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Posts:
1
Registered:
10/9/09
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(55 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Oct 9, 2009 9:59 PM
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We are, however, very close friends who share a home and a life, for now. We enjoy the companionship. The show didn’t have an accurate depiction of what it’s really like.
Lauren, with all due respect I don't think this is relevant to your disparaging actions toward him that occurred several times during the show. It seems that you continue to use the filmmaker's editing techniques as an excuse for any kind of criticism of your behavior mentioned in the discussion here. I agree that it's unfair to you that A&E chose to do so, but you need to take responsibility for your conduct.
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Posts:
12
Registered:
10/6/09
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(54 of 55)
Oct 6, 2009 8:19 AM
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AMEN and AMEN!!! Putting all my 'stuff' into labeled boxes and stacking them neatly on shelves DOES NOT, I repeat, DOES NOT help!!
I am in the medical field and am a firm believer in getting to the CAUSE of the problem. You have a headache, take an aspirin...right? Wrong!! That is only a temporary 'masking' of the symptom. The underlying cause of the headache has not changed and four to six hours later, you will, again, have a headache. Bottom line should be: What is causing the headache? Is it stress, high blood pressure, a tumor...?
You have to 'cure/fix' the underlying cause...not just take all the sh_t and rearrange it. The 'stuff' is not the problem, it is only a symptom of the underlying problem. Take away/organize all the junk and the symptom (headache) is gone (temporarily), but the underlying cause is still there and will, again, manifest itself into another mess, given time.
And, like you stated, people who spend hours upon hours sorting, classifying, labeling, and arranging items are just as messed up as hoarders. Either way, it is placing an unhealthy amount of importance and spending/wasting an unhealthy amount of time on 'stuff'.
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Posts:
1
Registered:
9/21/09
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(53 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Sep 21, 2009 12:12 PM
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Hi Lauren,
I just thought I'd say hello. I live here in Charlottesville and saw your episode yesterday. I read some more this morning (about your illness and the other factors surrounding your taping). I hope you are doing better and I'm so glad to read that the psychologist has been a help.
Best wishes for good health and happiness in the future.
P.S. Though I realize there was tension between you, I thought your parents were adorable, just not totally knowledgeable about your condition. They were doing what so many parents would do - fix things, even though that wasn't the best thing for you in your situation.
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Posts:
1
Registered:
9/20/09
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(52 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Sep 20, 2009 12:56 PM
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WOW!
First of all Lauren;
YOU ARE NOT ALONE WITH YOUR STRUGGLES...BE STRONG SISTER!!!
My family hoards. My grand parents ran a garbage business to support 7 kids. My Fathers home is over run with clutter and his excuse is, "That's my wife’s job, not mine!" For me I find it hard to get rid of items collected for my various toy/hobby projects over the past 15 years. This show has finally helped me realize that others struggle and that there is a way to change.
Episode #2 motivated me to throw over 250lbs of junk in a single day. Lauren, you and I have the same issue of saving things that are "worth lot's of money" even though the value has been long gone for some time. "I can make something with this!" "I can sell that at a later time!" My favorite one is, "I paid a lot of money for that so throwing it away will be like throwing away money!"
Lauren, My girlfriend and I would be willing to drive down and help you both with your situation free of charge. Just know that people who care are not far away. You don't need to be alone in this fight.
Sean
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Posts:
142
Registered:
8/19/09
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(51 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Sep 20, 2009 12:57 AM
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Hiya Lauren,
I am so happy to know you are feeling better! Kudos for getting through the thyroid treatment & moving onward. It is obvious that your mood is lifted & positive, woo! Kudos also for stepping over the negative responses in order to share more of your experience with the show & its aftermath. It can all be a tough road sometimes, yes, but you can do it! Countless people are wishing you all the best. Don't forget it. You Go Girl!!!
Yeah, put some music on & Let's Dance!!! 
________________________________________
"I don't understand people that hoard,Lauren...but I know like any other illness, it can be brought under managment with the proper treatment"
-572308
This is an interesting statement. Not even the most experienced professionals in the field of hoarding know it can be brought under management with the proper treatment, yet you know this? First of all, 'proper' treatment has not been established for all manifestations of hoarding. This is why further research & development of more effective treatment is imperative. It will be a grand day when it is possible for every hoarder to be helped to make progress & manage this condition, but we certainly aren't there yet.
Secondly, in order to better understand people who hoard, it helps to put aside all of your preconceived ideas regarding how an average person might see & approach the management of their belongings & environment. It is difficult to do that, to realize how differently someone else perceives their world, but it is the beginning of understanding.
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Posts:
209
Registered:
8/17/09
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Posts:
1
Registered:
9/19/09
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(49 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Sep 19, 2009 7:16 PM
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Lauren,I hope you and Will can continue to have a relationship...obviously Will must be getting some benefit from being with you,otherwise he would've flown the coup long before now.
What I'm scratching my head about, is , if I'm reading correctly your original post.....on the one hand you (and Will) welcomed with open arms,the A&E film crew,yet in nearly the same sentence you contradicted what you've just said. Which is it Lauren?
Perhaps I'm just mis-reading your posting.Almost like you were using your diag.(Thyroid cancer) as an excuse to explain everything away......why didn't you ask the questions that you've mentioned in your posting "I'm Lauren from ep 2..." and got some concrete answers,before "the camera crew arrived"?
I don't understand people that hoard,Lauren...but I know like any other illness, it can be brought under managment with the proper treatment,and I wish you luck with that........
And yes, Lauren, I do understand problems associated with the Thyroid.My husband of 31 years had most of his taken out when he was a wee lad of 13....for some it's a good thing,for others not. His scar is a constant reminder of the surgery he once had.Never once has he "used" his Thyroid as leverage to neglect his responsibilites,and I dislike anyone using their physical impairments as an excuse for anything they can't resolve on their own.
Good luck with your Mental health issues, Lauren...I'm sure if the broadcast is any indication of your ongoing impediment,you've got a very,very long road ahead of you.Perhaps A&E will do a follow-up,much like they do for Intervention......
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Posts:
7
Registered:
9/12/09
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(48 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Sep 19, 2009 6:34 PM
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I agree. And this is precisely why I feel the empathy & compassion for Lauren that I do.
I don't believe anyone would willfully choose the life Lauren has been experiencing over that of feeling joyful enough to be dancing at 28.
(((((((( Lauren ))))))))
AnnieBlue, you are the sweetest!!!! Thank you for all the love and support...I truly appreciate it!!!
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Posts:
7
Registered:
9/12/09
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(47 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Sep 19, 2009 6:27 PM
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Lauren, did you get my email?
No, Missy, I did not get an email from you. 
When did you send it? Please re-send it...I would love to hear from you!
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Posts:
7
Registered:
9/12/09
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(46 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Sep 19, 2009 6:25 PM
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Karianne,
Thank you so much! I am doing better and better as time goes on!
And unless something gets pulled off the boards, I am allowed to say whatever I want to about the experience. 
My filming took place in the winter, but since it was in VA, it was somewhere around the 40's and 50's during the day. Not a lot of snow or freezing temperatures!
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Posts:
41
Registered:
8/23/09
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(45 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Sep 18, 2009 6:53 PM
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Oh Lauren, I'm so thankful that you found out
what the problem was and that you are now
okay!
My only question is this, what months were filmed and
what was the weather like?
If you are allowed to say.
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Posts:
209
Registered:
8/17/09
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Posts:
209
Registered:
8/17/09
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(43 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Sep 18, 2009 3:45 PM
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Mikos wrote:
The first thing anyone suffering severe daytime sleepiness should do is schedule an overnight sleep study.
Sleep apnea is one of the most underdiagnosed medical conditions there is. It's a hassle having to spend the night hooked up to all those wires, but at least you'll be able to rule that condition out once and for all.
I have a sleep study scheduled for two weeks from now. It really never occurred to me that there could be a problem until about a month or so ago.
I had a really sleepy phase hit me after lunch on Sunday. It was all I could do to stay awake. I'm afraid it will look like I was disinterested, but oh well.
--
COMPULSIVE HOARDING:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsive_hoarding
HOARDING: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoarding
HOARDING RESOURCES:
http://www.reclaimingdignity.com/ or reclaimingdignity@gmail.com
--
Edited by MISSYnALEX at 09/18/2009 12:47 PM PDT
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Posts:
7
Registered:
9/12/09
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(42 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Sep 18, 2009 3:34 PM
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OK, before I address any comments/questions/etc, let me set (more of) the record straight.
The initial appeal of this show was to get our house in order. We had envisioned the show to be something like “Clean Sweep” on TLC. http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/cleansweep/cleansweep.html
We knew it would be more “documentary-like,” and serious, but we thought the end result would be a neat and organized home. Clearly, this wasn’t the case, as we discovered when the camera crew arrived.
[Side note: A clarification of a misconception of this show: We had no idea what to expect before the crew showed up. Any question I asked was answered in a vague, nondescript way. As I mentioned in an earlier post, had I known what it would actually end up like, I never would have agreed to do this show! One other thing: Although the camera shows you two days of filming, there is actually four full days. Thursday at 7 am until Sunday at 6 pm. Saturday and Sunday are the only days that are actually on the show. When they do the editing, they throw in things that were filmed on Thursday and Friday, but the viewer doesn’t know that they weren’t filmed during the 2 “work” days.]
Something I would like to share that I hope will clear up some things is that I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer right before the camera crew arrived. It had been too late to cancel the filming, so I didn’t share that information with the people from the show…I just did the best I could to accurately portray the situation. This was filmed a long time ago and I have since been treated and almost fully recovered from the thyroid cancer. For those of you who don’t know, thyroid disorders have the following effects:
-weight gain, depression, fatigue, feeling weak, to name a few!
Sound familiar???? So hopefully that brings some light to the concerns of my mental and physical health. I definitely was not myself during the time of filming. Here’s a little excerpt about thyroid cancer:
Thyroid cancer is a disease that you get when abnormal cells begin to grow in your thyroid gland . The thyroid gland is shaped like a butterfly and is located in the front of your neck. It makes hormones that regulate the way your body uses energy and that help your body work normally.
Now a little about my relationship with Will:
It’s kinda complicated (what relationship isn’t???!!!), but to put it simply, it is what it is. It is not a “typical” relationship and we are not on track to get married, have a family and live happily ever after. We are, however, very close friends who share a home and a life, for now. We enjoy the companionship. The show didn’t have an accurate depiction of what it’s really like. In the instance of when I talked about controlling him, that scene was edited so it looked like one complete thought. However, it was the result of an edited discussion where I was answering multiple questions, some aimed at me personally, some generally speaking, and some hypothetical questions. So my sentence started out as a personal answer, but then turned into a hypothetical, general answer. I don’t remember the questions exactly, but the personal question was something like: “How does your hoarding affect your relationship?” And the general question was something like: “What happens in a relationship when one person is a hoarder and the other person is not?”
Hopefully this makes sense. I am not trying to defend anything I said, I am just trying to paint a picture that is more accurate. As several people have already said in earlier posts, no one is forcing Will to be with me and vice versa. This is our choice, we are both happy for now, and we’ll see what the future brings.
OK, I think that’s all I have in me for right now, thanks for your support and concern…I appreciate it very much!!!
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Posts:
1
Registered:
9/17/09
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(41 of 55)
Re: Thought it would be best to introduce myself first...I'm Lauren from ep 2
Sep 17, 2009 8:02 PM
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The first thing anyone suffering severe daytime sleepiness should do is schedule an overnight sleep study.
Sleep apnea is one of the most underdiagnosed medical conditions there is. It's a hassle having to spend the night hooked up to all those wires, but at least you'll be able to rule that condition out once and for all.
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