S07.E24: Sean

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Sean struggles to get past the loss of his mother and live on his own.  Dr. Now intervenes to control Sean's eating for a time, but if Sean can't learn to control himself, he will face the direst of consequences. 

The news of Sean's death was released prior to the airing of this episode.  The episode was likely edited after that event.  We are Pounders. We snark people on TV.   All normal forum rules apply. And now, a little Shakespeare for your reading pleasure:

Friends, Pounders, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Sean, not to praise him.
The evil that men do (to themselves) lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Sean. The noble Dr. Now
Hath told you Sean was gluttonous:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Sean answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Dr. Now and the rest --
For Pounders are honourable persons;
So are they all, all honourable persons -- 

This is the regular episode thread.  It will be open after the US East Coast showing. 

Original air date 2019.06.12   

[AVM]

Millions of dollars wasted ... sad 

[Caoimhe]

4 minutes ago, AVM said:

Millions of dollars wasted ... sad 

Money that could have benefited patients who were willing and able to put some effort into following the program.  It’s very sad.

[RTS]

Eh, I mean, the show is there to make money... any money saved would probably just line an executive's pocket.  It wouldn't likely have been spent on more patients.  So I feel like the show has an obligation to do its best once involved, and it did so here... the efforts were pretty heroic.

[AVM]

18 minutes ago, ThereButFor said:

Money that could have benefited patients who were willing and able to put some effort into following the program.  It’s very sad. I now give "disable drivers "the the fish eye knowing what I know ...

Knowing millions of others are doing the same damn thing makes me ill.. May he find peace .. but come on America it needs to stop...

Edited June 13, 2019 by AVM

[Julyolo]

I have to constantly re-orient myself to the stats at the beginning of every show that only 5% of these people succeed over time. And of  Sean's 95%, most likely go thru the same death inducing gain-lose cycle as Sean did, and die.

Edited June 13, 2019 by Julyolo
Edit

[AVM]

2 minutes ago, RTS said:

Eh, I mean, the show is there to make money... any money saved would probably just line an executive's pocket.  It wouldn't likely have been spent on more patients.  So I feel like the show has an obligation to do its best once involved, and it did so here... the efforts were pretty heroic.

You need to look deeper,the show is a show other things go on not filmed or shown  during that time frame ...three years was wasted on Sean ...

[Concerned]

It’s hard to interpret gaining 200 and 300 pounds in two months as anything but suicide. Sean had nothing to live for and the only thing that brought him peace was stuffing his face until he died. His IQ was only about 75, but his life force was much weaker. All Dr Now’s hectoring went in one ear, past his dumb face, and out the other ear. His momma screwed him up royally.

[ProTourist]

From the live chat:

Quote

I’ll never understand why people use the “I can’t afford healthy food” bull crap excuse - especially when they’re only supposed to be eating 1200 calories a day. Eggs ($2), lettuce ($2 bag) frozen vegetables ($1 bag) and protein/meat. A mega-size fast food meal the poundticipants eat in one sitting would cover a few days worth of groceries. So annoying! I wish I could drag these folks to the grocery store and give them a shopping lesson. 

If one were going to cook/prepare meals at home, then yes I would agree. But if one cannot or is unwilling to cook and is doing deliveries, then healthy meals definitely cost more, at least where I live. Here is a typical example from a modest diner in my neighborhood:

Cobb Salad: $19.25

Cheeseburger deluxe: $12.50

[JudgeyMcJudgyPants]

This episode reminds me why Little Judgey and I have the following conversation just about every day:

Me- what kind of day are we going to have today?

Little Judgey - Great!

Me - And where does a great day start?

Little Judgey, while pointing to herself - Right here.

Me - That’s right because you are the first person to decide what kind of day it’s going to be. And if you start it out great and something goes wrong, it just takes it down to good.  

Sean started everyday out as a failure.

[ProTourist]

6 minutes ago, JudgeyMcJudgyPants said:

Sean started everyday out as a failure.

I think depressed people tend to do that.

[crazycatlady58]

The phone call to his grandfather ( and where did his father disappear to again?) had to be planned in advance you cannot record someone without there permission much less put the on t.v. maybe that is why the grandfather did not sound upset, but you would think even hearing it a second time would have resulted in some emotions.

[Cherrio]

8 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

The phone call to his grandfather ( and where did his father disappear to again?) had to be planned in advance you cannot record someone without there permission much less put the on t.v. maybe that is why the grandfather did not sound upset, but you would think even hearing it a second time would have resulted in some emotions.

Judge Judy was on and he was missing it.  

It doesn't say much about Sean's family, school or as I mentioned before his church that NO ONE intervened.  They could of had Sean removed from his mother's home.

What she did to her son was a crime and nobody did a thing.

[crazycatlady58]

1 minute ago, Cherrio said:

Judge Judy was on and he was missing it.  

It doesn't say much about Sean's family, school or as I mentioned before his church that NO ONE intervened.  They could of had Sean removed from his mother's home.

What she did to her son was a crime and nobody did a thing.

I agree but I don't know what could have been done. He was an adult and competent ,at least in the eyes of the law. Over feeding someone is not illegal. He was not being held against his will. It is so sad that he could have done something with his life but because of messed up parents he did not.

[mmecorday]

Sean had no life at all beyond food and crocheting. There was nothing anyone could do to help him because eating was his coping mechanism, and the thought of not being able to eat the foods that brought him comfort was probably worse than any hell he could ever imagine. Overeating was all he knew. His life pretty much ended when he had the football injury that permanently sidelined him. Early intervention would have saved him, but his mother was dead set on making him an infant -- someone who needed her for everything all the time. His reliance on her gave her a sense of purpose. In any normal situation, her death may have freed Sean to begin a normal life, but the damage had already done. Sean had no social skills, no access to the outside world, no friends -- just a bed and a door through which the food flew in at the touch of an app. There was no light in Sean's eyes. Like black holes in the sky, to paraphrase a Pink Floyd song. There was no joy in his facial expressions, just the drowsy look of someone tied to the point of suffocation to addiction. I hope that the afterlife has brought Sean some semblance of peace and true happiness he never experienced during his time on earth.

[Cherrio]

1 minute ago, crazycatlady58 said:

I agree but I don't know what could have been done. He was an adult and competent ,at least in the eyes of the law. Over feeding someone is not illegal. He was not being held against his will. It is so sad that he could have done something with his life but because of messed up parents he did not.

I meant before he was of age.  🙂

[crazycatlady58]

9 minutes ago, Cherrio said:

I meant before he was of age.  🙂

 I am  Sorry I misunderstood. but I thought it started when he hurt his foot about the age of 17? Like I said it is just sad and hopeless to see no will or motivation in someone.

[Cherrio]

15 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

 I am  Sorry I misunderstood. but I thought it started when he hurt his foot about the age of 17? Like I said it is just sad and hopeless to see no will or motivation in someone.

I agree.  He didn't even know how to or want to wash his face, comb his hair, very basic things.

I think he was way too far gone for any help. He might of been alive, but his mother murdered him years ago.

[parrotfeathers]

Rest in peace Sean.  

Dr. Now did his best.  Sean was truly lost.  

[missnoa]

Sean's holy grail was getting into a care facility. He was never going to get better I think, and it's sad for someone so young. His mother truly killed him in the end. I would bet that 10k came from some kind of life insurance.

Edited June 13, 2019 by missnoa

[Scratches19]

I’m always torn between feeling compassion regarding whatever demons or dynamics rendered some of these folks into dependent infantile states and disgust for their lack of adult responsibility. Sean is another one  

That washcloth in the kitchen sink. Shuddering with gross-out vibes here. It’s Houston. It’s humid. I bet that was a mildew fest. 

He LOOKED bigger after a few months home. Calves swollen and red.  Depressing.

My weight gain estimate was 135. (Plus another 75 lbs of excuses.)  The actual was 188 lbs gained.  He is toast.  

He said he couldn’t afford healthy food and Dad was “ordering groceries” but not enough  

*** “So you ate $9,000?” *** Dr. Now!!!!

[Toaster Strudel]

During his last meeting with Dr Now at the hospital, Sean's facial expressions reminded me of "Drunk Uncle" on SNL.

His joylessness was contagious, the staff around him kept sighing and looking glum. No one wanted to talk to him unless they had to and were being paid for it. Except for dear old mamma.

He longed for generic "others" to take total control and responsibility for his every living minute, like mom did.

What did he do with all his crochet? He was quite good at it.

I'm no accountant, but quick calculations show that he spent over $200 a day on "tilapia" in his "shopping cart." Is that about 15 large pizzas? At 2300 calories each we're talking roughly 30,000+ calories. The daily caloric requirements of 15 people. No wonder he gained 7 pounds every day.

He will be remembered for his ability to gain massive amounts of weight in record time.

Edited June 13, 2019 by Toaster Strudel

[Scratches19]

Truly a depressing thing to watch. 

[Scratches19]

“In the life you want, you’re gonna have to wear clothes.” - Dr. Paradise.

”So this isn’t really the life you want.”

”Hell no.” - Sean

”So what’s the life you want?”

”Right at the moment I’m honestly not sure.  Some days I have hope, some days it’s hard to see it.” - Sean

”So do you want to live?”

”I do”. 

“How would we know that?”

”By me losing weight”

”How else would we know?”

”By me getting active?”

”Yep. And you want to know the secret? You don’t have to wait to want to live to do that. You can act like you want to live right now, and the do you know what happens?”

”It kind of builds?”

”Yeah, you kind of end up wanting to live. So I need you to act like you wanna live and the feeling catches up with that behavior.”

[Scratches19]

Oh lord. The sausage and two liter cherry coke. Harbingers of doom. 

Woah. 277 lbs gained. 489-756. How is that even possible? (I guess in the end it wasn’t)

The final hospital consultation is just painful to watch. He just has given up. He can not overcome the food addiction. 

Edited June 13, 2019 by Scratches19

[Scratches19]

I have to wonder what kind of toll this roller coaster ride takes on the caregivers who try so hard. Dr Now, Dr Paradise, the dietician, visiting health assistants, physical therapists. What a ride. Ultimately the one person who could save Sean wasn’t able to. That was Sean himself. 

[Kenzie]

Just playing "What If" here but I wonder what kind of direction his life would have taken if he had never injured his foot?

Would he have found some kind of life or would his mom just have found some other way to keep him prisoner?

Edited June 13, 2019 by Kenzie

[mamadrama]

6 hours ago, Concerned said:

It’s hard to interpret gaining 200 and 300 pounds in two months as anything but suicide. Sean had nothing to live for and the only thing that brought him peace was stuffing his face until he died. His IQ was only about 75, but his life force was much weaker. All Dr Now’s hectoring went in one ear, past his dumb face, and out the other ear. His momma screwed him up royally.

I keep trying to put this into perspective of other types of addictions. My husband's a smoker. He knows the risks, he knows I don't like it, he knows all the medical data that goes along with long-term smokers. Me simply telling him to "stop", however, hasn't led to much success. He's addicted. He has tried to stop, and has failed, many times. For people in Sean's position, Dr. Now can lecture him until he's blue in the face, but Sean had major issues. He wasn't just going to stop and, unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be the kind of facilities and care that other addictions have available. His version of a rehab facility is Dr. Now's extended hospital vacation, but while Sean DID improve there, the on-going care just wasn't enough once he was released. No real support system. A couple of meetings a month with a psychotherapist wasn't going to do the trick. He was way beyond that. It's sad. 

I love Dr. Now but I do sometimes feel like his ideas about pain management and food addiction are, at best, outdated. Don't get me wrong-I love seeing him light into Schneee and all the others who try to play their little games with him, but many of these people have serious mental health issues. They're not going to just simply give up their addiction to food any more than a heroin addict is just going to drop the needle after a heart-to-heart with someone. It can take a very long time, with many starts and stops, to deal with the level of engorging that we're seeing with some of these folks. Unfortunately, most just don't have that time and for many it was too late a long time ago. 

Sean's mother should've been turned into APS. 

[ProTourist]

I've watched the episode now. My biggest take-away is that Dr. Now's program was never going to work for Sean because Sean couldn't control himself with food when he was at home alone -- especially not once he came into some money. It was impossible for him. Dr. Now should have realized this and should not have kept sending Sean back home to be alone and do the right thing, because everyone knows that he cannot. It's true that Dr. Now could not keep him in rehab indefinitely, but there had to be another solution -- you just can't send a self-destructive addict home alone, even with periodic visits from care assistants.

Was there no city, county, or state agency that could have taken over to prevent Sean from destroying himself? Adult Protective Services perhaps? Anything at all, other than to let it happen?

I still think, as was discussed in the live chat, that Dr. Now should have had a psych evalulation done for Sean, which I think should have put Sean into a mental health facility. Suicide must be illegal in Texas, and when someone is on track to kill himself due to addiction, the law should be able to step in. As Wanda wrote in the live chat:

Quote

My feelings about him being on the spectrum (I have a sadly extreme amount of experience) comes from his initial story. His childhood stories and photos pinged my radar. The biting was a red flag. The extreme reactions, again, right from childhood if his story is to be believed. 80% of all marriages with autistic children end in divorce. If his father couldn’t handle an “odd” son that could explain his checking out and his mother being over protective. And he could be more towards the aspergers’ end so his ability to happily drop out of life (no social skills), but be quite verbal and intelligent when he wants to be could be explained. Again, just a theory. It could also explain his inability to get himself roused to save his own life because he had convinced himself life was awful, nothing good could ever happen to him, only bad things happen, etc. his Dr appointed therapies were all the wrong ones so they never had any hope of helping him. All he wanted was to be in a safe space.

And as Julyolo wrote in the live chat:

Quote

IMO he needed at least a year of intensive inpatient psychiatric treatment for multiple diagnoses and eating disorder. Grieve his mother. What she took from him. Learn about normative relationships. Discharge to adult congregate setting with case mgmt. and eventual goals of employment and independent living.

I agree with both of them.

I appreciate that Dr. Now did not give up on Sean, but what is that expression when you keep doing to same thing time after time but you expect it to have a different outcome? The time Sean was sent home and gained 188 pounds in two months was the beginning of the end -- he needed an entirely different type of treatment by then.

[CringeWatcher]

1 hour ago, Kenzie said:

Just playing "What If" here but I wonder what kind of direction his life would have taken if he had never injured his foot?

Would he have found some kind of life or would his mom just have found some other way to keep him prisoner?

I’m guessing he still would have ended up over 600 lbs. can you imagine being 18 and basically saying, “well my foot didn’t heal right, so I’ll just sit here with my mom and crochet. Screw all that going places (like outside) and all, this works for me.” Something was already lacking, before the foot injury.

[parrotfeathers]

Woke up last night and forgot something I should have said previously.

They should dig his mom up and charge her with murder.

Edited June 13, 2019 by parrotfeathers

[JJ1]

1 hour ago, ProTourist said:

I appreciate that Dr. Now did not give up on Sean, but what is that expression when you keep doing to same thing time after time but you expect it to have a different outcome? The time Sean was sent home and gained 188 pounds in two months was the beginning of the end -- he needed an entirely different type of treatment by then.

Totally agree. By the end of the show, I was getting frustrated with Dr. Now (and I LOVE Dr. Now!).  But Sean had made it abundantly clear - both in words and actions - that he COULD NOT do what was expected using the techniques already provided. He had significant mental issues and needed more than just lectures, scolding, and a few Dr. Paradise visits. 

[Toaster Strudel]

Basically Sean needed to spend his entire life in a hospital setting having his food controlled. Dr Now did keep him on in-hospital controlled diet for repeated, prolonged stays, continuing into long rehab. He spent countless months in the hospital. He should not have been given a food choice ever again. But what kind of life is that? I get that after 2-3 months of controlled diet and daily PT, that they give him a chance to go home and self-regulate.

Dr Now sent Sean unheard-of amounts of in-home help. He even had Sean picked up by firemen if he missed an appointment, because he knew how much self-damage Sean could do even in a short burst. Sean knew too, and he could have called after two weeks and admitted to having spent $2000 on pizza.

The show emphasizes the emotional aspect of over-eating.

But it's more than habits, it's more than emotional trauma.

The regulation of hunger is a complex pathway that includes hormonal signals from your fat cells that they are full, from your stomach that it is full, from your intestines that enough calories have passed through the membrane, even a cyclical component whereby if you eat every day at noon, you'll start to get hungry and salivate 3 minutes before noon. Even the pituitary gland is involved. That's a lot of genes interplaying.

One of these genes goes rogue*, you'll be chubby, Two go rogue, or even one very important one, you'll be obese. I imagine if you lose the genetic lottery in the hunger regulation pathway, you'll be like Sean.

One of the reasons why stomach bypass works for some, and not for others, is that as you pretty much remove the stomach, you also remove the hormonal signalling that the stomach produces.  So if your obesity has to do with wonky stomach signalling, bypass will work for you. If it's other genes... you'll still struggle.

It must have taken an accumulation of rogue genes to enable Sean to go from controlled diet for two whole months, to eating 15 pizzas the minute the diet is over.

The vast majority of poundticipants have an abundance of severely overweight people in their family. There's even 12-Ton Family, or whatever the show is called.

Sean was dealt a freakishly bad genetic hand.

* technically, by rogue, I mean unfavorable polymorphism.

Edited June 13, 2019 by Toaster Strudel

[junemeatcleaver]

To me, everyone is deserving of help as long as there's air in their lungs and synapses firing in their brains.  I can't imagine turning people away because they're somehow unworthy because where do you stop?

The lack of hygiene, Sean expressing that he felt helpless and hopeless and the isolation.  Sean was the poster boy for major depression and whatever personality disorders he was, or would have been, diagnosed with.  I kind of doubt he would have sought treatment at all if he didn't think he needed the little income from the show.

RIP Sean.  I hope you found the peace that escaped you in life wherever you are.

[Concerned]

7 hours ago, missnoa said:

Sean's holy grail was getting into a care facility. He was never going to get better I think, and it's sad for someone so young. His mother truly killed him in the end. I would bet that 10k came from some kind of life insurance.

Momma’s life insurance. She killed him from the grave. How Stephen King.

[toodles]

10 hours ago, RTS said:

Eh, I mean, the show is there to make money... any money saved would probably just line an executive's pocket.  It wouldn't likely have been spent on more patients.  So I feel like the show has an obligation to do its best once involved, and it did so here... the efforts were pretty heroic.

IMHO, Dr. Now went above and beyond.  I admire his effort.  He genuinely cared about Sean.  Ultimately the effort was in vain, but we all have to live with ourselves.  I think he wants to help all his patients to succeed, but Sean was too far gone.  if someone won't help themselves there isn't much you can do.

RIP Sean.

[Stiggs]

I recorded this and tried to watch, but knowing the outcome, I turned it off 15 minutes in. Too much. Sean is the type of tragic person who just makes me extra sad. He never had a chance. Dr. Now could only do so much. Rest In Peace, Sean. 

[zengirl1215]

There have been plenty of episodes where the participant didn't live in the nicest of places or didn't exactly keep the place super clean, but his apartment reminded me of places I've seen on Hoarders. It was downright disgusting. And I get that a lot of that was contributed by the fact that he pretty much didn't move much or get around other than to get himself to the kitchen, but my goodness the living conditions were horrible. 

And Dr. Now tried his best, but unfortunately, some people are beyond help. His issues ran much deeper than the fact he just liked to eat. His mother's bad influence stuck and once he was home, it was like a demon resurfacing, taking its hold again. 

[toodles]

39 minutes ago, Toaster Strudel said:

Basically Sean needed to spend his entire life in a hospital setting having his food controlled. Dr Now did keep him on in-hospital controlled diet for repeated, prolonged stays, continuing into long rehab. He spent countless months in the hospital. He should not have been given a food choice ever again. But what kind of life is that? I get that after 2-3 months of controlled diet and daily PT, that they give him a chance to go home and self-regulate.

Dr Now sent Sean unheard-of amounts of in-home help. He even had Sean picked up by firemen if he missed an appointment, because he knew how much self-damage Sean could do even in a short burst. Sean knew too, and he could have called after two weeks and admitted to having spent $2000 on pizza.

The show emphasizes the emotional aspect of over-eating.

But it's more than habits, it's more than emotional trauma.

The regulation of hunger is a complex pathway that includes hormonal signals from your fat cells that they are full, from your stomach that it is full, from your intestines that enough calories have passed through the membrane, even a cyclical component whereby if you eat every day at noon, you'll start to get hungry and salivate 3 minutes before noon. Even the pituitary gland is involved. That's a lot of genes interplaying.

One of these genes goes rogue*, you'll be chubby, Two go rogue, or even one very important one, you'll be obese. I imagine if you lose the genetic lottery in the hunger regulation pathway, you'll be like Sean.

One of the reasons why stomach bypass works for some, and not for others, is that as you pretty much remove the stomach, you also remove the hormonal signalling that the stomach produces.  So if your obesity has to do with wonky stomach signalling, bypass will work for you. If it's other genes... you'll still struggle.

It must have taken an accumulation of rogue genes to enable Sean to go from controlled diet for two whole months, to eating 15 pizzas the minute the diet is over.

The vast majority of poundticipants have an abundance of severely overweight people in their family. There's even 12-Ton Family, or whatever the show is called.

Sean was dealt a freakishly bad genetic hand.

* technically, by rogue, I mean unfavorable polymorphism.

I like this post by a thousand.  There are so many people on this forum who are willing to take the time to explain the whys and explain what I'm watching.  I really appreciate the information.

[parrotfeathers]

Did it show where Dr. Now let the father know?  I saw the grandfather call but not the father call.

[jacksgirl]

46 minutes ago, Toaster Strudel said:

Sean was dealt a freakishly bad genetic hand.

This. Sean's genetics and his family dynamics especially how his mother treated him as a child and young man doomed him. The genetic factors in body type and weight simply cannot be denied. Both of my parents were slim and all eight of their children are healthy weight. Yes some of it was good eating habits instilled and the importance of exercise but the genetics sets the table. 

[libgirl2]

28 minutes ago, Stiggs said:

I recorded this and tried to watch, but knowing the outcome, I turned it off 15 minutes in. Too much. Sean is the type of tragic person who just makes me extra sad. He never had a chance. Dr. Now could only do so much. Rest In Peace, Sean. 

I tried to watch it but it made me so depressed. Sean wasn't going to get better. He had no motivation and he was suffering from so many issues. When I saw him with the sausage and the 2 liter bottle of pop, if I didn't know he had passed,  I would have said he will. 

[libgirl2]

Any issues Sean had mentally could have still meant a decent life if he were raised differently. Given opportunities to learn, to grow, to thrive, but he wasn't given those. He was given food and babying by his mother and never had the tools to do anything but sit, eat and be waited on by her. 

[Pondlass1]

20 minutes ago, toodles said:

Basically Sean needed to spend his entire life in a hospital setting having his food controlled.

I live in a country with universal health care and I think this is where Sean would've been placed.  Maybe it's different in the US where there's insurance or whatever.  But a long term care placement would've saved a lot of money in the end, and maybe... just maybe, Sean could've made friends and taught crocheting.   He might have found some purpose to life besides food.  

His mother really did a number on him.  Poor kid.  He never stood a chance.

The rising obesity rates will mean this generation probably won't live as long as their parents.  Children as young as eleven are developing Type 2 diabetes.  

I didn't see Sean watch TV, but ads for fatty fast food and sugary drinks and cereals should be banned - especially during children's programs.

[SunnyBeBe]

I tried to keep up with Live Chat last night and something must have gone off.  It's like it got stuck and then the updates stopped....maybe, my phone. ?

I had a feeling early in the episode that things were not going to end well and I hadn't even read the preview.  It was like Sean was checked out and not really even processing what was said to him nor what he said. Just a numb kind of robotic personality, as in Depersonalization Disorder.  I read a little about it.  It's like the young man was not really inside his body. When he admitted that he couldn't do what he needed to do, I really think he meant it.  He was not capable, so, all of the resources, information, tools, etc.  would not aid him.  I don't know what the answer is for people like that.  Sadly, we may not have anything available. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depersonalization_disorder

I think this case brings to the forefront an issue that is encountered on this show most every episode.  And, that is can the patient take control and control their food intake? Obviously, some do and they have success, but, others don't and they fail for varying reasons. At times, it appears that they just don't try and that is frustrating, but, I think that it's probably much more complex than that.  And, while I do respect and admire Dr. Now, I think that his "get with the program,"  "use the tools that we provide you" approach may not really serve some people well.  For those patients, that program is really not suitable.  

Edited June 13, 2019 by SunnyBeBe

[Tabbygirl521]

9 hours ago, missnoa said:

Sean's holy grail was getting into a care facility. He was never going to get better I think, and it's sad for someone so young. His mother truly killed him in the end. I would bet that 10k came from some kind of life insurance.

He must have received more than that, I think, because he ate $9k of food to achieve that first massive gain. Then there was the 278 lbs gained later. The mind just boggles. He literally ate and shat out a small fortune in a very short time. 

I wish we knew more about his life before the injury. At least then, he escaped the house long enough to attend school. And he was on the football team. Did he ever have friends? Did he truly NEVER have social skills? He must have known how to shower, etc. in those days. Obviously Mom did a terrible number on him after the injury but what about before? And when he never returned after his injury did, for example, his old coach ever try to get in touch or help? I have so so so many questions. 

What a complete tragedy. 

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

He must have received more than that, I think, because he ate $9k of food to achieve that first massive gain. Then there was the 278 lbs gained later. The mind just boggles. He literally ate and shat out a small fortune in a very short time. 

I wish we knew more about his life before the injury. At least then, he escaped the house long enough to attend school. And he was on the football team. Did he ever have friends? Did he truly NEVER have social skills? He must have known how to shower, etc. in those days. Obviously Mom did a terrible number on him after the injury but what about before? And when he never returned after his injury did, for example, his old coach ever try to get in touch or help? I have so so so many questions. 

What a complete tragedy. 

Those are very good questions. I wondered what he was like before the injury. Being on the football team meant being out among others. He might not have had a lot of friends, but he had to have a few. He also had to have learned some skills in school. How old was he when it happened? 17? Didn't the school get involved?

The only thing I can thing of is mom babied him even then and the injury just made his time away from her nil. 

Edited June 13, 2019 by libgirl2

[OoogleEyes]

I was thinking about this while I was showering in my basic 4x4 shower stall this morning... the reason he gave for not  showing daily was that he . couldn't  . fit. Wow

I think Dr. Now felt truly sorry for him. This child (and he was a child, mentally).He had absolutely no one in this world. 

[AZChristian]

12 hours ago, ProTourist said:

From the live chat:

If one were going to cook/prepare meals at home, then yes I would agree. But if one cannot or is unwilling to cook and is doing deliveries, then healthy meals definitely cost more, at least where I live. Here is a typical example from a modest diner in my neighborhood:

Cobb Salad: $19.25

Cheeseburger deluxe: $12.50

But it's the moderation in amounts of food that make the difference.  ONE Cobb Salad may be $19.25 . . . but as we've seen with most of the people on this show, they order TWO or THREE cheeseburgers deluxe (not to mention large orders of fries on the side.  So instead of $19.25, they are spending $25 or $37.50, plus sides.

[JJ1]

50 minutes ago, OoogleEyes said:

I think Dr. Now felt truly sorry for him. This child (and he was a child, mentally).He had absolutely no one in this world. 

It’s so rare to see someone who truly has no one at all in their life. Even most of us with no family have the ability to seek help from neighbors, friends, non-profit organizations, government agencies. Sean didn’t even have the mental capability to do that.