Notes – Good Zookeeper

As of when I’m writing this, I’ve been on Victoza for about a week and a half.

When I first mentioned the possibility of a GLP-1 to my doctor, she was excited about the idea. I had a couple in mind, specifically because of both PCOS and CKD. None of the ones I was thinking of were Victoza, though.

My options are a bit limited, because I don’t have health insurance. But what I do have is an amazing doctor and a health clinic in my city that is determined to help underserved, underinsured people with health issues. They’ve got a program established with the manufacturer, which means I can get my medication at a massive discount.

That took care of the first fear I had when I brought up a GLP-1 with my doctor, honestly. I broached the topic even knowing I probably couldn’t afford the medication, and I’m really glad that I did.

I’ve been doing well on Farxiga, and it’s helped my CKD symptoms quite a bit. But I knew it was time to manage the PCOS symptoms if I could, and that includes the chronic systemic inflammation, the insulin resistance, and the wonky blood sugar, among other things.

The Basics

Before I get into too much, Victoza is a daily shot and it comes in a pre-measured pen, much like other medications, including insulin. Every day I prep a shot area and use a new disposable needle on the end of the pen to dispense the lowest dose, .6mg.

My doctor recommended I stick with the lowest dose for a couple of weeks, then try the middle dose, 1.2mg. Then we’ll evaluate how I’m doing.

There’s been a tiny learning curve with the injections, but for the most part I’ve got the hang of it. Giving myself a shot every day isn’t the most enjoyable thing I’ve done, but it’s also not that big a deal.

The needle is tiny, the shot is subcutaneous, and once it’s done, the day is off and running.

What’s My Goal?

I exist in a larger body. I’m fat. So the obvious first response must be that I’m trying to lose weight, right? Not really.

See, I’ve tried to lose weight for over 50 years and my battered body hasn’t done well with that. I’ve regained more than I’ve ever lost, and anyone who has survived diet culture will tell you the same thing.

The main problem, and the one that most of the medical professionals I’ve seen over the years keep forgetting, is that my weight is a symptom. Not the main problem.

My true issue is a combination of untreated chronic kidney disease and untreated PCOS, which have kept each other worsening in a vicious cycle until now, when my body has threatened to give out on me completely.

So my goal is to continue taking Farxiga and Victoza together, giving my body the support it needs to properly use the nutrients I take in and to let go of decades of systemic inflammation.

And so far? That’s working really well. I’ve lost about 13 total pounds of water weight. But was that my goal? Not really.

I can breathe better. My blood sugar is slowly evening out. My insulin resistance symptoms are getting better. The hair growth on my chin is slowing down. How’s that for bonkers?

What About the Side Effects?

Oddly enough, I haven’t had any side effects. Or at least, not any that worry me or bother me.

Food noise is gone, which makes eating…interesting at times. As long as I hit the target goals my doctor gave me for both protein and water intake, though, I’m not nauseated, I don’t feel lightheaded or weird, and my brain fog is slightly easing.

I don’t have a lot of energy yet, so I’m not doing anything like exercising consistently. I get on my rebounder and do some health bouncing and I love my vibration plate. But if I push myself to exercise, I wind up with some serious post-exertion exhaustion.

So, I’m listening to my body a lot right now. I’m letting it tell me what it needs and wants. I spent an awful long time pushing my body and browbeating it. It can’t cope with that anymore, so I need a new approach.

I Feel Supported

This is the most amazing part, really.

I feel supported in so many ways. My doctor is willing to listen to what I need. My body feels supported and because it does, it isn’t giving me those crazy, whacked-out symptoms and signals anymore. It’s calming down.

It’s letting me calm down.

I’m relearning how to trust myself, and to trust that I’m doing what I can, when I can. That’s a pretty interesting spot to be in.

What Next?

Next week, I start upping my dose while continuing to take Farxiga and focusing on maintaining the habits I’ve started with protein and hydration. To be fair, I started the hydration goal way back in October when I learned what was going on with my kidneys, and I’m glad I did.

Are you interested in hearing more about my experiences with Victoza? Or about what I’m doing to make sure I’m hitting protein goals? Let me know in the comments. Or are you taking a GLP-1, too, and want to share what’s working for you? Same deal, leave a comment and we can chat about it.

Like what I’m doing here at Good Zookeeper and want to help keep the lights on or just buy me a coffee? Thanks so much!

Over the summer, I got hit with a huge allergy attack. Not fun, especially since I was taking antihistamines every single night. (Thank you, perimenopause!)

The big problem after the allergies quit having their way with me was the cough that they inspired. It just never went away. I even learned something new about subluxating a rib while coughing in the middle of the night. Zero stars, do not recommend.

When I wasn’t coughing, I couldn’t breathe. Just walking around the house was tough, much less doing anything else. Regular household tasks were becoming more and more difficult.

And that COUGH. It was not responding to anything.

So I did something I hadn’t done in almost a decade. I went to a doctor.

If we’ve never met, you don’t know my history with doctors. I can sum it up with, “it ain’t great.”

That other doctor, the one from a decade ago? I went to him at the urging of my husband because, “you need a doctor, just in case something happens.” So I established care at his office and a few months later, I was walking at a track nearby and it felt like my shin exploded. I’d had a tearing feeling in that area before, but it had subsided.

Once I was walking the track regularly, I suddenly had a big problem. So I went to “my doctor” to see what was going on with this exercise injury. He examined me, took X-rays, and told me to ice it and rest it.

Afterward he had his nurse email me to ask if I knew I was fat and that I should be eating right and exercising. Never once did he ask what I was eating, and I was there because I had injured myself. While exercising.

I sent back a scathing email and have never gone back.

Well, now my husband was right again. I was in a situation where I needed a doctor.

I found one and showed up, not sure what to expect. The office staff were all great and listened to my medical history and my current symptoms.

The doctor came in, listened to my symptoms, and didn’t once tell me to go lose weight and that would solve the problem. She wanted me to see a lung specialist, try an inhaler, and take a different allergy med. Then she drew some blood, talked to me about some other things she’d like me to do if I get comfortable with the idea, and was basically the kindest and most helpful doctor I’ve ever encountered in my life.

I was shocked.

The next day, she shocked me again. Because my bloodwork showed some things I expected because of my PCOS, like high cholesterol and an A1C that is now firmly in the pre-diabetic range.

But it also showed that I’m in the early stages of chronic kidney disease, CKD.

And that’s why I’ve had a cough off and on for the last few years, and why the one in August just would not go away. And why I have had shortness of breath for so long.

And it’s probably why everything I’ve tried to reduce PCOS symptoms just doesn’t work, and why I’m still exhausted.

Because my kidneys have been low-key struggling for a very, very long time. And the kidneys are tremendously important in managing insulin resistance and hormone regulation.

Which means the insulin resistance from PCOS made my kidneys work harder, which in turn made insulin resistance more difficult to manage, which worsened issues with PCOS…and then perimenopause on top of everything hasn’t helped.

My new doctor (I’m claiming this one) even sent a scrip to the pharmacy as soon as she saw my bloodwork, an SGLT2 inhibitor.

Next time I’ll share more about what I’m doing that is helping, what I’m thinking about adding, and what else I’m doing to deal with this new situation. There are a lot of ways that being my own zookeeper has gotten easier with all of this, and some ways that life is more complicated.

None of it is moving as fast as I want, and that’s a whole other issue.

But something I really want to stress is that throughout my entire time living with PCOS, I was always worried about two things: diabetes and heart disease. I’ve known that those were some big concerns and that I was staring down the barrel of both of them.

I never once worried about my kidneys, and I wish I had.

Until next time, thanks for reading!

Like what I’m doing here at Good Zookeeper and want to help keep the lights on or just buy me a coffee? Thanks so much!

Category: Notes

Week One on Victoza

The Basics

What’s My Goal?

What About the Side Effects?

I Feel Supported

What Next?

A New Problem? Yay.

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