Stopping My Death My Weigt Loss Journey

I’m just trying to get healthy and decrease the risks of dying early.

[gerinurse]

AI is both a curse and a blessing…..

June 28,2026

I know and understand that AI is a curse. It consumes so much water and increases greenhouse gas emissions. It also threatens jobs and is a risk to privacy. It is also however a huge benefit for those who cannot afford certain things such as nutritionists and to also help make sure things like medication and supplement times are optimized. Although I try to avoid using it, I’ve spent allot of time this week while dealing with my pain being so elevated, just reading about my disease process and trying to find ways to make my health better within the confines of said diseases. AI has been a huge help with this.

I take a number of supplements to help with joint pain and cartilage degeneration, sleep management, fibro symptoms and general health. What I didn’t realize and should have is that timing of these supplements is critical to them working optimally. Some are better with food, some without. Some should not be taken within a certain time frame of my other meds. One supplement in fact benefits from being taking with a soluble fat source. By using AI I have set up an optimized schedule for my medications and supplements without causing stress in my day.

My blood sugars are definitely lower at times than I realized and in fact may be contributing to my snoring issues. I’m going to snore allot more if I’m close to unconscious during the night from BS lows. My body obviously pulls from muscle and fat to correct as I’ve noticed it sometimes drops very low and then will stabilize a bit which is strange for someone who is considered type 2 diabetic. I’m also only using Ozempic which acts on BS only when it is elevated. I’m beginning to think that I’m not diabetic at all and am still simply insulin resistant as my BS never gets high enough for the Ozempic to really act on it. The sleep app is showing that this is true when I compare it to my cgm data. I also cough a lot during the night which disrupts my sleep. My plan is to clean out bedroom well and set up an air purifier near my bed.

This data had all been extremely valuable and I am hoping that by acting appropriately on it such as ensuring I have a small snack prior to going to bed and taking my supplements on a better time line, I can help manage my disease processes better.

Has anyone else used AI to help them on their journey?

Stay well, stay safe, and stay healthy. ❤️

[gerinurse]

The angry little man…..

June 18,2026

I’ve been having ups and downs with my fibromyalgia. Some days I’m struggling to live and others I feel good. I’m also tired allot of the time which I thought was due to pain.

I started seeing a new nurse practitioner as my primary medical practitioner at the start of the year and it’s been the best decision ever. Last month my blood work showed my A1C was slightly elevated which considering I’m using Ozempic was a surprise. I was diagnosed as insulin resistant a long time ago but it looks like it has converted to type 2 diabetes. NP immediately wanted to see me. Asked the standard questions about diet which I showed her my food tracking. She was shocked about my A1C because I eat very healthy and don’t consume refined sugar in the regular. I also have numbness and tingling in the first 1/3 of my feet which I had been attributing to fibro. I also get purple feet sometimes which had been attributed to Reynolds disease. She was not impressed my issues had not been more closely managed. I walked out of that appointment and let me tell you this gal is seriously miked up.

I have an EKG scheduled. A peripheral artery review and testing for peripheral pulses. I’m the first born daughter of a father who died of severe cardiovascular disease so am at high risk. I have quarterly blood work scheduled. I also now have a continuous glucose monitor because we need to know what my BS is doing when I’m having dizziness and fainting spells. That is like having an angry little man in your shoulder judging you for every single thing you put in your mouth! I have an ultrasound of my knee this week to see why it is binding and causing pain and a referral to a PT for laser treatment. I’ve started meds for my cholesterol which has been elevated for a long time and diet has not fixed. She believes it is related to my hormones and menopause and said even if I lost weight it would likely still be elevated as it is with many menopausal women.

I also explained that my husband complains that I snore allot and that I clench my teeth regularly but wet treating for both apnea and COPD were negative. She recommended that I download an app to track my sleep and see what the patterns are.

She had also asked me to increase my Ozempic to 1ml to better control my pain, inflammation and my blood sugars. I have another appointment booked for September as she would like to see me quarterly until we sort my health and body out and allow me to have somewhat of a normal life.

Next visit if my dizziness is not related to BS and my data shows my body is not doing what it should with the food I’m eating, she is going to have me start working with the clinic dietician. I feel so incredibly seen and heard for the first time in years.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying some decent weather. ❤️

[gerinurse]

Weather woes….

June 1, 2026

Our weather has been crazy with a big giant C for this time of year. Last week was in the 30s C which would be in the 80s F. That is unheard of for May. Today was a reasonable 23 C so we spent the entire day working in our yard. The garden is in and the flowers have all been planted. The rest of this week is supposed to be raining and cool.

The weather changes and I do not get along well. My fibromyalgia is having fits but I’m powering through as best I can. I did make the choice to increase my ozempic this week which has helped somewhat. The side effect of increasing the ozempic is that I have no appetite and I need time eat. If I don’t eat my minimum calories my body goes into starvation mode. It’s a vicious cycle but honestly I’d rather have less pain than lose weight at this point.

Life is coasting along otherwise with our puppy finally healed from her surgery. I hope that everyone else is doing well ❤️.

[gerinurse]

Tired….

May 24, 2026

I’m so tired. It seems to be my default setting these last few weeks. The tiredness is bone and soul deep. I know that some of it is fibromyalgia but some of it is depression symptoms. Fibromyalgia tends to create a tiredness that is difficult to explain to people. Your muscles feel heavy and the brain fog is thick. The desire to just close your eyes for a bit is constant. A depressive tiredness is one that is deep in the soul. It’s that heaviness in your mind and heart that drags you down. My fibro is exacerbating die to chronic weather changes lately so I hope it will stabilize as the weather does. The depression is simply because I find the world very heavy right now. I worry about the economy and how it is effecting us financially. I’m tired it seeing trump and his bafoonery daily and how it is affecting the global economy. I worry that we may see a major war that affects us before this man leaves office, if he ever leaves. I’m worried that we are going to see another global pandemic that people will ignore and the death tolls will be massive. Because I’m an empath, being around people is draining. Everyone is hurting mentally and the constant worry is a global issue. Seeing so much homelessness and drug addiction hurts my soul. I’m watching our societal supports collapse under us due to excess pressure in the systems. Supports like education, social services, healthcare. It’s just exhausting to watch and I can’t seem to unplug myself from it. This early retirement was supposed to be the best years where we could travel and enjoy. You couldn’t pay me enough to drive anywhere except within Canada and do not ask me to get on a plane. Both my husband and I just want to isolate ourselves in our home and never see people again. It’s sad that we feel this way but it’s hard not to when I worked the Covid outbreaks and saw the worst of humanity.

I’m sorry I’m such a downer today but I’m struggling and I don’t know how to get off this struggle bud right now. On a positive note my measurements are decreasing even if the number in the scale is not. Hopefully I can get out of this funk and be in a more positive state the next time I post. I hope everyone is well. ❤️

[gerinurse]

Yikes…..

May 9,2026

Where has the time gone? I haven’t posted sing the middle of last month because time just seems to get away from me.

Thank heavens the stomach virus u had finally left. It was over a week and then 2 weeks of underlying nausea that would not go away. This week I took my normal Ozempic dose of .75 for the first time since I got sick and I feel so much better. Tonight we went out to a season end banquet if my husbands. There was a huge buffet but I didn’t want most of it. I had salad and chicken breast along with roast beef and about a 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes. I drank water all night and left feeling satisfied with zero nausea. A glp1 can make you have terrible sulphur burps and worse gas if you eat poorly so I’ve really had to clean up my diet.

I’m giving heavy consideration to joining a gym again. I’m not exercising as much as I should be and I need to be lifting more weight. I work with my trainer 2x a week for 2hrs at a time in my mobility and unsticking my facial layer and moving my lymph better. My new nurse practitioner has also ordered an Ultrasound to see what is happening in my knee that is restricting movement and has also advised that I see a physiotherapist to get some ultrasound therapy. I’m planning to find someone in June as May is a gong show.

Our puppy is recovering well from her knee surgery but it has been a journey and allot of work. We aren’t walking her as she tends to overdo it just in our yard while we do yard work.

I’m not a huge outdoor person but we have decided to do major work this year ti make our space enjoyable for me. A gazebo along with some great furniture. I used to visit my mom for 2 weeks every May and spend all my time sitting in her lovely backyard with tea. I honestly can’t wait.

I hope that everyone is safe from storms and enjoying some decent weather. Stay happy and stay well 💖.

[gerinurse]

😁…

April 18, 2026

It’s been very busy but I’ve been managing. I did end up with a bout of norovirus and that was not fun. I’m finally keeping a few lite meals down and sparking water.

I’ve been avoiding purchasing clothing because I have plenty and many of them fit better now that I’ve lost weight. Some will require slight alterations to tighten the waist. I did decide to treat myself to 2 new pairs of pants and 2 new tops. A cute pair of wide leg white jeans and a red blouse, then a pair of wise leg yellow pants and a v neck cropped blouse in off white. All items are one size smaller than I normally purchase from this brand. I also tend to purchase dark colours, especially for pants because I was raised with that age old belief that dark colours make you look smaller and that if we weigh more than the average person we should hide our bodies. They looked very small when I held them up but they fit so well.

For a change my clothing isn’t hanging off my body which is a new experience for me. I showed my husband and his face told me how good the clothes looked. I barely recognize myself and I feel so pretty in the light colours. This is something I haven’t felt in a very long time and I can’t wait for the warmer weather. I hope everyone gets this experience at some point in their life. 💖

[gerinurse]

Ugh 🤦🏼‍♀️…..

April 6, 2026

Life has been a shit show. Puppy had surgery on March 25th and keeping her from overdoing it has been a challenge. She is doing well through and is putting weight on her leg. We see the surgeon tomorrow and will receive instructions about further mobilization and walking.

In the meantime I went to my new nurse practitioner for refills on medication and based on some BP readings as well as our discussion, she is making changes to my meds. That’s thrown my body for a loop and we definitely don’t have the right dosage yet.

I had a horrible fibro flare this last week which had me in terrible pain. I increased my GLP 1 which helped with pain but has cause tons of nausea and constipation. I’m definitely not enjoying that.

I’ve been struggling with my caloric intake and macros lately as well. I’m not hungry since the increase and with the nausea so getting enough calories and protein is a challenge.

I also had a box elder bug infestation in my house which sucked big time. We still haven’t figured out how they were getting in and we killed dozens of them. Our exterminator friend is going to spray around the house and windows when it warms up so that it hopefully doesn’t happen again.

Easter was a gong show. My husbands eldest brother passed away suddenly so we’ve spent the whole weekend dealing with notifying family. It’s a huge family spread all over the world so lots of phone calls. I was going to make ham Sunday as husband swore we had 2 in the freezer. We actually had 0 in the freezer. Neither of us wanted a big meal so sausages, perogies and cabbage rolls that I had mad for the win. I found an old ham bone in the freezer so made split peas soup today.

I hope everyone else’s Easter was less crazy than mine. ❤️

[gerinurse]

Forced exercise….

We saw the puppies surgeon the other day and we definitely have to have her knee repaired surgically. The surgery is on the 25th and until then she is to remain as quiet as possible so she doesn’t further tear the cartilage. She’s pretty stoned most of the time because she loves to run otherwise. Once she has surgery it’s 2 weeks where she’s to remain basically immobile except to go out to potty and even then she has to be on a leash. After the 2 weeks is up she will start therapy which is twice a week for 2 weeks. At that point we have to do therapy exercises at home as well due to her size and weight but we also have to start walking her.

This is a dog that has never liked to go for walks. To her they are boring and she just turns around and drags us home. She’d prefer to chase a ball in our big yard for an hour. This means she and I are getting forced exercise together 😂. We start at a 5 min walk for a couple of days and then work our way up 5 min at a time to 30min.

I have not walked any amount of distance in a very long time. My trainer wanted my gait to be corrected and my knee to straighten before I walked allot. I’ve been getting exercise in other ways. Two weeks ago he said that my gait is much improved and we need to look at gaining momentum and distance with walking how that things are better.

Apparently the dog and I are on the same therapy program of forced exercise. It’s even the same knee we are rehabbing. They say owners and dogs start to look and act alike after being together a long time. My husband says we didn’t need to take it to this extreme 😂😂😂.

[gerinurse]

Still struggling…

March 8,2026

It been a hard few weeks and I realized that some of it is the time of year. My mom passed away 3yrs ago last month and my husband’s best friend 3yrs ago this week. Lately I’m really missing my mom. On top of that it seems that we are in a string of bad luck. The truck had major issues a couple of weeks ago and cost a ton to fix and now our poor puppy has injured herself. She has torn the ligament in her right rear knee and will require surgery and then physio therapy following. Please don’t get me wrong. We adore her and I am so thankful that we are fortunate enough to have the funds to pay for her surgery but it’s definitely a hit to the bank account. Tomorrow is her surgical consult so fingers crossed.

I feel so wrong for complaining about anything when you consider so many people are homeless and many others are living with war. Watching the world implode is definitely making my heart hurt and my stress levels rise.

The dog being injured has also put a stop to my declutterring in our basement. She won’t stay upstairs and isn’t allowed to do stairs so it means I need to stay close to her. I really needed to get the spare room down there clean so I can have space to workout and move my body but it is what it is.

I’m back in all my supplements and doing better that way but I had major issues with my upper back, neck and jaw. I track my symptoms and went back to this time last year and found I had the same issues. It must be weather and general changes in the temperature is my thought. I have needed to increase my glp1 as I could tell my inflammation levels were up. This could have been stress but it could also be due to my body adjusting to the drug. I’m still not at a full 1mg though so that’s a good thing.

I honestly can’t believe how fast time is moving. It’s March already which means this year is almost 1/4 over. We all need time slow down! I hope everyone is well and staying mentally sane with all the craziness out there.

[gerinurse]

Just thoughts…

March 1,2026

I’m struggling lately mentally and physically and I just want people to understand that we all get periods where we are overwhelmed and struggling. Nobodies life is perfect no matter what they May show you on social media.

I’ve been mentally stuck. I can’t sen to get myself to do anything that needs to be done and procrastination seems to be my companion. I think part of it is the time of year and the constant weather changes.

I did finish the semi truck model and painted all the stripes on it by hand. The decals they send with those things are terrible. Our old friend loved it.

I’ve been doing allot of research about fibromyalgia. I’ve always had very tight muscles. Every inch of flexibility I have achieved, I have had to work very hard for. I’ve been reading some information about facia tightness and lymph flow. Tight facia causes trigger points which are a key issue in fibromyalgia. This also blocks lymph flow causing swelling and pain in areas where here it is trapped. I had a major flare up the other day and my back and neck were so sore. I went for a massage that included cupping. What’s interesting is some of the cups had to be removed early due to small blister like areas developing underneath. I believe that it was actually lymph that was trapped escaping the body. I’ve also noticed pockets of fluid under my chin that are movable. I’m going to start using gua sha tools to try and open the lymph channels and move the lymph. I’m hoping that it will be another tool to help with my pain management.

All of my supplements are back on board and my pain levels are once again improved. I will not be stopping them again.

I’d appreciate some prayers. Our 3yr ild puppy is having some issues with her right hind leg. She won’t put weight on it and I’m concerned with her size that she has already developed hip dysplasia. We see the vet tomorrow morning so definitely crossing our fingers. My poor baby 💔.

The world is very heavy right now so I hope everyone is doing their best to protect their mental health and stay safe. ❤️

[gerinurse]

Proof if I had any doubts….

February 14,2026

Since is started using duloxetine and ozempic my joint pain has been good. For me hood meant reduced to a daily level of about 3-4/10. I was thrilled with that but it’s still not fun living with daily pain that for most people would rank about 7/10. My trainer started me doing Spanish squats using an anchored heavy duty resistance band to create some space in my knee joints. This also helped immensely and I was living a decent daily life.

Skip back to 2 months ago and I decided to start taking egg shell membrane which helps with joint health. I can’t take glucosamine with chondroitin due to an allergy. FYI, apparently if you are severely allergic to shellfish or insect bites you are allergic to glucosamine/chondroitin. I started to research and found out I could likely take MSM which is the active part of the chondroitin. I started also started a gummy collagen. Again I couldn’t take powdered collagen due to it making me severely itchy. Research again and there are different types and this one was recommended.

I started all of these supplement almost 8 weeks ago and realize that a week ago I had almost 0 joint pain most days. Although I still have muscle pain and other issues, it is tolerable. I’m sceptical though and honestly all this stuff is expensive so when I ran out of eggshell membrane a week ago I decided to stop all the supplements to see if it was a placebo or if I was actually having less pain. I also didn’t see my trainer this last week because he was sick so no Spanish squats. I woke up yesterday and my pain levels were right back to 4/10. I realized it had been gradually increasing all week and hit hard yesterday.

I started all my supplements again this morning and did some light stretching so we will see what a few weeks of taking everything again does. If it truly does work then I guess I’m paying for all these supplements no matter what because being almost pain free is such a blessing for me. I can deal with all the other weird symptoms like tremors and issues swallowing and vertigo but pain is exhausting.

I’ll keep everyone updated and if you are struggling and want good supplement recommendations, I researched heavily to find the best yet economical ones I could find. I’d be happy to share the information

Happy Valentine’s Day 💖

[gerinurse]

An introduction and some information…

My apologies in advance for the length of this post.

I seem to have acquired allot of new followers lately. I’m not sure why since I’m really not that interesting but I welcome each and every one of you. I also thank those if you who have continued to follow me even when I took a huge break from social media. This is truly a wonderful community.

For my new followers I’m 56yrs old and a retired registered nurse. I have a long history of depression and anxiety but, I suffer from both fibromyalgia and polymyalgia Rheumatica. Fibromyalgia is a disease of the nervous system that is truly a catch all disease. People joke that when they can’t figure out what’s wrong with you, they just diagnose you with fibromyalgia. Although its primary symptoms are chronic pain, exhaustion and brain fog, it also comes with a whole host of other symptoms that are both common and uncommon. There are far too many to list here but I will attach a photo of a partial list to give you an idea. Polymyalgia Rheumatica is an inflammatory arthritis disorder which aggravates the large joints and causes refered pain into the large muscle groups surrounding them. It tends to have flare ups which cause extreme swelling of the large joints with redness and heat. Its primary treatment is steroids which I am allergic to. Only I could end up with a disease where I am allergic to the treatment 🙄.

December of 2024 I was at the point of requiring a wheelchair for mobility and had reduced my diet to chicken breast, quinoa, and green veg to keep inflammation low. When I finally managed to see my doctor we settled on a medication regime of duloxetine which is commonly used in fibro. We also decided to try ozempic since I was in such a limited diet and losing zero weight and it has great anti inflammatory properties. The change has been amazing and has given me my life back! Although it’s not perfect and some weeks are worse than others, I’m mobile, I see a trainer twice a week for 2hrs each visit to work on the alignment of my knee which has an issue due to past surgery. I’ve lost an entire clothing size and a half and am working to gain some of the strength I lost over a year plus of immobility.

All this is to give you a bit of background, explain why there are almost no muscles left to flex on this body and to remind every single one of you that we all have our challenges. Some visible, some not, but it’s how we choose to face then and face the world in front of us that matters. Each and every one of us can do anything we put our minds to.

[gerinurse]

Tag I’m it…..

@ikkimikki tagged me for flex Friday. For those of you who don’t know what that is, one of the amazing fitblurs in here posts his amazingly muscular biceps and tags people to do the same. Since @ikkimikki decided to flex a little differently, I’m going to follow in her lovely footsteps and do the same, since there are very few muscles on this body at this time and nothing would be even show if I did flex (reasons in another post to come).

Instead I’m going to show everyone a very weird but huge flex for me. For those who don’t already know I suffer from fibromyalgia. If you are not familiar with all of its lovely symptoms. One of them that some of us suffer from is fine tremors that can become quite bothersome. Unlike familial tremors which are treatable, these are not. I am one of the not so lucky ones that is dealing with this. Most people are not aware but my husband and I adopted grandparents since we have none of our own. We befriended a 97yr old woman and a 70yr old man from the home where I was a nurse.

Our 70yr old friend was a truck driver and received a model semi truck for Christmas. He has terrible tremors and is unable to put it together so I decided to tackle it. Below is a picture of what it looks like so far. Fine tremors mixed with tiny pieces, paint, rubber cement, and decals, is definitely a challenge but I’ve managed to do a decent job if I do say so myself. It has taken me 3 weeks of working a bit here and there when I’m feeling ok and I still have to paint lines in white and varnish it but I think he will be happy with the job I have done. Fighting against a chronic disease to do something I would never have chosen to do is my flex.

I tag any of my new followers if they’d like to either show us their muscles or tell us about some other kind of flex.

[gerinurse]

This game called life……

January 26,2026

I honestly can’t believe we are almost an entire month into the new year. Where does time actually go? It moves far too quickly!

This game called life has been tough lately. Last week I had a mental crash out. I was suddenly really missing my mom and having a “grown up” in my life, even though I am supposed to be the grown up. You’re supposed to still have adults who are older than you to talk to when you in your 50’s! I feel like everyone wants me to answer their questions and solve their problems and I just yell into the void asking for my own support. The world feels so heavy these days and even here in Canada, there is decision. I truly fear that the world will end up at war within the next 2years.

Im so fortunate in so many ways and it as someone who is an empath, my soul is breaking and bleeding with all the harsh emotions and anger everywhere I go. So many people hurting, homeless and hungry.

I’ve been trying to get our basement cleared up so that I can create a space that is just mine in one of the rooms down there. A space where I can not just work out but meditate and bring myself back to Center so that I’m not as overwhelmed all the time. It’s going to take work and at least a month but I can do this.

My weight is slowly dropping and I’m feeling better physically. I do need to build some strength as my fibromyalgia is definitely weakening my muscle mass and the Ozempic is depleting it. Another reason to get the basement cleaned up!

Question? Is anybody else swearing at the ch age Tumblr made to the app where they made it more like TikTok with the fyp? It’s made it look like I need to go in and re-follow all the blogs and friends I have been following for years which is a tad annoying 😏.

I hope everyone else out there is managing ok. My hearts are with all of you in the US and other war torn countries. The senseless killing needs to stop.

One day at a time is all any of us can do ❤️.

[gerinurse]

A New Year…..

January 4, 2026

Can you believe that it’s a new year and already the 4th of the month? Does anyone still make resolutions? I personally do not as personally I believe that they set me up for failure. This is based on all my past resolutions. I do however set intentions for the year such as to not overload my schedule.

This year has started in a very different note for me compared to many years past. For the first time in longer than I can remember I started the year under 245lbs. I also started as not focused wholly on what I was eating the entire time. This meant my mind was on spending time with people and enjoying it. We do typically spend our holidays just the 2 of us but enjoy it. New years has become a day of munchies and hockey. This year our puppy got very upset that we were up past bedtime and made it known so we gave up and watched the new year come in from bed. Our dog is apparently the boss of us.

This year I’m planning to continue working on my mobility but also being gentle with myself and my body. I do have one big goal to achieve this year that I set last fall and that is to fully declutter our house. It’s going to be a big job but I’ve already started and I’ve got this!

I hope everyone had a great new year and that January is treating you well.

[gerinurse]

It’s Christmas Eve……

Week 33, 34,35

December 24,2026

It’s Christmas Eve day at our house. I know there are many out there who don’t celebrate the holiday but for us it’s a day of joy and reflection. As it is only my husband and I. In years past we spent Christmas with my family when there were here and then with my sisters in-laws when their families were younger and smaller. We then started to travel to see my mom and spent Christmas with her and my brother’s family. With my mom gone 3yrs who how we needed to figure out our own traditions. To start any of my husband’s work buddies who are alone for the holidays are always welcome at our house. There is always enough food. This year we are alone and that’s ok too.

Every Christmas Eve I send my husband to a local butcher that makes and smokes fresh coils of sausage every day. He picks up garlic sausage and comes home while I make a big breakfast. I then set to making cabbage rolls that will simmer all day. Christmas Eve is always cabbage rolls, perogies and sausage. We then just spend the day chilling, watching tv and napping. Christmas Day I cook a full tureky dinner and the turkey will break down into multiple different meals to freeze. Boxing Day and boil turkey bones for stew and we eat leftovers. We don’t purchase gifts as we have all we need and can buy what we want through the year. We do purchase each other a moderately expensive advent calendar which is fun. His was scotch and mine was different gnomes (he knows I live the little suckers😂).

It’s been a busy few weeks just tying up the last of the things for the year to do with my boards, our two adopted grandparents who live in LTC (we can’t have them for dinner as our house is not accessible). We take them shopping and for a nice meal plus attend the family party at the facility. I also scheduled those last few appointments that seem to linger such as car service, dentist, bloodwork.

I met my new health care provider on December 3rd. A nurse practitioner that I absolutely love. She’s already being so proactive and I think this change will be great for me.

It’s time to prepare my calendar for 2026 but that can wait until after Christmas as well as set some intentions for 2026.

I wish everyone here a wonderful holiday season filled with great people. If you are struggling may your prayers be heard and answered. For those who are dealing with chronic diseases, remember that the holiday is not a race and it is meant to be enjoyed. Honour your body and what it is telling you. You’ll appreciate it later. ❤️

[gerinurse]

Life stuff….

Week 32- November 30, 2025

How is it already December tomorrow? Where has an entire year gone?

Life has been busy and a bit manic if I am being honest. I keep asking myself why everything seems to be scheduled and happening in the last 2 months of the year. I’ve had board meetings, and committee meetings. I have dentist appointments and hair appointments, and I desperately need an appointment with my Botox gal for my jaw as well as my acupuncturist for my knee and jaw.

I have a meet and greet appointment with a new health care provider on Wednesday. She is a nurse practitioner in one of the suburbs just east of the city and specializes in women’s health and menopause. I am so hoping it goes well and she agrees to take me on as a patient. I’m going to need all the good vibes. I’ve spent this afternoon typing out my meds and my health history as well as my family history as my former clinic is now closed. She can access most of my medical file online but not my full paper file from prior to computerization that could have been transferred before the closure.

My weight has plateaued at 248lbs. I’m not concerned as my body is changing. Some of my clothing is getting very loose and I’m going to have to either take in my pants and hem them or purchase new. As much as I’d love new clothing, I have beautiful clothes and it would take minimal effort to alter the waists and hem the pants. My tops just hang better which is nice. What’s interesting is that my husband mentioned how much weight I’ve lost which he doesn’t really notice stuff like that.

I’ve always had issues with sweating heavily in my scalp but it’s gotten allot worse since my hormones changed. I barely sweat anywhere else except my scalp and the backs of my calves of all places. My hair dresser took a course on the microbiome of the scalp and found out that there are products you can use to correct the issue. She got me a scalp lotion and moisture control shampoo which I’ve been using for the last month. It’s already making a huge difference.

I had an appointment with a therapist as I was concerned about my lack of motivation, and the anxiety I was having regarding this. I just needed to talk through how to get past this as ,y past self had been extremely organized motivated and methodical. Most days I feel like I can’t even carry a thought through to conclusion let alone a task. She was amazing and asked a ton of questions about my childhood and how I was as a kid. How I functioned in ,y 20s and 30s and 40s, when I started to noted a change in myself and why I am so anxious about the changes. I’m anxious because I feel as if I never finish anything and like I’m a squirrel running task to task never knowing where and when to stop. She gave me a questioner and said that if I was fully evaluated I likely have adhd. I was that typical overly organized ocd kid who never caused any issues and got really good grades. The over achiever type. Apparently many of us girls were actually just undiagnosed adhd that manifested in ocd behaviours and anxiety 🙄. As we became adults and our hormones changed the adhd behaviours became more apparent. When she asked if my brain is ever quiet, I almost cried because I have never had a moment in my life where my brain isn’t racing. I am not interested in medicating as I have so many meds already. She gave me a ton of techniques to help me organize my mind and my life. Some as simple as setting very small goals and routines but writing them down. Something as simple as doing proper skin care twice a day! Making the bed each morning, never leaving dishes in the sink, washing and filling the dogs water dish nightly. Follow through and check it off every single morning and night. I’ve been faithfully doing this and my anxiety is much better and my mind is somewhat quieter. I’m determined to keep up and get our house in order. It’s overwhelming but she’s helping me break things into manageable chunks without being restrictive.

The next two weeks are going to be insanity so here’s hoping I can keep my brain and self moving forward. I hope everyone is doing alright and surfing the chaos that is our world right now. ❤️