Monday, September 12, 2022

Busy day yesterday looking at the cottage and then driving 90 minutes out and back to see DD before we leave for Florida. Great visit, so it was worth it. SIL came with me to view the cottage and to meet DD for dinner so I was glad to have that time with her too.

The offer on the cottage goes in officially today but I won't hear bac****il tonight or tomorrow as they are accepting bids until 5 pm. Fingers crossed, but if it doesn't work out something else will come up at some point.

It is drizzling out this morning. No big deal except that I have some remaining outdoor furniture to prepare for winter so hopefully it will dry out for a while. I am meeting my longest term friends from the neighborhood I grew up in for lunch, then will finish most of the major Florida packing this afternoon. Tomorrow is errands and a haircut so I want to wrap up today for the most part.

Have a mostly productive Monday!

Liz, you are so busy! When you get to Florida, find a beach chair and collapse for a bit.

So I had a moment today, so I made a few medical appointments. I needed to schedule a dexa scan, make sure I was on the oncologist's schedule 6months from now etc. I thought, you keep saying you are going to, call your WLS clinic. They had no openings until November ****XCEPT, they had a cancellation today at 3:30pm, so I took it.

I met with the Physicians Assistant I worked with previously. She didn't bat an eye when I said I thought I needed some pharmaceutical help. She said they've learned that the first 4-5 years after the sleeve, our small intestines increase production of a hormone, GLP -1, which makes you feel full and less interested in food. Then the production of it drops again. Intrusive thoughts about food often return. Current practice is to anticipate this could happen to patients, and then be ready to treat it.

One of the most promising treatments is new type 2 diabetes drugs that increase GLP-1. Unfortunately Blue Cross Blue Shield does not cover this class of drug for weight loss and it would be over $1000 a month out of pocket.

So I am going to try Topiramate ( Topamax). Well maybe. Walgreens texted they are checking with my provider to see if it's covered. It is a drug for migraines and seizures. People being treated for these conditions lost weight, sometimes a lot of weight. It is thought to work in the brain to quiet down signals related to eating. In the best case scenario it reduces interest in food, and causes people to think less about food. Some potential side effects, tingling in hands and feet, brain fog (!) and sleepiness. My PA suggests taking it in the evening, as it can help with sleep. The majority of people tolerate it well, but some really struggle, especially with memory. Side effects subside as soon as you stop taking it. But once you're up to full dose, you shouldn't quit cold turkey, but titer off. It takes 3 weeks to get to full dose, so if the side effects are too onerous, I can quit then. Or if I feel appetite suppression before I reach full dose, I can stop there.

I'm nervous, I'm hopeful. It did make me feel better to hear someone in the bariatric field say I didn't fail my surgery, that regain is now an expected event, and also requires treatment. And she was 100% in agreement that Tamoxifen is a weight gain drug. So, helps to combat those feelings of shame that always whisper to me in matters of weight, no matter how hard I try to ignore them.

Here I go on another round of trying to put my obesity back into remission...

Go for it dd and tell us how it works. Sounds like good science

remission indeed!

diane s

DD, I tried Topamax for a while. I don't think I had any side effects, but it didn't do anything that I could see and I stopped. That was long ago pre-VSG, so my memories are hazy. i hope it works for you!

Not much going on today. Reading, trip to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner, cooking, walk with my folks.

Hope everyone is off having a good day!

I'm more afraid of side effects than it not working, so that's good to hear. I've tried Phentermine, with little benefit, and it made me feel crazy, not in a good way.

Greetings all

its late and I am watching my forensic files show. So interesting.

dinner was a half deli roast beef sandwich. It was the right amount but carb heavy. Last nights shrimp veggie stir fry was better,

studio work today and I came up with a grocery bag of stuff to toss. Gonna try to toss a bag each day. And I am still trying to get rid of the marble table. Getting closer.

dinner was a half deli roast beef sandwich. Not bad but not great, I want todo a few b l t sandwiches before end of summer

all this is headed toward our Halloween event which will be larger this year. I am not yet in full blown stressing

wishing joy to you all

dianes

Halloween already??? I can't think about that until October.