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".....
