thinking of the linea nigra, the dark line that typically runs from a woman's belly button to her pubes during pregnancy. Not sure if all women experience LN.... I've never been pregnant. And I'm not a gyn, nor do they let me play one on TV. 😄

The linea nigra is what the linea alba is called when it darkens due to the hormones in pregnancy. 

I was just fascinated with the crack that the morbid obese have on the lower part of their abdomen.  Now I know it is caused by the linea alba, I can sleep peacefully.

[Colleenna]

22 minutes ago, Twopper said:

The linea nigra is what the linea alba is called when it darkens due to the hormones in pregnancy. 

I was just fascinated with the crack that the morbid obese have on the lower part of their abdomen.  Now I know it is caused by the linea alba, I can sleep peacefully.

I didn't know that about the LA and LN!! I learned something new today, so I can count today as a success! Thanks. 

[Ben.w]

Finally got around to seeing this. I think I may have diabetes Janine was so fake-sweet, and yeah, like you all here, I was sooooooooo tired of her acting like a delicate little princess. She just didn't want to do the hard work and push through the pain.  If it wasn't excuses, it was the little yelps, crying and and "ow, ow, ow, it hurts so much".... I rolled my eyes and thought back to Diana and it was like "now there's someone who did what needed to be done". 

It was interesting to see how the human mind worked, though. Janine didn't want to get better at first so she set up all these roadblocks and psychosomatic pain for herself and I found that interesting. But she pulled it together in the end, so I'll give her that. By the way.... she knows she has to take that wig off for Doug eventually, right?

I'm starting to notice more where other peeps in the forum have said about them editing voices. Like Dr. Now would be doing his VO, and it sounds muffled, but then, suddenly, a part of it would become clear suddenly before going back to muffled. lol. 

When Dr. Now was saying there was a lot of fluid then he expected after removing Janine's lymphedema, I'll bet if James K was watching the episode he probably exclaimed "Ha! Ha! Fluids swelling, see??!! I told him!! I told him!!!" 

[Ben.w]

On 5/31/2019 at 8:53 AM, Lemons said:

None of these people have any shame.  I can imagine the pictures out there of her and her scooter and the drive through yelling into the speaker.  

And the lack of underwear is appalling. When they dragged her to another room, she had on an xtra large hospital gown that wouldn’t go all the way around her.  The nurses kept trying to cover her up while she was wailing about her legs. Then when they lifted her off the wheelchair there was a big shit stain.  No different than a farm animal going to the vet and just as unaware. 

Ohhh man, I was really, really hoping that that wasn't what I thought it was. 

[Cherrio]

We should re-title this thread

The Saga of A Shit Stained Scooter

[Dianaofthehunt]

My favorite phrase of all these episodes:

"All right, let's take the stomach out."

Fascinating, the thing that emerges!

[Guest]

Watching the end of this episode now, and laughed out loud when Janine proudly announced that she and DOUG were "exclusive" now. First of all, I haven't heard that phrase since watching some bad 1950s anti-sex "educational" film on YouTube, and, second: thank god you're "exclusive" with Doug, Janine! That way, those lines snaking around both your homes comprised of eligible bachelor/ettes can finally go home. 

[amypdx]

On 5/30/2019 at 10:50 AM, calpurnia99 said:

How the fuck did she get a boyfriend? I am her age, only 10 pounds overweight, and I can't get one, especially not one as decent looking as that guy was. I mean something was up. I just don't get what he saw in her unless she has a ton of money in the bank or what? She did look much better with the wig. But she claimed she had her profile up there before she got the wig.

I understand chubby chasers and that appeal but this is just baffling to me. She can't even walk!!! Fat, bald and can't walk and big cry baby and you get a boyfriend?

Same here!  I’m just imagining my last Tinder date picking me up in a cab on my scooter!!

[amypdx]

On 6/1/2019 at 4:08 PM, Otter said:

Just finished watching and didn't like her the first go around and didn't like her any more this time.  First time she was horribly depressed like so many and totally understandable.  And this time she doesn't seem to have depression so it's the real her and no excuses.  

She's annoying AF.  Especially at the end holding her palms together against her face like a toddler.

Like others who lost a lot of weight, and good for her -- 400 pounds, gravity works in their favor regarding the face.

I can't believe the clinic allowed Doug to go into the examining room!  He has no standing.  Ugh, but he sure liked looking at her with her panties down,  He's creepy.  And she's a tad "off".

Oh my legs!  That should only be permitted to be uttered by those with Southern accents.  

OMG - never would any guy ever know how much I weighed let alone see l of that hanging fat.  There is definitely something off for sure!

[Cherrio]

After watching the episode again, there is definitely something off with her.

Everything, she says, does, how she looks, her expressions.  They are all just wrong.

Even that scooter annoyed the hell out of me.

Who the fuck drops their drawers, 9XL at that in front of some guy they just met, let alone allow him in the room?

But I seem to remember she alluded or actually said she did fat porn or some kind of fetish modeling?

I still think her boyfriend is/was a homeless guy.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Watching the end of this episode now, and laughed out loud when Janine proudly announced that she and DOUG were "exclusive" now. First of all, I haven't heard that phrase since watching some bad 1950s anti-sex "educational" film on YouTube, and, second: thank god you're "exclusive" with Doug, Janine! That way, those lines snaking around both your homes comprised of eligible bachelor/ettes can finally go home. 

Eh - I give her a pass on that. When my boyfriend (now husband) and I decided to be "exclusive" I was thrilled. Neither of us had been dating much, if at all, prior to finding each other but deciding to be "exclusive" really sort of meant that we agreed to stop looking and weren't open to other offers at that point. Kind of like having a contract on a house before the sale is final. 

Quote

I understand chubby chasers and that appeal but this is just baffling to me. She can't even walk!!! Fat, bald and can't walk and big cry baby and you get a boyfriend?

There's someone for everyone. Even Steven Assanti found "love." In all seriousness, people with all sorts of challenges date, fall in love and marry - including people who cannot walk.

[Cherrio]

28 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

There's someone for everyone. Even Steven Assanti found "love.

We have no idea how authentic any of these relationships are.

With these two, Janine and Assanti, neither has demonstrated any genuine ability to care for another person. Its all about them. They are both attention seekers and its all about them.

Janine describes her boyfriend as part of her "team".  Hope he isn't on ass wipe duty.

I would use the term motive more than love on both sides of the aisle.

[B in Lee]

On 5/30/2019 at 3:28 PM, nokat said:

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Hey! It does work. I've wondered how to do that. Thank you for your assistance.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On the Supersize episode, it says Janine likes to make her own greeting cards.    They're at the scene with Dr. Now and the Supersize wheelchair, and I just love the smirk when he says it.  Note to Janine: "Ow Mah Legg" is taken already, so stop saying it.    Crying and producing tears at the same time is a good way to show you have an issue, crying without tears is just phony.   

It could be the Doug is the care taker type, and wants to be needed.   

Edited June 7, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Kaia40]

On 5/30/2019 at 9:31 AM, Cementhead said:

The best part was when Dr. Now was trying to get her out of the hospital bed so that he could go and weigh her and he walks in and says 'Here's a super-sized wheelchair for you'  Ha!!  I laughed at that for a good 10 minutes.

Me too!!! 😂😂😂

[Kaia40]

On 5/31/2019 at 3:13 AM, Kenzie said:

While I do suspect she was in some pain I think she has trained herself to scream loudly both for the sympathy she craves and to get people to stop asking her to move or stand. In private I doubt she carries on a fraction of what she does for the camera and any onlooker.

Yes!!! I agree 100%. 

[materialgirl101]

On 5/30/2019 at 12:20 PM, libgirl2 said:

My friend's mother's place wouldn't let her use on either, only when she went out with family/friends. I didn't understand why, now I do. 

My grandfathers place DID allow them and the halllways were all banged up. And when we went to eat dinner at their dining room there were a bazillion of them parked outside. It was hysterical. 

[Kaia40]

She’s really annoying with that stupid voice and the closing of her eyes when she’s speaking!  She’s also like a 5 year old and wants praise for every little thing. She said to Dr. Now “well I can stand on the scale now and I couldn’t when I started.” I loved Dr. Now’s reply when he said it shouldn’t have taken a year to do that! 

She’s also a major drama queen and LOVES sympathy and attention from people!  I think she was planning on making a scene when Dr. Now made her fat lazy ass finally get out of bed! I wanted to slap her with that screaming! She has all these poor people helping her stand up and she doesn’t even try and just screams as loud as she can to put on a show!  Then the bonus scene was ridiculous when the Physical Therapist and PT Assistant came in and she screamed and cried. Even when they put her back on the bed and no one was moving her, she was still screaming. Then they go to leave and they said bye and she said in a cheery happy voice and smiling “Byeeee take care.” 2 minutes before she’s screaming in pain and the next minute she’s cheery?? 🤔Dramatic bit@h. 🙄

Just like last season when she told Dr. Now she was Bulimic. Dr. Now told her that if she was bulimic she wouldn’t be over 600 lbs. 

Edited June 7, 2019 by Kaia40

[mmecorday]

Half the time you don't know if Janine is really crying or doing her impression of Ned Beatty in "Deliverance."

[Hannah94]

On 5/30/2019 at 12:54 PM, JJ1 said:

I assumed TLC simply hired him for the storyline. 

That was my very first thought. This was just a plot paid for by TLC. Because who in the fuck goes on a date in a scooter that they drive up into the back of a taxi cab van while their "date" sits in the seat ahead of them? He probably got a few hundred dollars for his appearance and then he was on his merry way.

[nokat]

1 hour ago, Hannah94 said:

That was my very first thought. This was just a plot paid for by TLC. Because who in the fuck goes on a date in a scooter that they drive up into the back of a taxi cab van while their "date" sits in the seat ahead of them? He probably got a few hundred dollars for his appearance and then he was on his merry way.

Who didn't think that a scooter driving, wig wearing woman wasn't a catch?
 

[Cherrio]

13 hours ago, materialgirl101 said:

On 5/30/2019 at 12:20 PM, libgirl2 said:

My friend's mother's place wouldn't let her use on either, only when she went out with family/friends. I didn't understand why, now I do. 

My grandfathers place DID allow them and the halllways were all banged up. And when we went to eat dinner at their dining room there were a bazillion of them parked outside. It was hysterical. 

There were road rage incidents at an assisted living trying to get to lunch and dinner where my mom lived.

[Cherrio]

All the time she cried, on the airplane, the scale, trying to walk I would of told her .....stop crying and whining and put that energy into trying.

AKA -STFU

[NeitherSparky]

17 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Note to Janine: "Ow Mah Legg" is taken already, so stop saying it.

Yeah but “My knee ain’t havin’ it” is all hers.

[FormeryHeavyJ]

Really wish the good doctor would have told Janine "...you will get weight loss surgery when I see you walk through that front door from the parking lot and I do not see, hear, or even picture you using that #$%^ scooter anymore..."

[babyhouseman]

I passed by the show, It was late, and I was getting ready to go to sleep. Did she say her muscle memory in her legs had Alzheimer's? 

[Twopper]

2 hours ago, babyhouseman said:

I passed by the show, It was late, and I was getting ready to go to sleep. Did she say her muscle memory in her legs had Alzheimer's? 

yep.   That's what she said.  I nearly fell off the bed laughing.

Here are the brilliant blue box comments from the Super Morbid Size edition.    They lend themselves to snark so please jump in.

A gastric balloon is the size of a grapefruit when it is inflated fully

Her favorite aspect of life in Houston is the sunshine 

Salads are high in fiber which makes you feel full and eat less

Got her first cat when she was in college

Hidden talent is helping people find lost things  ( so  I guess she got to be 600 pound by finding the weight other people lost )

Bonus scene--struggles to stay motivated during an emotional telephone call with her niece (after a weigh in that didn't show how much progress she made because she was working hard-----iirc, she was only at 559 pound)

favorite meal to cook after meeting Dr Now is enchiladas

Loves it when she gets Dr Now to smile

favorite cheat meal is tacos

The one thing she couldn't leave behind when she moved was her cat, Prince  (Please show us more of Prince and less of Janine)

Favorite thing about Dr Now is how caring he is  (could have fooled me considering how she reacted to his wanting her to walk and get rid of the scooter.  He seemed overly caring to me as he gave her that gastric balloon to help her.     Do I detect a bit of a crush on the good doctor?)

Least favorite veggie is beets  ( she shares this with Mr. Twopper)

Exercise with an elastic band is much easier on your joints than free weights.   ( maybe I could just lie in bed with those green bands instead of going to the gym--could save some money)

Likes to make greeting cards to kill time around the house

favorite family vacay was a trip to Hawaii when she was 15

favorite color is periwinkle blue

Favorite genre of movie is romantic comedies  ( she shares this with Vianney so maybe they should get together and binge watch some flix)

Bonus footage-- Dr Now orders PT for her at the hospital.  Lots of "ows".  Whinging.  More "ows"  More whinging.  

When approved for wls, her first thought was how soon she could get the fam down to Houston

Her WLS took just over an hour

Has overcome many obstacles in her life (hey, we got this one with the Assanti bros)

Fav meal post op is creamy soup  (  Beware the creamy soup---I forgot the name of the man who started gaining weight during the liquid diet part of his recovery because of creamy soups which seem to be as dangerous as grapes and oranges.)

fav thing to buy at grocery is berries.    (Well, it doesn't mention that she eats them.  I don't think berries are on the approved list.  )

Dream job to be creative consultant 

fav childhood memory was huge model horse collection

Loves how sweet and cuddly cats are

#1 travel destination wish is Paris

Before meeting Dr Now her fav fast food item was chicken nuggets and fries (yep, that's what she ordered when she drove the scooter to the drive-thru in that famous scene from her first episode)

I didn't find her to be very likeable in her episodes.  As someone else mentioned, she may not be the same Drama Mama at home.  Her family does seem to care for her. 

I was hoping the bonus scenes would lead to cutting out the scenes with Doug, but I was bitterly disappointed to see that his scenes were still included.  

Edited June 8, 2019 by Twopper

[ProTourist]

Thank you for those supersized tidbits, Twopper. Some reactions:

Her favorite aspect of life in Houston is the sunshine -- I can believe this since she is from Seattle. They don't get much sun up there.

favorite meal to cook after meeting Dr Now is enchiladas -- unless she makes them without the tortillas, this would be part of the problem of her slow weight loss.

The one thing she couldn't leave behind when she moved was her cat, Prince  (Please show us more of Prince and less of Janine) -- okay:

Favorite thing about Dr Now is how caring he is  (could have fooled me. Do I detect a bit of a crush on the good doctor?) -- the crush may be, but I found Dr. Now to be very caring with Janine. He spent two years doing with her what most successful patients do in one year. I was surprised he kept on working with her for all the time she was making little to no progress -- most others he would dismiss from the program by end of the first year for that much lack of progress. I figure Janine must have had very good health insurance, so it was worth his while.

When approved for wls, her first thought was how soon she could get the fam down to Houston -- but they didn't show up, not even her niece Rachel. The only one who went was that long-suffering sister-in-law. [I was surprised that neither of her brothers was there.]

Fav meal post op is creamy soup  (  Beware the creamy soup---I forgot the name of the man who started gaining weight during the liquid diet part of his recovery because of creamy soups which seem to be as dangerous as grapes and oranges.) -- that was Aaron, who ate creamy soup while on the post-op liquid diet. He strained it first. Regarding the berries, they are so low in sugar I don't understand why they can't be on the diet. Berries and melons are so low in sugar that they should be the few permissible fruits.

[Twopper]

54 minutes ago, ProTourist said:

the crush may be, but I found Dr. Now to be very caring with Janine

Gee, I should proofread.   I meant that she acted as though he didn't care or understand her pain or appreciate her "hard work" and "good progress."    I suspect she had some underlying issues that made him really want to help her.  He gave her a gastric balloon to help her.  Yes, I think he went above and beyond with her compared to some others we have seen.  

Thanks for the pictures of Prince.

Edited June 8, 2019 by Twopper

[ilovebeaarthur]

2 hours ago, Twopper said:

The one thing she couldn't leave behind when she moved was her cat, Prince  (Please show us more of Prince and less of Janine)

TLC, I smell a spin-off! “My 600-Lb Owner”, featuring the dogs and cats of our poundticipants. 

[iwasish]

On 6/6/2019 at 10:51 PM, mmecorday said:

Half the time you don't know if Janine is really crying or doing her impression of Ned Beatty in "Deliverance."

Lol! I was going to say squealing  like the pigs that Dr Pol has to castrate. He hasn’t even touched them and off they go!!!

[sagittarius sue]

17 hours ago, ilovebeaarthur said:

TLC, I smell a spin-off! “My 600-Lb Owner”, featuring the dogs and cats of our poundticipants. 

I'd love that!  However, we'd need to separate them from their owners.  Most of them I don't want to see again.

[sagittarius sue]

18 hours ago, Twopper said:

  I suspect she had some underlying issues that made him really want to help her.  He gave her a gastric balloon to help her.  Yes, I think he went above and beyond with her compared to some others we have seen.  

I think her age had a lot to do with it.  He realizes that these people in their 50s don't have much time to waste on failing to lose weight, and he tries to give them a way to jump-start it. 

[nokat]

7 hours ago, sagittarius sue said:

I think her age had a lot to do with it.  He realizes that these people in their 50s don't have much time to waste on failing to lose weight, and he tries to give them a way to jump-start it.

He's seen a lot of people die because they won't walk/stop eating. We have seen people willing to walk as more successful.
 

[JocelynCavanaugh]

Loves cats and enchiladas and is happy to be living in Texas? Those would all be on my super-sized episode too!* I guess Janine is an all right gal! 

*I will never be on this show but you know what I mean. 

[JunkFoodTV]

Janine puts a profile on a dating site. What we don't see is that no one replied so she hopped on her scooter and cruised on down to skid row and met "Doug".

[Friday]

18 minutes ago, JunkFoodTV said:

Janine puts a profile on a dating site. What we don't see is that no one replied so she hopped on her scooter and cruised on down to skid row and met "Doug".

I knew there had to be a logical explanation.

[El maestro]

Great episode. The relatives waiting in the hospital were caught in the act of reading books and not playing/writing in forums 😇with their phones. Probably a first in reality TV.

[Caoimhe]

Finally watched the whole episode today.  My favourite Dr Now quote was when she protested how hard she was working and he told her “Your perception doesn’t match the reality of your eating habit.”

Sure enough, when she began using measuring spoons and a food scale she lost a lot of weight!

[IKnit4Cats]

On 6/2/2019 at 8:02 AM, crazycatlady58 said:

I wonder also after surgery they told her she would have some " discomfort " instead of saying "It's going to hurt like a s.o.b. but you push through it and it will get better? If so that and what looks to be a very low tolerance for pain and little motivation may explain SOME the the screaming we saw.

One of my cats had diabetic neuropathy, and obviously I can't get him to tell me what that felt like, but the same happens in people also, right? Snoopy had trouble with his back legs, although with treatment he regained use of his legs again.

It makes me wonder if some of the poundticipants have some sort of diabetic nerve damage that leads to this low pain tolerance. They don't all complain to the same extent, though.

[cynicat]

5 hours ago, IKnit4Cats said:

It makes me wonder if some of the poundticipants have some sort of diabetic nerve damage that leads to this low pain tolerance. They don't all complain to the same extent, though.

I think these people have a ridiculous amount of extra fat on their joints, which is spewing inflammatory cytokines.  Our bodies were not built to take these kinds of forces on joints like knees, which aren't designed well to start with.  The answer is to lose weight, and they can't lose weight unless they get up and move.

[CatherineM]

I found exercise was about 5% of my weight loss. Diet was 95%. I lost weight when I spent most of my day in bed. Dr. Now tries to explain that to Angie. I think that’s why so many think they are doing great and then don’t lose weight (James). Exercise helped me regain my mobility and was great for depression and mental health, but didn’t help much with the actual weight. 

The weight was really hard on my joints. I’ve got a knee that will have to be replaced eventually. Although I never developed ever borderline diabetes, I do have some loss of nerve on the bottom of my feet. My biggest issue when starting to walk again was atrophied muscles and tightened tendons. I walked like a toddler or Frankenstein monster for a long time. The muscles coming back felt a bit like when your leg wakes after going to sleep. I rolled a tennis ball across them constantly. 

Maybe I should write a book on bed exercise. There’s lots of chair exercise books and videos. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Spoiler

A starcasm article (I know it's not a great source) Janine has either quit, or been fired by 600-lb Life.      She broke up with the boyfriend, Doug, before the follow up aired.    Prince the cat is doing well.     And she took a vacation via airline, and looks wonderful. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

They're rerunning the original Janine episode from 5-7 p.m. Central today (June 10).    Don't miss her epic meltdown trying to get on the plane to Houston.      She's also the one who rode her scooter through the McDonald's drive thru.    

Janine is doing the usual "I wasn't big until later", but she was big as a baby, and as a toddler, and was always very overweight.  If you're going to lie about when your weight issue started, then don't give the producers your childhood pictures. 

I would like to thank her for the melt down in Dallas (on her second try to fly to Houston) when she had to get off the plane.   That maneuver required at least 10 hunky firemen/EMTs.     

Later on in the episode, she gained 60 lbs, and claims it must have happened in the last week.     At least when she had to go to the hospital, she worried about her cat (I think she boarded the cat). 

I anyone is squeamish (after all of these shows, this still bothers me when nothing else does) don't watch the gastric balloon procedure at the end.     

Edited June 11, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[mmecorday]

Quote

She's also the one who rode her scooter through the McDonald's drive thru. 

A classic scene. But I'm almost certain that during the pandemic restaurants have been serving people like Janine at the drive-thru in larger numbers.

[nokat]

6 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

That maneuver required at least 10 hunky firemen/EMTs.

Was that her. I felt bad for them but nice eye candy. More than a few of us were wanting them to carry us out of our house.

 

Maybe only two necessary in my case, but why not all ten.  Waves fan as I swoon.


 

Edited June 11, 2020 by nokat
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