Mounjaro

 This is some background of what lead up to Mounjaro.  Some of this post is irrelevant to the topic, but this post is cross posted to another blog.

While I did a LOT of exercise last year in 2024 and I mean a lot, I did not really know what I was doing exactly.  I was mainly at the time trying to outrun my emotions.  Last year, the person that I considered to be one of my besties decided to end our friendship on my birthday via text message, over a misunderstanding.  I believe it could have been worked out if she would have only communicated.  But that is neither here nor there other than to provide some background info.  Prior to that I was already riding a recumbent bike.  But after all that pain I needed something more.  So I started taking my actual real bike to a local greenway and riding there once a week and I joined Planet Fitness.  I met with a trainer and learned how to start with strength training.  At one point, I was riding my bike (combination of miles between recumbent and real bike) between thirty and forty miles per week, and doing strength training at least twice a week.  At first it was to dull the pain.  I mean prior to that I had been casually riding my recumbent.  It worked to dull the pain for while.  Then I got to where I just liked doing it.  It made me feel good.  So I kept it up.  

I'm actually kind of bored with all that now.  I'm trying to switch things up a bit.  I'm tired of the 30 minute circuit at Planet Fitness.  Don't get me wrong,  it is my go-to.  But I've been looking into some of the other areas and after my usual workout, I've been trying out some of the other things there as well.  I have a goal to be able to do one unassisted pull-up by the end of 2025.  I have started using the assisted pull-up machine.  I have researched which muscle groups I need to strengthen in order to be able to do a pull-up.  Looking into increasing some work on the core as well as the lats and back.  Funnily enough the Lat Pull Down machine is my favorite.  I despise leg day lol. 

I had some serious health issues late last year.   So much so that it meant leaving work early via ambulance and being hospitalized for three days.   It was serious enough to ALMOST be put into the step down ICU, but I improved enough while waiting for a room that I was able to go to a regular room instead.  Since then, my body has been turned into a pin cushion.  I wear a continuous glucose monitor in my arm; I give myself insulin shots twice a day in my belly; and I give myself a weekly GLP-1 injection in my thigh once a week.  See what I mean about being a human pin cushion?  

I was prescribed Mounjaro for its intended purpose for treating T2D.   Any weight loss derived from it will be a bonus.   I started Mounjaro at the beginning of November.  2.5mg.  It was then interrupted due to issues with insurance.  It was restarted recently, although based on issues I am having with other medications, I will not be surprised if the insurance issue arises again.  I will move up to 5mg on MLK weekend.  I am very nervous about the increase.  It has so far not done a thing for me as far as losing weight.  I've actually gained a few pounds.  Moving in the wrong direction!  Even though my diet has drastically changed the scale has not really moved down.  I have noticed though that some of my clothes fit better.  So there is that.  I've been hitting the gym hard when I am able to go. 

Generally speaking though.  There is a stigma around GLP-1 agonist medications.  People seem to view it as taking the easy way out.  NOTHING ABOUT TAKING THIS MEDICATION IS EASY!!!!!!!  It severely limits what you can and cannot eat  (I am speaking of my own personal experience as well as stuff I have read).  It makes you nauseous and gives you the bubble guts at times, as well as backs you up.  I get nauseated just smelling certain food smells.  I have to mostly force myself to eat.  It makes things you used to like to eat, make you sick.  For example, one of my favorite holiday treats is Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes.  The medication changed the taste, and after eating just one as a treat I felt like I was going to puke my brains up.  Christmas Day while eating dinner, I took one bite of garlic bread and felt sick.  The smell of garlic bread lingering in the air after dinner made me so nauseated, that I spent quite a bit of time sitting outside to avoid throwing up.  It takes away cravings/food noise.  It takes away the dopamine reaction of eating.  For me, it increased my anxiety and depression drastically.  I went from the occasional panic attack to having them every single day without having my usual triggers.  I have since obtained medication for that.  Mounjaro makes me tired all the time.  I feel like I'm living in a fog.  Words are hard most of the time.  Annnnnd..... one of the things a GLP-1 does as well, is depletes your muscle mass.  So gym time is imperative.    

So right now the Pros:
Ability to lower A1C and increase insulin sensitivity.  (I do not have bloodwork until March so I will see if this happened or not)
Prevents the liver from glucose dumping for lack of a better word
Side effect of losing weight - I have not experienced this yet, but I have a co-worker on it that has.  The more you have to lose the faster you lose it starting off. 
Stops food noise
Stops food cravings
Forces you to eat smaller portions

Cons:
Nausea
Acid reflux
Vomiting
Bubble Guts/Hershey Squirts
Constipation
Gas
Abdominal Pain
Potential to cause Pancreatitis or kidney failure
Muscle atrophy
Fatigue
Headaches
Increased sensitivity to smell
Slower gastric emptying
Potential of becoming severely dehydrated 

While the cons list outweighs the positives, most of the cons are for the most part tolerable albeit uncomfortable.  There have been several articles stating they are are finding other off label uses of these medications.  

The above information is NOT medical advice in any way shape or form.  It is based on my own personal experience and research. 

I will be vlogging my journey on my YouTube channel which I will share eventually.  I'm not very tech savvy.  The only reason I'm considering doing that is because I have seen others' videos/vlogs and they were very inspiring and motivating.  So maybe my vlog will be a motivation/inspiration to someone else.

This is cross posted. 

Hula Hoop of Ab Torture/Concussion Giver

 Pictured above or below or wherever Blogger decides to place it, is what I call the hula hoop of ab torture.  This one is obviously a knock off I purchased from Amazon as the real brand (Infinity Hoop) is upwards of sixty bucks.  This one was around thirty.  It had decent reviews on Amazon.  I have a friend that has one and she likes it.  I watched some YouTube videos and also read some articles.  Reviews are mixed.  Some think it is a gimmick as it gives the impression that you can spot reduce fatty areas, which you cannot. And others think it is great.  So I guess it really depends on your personal preference and what you got it for.    For me personally, I recently lost friend, and one of my coping mechanisms has been to unalive myself via exercise.  Thought I'd add this one to regimen.  It must be paying off though I'm down to 196 (not solely due to this).  

If you're like me, I could never hula hoop with a regular hoop.  I don't have any hips.  I mean sure I have the skeleton pieces hip joints and bones, but I don't have any real visible hips.  To hear my hubby tell it, I don't have a butt either lol.  But anyway, this is different from the regular hula hoops.  This snaps snugly around the waist.  You might have to fiddle with it to get it to keep from sliding when you first get it going.  I know I had to remove 2 more links after thinking I had already sized it correctly.  It fits tight.  Then you sling the weighted thing to one side and start moving enough to make it continue to circle around the hoop.  This part takes some getting accustomed to, so don't give up immediately.  Also, if you are a dude I'd highly advise either avoiding this exercise equipment or wearing a cup because you will get smacked hard in the dangly bits and bobbles.  I'm female and it swung around and hit me in my area and even as a female it was not the best feeling.  So I can't imagine being a dude and getting smacked with that.  And when I say wear a cup, I really don't know what the purpose of a cup is.  Is it to protect your parts or is it to keep them from flopping around kind of like a bra does for us ladies?  Just being honest.  

Anyway, I don't know or have anything to report on the claim that you can lose one link in thirty days.  You're supposed to do this for thirty minutes a day for thirty days straight in order to achieve this result.

I have a problem with this idea.  For one, from what I have read, you're not supposed to work the same group of muscles over and over and over repeatedly without giving them an opportunity to heal.  So right off the bat, I'm slightly skeptical.  However, I can tell that it does definitely work the muscles because I know my abs area is super sore the day after, so something is happening.  

Another thing is you have to figure out what to do with your hands.  For me, I cross them over my chest and rest them there.  You will also look like an idiot doing this.  I use mine outside as the only area large enough to do this is in a high traffic area of my house and I don't wish to give my family a concussion should they decided to be foolish and tempt the blue weighted ball of fate and concussions lol.  I pick a shady spot in my front yard.  My back yard is full sun.    It is definitely an interesting way to exercise.   It's definitely worth trying.  I guess I'll report back a while later after using it more.  Although, this is not my sole form of exercise currently.  I am biking, using this, and using 3lb dumbbells.    

Fitbit Charge 6

 

Up until February of this year, I have not worn a watch since well........ I cannot remember.  Possibly a couple decades at least.  I've heard about FitBits for years.  Then I heard about the Apple SmartWatch and several other types.  At one point I bought a cheap 20 thing off Amazon.  I wanted to see if it would be any benefit.  I was not impressed.  Just seemed like too much to keep up with. Hard to explain that, but if you know you know. 

So over the past couple of years I have found myself having a significant increase in the amount of panic attacks.  If you have never had a panic attack, it makes you think that you are having a heart attack.  It is not a pleasant experience by any means.  Many times I would find myself going to urgent care just to make sure it was not a heart attack.  I know that sounds silly.  I just needed the reassurance or my panic attack would get worse.  

I do not know what possessed me to look at FitBits specifically other than I was trying to come up with ways I could  bring myself down from the ceiling.  I had started having panic attacks at work to the point of an ambulance was called one of those times. One day I just said heck let's order a real one and see what happens.  So the FitBit Charge 6 was on sale on Amazon one day.  It just happened to be a payday so I ordered it.  The fact that I had to really pay for it (a lot more than a 20 dollar knock off) made me decide to wear it religiously.  The only time it is not on my wrist is when I'm in the shower (it is water proof, but I don't want to take many chances) or when it is charging. 

I won't really go into all the details on how I use it to bring me down from the ceiling.  And I will say that it does not always work for that as it depends on how far gone I am.  If I catch a panic attack at the beginning I can use some of the features of it to bring me down.  I realize that most people do not use it for that.  

I'll be the first to admit that I do not understand all of the features nor do I understand all of the graphs that go with the app.  

Let me tell you about some of the features that I do like.  

It constantly monitors your heartrate.  
It tracks your sleep...... now this feature I like.  It will tell me exactly how much I slept.  It will even monitor your O2 rate while you are asleep.  It tracks stages of sleep as well.  I can log into the app and see the stages of sleep.  It will give you a rating of how well you slept.  The picture posted above has my sleep listed as fair.  I can tell you that is because I currently have the crud.  I do not sleep well when I have the crud.  I know how much I sleep on average as well.  During the work week I average 5 to 6 hours of sleep most nights.  No wonder I"m always dragging lol

Another feature I like is Google Maps.  You connect the Bluetooth on your phone and pair it with the FitBit.  There are a couple of different ways to use this.  You can be in your car and have the GPS directing you on your phone and it will come through the watch.  I have not tried that feature yet.  What I have used it for is in the exercise mode it will track how many miles you walk/run/bike.   I can connect it to Google Maps and hop on my bike and know a lot of data instantly such as distance, speed, etc.  This is good for me because I was looking at Google Maps and trying to do math to figure out my distances.  If you know me, you know I do not like to math!  Yes, I turned math into a verb. 

It does many other things.  It can take an EKG, YouTube Music, stopwatch, alarm, track exercises, step counter. receive text messages, do voice calls, and Google Wallet. I'm probably missing something.  I have not used all the features as of yet.  

So far I only have 3 cons

-  It has to be charged.  Call me old school, but I liked having an actual battery in a watch.  This is just another charging cord to keep up with.  

-  While it can receive text messages, it will only show a portion of the message if it is a long message.  

-  It does not have an exercise setting for recumbent exercise bike.  It has all these other things, but not that. 

From what I have used it for, I really like it.  I can use it to tell if I have a good or a bad Monday.  The more steps I log on a Monday means a bad day because I'm having to chase people down for timesheets and therefore logging more steps lol.  

Ayr Saline Nasal Gel

 I hate pollen and pollen hates me.  I saw someone post this product on Facebook.  I thought what the hey, I might as well give it a shot.  I have nothing to lose.  The one major thing I hate about allergies is being a mouth breather.  I don't know about you, but I am not comfortable solely  breathing out of my mouth.  I don't sleep well or function well at all.  I have a variety of different things I use like nasal dilators, and Vicks Vapor Rub just to name a few.  I typically use them in tandem with one another.  Typically, it works. However, it did not work this time.  I don't know if I got some super mutant ninja  pollen (eh just a joke there) or what.   Every now and then I feel as if I'm going to hack up a pine cone through my nostrils.  So I thought I'd give this a try.  Full disclosure, I bought this the last time I was sick, but never opened it so I don't remember how much it cost, but I remember it being relatively cheap at the time.  

So basically it's a watery gel like substance.  Not to be dirty minded, but it has the consistency of a water based lube.  *shrugs shoulders*.  According to the directions you can dab it on the outside of your nostrils or put it on the inside of your nostrils.  So what the heck.   Let's git er done!  I dabbed some on the inside of my nostrils.  It was a pleasant mild citrus (think lemon) scent.  And for a brief moment it was if the clouds  parted the heavens and the angels sang.  I could freaking breathe!!!!!!!!!!!!  That moment was short lived though.  I mean it lasted about thirty minutes or so.  But what a glorious thirty minutes it was lol.    

I don't really have a pros/cons list for this.  The only real con is you have to be careful not to squeeze too hard or you'll get more than you wanted.  

Totally worth adding to your allergy/cold aresenal.  

To Epilate or Not Epilate

So..... as a teen/young adult, I was diagnosed with something called PCOS. Basically, my hormones do silly things like cause hair to grow in places it shouldn't- like my upper lip and chin. It started off innocently enough. A tweezer pluck here and there. A small trimmer. Waxing. Nair type products.  Then in my thirties it worsened to the point of an electric razor. Then ever since I had my child, I'm having to shave my face every day with a regular razor. There, my dark secret is out. I may dress like a tomboy, but I draw the line at facial hair. No thank you! As of late my skin has grown uber sensitive to the point of razor burn. The amount of hair has also increased. Thank you mid life upcoming hormone changes coupled with PCOS. So I was looking for a solution I won't have to do daily. I read about laser hair removal. But I read it is not usually a longterm successful solution for those affected with PCOS. Plus it is expensive. Then I stumbled upon epilation. I used to pluck hair with tweezers one at a time. An epilator is a device containing multiple tweezers that spin at a high speed. It yanks out multiple hairs by the roots at the same time. Over time it's supposed to weaken the follicle and cause it to grow slower and thinner. 

If you do not have a high pain tolerance I suggest you run. I found one on Amazon that had good reviews. I opted for a waterproof one. I have had it for a couple months. I've been working up the courage to use it. Today I'm by myself. So I charged it then went to work. I turned it on and cringed at the speed at which it turned. I opted to stand under the hot water of the shower so I might soothe the pain. It hurts so bad. But it works. I obviously missed a few spots because of the blinding pain. My face is super red, but thst should subside. 

Pros

Gets rid of stubborn hair for a little longer than shaving

Can epilate anywhere unwanted hair grows (face, legs, pits, bikini area -- I will be sticking to face only. If you can handle the other areas you have my respect). 

Waterproof (mine is, they sell both waterproof and not waterproof versions)

Cons

Pain obviously 

Takes an hour to charge and has 20 minute battery life.

This is a pic of the epilator. Those metal things are tweezers. 

Nose Frida

 Okay first and foremost, my child is now 7 years old and is a bit too old for this product.  HOWEVER, we did use it when she was a baby and a toddler.   So I will be speaking from that perspective.  

So you know when your baby/toddler gets a cold and their poor little noses get so stuffed up and crusted with BOOOOOGGGGGIIIIIEEEEEESSSS..... ehhhh sorry I got a little carried away there.  Boogies, snot, boogers, mucus, whatever you want to call it.  They toss and turn all night and cry and all that not so great stuff.  Well in walks this awesome product (albeit slightly gross, okay a lot gross) called the Nose Frida.

The Nose Frida is comprised of a cone like shaped tube.  Think of the shape of a chunky Crayola crayon.  It has a sponge filter that hooks to a tube.  Now here comes the gross part.  You take the pointed end of that tube and put it in one of your child's nostrils.  You take the other end and put it in your mouth.  Yes, you read correctly.  Then you proceed to suck the snot out of your child's nose like your are sucking drink from a straw.  It is the grossest thing ever.  But it works!  It sucks that snot right out.  

Pros:
It works

Cons: 
The little ones hate it.  Mine screamed and cried and thrashed about a lot!
It's gross, but if you can get past that tidbit, you're golden
The filter can fail.  (I learned that the hard way.  The filter failed on me once, but it was a hard booger that was sticky and gooey and did not want to come out, so more than normal suction was applied lol).  
Sometimes, it gets things flowing and an avalanche of snot will pour out of your child's nose, but that can be a plus.

Bottomline:
If you can get past the gross part, this product is a winner.  It gets the job done.  

Caron Cakes

If you don't like/use yarn, you might not have a need for this review. Plus, I'm fairly biased on this one. Just a heads up.  

If you know me, you will know I love yarn.  My yarn stash has probably reached S.A.B.L.E levels.  SABLE stands for stash accumulation beyond life expectancy.  I love yarn.  Buying yarn makes me extremely happy.  I love the bright colors, the different textures, the squishiness, and most important all the possibilities.  In 2014, my friend, Amanda, got me into loom knitting.  In 2018, I FINALLY got a handle on crocheting.  In 2017, my friend, Rhi, and I went craft store hopping.  Rhi is an exceptionally talented fiber artist. She knits and crochets amazing pieces of art.  Yes, crochet and knitting are considered art. So we were at Michaels looking around.  We saw this product called a Caron Cake.  Caron is a yarn brand that is owned by parent company Yarnspirations.  Yarnspirations also produces all Caron products, Red Heart (recently acquired), Bernat, so on and so forth.   

Let's backtrack for a moment.  If you loomknit, crochet, or knit with needles, then you know what huge pain it can be to color change.  The process by itself can be daunting at times, not to mention extra ends to weave in.  Ugh!  The latter is my least favorite part of it all.  Caron Cakes line of yarn are a self striping type of yarn in the shape of a "cake".  They don't look like a typical skein of yarn.  Sometimes they have colors grouped together that you would never think of combining.  Being the "lazy" fiber artist that I am, I loved this idea.  I bought my first three Caron Big Cakes (4 weight, 603 yards, 100% acrylic).  I made my first ever loom knit shawl. I followed LoomaHat's video on YouTube for the triangle prayer shawl.  

From that point, my obsession with self striping yarn intensified.  Caron produced several other types of cakes to their cake lines (and continues to do so).

I'm probably missing  quite a few but as far as I know off the top of my head there are:

Caron Cakes
Caron Big Cakes
Caron Sprinkle Cakes
Caron Chunky Cakes
Caron Tea Cakes
Caron Anniversary Cakes
Caron Cupcakes
Caron Chunky Cupcakes
Caron Skinny Cakes
Caron Cotton Cakes
Caron Baby Cakes
Caron Latte Cakes
Caron Lava Cakes
Caron Marble Cakes
Caron Angel Cakes
Caron Funnel Cakes
Caron Ripple Cakes
Caron Cinnamon Swirl Cakes
Caron Blossom Cakes
Caron Cloud Cakes
Caron Crystal Cakes

I know for a fact that there are some that I am missing. I love Caron Cakes.  It is to be noted that Caron Cakes is an all inclusive term to describe all the cake types, and is also a the name of one of the products in the Caron Cake line of products. 

I'm not even going to do a pros and cons list.  There is really only one con.  This con, however, is marketing genius.  They have figured out the secret to make customers purchase their products.  Their products are fairly seasonal.  Not all of the products are available year round.  And the really sucky part, is they discontinue colorways quite frequently.  This means that if you see a colorway/type of cake that you love, you better snatch up at least 6 minimum in order to ensure you have some when you get to the point of using it.  That's kind of how my yarn stash grew so big.  Sadly for me, I can no longer at this moment in time purchase anymore yarn.  I have a friend that was helping me organize my disaster of a craft room; she has dictated that I am no longer allowed to buy any yarn.  Yes, I am an adult and I am capable of doing whatever I want, but  I love my friend and I'd rather not find out what happens if I were to cross her lol.  She's not wrong, I really don't need to buy anymore, although it is killing me because they just came out with new colorways in the Latte Cakes.  Annnnnndddd I love the Blossom Cakes.  I wish I had purchased more of those before being "banned" from purchasing anymore yarn lol

I would like to add, that while the majority of my stash is comprised of Caron Cakes, I do use other yarn.  I'm not a total yarn snob.  I just have my favorites, but I will use other brands as well.