» Inside Brookhaven Obesity Clinic Options

[LogCabinPat]

Searched on a couple of the obvious threads, but I didn't find this show listed yet. It's a new one on TLC, and it looks to go at least 5-6 episodes. TLC is going great guns on the obesity shows these days.

Anyway, first impressions. So many things I don't understand about how this 'hospital' works. Dennis weighs 700+ lbs and has been there for 4 years and still weighs 700+ lbs! Why is he still there? If this is really more of a nursing home, I wish they would call it that.

Tammy has been there for 2 years, has lost only 50 lbs, still weighs almost 400lbs, they know she smuggles in food and they don't at least call her on it? Even if they can't prevent her from doing that, why do they allow her to sleep through the exercise sessions? I don't understand why, if the bariatric surgery to remove most of her stomach was so dangerous, why they didn't do a lap band. Isn't that the preferred way to go these days? (And the preview shows that she's still smuggling food after her surgery, BTW.)

If these people aren't even trying to get better, why are they allowed to stay? How are they paying for this long term care?

Maybe this sounds like I didn't enjoy the show, but I did. It seemed a lot less exploitive than some of the other ones TLC has had on lately. Although it pretty much is a 60 minute commercial for Brookhaven.

[gnbhull]

Dennis is still there because he has no place to go and nobody to care for him so the adminestrator refused to kick him out.

Michael was strange. He keeps referring to himself in the third person.

[lilith1930]

Shows like these are such a good incentive for my diet. I never want to eat again when I'm watching them.

I felt bad for and annoyed at the hospital administrator at the same time. He feels responsible for the deaths of the people that left, but it was in no way his fault. What happened to taking personal responsibility for your health? Of course, there are glandular and genetic factors you have no control over sometimes. But most of these people have eaten themselves into this state through buckets of fried chicken and entire pizzas.

He needs to toughen up on people who are using this as a resort system. Who has been paying for Dennis to sit on his ass eating take-out food for 3 years? If it's insurance, wouldn't they want to see progress, and not reversal?

I was glad that one doctor refused to do the gastric bypass on that woman. She clearly hasn't addressed her food issues and learned to eat properly yet, she was going to rely on the surgery to do it for her.

I'll have to remember to catch this next week, too.

This post has been edited by lilith1930: Apr 23, 2007 @ 3:38 pm.

[Pity Free]

Thank you so much for letting me know there were more episodes to this!

He needs to toughen up on people who are using this as a resort system. Who has been paying for Dennis to sit on his ass eating take-out food for 3 years? If it's insurance, wouldn't they want to see progress, and not reversal?

I thought about this too - he has no reason to change. He sits around all day, someone cleans after him, he has no chores, eats what he likes, doesn't have to go to work, watches tv, people come in to bathe him, has no commute, and I'll bet his hospital TV gets cable - what's not to like? I am afraid the American tax payers are paying for Dennis' vacation. Think about that when you are driving to work tomorrow morning.

The guy with rickets - hello? His docs didn't think of this?? Yea, I get that it is rare but come on. That is one reason I thing the hospital administrator is a quack - aren't his patients getting a multivitamin at the very least??? Now, that said how sad it is that he hasn't been in the sun for years. I got so angry when he was acting so entitled and pissy about the firefighters having such trouble getting him out of the house. Dude - you got into the situation. Don't get mad at them. And getting pissed that they have to X-Ray you at the zoo? Part of the price you pay for all of those meals.

The other thing about the administrator? He embodies the problem with doctors and the issue of obesity. They don't know what the fuck to do. If he can't help a woman lose more than 50 pounds in so many years and if his patients actually gain 350 pounds under his care then HE IS DOING SOMETHING WRONG - SOMEONE NEEDS TO STOP HIM!! I don't expect him to have solved the obesity issue, but he clearly wasn't addressing his patients' emotional issues. Not a single one of those patients eats because they are hungry (no matter what they say). The doc just kept feeding his patients the same line as Richard Simmons - 1200 calories of ultra-low fat food and exercise. Well, that doesn't work for most people. There is something more that is missing form the equation. The doc wasn't doing a thing for Dennis except arranging to have someone wipe his ass several times per day. Were they getting therapy? Learning new behaviors? Getting treatment for things like depression? Anxiety? Finding activities they enjoyed - like gardening, walking , dance, water aerobics, chair aerobics - making them ride uncomfortable, boring, stationary bikes just guarantees that they'll only do what they need to get by and will stop when not forced.

I really think we Americans (myself included) are trying to fill emotional needs and fill time when we eat. As a culture, we need to address this issue before we can solve the obesity issue. Brookhaven really brought this to light for me.

This post has been edited by Pity Free: Apr 23, 2007 @ 6:05 pm.

[RobertBlue]

Anyway, first impressions. So many things I don't understand about how this 'hospital' works. Dennis weighs 700+ lbs and has been there for 4 years and still weighs 700+ lbs! Why is he still there? If this is really more of a nursing home, I wish they would call it that.

The truth is even more disturbing than that. Dennis gained over 200 (I think they said 200, maybe even 300) pounds since entering Brookhaven, and now they can't even get him out of bed.

I really want to believe that a center like Brookhaven could would, but I just don't see anything that proves it. You constantly see on these TLC specials the glazed over look in the patients' eyes when a nutritionist shows up and tells them to open up a large bag of chips and fill little baggies with perfect portion sizes so you only eat the right amount. Thankfully, I never got large enough to even consider needing something as drastic as a live in treatment facility, but speaking from experience, that kind of advice just doesn't work. If I started pulling chips out of a big bag of Lays when I was my heaviest, more than not would wind up in my mouth and not the little ziplock baggies for portion sizes. By the time the bag was empty (oh, maybe 10, 15 minutes tops), I would have maybe three or four servings in bags, say fuck it, eat the rest, and chase it down with a couple cans of soda. It's cheaper and easier to purchase assortment packs of snacks, keep them in the far corner of the kitchen, and limit myself to one at a time. If I still want another little bag of chips when I finish the first one, I have to get up off the couch, walk to the far side of the kitchen, and get a new bag. That means I either don't go for the other bag at all, or I at least get my body moving to grab the bag.

And then the site of people 2, 3, 4 hundred plus pounds overweight being forced to use stair climbers makes me cringe. I go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week and could hardly be called more than a little chubby at this point, and I can barely last 10 minutes on a stair stepper, but can get a good work out on a treadmill, stationary bike, or elliptical that will last longer and burn more calories and, most importantly, not completely destroy my knees.

I know these shows like to sensationalize everything (which is a shame for that man who's been to Brookhaven before more than once, since he didn't want to be a media spectacle but that's exactly what TLC is doing, and it disgusts me), so maybe we aren't seeing all the success stories. But from what we've seen of Brookhaven in the past and on this special so far, it just doesn't work. How many times have we seen someone die while under Brookhaven's care, or gain all the weight back, or have loved ones bring in outside food and see no one try to stop them? It's a good idea, and I wish it would work, but so far it looks like it just doesn't.

These people need more help and individual attention than what Brookhaven has been shown to provide so far. Contrast this with the world's fattest man special that aired before it, with the guy that weighed over 1200 pounds at his heaviest in Central/South America. He received help with a customized eating and exercise plan and lost 180 kilos in a year and looks healthier. Sure, it was a sensational special (I cry foul on parading him down the street in his bed with a mariachi band following under the guise of let's let him see sunlight), but there were results that could be seen.

Not so much with Brookhaven as shown by TLC so far.

[lambie]

Oh Christ, I can't believe this show exists. Does TLC do any shows besides ones on gastric bypass and the morbidly obese? I can't decide if their philosophy is "let's all watch the freak show" or if they think they're really helping people.

I haven't seen it yet so I'll try to remain optimistic that it's a little more objective than other shows they've had on this subject. It's encouraging to hear that someone was refused gastric bypass on the show. The surgery has become way too common and, IMHO, it's being abused from the "tool" it was developed to be. I know 2 people who gained weight in order to qualify for it because they thought it was the easy way out. I know another who died a week after from complications, and several more who have all regained signifcant amounts of weight 1-2 years post-surgery. TLC never seems to show that side of the story though.

If anything, knowing this show exists will hopefully incentivize me, like lilith to stay on my diet and keep exercising. Ultimately I'm in charge of me and I refuse hand the blame or the credit off to someone else for my weight.

[mom2tee]

Tammy has been there for 2 years, has lost only 50 lbs, still weighs almost 400lbs, they know she smuggles in food and they don't at least call her on it?

They said something like "but then she didn't do it for a few weeks" so they approved her surgery.

This was a trainwreck. Not just in a "freakshow" sense (although I must admit it is fascinating and horrifying seeing how big people can truely get), but also in the sense that these people need more mental help than nutritional.

[serendous]

I have to assume that Brookhaven has more successes than failures but it was pretty clear that their program wasn't doing much of anything for Dennis or Tammy. Not that it's the program's fault necessarily since it may work for some people but it didn't seem like it had a therapy component to deal with the psychological issues around eating or any sort of ultimatum. While Dennis was sitting there gaining an additional 200-300 lbs, someone else who might have really benefited could have taken his slot. Not because I think he doesn't deserve treatment but it's clear that the Brookhaven approach isn't working for him. I mean, how bad off does it have to get when you can't even really breathe on your own because the fat is crushing your lungs but you continue to eat?

Tammy just got on my nerves. She wanted the quick fix that surgery offered but then started undoing any of the potential good by sneaking food. Again, why was she there? She had a home to go back to and I think that the director really should have stood firm and said to her (and Dennis) 'This isn't working for you, you can't/won't follow the rules and there's nothing more we can do for you here.' Not that I wanted them to go off and eat themselves to death but it was pretty clear that they needed something that Brookhaven couldn't offer.

And Mike Hbrinko was just annoying. Especially when he was griping at the ambulance crew. Dude, you are huge. Huge. That means that it is not easy for these men to lug your huge ass around. How about you drop the attitude.

[gojuu]

The surgery has become way too common and, IMHO, it's being abused from the "tool" it was developed to be. I know 2 people who gained weight in order to qualify for it because they thought it was the easy way out. I know another who died a week after from complications, and several more who have all regained signifcant amounts of weight 1-2 years post-surgery. TLC never seems to show that side of the story though.

I also had a friend who had the surgery, and although she lost nearly 100 pounds eventually, she never got as thin as the "success" stories that one sees. Further, her health never was very good after the surgery: she died a few years later, and she weighed over 200 pounds when she died. The thing that most people don't realize about gastric bypass is that the surgery restricts your diet, but it certainly doesn't remove the issues that cause extreme weight gain to begin with.

As for the people on this show; these people are beyond the pale. Most of us, even those of us who are overweight or even obese will never gain the sort of weight that these people gain. Personally I believe that most of the patients will eat themselves to death. One thing I don't understand is why the center allows food to be delievered to the patients. For example, just keeping the front door locked (with a buzz in system) would do a lot to keep unapproved food away from the patients.

[lilith1930]

When they started carrying Mike down the stairs I thought, "There is no way those 5 skinny dudes can handle his bulk." They each had to handle 116 pounds, by my calculations.

[kixco]

Michael Hebranko is one of Richard Simmons' "success stories" from his Deal-a-Meal sham from years back. I saw Michael on another program about obesity, and, with Richard Simmons' "help", was able to lose down to 195 lbs. Once he hit 195, he started overeating again and gained all his weight back. I wonder what happened to Richard once Michael started regaining?

I was saddened to see him on this program. He has lost and gained weight so many times, his heart is going to implode one of these days.

[LynninMN]

The thing that most people don't realize about gastric bypass is that the surgery restricts your diet, but it certainly doesn't remove the issues that cause extreme weight gain to begin with.

Amen. I had GB in January 2006 and I am a success story.....so far. I have lost over 100 pounds but I say I am a success story so far: I can only take it a day a time, a meal at a time, and yes exercise a lot. But I do feel VERY confident about my long term success because I DID address my issues before surgery. You gotta work out that garbage in your head before surgery or you will fail. You will. Sorry, but that is the truth. Some patients have deep stuff on there: sexual molestion an other icky, painful stuff.

[kixco]

The surgery has become way too common and, IMHO, it's being abused from the "tool" it was developed to be. I know 2 people who gained weight in order to qualify for it because they thought it was the easy way out.

I'm always surprised when I hear people refer to WLS as "the easy way out." I had WLS last August. Six months prior to surgery, I was on a modified Optifast plan to lose some weight before surgery because I was extremely fat (I didn't get as fat as Dennis, but I wasn't all that far off, either).

I went to four months of pre-op classes to make sure I understood what WLS did and how to work through the issues that made me so fat in the first place. I continue to attend support sessions every month. It takes diligence every day, and the WLS has provided a means in which I can eat what I need to eat without being able to overdo it. I eat around 1000 calories a day and take daily vitamin supplements.

I have lost over 300 lbs from my highest weight and my quality of life has improved in ways I can't possibly describe in just a few words. I can tell you it certainly hasn't been "an easy way out," but it has been a life saver for me. Had I relied on a place like Brookhaven (which I think exists just to rip off Medicare and other insurance programs), I'd be dead now.

PS: Word to everything LynninMN said.

This post has been edited by kixco: Apr 24, 2007 @ 10:20 am.

[TinkyWinkyBinky]

I hated Tammy as soon as she said that she basically gave her daughter to her sister to raise and then sat around on her ass not doing anything to lose the weight for , what was it, 2-3 YEARS? How 'bout getting better and out so you can RAISE YOUR KID?

[LynninMN]

The surgery has become way too common and, IMHO, it's being abused from the "tool" it was developed to be. I know 2 people who gained weight in order to qualify for it because they thought it was the easy way out.

Thanks for saying this, as I would like to politely address this: anyone who has gone through this knows it is anything but easy. It is a lot like having a baby: it will change the way you live, every day, for the rest of your life, but you are really glad you did it, because like anything hard, the rewards are so so great. It is hard, really hard to have such a drastic change in your life. But yes it is a tool and it is only designed as such. But there are people who, in my opinion, don't abuse it but maybe have not been educated as much as us. But that is fault with the clinic that does not prepare the patient. I had a lot of testing done (and I mean ALOT - folks who want to have a baby or want to get married should have their head examined this much!) and more folks are rejected than accepted. I had to do a liquid ten day diet before surgery and some patients complain about this. I tell them: if a liquid 10 day diet bothers you, don't have WLS. That is the easiest part, if there is an easy part.

PS: Word to everything LynninMN said.

thanks kixco.

Back on topic: Michael Hebranko kinda bugs me. I have sympathy for his plight but something about him bothered me. I am not sure what it is.

Maybe they will do a follow up on some of these folks and see where they are in a year.

And yes I am VERY curious on how they pay for their care. Disability?

This post has been edited by LynninMN: Apr 24, 2007 @ 10:35 am.