Hoarders- they do exist, probably next door

Ever watch the tv show Hoarders on A & E? It's a "fascinating look inside the lives of two different people whose inability to part with their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of a personal crisis."

Ewwww...right? Why on earth would anyone watch such a disgusting, voyeuristic show? Other than the fact that most television is disgusting and voyeuristic these days...well I find it oddly fixating because it is so realistic. I'm sure there's plenty of drama to go around and they add extra for good measure but seriously...I go into these types of home on a weekly basis. People really are THAT disgusting!

We've always called them Stackers in EMS because they stack and stack until there's just a small trail leading throughout the house between mountains of God-knows-what! Some people even have systems of organization in the mess; like all the matchboxes go here, all the scissors go there, etc. Of course, there are 3 dozen scissors and so forth.

The dust is so rampant and old that it looks like dark gray Christmas tree flocking, jars of urine line tables and shelves (why anyone would want to save their urine is beyond me but then these people aren't exactly normal), bugs have entire ecosystems inside the mess and the stench....ugh... you would not believe it!

Sometimes you can't even stay inside for more than a minute because of the smell. Once I was in a house where the cat litter box was at the end of the bedroom hallway in front of a bedroom door! And it was soo overflowing with poop that it was falling over the edges! The bathroom floor was soo dirty that postcard flyers from inside magazines were completely and nearly permanently glued to the floor. I couldn't even shift it with my boot! Can you imagine how long that flyer must have laid there to be stuck that completely?

All the carpet was dark brown...no matter what the original color had been and one room was entirely full of boxes, just empty boxes!

These people really do exist. They're probably your neighbor. Homes which look completely normal on the outside will shelter Hoarders and Stackers for decades and you might not even realize it! But I do. Like the original Colt 45, being a paramedic is the great equalizer~ I see it all, see everyone as God intended~good, bad, happy, sad~ you can't hide the truth of your life and choices from a paramedic!