Sunday, March 10, 2024

10 days to shoulder surgery . Today is DS's 33 birthday. Hard to believe my youngest is that old.

My DD has an in-person appointment with a weight loss clinic on Friday. She already spoke to them and they said they would likely recommend injectable semaglutide. I am glad she is moving forward on this. Trying to do it without help is not working for her.

We are hosting the monthly neighborhood get-together this afternoon. Though it is drizzling a bit now it should be partly sunny by then so we can leave the doors open. I have a charcuterie board being dropped off this morning. It will serve as our food contribution and also be the centerpiece for the table. The house is relatively clean but we need to set up areas for food and drink. Hopefully all will go smoothly!

Have a simple Sunday!

Good for your DD! And 10 days! After some pain and discomfort, it'll be like getting your arm back.

Kirby's poops are still terrible. He needed to go out 7 times last night. Must be at night he is passing his food from the day and during the day he is not going because he didn't eat all night. I did not get the results of his fecal test, so no medication until at least tomorrow. I can't take another night of this and am going to get some Imodium to hopefully help a little at least tonight. I think he can have one 2mg pill for each 40 pounds. So that would be 1. I know he's over 40, but not 80! That he did this to himself from grabbing poop on his walks makes me so irritated with him. I spend each entire walk shouting "leave it!" and pulling him away from a easily 100 piles of scat. They are EVERYWHERE. And then my neighbors don't clean up after their dogs because they probably think, why bother with 100 piles of coyote and javelina poop? He might need to wear a muzzle! I am definitely napping today.

The tile guy finished!!! It looks fantastic and was worth it in the end.

Scale moved again. I'm down 14.6. I don't think I had the strength in me to try to do this again on my own. Very grateful.

I didn't get to Kirby's bath (and couldn't dry him outside with the sealing happening), so for sure that's happening today. He's stinky!

That's it for me. Off to make my eggs...

14.6! Congratulations! And the same on finally being able to send the tile guy on his way LOL.

Oh, to live in AZ today! CA residents actually voted to allow the state to abandon DST, but the legislature has made no move to honor the vote. I wish the vote had been to keep Pacific Standard Time all year long. It would really make things easier. DST seems kind of pointless, really. Especially because I woke up at regular school time today and it was DARK! UGH....

Liz, I would be nervous about the surgery, too, but at least you know in the end it will be worth it. You'll be the newest bionic woman! Too bad it doesn't come with super strength. About your DD, she has seen your success with VSG, is that not of interest to her?

CC, Immodium is a great option. Give him 2 tabs. Dogs metabolize drugs differently than we do (faster, quicker). Talk with your vet about getting him on a metronidazole regimen. After 3 days add in a good probiotic (Forti Flora ordered from Chewy is a good one). Question: Have you truly taught him "Leave it?" or are you just using it on walks. A true "Leave it" command must be taught in a training environment to really be effective. Here's a video to teach it from the beginning....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylr6scuE2zY Basically, you are teaching him that if he leaves the tempting poop alone, you'll give him an even better treat and praise. It does work, but requires a great deal of persistence and patience. But given that he's a GR, it should go a lot faster than with my sneaking azz terriers!

Semaglutide was in full swing yesterday. Even though I ate well, weight is staying very stable. I do wi**** would go down a little bit this week. I sure feel like I'm eating WAY less than I was before. I really don't want to go into diet mode and trigger the eating disordered thinking.....

Question for those of you who are taking tirzepatide or semaglutide: Have you noticed that with the initial inflammation loss your joints got more user friendly? I have really noticed how I'm so much less stiff after sitting and at one of my school there is a small staircase with steps that used to cause my right hip discomfort and now there is no discomfort. Another plus of life on the semaglutide.

I fell asleep watching TV again. Two nights in a row. OMG! So unlike me... Maybe this is 60? LOL!

Ron's sisters are giving me a belated b'day celebration today. Should be fun. I requested an ice cream cake, but at the moment it doesn't sound terribly appealing! I'm sure my appetite will rally!

Satisfying Sunday to all....

Thank you, Peps! I haven't brought treats on our walks to teach it. No excuse other than I don't like to wear the treat bag as it's uncomfortable! My bad. Lots of verbal praise which he likes, but treats would be better. I'm off to get the imodium in a minute.

My joints are definitely less sore. Arthritis fingers included. It doesn't take me long to get upright after sitting a while either. I used to be hunched with those stiff, sore, awkward steps and usually listing to the right. Very Quasimodo with less hump.

DD is terribly frightened of surgery though we have discussed it. She feels better about trying this first.

Greetings all

It's back to pouring rain here today. Not sure what I am doing yet. I know what I should do - find stuff in the house for the junk man. I was also planning on going to the studio but hate going out in the rain. Buddy was going to come but I bet she bags it due to rain. She lives on a dirt road.

Liz we are with you on your surgery. Bionic! Wouldn't it be cool if they could install super human strength along with it? But a working non painful shoulder will be a great thing. Enjoy your charcuterie and party.

CC sound like Peps has the right idea to cure Kirby's current afflictions. You indeed need to nap. My friend had a Samoyed who got the runs often. She would feed him a kaopectic sundae. A bowl of steamed rice with kaopectic on top. What a thing to have to deal with - animal poo everywhere in your neighborhood. I am intrigued by the javelinas but not enough to put up with their poo.

Gotta admit I don't mind daylight savings time but then I no longer have a job. It's nice to have light in the summer until 9 pm. I am so irregular about when I sleep and get up that it does not matter.

Last night we watched the old movie "Mean Girls". It was a hoot. I guess there is a new musical version so we streamed the old one.

OMG, weight loss drugs also help ease aches and pains!!?? Where do I sign up? I am like CC only much worse - standing up and walking and I move like Frankenstein. Shuffling and lumbering stooped over. But I am noticing some positives in that department from my minimal walking. Actually woke up without leg pain a couple of days ago for the first time in years. After imagining I had a bout a billion weird diseases that made me hurt I have kind of concluded my legs hurt because they each have about 20 pounds of extra blubber and if I could get that off I would hurt less. Ya think? Anyway, kudos to all of you using the semi glutides. Might get me going on it..

DD good for you on getting to planet fitness. A little counts for a lot.

We have been watching the series "Constellation". Space travel and weirdness. DH loves it. Me - meh.

Last of the roast beef tonight. Then on to new adventures at the deli. I am kind of sick of all their stuff. Must find new deli. (in India LOL).

Diane S

Semaglutide and weight loss: My loss has been slow due to the Tamoxifen, so probably not typical. I have had long periods of no movement on the scale, while definitely eating at a calorie deficit. What I noticed is I'm often losing inches while the scale is stalled. This has always been a Weight loss pattern for me, but it's more pronounced now. I also feel less stiffness, but I don't know if it's due to the meds, or my trying to exercise more. CC I hear you so much on the not having it in me to do this weight loss thing again. I had resigned myself to being chubby/fat again (although quite a bit less fat than presurgery, about 100 pounds less) and making the best of it. Though I'm losing slowly, it's still a miracle to loss any weight at all. I'm grateful.

CC, one day Kirby is going to be a grown up dog and all of this will be behind you. I was so lucky the last time we had a puppy both my kids were still living here, and they helped so much. DS is the one who trained most of her commands. My favorite was hearing DD say one day ad she was letting Bella in from the yard, Drop the potato. Bella had visited the compost pile :) She did as instructed, but I bet she wasn't happy. Anyhow, I don't know if I would have it in me to train a retriever puppy all on my own. Good on you for persevering and helping Kirby to become the awesome grown up dog he will be. Good thing he is as cute as he is :) He really is such a handsome boy. You must melt every time you look at that face.

I worked yesterday and today on my closets. I ceded the entire walk in closet to DH years ago with the agreement he could indulge all of his hoarding as long as it didn't sneak out of the closet. He has honored that, and what goes on in that closet is not for me to worry about, or deal with. I have a dresser and amoire in our bedroom, and I use the closet in the adjoining bedroom, which was DS room, but is now my office. I used to try and move clothes back and forth by season, but this time I'm grouping by categories. Tops, blouses, pants in the dresser and amoire , in the other room, dresses on one side of the closet, cardigans, blazers, hoodies etc on the other. As I was digging in the recesses of all these storage places I found tons of treasures, including a very nice swimsuit I forgot about that should fit again. Yeah. I loved pulling out old favorites I can wear now. I also have so much ready to go to the thrift store.

It just wasn't as much fun to dress my chubbier body. I hadn't really noticed how the fun had left until I could start wearing things I had previously "out grown". After surgery, I shopped continuously, because I was busy thrifting and bargain hunting. I figure in the course of losing 140 pounds, I needed 3 different sized wardrobes. I'm enjoying shopping a lot again, but I don't need all new everything. Still, fashions change, right, and it's okay to indulge if I can afford it.

Time to start getting ready for our theater experience. It's something unusual, a one man show about the author Samuel Beckett. I'm not sure what expect but it is getting rave reviews. I'm going to wear a dress I bought about 2 weeks before Covid that I only got to wear once. After Covid and the return to normal life, I had gained too much to wear it comfortably.

I love knowing I'm not going to work tomorrow. No Sunday Scaries!!! Counting down the days to summer break when every day is a weekend.

Yes, finding things that used to fit and now do again can make closet cleaning almost pleasant! I will keep that in mind when I start my work getting the house ready for sale this summer. But I won't have much room at all for clothing or other personal items at DH's Cape house.