Vibes to Tim!!

Jen I have to do that with my antidepressant, fill it as two separate doses and pay twice. It’s obnoxious but only like $20 so not the worst. Still rude though, but since my migraine meds (old and generic!) are $180 it’s not tops on my list.

That is ridiculous, Jen!

It’s obnoxious but only like $20 so not the worst.

Yeah -- if they weren't charging me so much per Rx, I'd deal. And still grumble, but I'd deal. But, also, the fact that I'm not feeling ANY different without the meds for two weeks means I should revisit with my doc anyway, I guess.

Cancer Begone! All the vibes!

All the cancer was not removed, because, to quote the surgeon, "We can't remove something we can't see." The ENT hasn't been able to get visual confirmation of the cancer in Tim's throat, and that held true today. He took several samples for biopsy from around the area that lit up on the PET scan, but he said they may come back negative. One possibility is that when the weird neck lumps were removed (those lumps turned out to be lymph nodes), virtually all the cancer was removed. It sounds like the plan will be to target a minuscule area with radiation, but we won't know that until the meeting with the oncology team next week.

And, again, the type of cancer Tim has is very very susceptible to radiation, so whatever is still there is likely to get nuked back to hell.

For now, Tim's throat feels sore from being poked and scraped, and he's eating yogurt and counting the minutes until his next percocet dose.

Bonus: Less hip pain for Teppy too.

Yessssssss.

a minuscule area

I like the sound of miniscule.

Yay yogurt and percocet, and I hope the minuscule radiation (or whatever plan gets planned) does the job as easily as possible

Laura. I'm sorry about brother.

Teppy I hope they can get all of Tim's cancer with the least amount of radiation and fuss.

Also would water aerobics be something that you could do that might help you keep exercising while your hip is sore. Or even after ? There isn't a water aerobics option really nearby otherwise I'd jump on it.

I have done a lot of adulting. Made a dentist appointment after way way too long (almost 3 years I think ..maybe ? I kept making an appointment and getting sick on the days) and I made cowboy caviar which was delicious and we kind of had for lunch yesterday.

I have hit the "oh you increased your fiber ? Cool here is bonus constipation!" Stage of fiber intake. I do not like it. I am miserable. Miralax is in my future..

I have hit the "oh you increased your fiber ? Cool here is bonus constipation!" Stage of fiber intake.

I am not a fan of the gastrointestinal side effects of Zepbound (nausea and some reflux and the scoots). So far it seems like they happen on days 2 and 3 after the shot, and then everything calms back down. Manageable but annoying.

It's freakish spooky magic how the drug makes me feel full faster, with less food, and then how I stay full longer.

I'm about to start Zepbound self-pay, so I'm looking at you like my canary in the coal mine, Steph.

For now, Tim's throat feels sore from being poked and scraped, and he's eating yogurt and counting the minutes until his next percocet dose.

This is the month where yogurt will solve all of our problems. Also, here's to fine-focused radiation treatments in miniscule areas.

So far it seems like they happen on days 2 and 3 after the shot, and then everything calms back down.

Yeah, I have a couple days of stomach unease after my shot and then it disappears.

My Ozempic Update: I'm down to 214 lbs from 247, starting Ozempic in April. I lost ten pounds in the first month, and then it came off much more slowly. In June and July I plateaued at 220 for a while and couldn't seem to make it budge, but I raised the dose in August and was very strict on my diet for a month and lost six pounds.

So I'm about 20 lbs from reaching my goal weight, but already feeling and looking much better.

My meal log for today is: bowl of cereal with blueberries this morning. One small muffin sized bacon/zucchini frittata for lunch. Dinner will be a small salad with protein (probably tuna, but could be roast chicken). I've had two coffees.

I am actively working against constipation from the protein heavy diet. So I take a motility supplement which is helpful, but I also periodically just swallow a couple spoonfuls of mineral oil to soften my stool. (I put it in a very small glass of chocolate milk and use the frother so I don't taste it at all.)

(I also drink liquid collagen daily and again, use the frother to mix the mango flavored collagen with fizzy water and make a little soda of it. Yay, frother!)

When I did a hardcore keto diet in 2019 and lost fifty pounds I got down to 199 (for a day) and mostly hovered around 200 for a couple years after that. So I'm hoping I can keep and maintain 195 when I get there.

195 is basically my weight when I left college, and I was lean and buff. It's not scary light for my 5'10" frame.

Despite the Pilates I'm not as buff as I was then simply because I've been losing muscle mass and tone since I hit my mid-fifties.

But I'm actively working in Pilates on creating a lean, ropey, dancer-ish body.

In my mind, that is a much better shape for negotiating my late sixties and beyond. I've already had issues with my joints and sciatica and really want to give my body a break from hauling around so much.

I'm about to start Zepbound self-pay, so I'm looking at you like my canary in the coal mine, Steph.

The Zepbound subreddit is extremely helpful. Their most common recommendations boil down to: use the Shotsy app (which is awesome actually) to track your shot location each week and track progress if you like, hydrate like a motherfucker (optionally with electrolytes like Liquid IV — I have one thing of Drip Drop Hydration electrolytes a day), make sure you get your protein and fiber in, and take your measurements (so if the scale doesn't move in a given week, you may be losing inches). They also have a lot of suggestions for dealing with constipation if that happens (eating kiwi fruit and prunes are high on the list). Ginger is good for nausea, and some people have gotten an Rx for onsdansetron (Zofran) from their doctor for bad nausea days.

There seems to be a split between people who track their food (protein, fiber, overall calories) and people who trust that the drug will dial down their appetite enough that they don't need to track. I'm on Team Track, but that's because I really want to be sure I get enough protein and fiber (and I love data).