Meet The Haskins

Wed, 29 March 2017

Geraldine (54) and her daughter Amanda (30) live in Clondalkin with dad Peter, siblings Adam and Lisa and their three rescue dogs. Amanda and Geraldine are the only family members participating in Doctor in the House.

Geraldine and Amanda both carry extra weight. Amanda admits she comfort eats and has an extremely unhealthy relationship with food. Her weight started escalating when she had a relationship break up at age 18, and in recent years she has put on 2 stone a year. She also suffers from polycystic ovaries.

Amanda used to work as a fitness instructor – and now worries that she may not be even be able to walk in the coming years, let alone exercise.  She admits to never eating breakfast – and says there are plenty of chocolate bars, snacks, dinner, and invariably a take away late at night. She also smokes between 15 – 30 cigarettes a day and has 10 cups of coffee daily, each with three dessert spoons of sugar.

Although Geraldine tries to make a family dinner most nights, every Friday the family succumb to a takeaway – usually kebabs and chips. She is a creature of habit; Tuesday is a night out with Peter and a bottle of red wine, while every Saturday she takes her 86-year-old mother out and drinks six pints of Corrs Light while smoking her weekly four cigarettes.

After being assessed by the experts, Geraldine finds out that she is in the second highest category for obesity, and Amanda is in the third – the highest category possible. Amanda’s triglycerides are through the roof and she is iron deficient. But upsettingly, Amanda finds out that she has type 2 diabetes – something that needs urgent attention.

The pair leave studio with a list of orders; no smoking, no takeaways, follow the experts’ plans and Amanda must address her diabetes urgently. She must also see a psychologist to deal with her food addiction.

The pair spend the next couple of months doing their best to try to stick to their plan and avoid temptation. Amanda sees a psychologist to help deal with her addiction to food, and a diabetes specialist. After 8 weeks they return to the Consultation Room to find out whether their efforts have paid off.