Hello!
Externally, I'm a sixty year old male, replete with psoriatic arthritis, and now, due in large part to the aftereffects of surgery because of the arthritis, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes!
Ding, ding, ding....those cherries on the machine keep coming up, but keep giving me lemons! Oh well, just another hurdle to leap whilst wearing my underpants outside my trousers! Although, that might be a dementia diagnosis on the cards given the cherries and lemons scenario I'm stuck in!
Of course, internally, I'm still the strapping youth of twenty something, lifting stupidly heavy weights, and thinking that old age is not for me!
Pitch forward a few decades, and here I am!
So my dermatologist picked up the diabetes following a blood test and said, hey, this ozempic drug is working wonders for many of my patients, struggling with many chronic disorders just like you. (I wondered if he was being kind by adding the 'just like you' tag on the back end of his sentence to soften the blow! It didn't work, and I must tell him, his 'bedside manner' needs a little work!)
Armed with a prescription, I head off to my chemist, a chap with a much better bedside manner who see's the merit in offering his apologies at the diagnosis.
Although, I'm not sure I liked that either when I heard. It was at that point that the lightbulb illuminated under a neon flashing sign in my head of 'grumpy old bastard' in big flashing red lights! I laughed inside at that sign and thought, yes...but with diabetes to boot too!, as if that was a perfectly acceptable excuse!
It's not, and both of those bits have to change.
But not as quickly as I had hoped.
The disappointment inducing sharp intake of breath followed his apology at my diagnosis and he told me you stand no chance of this before December. Take the scrip back and trawl around various chemists to get on a waiting list was his recommendation. Well, three chemists later all turned me away, no waiting list, no advice, and certainly no panacea drug filled pen for me!
A few clicks on this inerwebby thing that everyone bleats on about, and I'm here and a never giving up team premium member!
It carries on though, and soon enough I've sent an email to Charlotte and placing an order for the drug the PBS can't supply me. For quite some years, I've been a fan of 'the free market' But have never thought the title was an oxymoron until trying to secure my Governemental given right to medication! Phew.....this better work though I!
So off the email goes with the characteristic whoosh..full of enthusiasm at never being going anywhere near the post office!
And I wait.....and wait.....and wait.....only to be told the supplier is inappropropriately named too as he has none to offer.
Curiously, two event's follow...an email arrives telling me its on its way, and a call from the chemist...we've got you your drugs sir......cash only behind the pub as usual!
From none to loads in a day!
So, with plenty of supply now for a few months, the issue of stop starting the course is alleviated, and on Saturday morning gone, my first injection of ozempic was taken.
So, now the story of the start of the journey has been told, lets start on the feelings and results.
Within a day, hunger stopped. No desire for food, no hunger pangs, no response to food stimuli. I cooked for my wife and had no inclination to eat. After trying things like the optifast diet, or the original Cambridge diet in the 70's, I knew not eating and relying on VLCD diet meal replacements was a nightmare for me. But yet, here I am.
I take one of the shakes twice a day, and consume a small amount of protein from lean meat such as chicken or steak with again, a smallish salad of rocket, tomato, capsicum and a quarter avocado.
Now on Injection +2 days, still the same. No hunger of any kind. It's quite phenomenal, and maybe could be dangerous. I have little desire or willingness to eat. Water is taken, more to stave off the routine of consumption of something.
Given that, I think weight loss is inevitable. If basal metabolism requires 2,000 calories, then I doubt if I'm consuming anywhere close to that amount.
So if anyone has any interest, (or even if you don't, its my blog!) I'll give details of weight lost on Saturday when I nervously yet expectantly step on the dreaded scales!
Thanks for reading this far!
Externally, I'm a sixty year old male, replete with psoriatic arthritis, and now, due in large part to the aftereffects of surgery because of the arthritis, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes!
Ding, ding, ding....those cherries on the machine keep coming up, but keep giving me lemons! Oh well, just another hurdle to leap whilst wearing my underpants outside my trousers! Although, that might be a dementia diagnosis on the cards given the cherries and lemons scenario I'm stuck in!
Of course, internally, I'm still the strapping youth of twenty something, lifting stupidly heavy weights, and thinking that old age is not for me!
Pitch forward a few decades, and here I am!
So my dermatologist picked up the diabetes following a blood test and said, hey, this ozempic drug is working wonders for many of my patients, struggling with many chronic disorders just like you. (I wondered if he was being kind by adding the 'just like you' tag on the back end of his sentence to soften the blow! It didn't work, and I must tell him, his 'bedside manner' needs a little work!)
Armed with a prescription, I head off to my chemist, a chap with a much better bedside manner who see's the merit in offering his apologies at the diagnosis.
Although, I'm not sure I liked that either when I heard. It was at that point that the lightbulb illuminated under a neon flashing sign in my head of 'grumpy old bastard' in big flashing red lights! I laughed inside at that sign and thought, yes...but with diabetes to boot too!, as if that was a perfectly acceptable excuse!
It's not, and both of those bits have to change.
But not as quickly as I had hoped.
The disappointment inducing sharp intake of breath followed his apology at my diagnosis and he told me you stand no chance of this before December. Take the scrip back and trawl around various chemists to get on a waiting list was his recommendation. Well, three chemists later all turned me away, no waiting list, no advice, and certainly no panacea drug filled pen for me!
A few clicks on this inerwebby thing that everyone bleats on about, and I'm here and a never giving up team premium member!
It carries on though, and soon enough I've sent an email to Charlotte and placing an order for the drug the PBS can't supply me. For quite some years, I've been a fan of 'the free market' But have never thought the title was an oxymoron until trying to secure my Governemental given right to medication! Phew.....this better work though I!
So off the email goes with the characteristic whoosh..full of enthusiasm at never being going anywhere near the post office!
And I wait.....and wait.....and wait.....only to be told the supplier is inappropropriately named too as he has none to offer.
Curiously, two event's follow...an email arrives telling me its on its way, and a call from the chemist...we've got you your drugs sir......cash only behind the pub as usual!
From none to loads in a day!
So, with plenty of supply now for a few months, the issue of stop starting the course is alleviated, and on Saturday morning gone, my first injection of ozempic was taken.
So, now the story of the start of the journey has been told, lets start on the feelings and results.
Within a day, hunger stopped. No desire for food, no hunger pangs, no response to food stimuli. I cooked for my wife and had no inclination to eat. After trying things like the optifast diet, or the original Cambridge diet in the 70's, I knew not eating and relying on VLCD diet meal replacements was a nightmare for me. But yet, here I am.
I take one of the shakes twice a day, and consume a small amount of protein from lean meat such as chicken or steak with again, a smallish salad of rocket, tomato, capsicum and a quarter avocado.
Now on Injection +2 days, still the same. No hunger of any kind. It's quite phenomenal, and maybe could be dangerous. I have little desire or willingness to eat. Water is taken, more to stave off the routine of consumption of something.
Given that, I think weight loss is inevitable. If basal metabolism requires 2,000 calories, then I doubt if I'm consuming anywhere close to that amount.
So if anyone has any interest, (or even if you don't, its my blog!) I'll give details of weight lost on Saturday when I nervously yet expectantly step on the dreaded scales!
Thanks for reading this far!