Joseph - great post! I enjoyed reading your notes you shared about yourself & getting another nice & closer insight on the resident Houzz expert on counter top and sink installs that so many posters tag in their threads because they seek & want your great advice. I applaud your efforts to feel & look your best and enjoy life. I have to admit that I did laugh out loud at where you found your lost hearing aid. You must’ve removed it when a power tool you were using was too loud with the aid in your ear. My bet is that you wowed your classmates at that reunion!

Omigosh, this is funny! Glad you're getting all your parts tuned up.

KW:

At my 50-year high school class reunion several years ago, we took the obligatory group picture. I looked at it the other day on Facethingie and couldn't believe how fat we all were/are.

I was in Vietnam this time last year. There are no fat people in Vietnam.

Thanks.

Olychidk:

I laughed a bit as I proofread it. Glad you enjoyed it.

Joseph, I'm glad you have the concern about your health to see the right doctors to help look after you.

I don't know you or anything about you but to me, your words talking about having "alcohol cravings" suggest you have a drinking problem. Drinking multiple glasses of wine after dinner and other items with regularity, as you hint about?

Regular alcohol consumption and perhaps in the amounts you suggest you drink is dangerous.

AND, relevant to your other comments, wine/beer/booze drinks pack a lot of calories.

Cut back or cut out your drinking and I think you'll find yourself losing weight and being in better health. Sip bubbly water with a lime or lemon wedge in it when you're bar hopping, it's better for you.

Good luck.

Joseph, I enjoyed your post. Still laughing because so many of us have faced the same senior obstacles. Well, the women’s versions anyway. I just had my yearly physical exam blood work, ekg etc and go back next week to hear my sentence, i mean results. It’s been a crazy year, with me being sedentary for about 6 months due to a fractured femur, and I gained a few lbs. Been thinking about ZepBound to get over the hump since I can’t seem to shed the excess.

I went thru the eye surgery 20+ years ago (upper and lower) and am really glad i did. I keep my eyes refreshed with a little Bo once a year as maintence and it’s a little vanity I allow myself without feeling guilty since it was recommended by my eye surgeon. Mine was nowhere the cost you’ve been quoted. Wow!

I'm curious about your experience with the Inspire implant. Although I wear a mask and it dramatically improves my oxygenation, I still wake up tired every night and I wonder if wearing the mask itself is part of the problem......Any concerns with the Inspire, now that you've had it for several years? It would also help me to keep up the therapy while travelling without carrying the machine and finding distilled water.

I ruled out Inspire because of MRI concerns. You can have them but with limitations as I recall. I’ve already had a lot of MRIs…

JC - The drinking thing is interesting. My friend started on Wegovy and was pleasantly surprised by that ”side effect.” This was shortly before that got more publicity. Seems to be more effective than Naltrexone, for him.

" MRI concerns "

Yeah, you have to really consider which implants are worth the limitations......Like everything, it's about weighing costs and benefits. As it turns out, it's not yet approved by Health Canada, but I'm still curious about it.

Congrats Joseph, loved your lively description!

My brother was prescribed Mounjaro because of his diabetes and he has lost about 50 pounds. He now weighs less than when he graduated high school.

Last week I saw my internist for my annual check up and he commented on my 15 pound weight loss. Well I was happy about it too but it took 6 months to lose and I haven't lost anything in 4 months. I jokingly mentioned my brother's weight loss and he said he could prescribe it since I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and use my CPAP nightly. But he also mentioned that there are more drugs currently in development that he feels will be better than the ones on the market now. The ones available now do cause lose of appetite and weight loss but the drugs can't differentiate between muscle and fat. Now they're hoping to create drugs that will focus on losing fat cells while retaining muscle.

Someone my wife knows, a person with a history of making almost nothing but poor decisions and choices repeatedly, had an Inspire implanted about a month ago. It was a 3+ hour procedure under general anesthesia. How's it going now? "I'm not sure it's helping me" was the last thing she said to my wife.

This woman is divorced. She didn't first try to use a CPAP machine to treat her sleep apnea. My wife said her reluctance to try a CPAP was NOT because of concern that it could make her seem less attractive in bed for potential male companions. "She doesn't date" was the response my wife gave me.

Funny enough (for this conversation), last week I had my annual appointment with the med school's Sleep Medicine department I've used for 25 years. I asked the doc what she thought about the Inspire device and she said that it can work for some who aren't able to tolerate using a CPAP machine. She said in such instances, she always recommends new CPAP users continue and try harder to adapt for an ongoing period before going in that direction.

Toronto Vet:

I've had several sleep studies and the folks from Inspire meet me at my sleep doctor's office. We've been through a lot of adjustments. I wish I could say it was great, but it's better than the mask.

When my prostate acted up, they wanted an MRI, but due to the Inspire, I can only get an MRI from the very latest machines and there aren't a lot of them. My urologist gave me a big bottle of antibiotics and my tests straightened right out.

It's amazing how bad you feel when you wake up after a bad night's sleep. I spend the day in a fog. If you caffiene your way out, you'll screw up the next night's sleep which is the only cure.

OP:

My eye doctor billed Medicare $8,000.00 for my eyelid surgery. The Inspire was 10x as much. I've probably gotten everything out of Medicare I've put in and then some.

I always wake up from a bad night's sleep......I get better sleep from a mid-day nap than I do overnight. I've been that way for about 15 years, since I started perimenopause. I've just assumed that hormonal changes also changed my sleep cycle or something. Still sucks, though, to wake up tired every day.

I'm sorry you have so many issues, but I'm glad your fixable. It's very brave of you to share all these issues with us and what your approach is to dealing with it all. You seem to have identified the problems.

Great post. Love the tongue in cheek humor. Gettin' old ain't for sissies. Just had my second cataract done on Monday. Paid out of pocket for the upgraded lens. Was back in the saddle today. Warned the horse she'd better behave and take care of me. She was spicy but mindful. Life is too precious to waste a day existing instead of living.

Great writing, LOL several times.
May want to try injections in abdomen, many patients report not even feeling the actual injection.
Good luck!

I guess I'm new enough here that I wasn't sure if this was intended to be serious or funny. Or both? Curious as to why you'd share such personal information in a public forum where you are easily identifiable?

Yesterday I had two small pieces of buttered toast for breakfast, half a Reuben sandwich for lunch, and no hunger or food the rest of the day.

If tht's a sample of your general diet, you're not eating healthily and no wonder you're unhappy with your weight. The older you get, the more important a healthy diet is.

"I guess I'm new enough here that I wasn't sure if this was intended to be serious or funny. Or both? Curious as to why you'd share such personal information in a public forum where you are easily identifiable?"

Let's go with both. I'm a member of the Sarasota Writer's Group. When I read it there for criticism, a fellow writer whom I respect and with several books under his belt said that I sounded like the late CBS commentator Andy Rooney. I thought that was a great compliment.

I've never understood this hyper-privacy kick. I'm hoping that people can relate to my experiences. It's not like I shared my social security number. I posted it on my Facebook page and didn't get a lot of response. I'd probably get more response from politics or a cute cat video. Like the world needs more of that.

"If tht's a sample of your general diet, you're not eating healthily and no wonder you're unhappy with your weight. The older you get, the more important a healthy diet is."

I agree, a healthy diet is important; fortunately that's not typical of my diet. Wednesday mornings are my injections and I can nearly forget about eating much of anything those days, so I'll take whatever I can get down. As time passes, my appetitie returns and I can eat better. Yesterday I had two fresh fish tacos at the gourmet Mexican place for lunch and a chicken salad for dinner with a small chocolate square and a glass of milk before bed.

Update:

I took my sixth injection last Wednesday. I haven’t had an alcoholic drink for a month and quitting has been much easier than I thought it would be. I haven’t gone a month without a drink in 50 years. I’m probably not going to be one of the people who announce that they’ve been sober for 5 years and I’m not going to give up a nice glass or two of Cabernet with my steak. And I’m not giving up an occasional ice cream or chocolate chip cookie either. Let’s not get carried away here, please.

I haven’t experienced hair loss, which is a side effect of ZepBound, however, my mild scalp psoriasis has disappeared for the first time in 30 years. Go figure.

My local Publix grocery store has one of those huge Toledo scales in the entryway and yesterday it told me I was down to 177 pounds, from 189. That’s an 12-pound loss; 2 pounds a week which isn’t a bad start. According to my best friend, my butt is shrinking, but my belly hasn’t budged much. Maybe my liver is swollen from drinking.

I started this journey attempting to improve my sleep; so far with mixed results. Even with no alcohol or caffeine, I slept for 5 ½ hours a few nights ago, got up at 4 a.m., then went back to bed from 7-10. I've slept for 8 hours a night the last two nights which I haven't done in years, but more importantly, I feel rested. Sometimes you wake up tired when you suffer from sleep apnea.

It turns out that I must pay $384.08 per month until I hit the $2,000.00 mark. After that, insurance pays for the rest of the year. That comes out to $166.66 a month, forty bucks a week and 20 bucks a pound.

Andy Rooney - That was a compliment! He was the best! Speaking for myself, I did enjoy reading your post and I found it refreshingly honest & while not personally relatable I did relate it to men I know. I also found it interesting to learn more about you. I’m familiar with your well known and sought after expertise for counter top & sink install problems & some of your personality is revealed in those posts. It’s been interesting to learn about other facets of the Joseph Corlett persona! Writers group? Who knew? As for FB responses, well, I think the virtual friendships created here on Houzz, and especially in the KT forum, are more ’real’ and honest.

Your sonnet is laugh out loud funny!! I do hope you printed, framed and presented a signed copy to your muse - your lady barber! I’m certain she’d have loved it!

That sonnet -- LOL!!

I know a bunch of people on Zepbound or Wegovy. All have had significant weight loss, none have had meaningful adverse effects. None have had issues with excessive muscle loss, in most cases lower weight has enabled more physical activity.

I had a mild case of sleep apnea and resolved it with a mouth device. It's sort of like two retainers joined together. It keeps your jaw from slipping back. Works well for me. There are specialty dentists who will do this for you and it is paid for by Medicare.

"I know a bunch of people on Zepbound or Wegovy. All have had significant weight loss, none have had meaningful adverse effects. None have had issues with excessive muscle loss, in most cases lower weight has enabled more physical activity."

I'm joining the club. I've started a light afternoon exercizing regimen to supplement my morning routine. I've added 5 more ab rolls and 5 more pushups.

It's been a month, but I may have a beer at the bar tonight. Paddy Pimblett is fighting in the UFC on television. I can't concieve of watching a fight without a beer. It just doesn't seem right.

Has anyone else tried ZepBound for weight management? I’ve been curious about people’s real experiences with it—the good, the bad, and the in-between. While researching options, I came across https://betterme.world/articles/why-am-i-gaining-weight-doing-hiit/, which has been super helpful for understanding how to pair any medication with sustainable lifestyle changes (think meal plans and gentle exercise tailored to your needs). Their approach makes the whole process feel less overwhelming.

Jonathan1998:

All I can do is give you an update. I took my sixth injection four days ago, still haven't had a drink, and am down to 174 1/2 lbs, for about a 13 pound loss. Two pounds a week consistently. Other than occasional two-minute bursts of moderate heartburn, no other side effects. I keep Tums in my medicine drawer and in the glove box of my van.

Heiniken 00 only has 69 calories a bottle.

I'm late to this party, but want to thank you for the 'Continuing Stooory" (Muppets).

You are making an investment towards at least your next decade. Perfectly healthy centarians are rare, but you can improve your odds through however long you have. Our bodies need our care and attention.