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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,558
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: My 600 lb life last night 4-17

i thought the woman last night, had had weight loss surgery, several yrs. prior. she was about 350 then surgery and she gained 300.

 

steven was also and drug(pain) addict. he and his family need lots of help. i think he had a twin brother, too.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,869
Registered: ‎09-08-2010

Re: My 600 lb life last night 4-17


@10sluvr wrote:

i thought the woman last night, had had weight loss surgery, several yrs. prior. she was about 350 then surgery and she gained 300.

 

steven was also and drug(pain) addict. he and his family need lots of help. i think he had a twin brother, too.


@10sluvr   Steven was the worst ever. I'm surprised he's still alive.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,298
Registered: ‎09-29-2015

Re: My 600 lb life last night 4-17


@10sluvr wrote:

i thought the woman last night, had had weight loss surgery, several yrs. prior. she was about 350 then surgery and she gained 300.

 

steven was also and drug(pain) addict. he and his family need lots of help. i think he had a twin brother, too.


@10sluvr, I don't recall LaShanta (4/17) ever saying that.  She talked about how she got pregnant at 13, giving birth to her first at 14 and mentioning the other men she met with her now 4 children.

 

I believe the one you are speaking about that had a previous bypass was the week before if I'm not mistaken.  Her name is Angela Gutirrez (sp?).  Dr. Now talked to her about that at her first visit.  She kept on making excuses why she couldn't return and canceling appointments.  She made a decision she didn't need him and would do it on her own.  You can google her name and see what her story is.  Hope that helps.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,907
Registered: ‎03-28-2016

Re: My 600 lb life last night 4-17


@drizzellla wrote:

What I could not understand was her "support" team. In the beginning it looked like her boyfriend was doing all the work. But then when her boyfriend left she had "no one". Her neighbor across the street was getting her food for her. 

 

What about her Mom? The only time you saw her Mom was when she said goodbye before she went to Houston. And what about her kids. Her two sons seemed to have stepped up when she moved to Houston. But before then, why would she have to depend on a neighbor?

 

 


@drizzellla: Her mother said she visits every couple of days to do a variety of things for her daughter. She mentioned doing house work, laundry, run errands, etc. I thought her sons helped her the best they could. 

 

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,941
Registered: ‎03-30-2010

Re: My 600 lb life last night 4-17

So glad this topic came up!  

 

I've been wanting to ask a question, but just knew I'd be called "heartless", "mean spirited", etc.  Anyway, here goes!

 

At the very beginning of every program  a statement shows on the screen that states "less than 5% of people who have weight loss surgery are successful in the long term".   My question is, what insurance covers these procedures?  The people shown don't exactly live in mansions so I doubt they can afford to pay out of their own pockets.  Many times they are hospitalized several times both prior to surgery, after they've had it, and develop complications.  The bills must be astronomical. 

 

So, given the low success rate, what insurance is paying?

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,583
Registered: ‎08-08-2013

Re: My 600 lb life last night 4-17

@this is my nic   I, also, wondered about this and found some info online about the show.  The participants, of course, get paid by TLC.  It's not much and they only are on one show but I don't know about getting paid for repeats (which don't come along often).

 

I also read that the only way TLC will accept them for the show, is if they show their entire bodies at the very beginning of the show.... You know, when they first wake up or whatever, and sit up on the bed, then go to shower, etc.   They all begin the same way and it's part of the "plan"...

 

I also wonder how they can just up and move, taking someone else with them.  They give up their apts or houses and what do the others do?  Doesn't anyone work?  Maybe they are all on disability.  It's very possible that TLC pays the rent for the year that they have to live there. Also, some of them can't travel by car, so Dr. Now even arranges to have them transported by ambulance and then keeps them in the hospital for weeks or longer.  I think TLC pays for all of this.    I don't know what else to think.  As you said, insurance won't gamble on 5%.  HTH

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,874
Registered: ‎12-22-2013

Re: My 600 lb life last night 4-17


@Patriot3 wrote:

I thought that was one of the worst episodes.  I feel sorry for the people who have this addiction, but on the other hand, they must take a lot of responsibility and help themselves.


This show is hard to watch.  When is this seson over?  It is on gain tonight.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 19,033
Registered: ‎03-14-2010

Re: My 600 lb life last night 4-17

I don't watch it anymore; it's too frustrating.

 

I think it must be fairly popular though because they seem to show reruns a lot throughout the day.

 

Gross question here:  Does anyone else think that when Dr Now does skin removal surgery he does kind of a hack job?  I remember seeing Skin Tight (surgical show that was on a couple of years ago) and Dr Now was shown with some of his weight loss patients.  Even after healing, the work didn't look great to me.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,946
Registered: ‎03-08-2018

Re: My 600 lb life last night 4-17


@this is my nic wrote:

So glad this topic came up!  

 

I've been wanting to ask a question, but just knew I'd be called "heartless", "mean spirited", etc.  Anyway, here goes!

 

At the very beginning of every program  a statement shows on the screen that states "less than 5% of people who have weight loss surgery are successful in the long term".   My question is, what insurance covers these procedures?  The people shown don't exactly live in mansions so I doubt they can afford to pay out of their own pockets.  Many times they are hospitalized several times both prior to surgery, after they've had it, and develop complications.  The bills must be astronomical. 

 

So, given the low success rate, what insurance is paying?


I can't speak to whether insurance will cover the total procedure.  I have someone I worked with who was trying to get approved for that surgery.  He had to go through a lot before he could get approved (last I spoke to him in November he was not approved) - psychological reviews and had to loose weight on his own and had to be deemed healthy enough for surgery.  This was someone who is so overweight he could barely walk, he received an approval to work from home becasuse he couldn't manage walking in the building (its a long walk from the parking lot and the building is huge so you have to walk).   Basically as you see in the show you can't walk into a Dr. office and ask for bariatric surgery and receive it without working for it. 

 

Based on what you go through I would think there may be some insurance coverage because over the long term it saves the insurance company extended medical care cost.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,935
Registered: ‎07-02-2015

Re: My 600 lb life last night 4-17

Can't figure this out about the show......why can't these heavy-weight people follow the doctor's diet plan to lose lots of weight per month, right in their own homes if they really want to lose weight?

 

Instead, they willingly sign up for risky surgery, a painful recovery and a still-restricted diet that doesn't feed them what they crave.

 

Why don't they try the DIY diet method instead of going through all that?  

 

I know they have to have the right determination and mindset to succeed, but life after weight-loss surgery isn't necessarily  easier or better.

 

I notice that visits with a therapist do not appear to occur until after some sort of failure, but shouldn't they be provided up front?