Victories big & small

Yesterday I went through my closet & donated a box full of clothing that is either too big on me or about to & I won't be able to wear anytime soon.    

I also had to buy some new 'jeans' (jeggings if we're being honest here) and purchased a size down.   They fit!   

I'm just short of 65# down.  

I'm about to start walking outside to test how well/how far I can go before my back pain kicks in. 

The back pain I was struggling with for awhile has been MIA.  The back pain in my tail-bone area is real.  It aches all the time.   

Hopefully it'll completely disappear once I lose more weight. 

OTHERWISE--   I have been stressed beyond belief.   It's been affecting my health. I have headaches and digestive problems.   It's not been nice.     

Either way I'm still plugging along

 

Going into February

 Anyone out there that thinks that GL1-P drugs are the easy way out is uneducated.
Anyone who thinks the "drugs" do all the work, is an idiot.

I've now been getting the injections for 6 months.   I am now down 55 lbs.    Recently had bloodwork done & my numbers are OUTSTANDING.   
I was in shock with my cholesterol.    Shocked I tell you.   NEVER has it been this good since I started having it tested (20 something years ago).

Taking this shot is HARD.   Recently my doctor upped my dosage because between November & early January I was at a standstill (and even gained some weight over the holidays --only 7#).

IF you've read through this blog or been following me a long time, you know I have STRUGGLED.   
I did excellent back in 2014, lost a significant amount of weight & was on track to be healthy again.   I wish I remember what happened that threw me off.    Going back even further, 2003ish I was at a healthy weight--but I blew that up by getting off the strict Atkins diet & not reintroducing foods properly.

When I started walking again after my RFA, I lost a little bit--but nothing that held.   

EVERYTIME I would gain it all back.   

IT was a struggle.   Exercise---very little impact.    Reducing food intake-- very little impact.   
My Fibro made it hurt. My back made it impossible to walk.   Enter peri-menopause & the fun that comes with that.   
I could not win.  

What this shot does for me.   It makes me feel full much quicker.   I don't feel hungry all the time.  I don't crave things like I used to.

I log EVERYTHING I eat (good or bad).  I stay within my calorie goal. Food is not on my mind all the time....

What else does this shot do for me? Every new dosage my blood glucose has to re-center itself.   New dosages mess with it & I drop very quickly--causing me to nearly nod off or pass out. 

I'm nauseous a lot.   If I don't eat enough, I'm nauseous.  If I try to eat something that doesn't agree with me, I'm nauseous. It has changed my taste buds--food I once enjoyed ---can't stand .  I went to eat a bowl of oatmeal this a.m.   I can no longer stand it.
My once favorite Strawberry Cheesecake Light & Fit greek yogurt makes me gag.  
My list of foods I want to eat dwindles. 

Sometimes when I am eating, I have to force myself to eat because I am hungry, nauseated because I am hungry, & need to calories.     I am actually struggling to reach my daily goal of 2100 calories.  
I try to go over when I can since a lot of days are struggles.

I had cut out my daily Rockstar's, but I think I am bringing them back.   That extra 260 calories was doing me a favor.   I have not noticed any "benefits" to cutting them out.  

The overwhelming exhaustion that comes out of nowhere near injection day.   I've never experienced anything like it. 

I do notice my fibro acts up more, in my lower limbs especially.  But it's not anything I haven't lived with before.

I am FREEZING cold  all the time.  I cannot get warm.   My hands & fingers turn blue often--the raynaud's is worse than previously.

Tonsil stones are becoming way to common & they're getting bigger.   

Joints ache a lot more, but I was dealing with that before.   There are days that I just want to throw in the towel because I feel like crap.

But then, when I'm walking to & from my car into the building....faster & lighter than before.   Waiting for the stupid ice & snow to melt so I can attempt to walk outside.  I need to see what I can handle.
Where I once felt uncomfortable in my clothes because they didn't fit right (too tight or not fitting my shape), now don't fit "right" in a comfortable way (they're very loose).

It's not an easy thing.  It's a tool, but I have to use it correctly (watch what I eat, stay hydrated, exercise) in order to make a difference.   

EXERCISE:

I'm limited to time/freedom to work out.  So I have begun exercising in my seat.  
When I am at work--leg lifts, arm stretches.  I am going to have to come up with more since I will be returning to the office FT.   

When I am at home & sitting down-- arm exercises with weights. Leg lifts.   
I am not just doing nothing.  I am doing a little bit throughout the day.   Need to work on keeping my muscle mass.   

So, no....these drugs are not an easy fix. 

End of 2024

 It's taken me forever to get the motivation to actually write this entry.   
I've just had other things going on & just not wanting to sit to type.

This year is definitely ending different than it began-kind of.   The beginning of the year I was very dejected about having to return to work in a few weeks.   The financial loss that it would bring & the dread of the pain I would endure walking to & from the car to work.

My back was very messed up at the beginning of the year and the extra weight made walking difficult. 
To give a glimpse of how miserable it was.   After work, I was struggling to return to my car. I had to stop to catch my breath.  I realized on the way to the car that I could not find my phone.  I decided since I was nearer to my car I would continue on to see if it could possibly be hidden in the bottom of my bag or in my roller case.   Also, it would allow me a chance to rest a bit in the car. 

Sure enough, I didn't have my phone. I had to walk back to the building.  Struggled to get there. Once I got to the elevator, I stood against the wall trying to reset.   Once I got back to my floor, I had to again rest.  Then continued on to get my phone. 

Found it, took the elevator down, & continued back to the car.  I had to stop & sit at one of the tables to rest before continuing back to the car.  By the time I got back to the car, I was in tears. It was the most excruciating time I'd had in a long time. I was miserable.   

These days I make this trek without stopping, without pain, & almost speed walking.   It's such a difference this experience in January vs how it is now in December. 

I'm down about 40+ pounds. The starting point is difficult to determine as it wasn't my scale. I won't get on that scale again until January--so I can only use their starting # (their # is always less than mine).

My problems these days are eating enough to reach my daily goals.   Based on my activity level, weight loss goals, & basic needs I find myself struggling to reach my 2100 daily caloric goal. The end of the day comes & I have 400-600 calories to "use" but it's past eating time & almost bedtime. 

I find that the more I finish the day below my max, I tend to end up plateauing.   I'm getting better at eating more in order to get nearer to the goal. 

Some other positives:  I struggled for YEARS....DECADES with my left leg & ankle swelling.  The ankle seemed to be swollen on a permanent basis.   This has all but disappeared.  I wore compression socks regularly.  I have worn it once or twice in the past 4.5 months.   

My almost daily headaches have disappeared.   I had a headache of one sort of another daily for years.  Whether it be a tension headache, migraine, stress, sinus... I always had a headache.  I was constantly on something to alleviate the headaches.    They have disappeared.   I've had 2 or 3 sinus headaches in which I took allergy meds to alleviate them.      

I need to start monitoring my blood pressure--I haven't got around to retrieving my monitor.   
I don't monitor my A1C, but I have that under control.   

I don't crave sugars.  No candy, no sweets. No alcohol.  

I am "switching medications".   I will be switching from the weight loss approved version to the diabetic approved version.   Why? Insurance.   Insurance will be close to $767/mo starting 2025 (Up from $24.99), but the diabetic version only goes up $10.    

I am actually awaiting Pre-Auth now. I wanted to switch a few weeks early to have the weight loss version on hand if the PA took to long or was denied.  Also I wanted to do it while it was still affordable.   I think they (INS) are waiting until the weekend to approve (my next round of refills would be approved then).  

I think if it was a no go, I would have heard about the denial (the last time they denied the meds, when I first went on them, it was quick).

I would post pics, but I don't have any I want to share at this time.  Yes the differences are obvious--but I need to take some pics to provide consistency (same outfit).   Wish I had taken more beginning photos, but I didn't know how it would go and I didn't think it would work. 

It actuality, I'm doing most of the work. I watch what I eat. I log all my foods.   The meds just help fill me up quicker & allow me to go longer in between meals before my head kicks in with "Hey you should eat".....

  

skip ahead to 2024

 Oct 24 2024

Since the 2022 updates....

RFA was a success. I walked & walked. Until I couldn't anymore. 

RFA's that followed had less & less of an impact until they were a failure in early 2024.

Gained all the weight back.    Ended up going to aqua therapy to build core muscles.   I had to pause it because they were relining the pools or something. Have not been back yet. 

Back still hurts.   I "tolerate" pain a bit more than before, but I still get some incredible pain.

No matter what I did, losing weight was not happening.    

I started a semaglutide at the end of July, very beginning of August.  

It is no joke, particularly if your diabetic.   The side effects are tough.  There are days were I just want to say Screw this! I'm tired of feeling this way--but I'm down close to 30lbs. i'm keeping to my meal plan and rarely go over.  Funny thing is I eat a lot of the same stuff I was having before.  The only difference is I feel sick a lot because I either held off eating too long or the smell makes me sick. 

My sensitivity to smells is a lot worse.  I've gagged way too many times. 

Some of my other issues are "being taken care of" by the meds/my diet  (ankle & foot swelling, blood pressure, my glucose)  and others are flaring up (my fibro has been flaring, I have problems with nerve pain at night, being super thirsty, & sudden blood sugar drops).

Only 1 person said anything & they were unaware so that made me happy.   My clothes are either baggy or fit comfortably. Depends on the fit/size.   

I have such a long way to go so this will be a long journey. I'm just glad I have that push needed to get the scale #s moving.   It was stalled for so long & then one day it moved.   

I want to return to the pool, but the Kaos Krew--my dogs seriously make leaving this house without them an impossible task.   I hope to go this weekend to start back up. Hopefully move the #'s a little quicker. 

Left Diagnostic 2-Medial Branch Block

 Had my 2nd Facete Joint Nerve block of the left side a few hours ago.   

We're ramping up to have the RFA on the left side.  

Those unaware, for years I have had limited mobility due to debilitating pain.  I was unable to stand or walk for more than a few minutes before the debilitating pain would begin. I would would not be able to stand without sitting or leaning against something to help alleviate pain.

When the pandemic hit & I began working from home, this made matters even worse. I was not walking to and from my car to the building, I was not going out often and sitting at my desk I would not leave it or move around as often as I might at work.

Weight gain was minimal, but I was unable to lose much because of my lack of movement. I already had pain associated with the Fibromyalgia, but adding the back pain made matters worse.

Living with chronic pain - describing it to anyone who has not had debilitating or severe chronic pain --they will never understand.  It takes over your whole being.   I was miserable and depressed and so exhausted of wanting to do things, but not having the physical capacity to do it. 

You feel judged.  When you tell people you can't join them on a walk or you need to sit when you've been standing in a line for only a few minutes.  Real or imagined, it weighs on you.   Do they think I am lying? Do they think I am lazy? Do they think I am fat because I want to be? The list goes on.  You internalize and the guilt and depression just build.

When I finally pushed and pushed to get to the point where I met my Pain Management doctor who told me I was a possible candidate for procedure that could reduce or eliminate my pain...I held out cautious hope.

Insurance requires 2 Lumbar Facet Joint Block diagnostic procedures to determine if an RFA would work.    

For the Lumbar Facet Joint Block, the doctor, using local anesthetic, injects a temporary nerve block into the joints.   The injection lasts up to 8 hours.    

As a patient, you keep a diary of your pain and are told to "go out and get busy". You are supposed to do what you can and would do that would normally elicit pain.

They follow up and you report your pain levels and % of pain reduction. If the procedures work, you are then scheduled to have the RFA.   

The RFA is a procedure to heat the medial nerve by damaging it to stop or greatly reduce pain signals to the brain.  For some patients the pain goes away, for others there is a significant reduction.    Unfortunately, it is NOT permanent.  Further RFAs are needed as the nerve regenerates.

I had the right side done in August and it was life changing.  I am walking and standing and have more range of movement than I have had in YEARS!!!

I can tell the nerve is regenerating as I am having some pain creep.  However it is nowhere near the level it was before the procedure, so I have time. 

With all my walking, I found my left side acting up.  The left is NO WHERE near the pain of the right, but it still hurts.  

So my next step is a follow appointment with the doctor in the next 4 weeks and we will schedule the RFA for the left. Plus I would like to discuss the Right side for future follow up.

How much has my life changed?   Here's some news.... I'm down 40+ lbs since July.  I walk regularly and I walk my dogs.   I have NOT been able to walk my dogs in more than 5+ years.   

I want everyone to know about this wonderful life changing option and will post about it every chance I get.   
Sharing some videos that provide more details ...

11.23.22 update

 Nov 23 2022

I don't know if it is because of the nerve block or my eating food that triggers inflammation, but my lower back has been bothering me something fierce since last Friday.

I'm still walking, just cutting it short due to the pain. ..

Facet Nerve Block

 This morning I had the first of my Facet Nerve Blocks on the left side (1 of 2 diagnostic procedures). 

There was a Fellow assisting the doc who did my block.  I don't know if it's because it's a different side or if it's because he was not as skilled as Dr Girgis...but my god. 

Earlier, I was walking around with no issues. Hubby said it looked like I was doing pretty good movement wise. 

However, the injection side HURTS.   Now, 6 hours later my lower back is irritating me.  I am so sore.  The site still hurts and the nerve block seems to have worn off.  I feel like it's swollen down on my lower back.     

I'm going to take some pain meds in a bit, since I can't use my pain cream.   It did NOT hurt like this at all when i had the first 2 facet nerve blocks.   UGH.  I go through this again in a month.

Just needed to vent......