Category: What has been going on

  • Navigating Health Challenges: Weight Loss and Disney Trips

    Navigating Health Challenges: Weight Loss and Disney Trips

    Hello everyone. It has been a while since I posted an update and thought I would cover the end of August 2024 and September 2024. Health-wise, I have actually not been great. I started Mounjaro to help with some weight loss and diabetic control (even though my A1C is not too bad: 6.1 as of my last one). The Mounjaro has caused a lot of gastrointestinal issues for me and they have not stopped or lessened. Actually, with the increase of dose (currently on the 7.25mg) it has gotten worse. I have lost some weight, approximately 16 pounds, but I don’t know if the side effects are worth it. Due to my obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and asthma, I can’t exercise like someone without these conditions. I am hoping to hold out and finish the six doses I have left (possibly going to every other week) to help lessen the side effects. I would rather lose some weight, allow my stomach to contract, and hopefully keep off the weight with the smaller stomach.

    I also had an echocardiogram in early August and it shows my left atrium stretching even more worse. Not sure if my condition is worsening the doctor will let me know but the reading doctor had a lot of worse off and worsening in her report. I do know I feel more tired a lot more and get out of wind walking to my desk from my car at work. But I haven’t had any new issues of AFib (which is a good thing).

    I bought a Pixie Dust Walt Disney World Annual ticket last year and have gone a total of 3 times with it. One time just after buying it for a day. Then the other 2 for a week once and then 3 days for another. The first week of May 2024 I went and got hurt falling. So this kind of dampened the trip for me. Then we went again at the end of August 2024 for a couple of days and stayed at one of the hotels that have the Skyliners. Well, I got hurt again this time on the ride Tron. Don’t ask me how it happened; I don’t know but I got what appeared to be a small skin abrasion that turned into a 2-week nightmare and an abrasion that ended with the size of almost 2 half-dollar coins. Both times it was my left leg and side and both times just before visiting EPCOT. This put a damper on me enjoying myself even though I really was up until I was hurt. I have decided to give Disney World a break. Below are some of the pictures of my second trip.

    Well, that is it for now. Kind of a long post, but I wanted to share important things going on in my life. Just for information, all the photos were taken before my weight loss. At this point, I think I had lost only about 5 or 6 pounds. I also stopped my Mounjaro about a week before I went and the week of our Disney trip in August so that I wouldn’t have any surprise issues. October and November look to be busy months with doctors and work. Hope everyone stays safe and healthy.

  • Well I finally got a part time job just to have something to do. I am working at Walgreens in the photo department. I am training this week. So, it has been hectic and more like full time hours. I hope to get into the regular rhythm of things next week so that I can update the web site.
    Also, Please everyone keep my Uncle Wallace and my Grandma Mitchell in your prayers. Both are sick and in hospitals. My Grandma is in a hospice home so it may just be a matter of a couple months to weeks to days before she passes. I so here in the emergency room a week ago and I was crying by the time I left there. She is 94 years old and she did not even recognize me.