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My DH is on Trulicity for Type 2 diabetes since December . Has lost 25 lbs . This is the least he has weighed in about 30 years . His family has the fat gene that gets activated at about 30 years old when DH blew up . He was always a thin kid. Thin when we first married too . My son blew up at 30yo as well , too heavy now . The problem is they were so used to eating what they wanted for so long and able to stay thin . Changing the habits is hard .

Insurance has been covering it 100% .
However he recently received a letter that our mail away pharmacy for our RX plan is having trouble getting Trulicity in stock due to shortages .
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Alva,

You’re right. It’s complicated. All of it, insurance issues and how meds affect us.

Mom used to say that meds will help in one area and hurt us in another area. So, there is constant monitoring of how much they affect us.

I spent a fortune when I was going through fertility treatments. Nothing was covered back then by insurance. Not sure if it is now or not. I know that they were pushing for it to be covered.

It was frustrating because someone could get a nose job covered by insurance, by saying that they had a deviated septum, but I couldn’t get coverage for a legitimate medical issues.
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Need, insurance is lovely and all that, but if they start to cover 1,000s of dollar because we can't push away from the table for this, and 1,000s for dementia drugs that aren't proven and have bad side effects eventually insurance will cost so much no one will have it.

In California we are learning that insurance companies can simply throw up their arms and leave. That's what is happening with both Farmers and State Farm. Simply leaving our fire ridden state. They are now sending drones over homes and finding any little thing they can to cancel policies. Some just not renewing. We will soon find our homes uninsured, or insured at enormous cost to all.

There's never an easy answer to anything out there. Everything has "side effects".
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Nacy,

I get it. Siblings have their ups and downs in life.

I got to the same point where you are. It’s not worth arguing over. It’s either going to come out in the wash or it’s not.

I was very fortunate that my brothers and I found healing in our relationship later on.

Most of the time the people who are bothering us, don’t give a crap about how we feel and they don’t waste time on caring about us.

So, why should you care about what they think? In the end, you have to do what is right for you. For some people that means calling someone out, others it means to ignore it.

I find it sad if people are hurt by others so deeply that the relationship is permanently damaged, but that happens sometimes.
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need - it does make it harder for them. I was on elavil for a short while many years ago and I could see the lbs going on, so I stopped it and found something that doesn't do that for me but it affects my sleep. Side effects are the pits.

nacy - It is hard. He is very bright and I am sure he does understand, but he hasn't yet decided that his health is more important than his desire to eat like that. Hopefully after he has tried everything else, he will work on his eating habits, but I am not holding my breath. He is 55 so he's not that young. It all went on after he and g'f stopped smoking about 10 years ago, They both gained weight. Before that he was always skinny.

((((hugs))) to you for this hard week. Treat yourself to something!
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Nacy,

Sorry that you are having a rough time. It’s never easy being a caregiver.
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Golden,

I watched Super Size Me documentary a long time ago. It was a great documentary about how junk food negatively affects our health.

Morgan was only 53. He died from cancer. Wasn’t his girlfriend either vegetarian or vegan? I remember her saying in the documentary that she didn’t want him to eat McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

My coworker said that she was very depressed and anxious when she was going through her breast cancer treatments.

She was placed on meds and gained weight which made her feel more depressed.

I felt badly for her because she said that as long as she was taking the meds that she didn’t think she would lose any weight.
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Speaking of such things Morgan Spurlock, of 'Super Size Me' fame died yesterday. I really appreciated his message.

need - as far as I know most antid's cause weight gain in most people who take them. My dd is an exception, fortunately. At the end of her life, mother went up sizes when she was medicated for depression and dementia. I had to buy new sets of clothing for her. I'm not sure that dieting helps a lot with that. It's a bit of a catch 22 - get depressed, take antid's, gain weight, get depressed...

On another subject, some of my clothing took a bit of a beating during the move - two rain coats, in fact missing a button each. I'm past sewing on buttons, but R might do it for me, One coat was mother's and one is a lovely London Fog gaberdine belted trench coat I have had for over 40 years so it doesn't owe me anything, but still looks good, That fabric never looses its pizzazz. Maybe it's time for a new one and in a bright colour!!!
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Golden,

Some people are on meds that interfere with a person losing weight.

I think it’s sad that a person will go on meds for their mental health and it causes weight gain, so they have to deal with that too.

A woman that I worked with told me that when she was going through cancer she started taking meds to help her cope.

She started gaining weight and her doctor told her that weight gain was common with the drug that she was taking.
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Stress eating - the story of my life. I know where it came from -very little comfort of any kind in my early home life, but good food was always available. Fortunately I like healthy food so, despite some consumption of chips, ice cream etc I always ate lots of healthy food. I do it less now and the choice I make are healthier. That has been my solution - find healthier alternatives. Not a big sweet eater. Haven't had a chip or a spoonful of ice cream since I can remember. I have found an excellent dairy free yogurt. I love roasted and fresh veggies, do low carb some of the time. I'd like to lose 10-15 lbs. My body doesn't let go of energy stores easily - never has, even when I was young and very active. Working on it slowly adjusting my choices. At my age I don't need many calories but my appetite is still as good as ever.🙄 It doesn't seem fair.

Huskies are awesome dogs, and definitely very stubborn and independent, but they do it with a smile.🐕

Alva - you mentioned Ozempic. Oldest son, who is diabetic, is on that. It hasn't helped him so far and he hasn't changed his eating habits - reuben sandwiches and fries are not a good choice for a diabetic - mainly bread and potatoes. He is trying everything except changing his eating habits. I said it a few times but not any more, Both he and his g/f are obese and suffering the consequences and it will only get worse as they age, but mother (me) has to keep her trap shut unless asked. It's not always easy when you hear the litany of woes that are due entirely to bad eating habits.
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Alva,

The cost is amazing. Right now there is Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.

I have seen some people experience side effects, while others don’t. Drugs affect everyone differently.

My primary care doctor’s nurse has lost 50 pounds since she started taking Ozempic. She says that she feels better after losing weight and is not having side effects.

I barely recognized her when she walked into the room and I said, ‘You lost a lot of weight!’ She shared her story with me.

I hope insurance companies will start paying for these drugs and give people who are struggling with obesity a chance to lose weight.
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Ozempic has been taken, now, by 1 in 8 of us according the this week's The Week. One half of the people quit because of costs or because of some pretty gruesome side effects. The others are still taking it.

Given the cost of it I find this utterly shocking.
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Nacy,

He is very smart. He knows where he is when we are driving him to the park.

They are beautiful dogs, very sweet but they can be stubborn!
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The diet industry is huge!

I just heard a doctor say that insurance companies may start approving some of the new drugs that are out now for weight loss.

I also heard that her say that some people aren’t using these drugs appropriately.

These drugs have to be taken for a certain amount of time before they are effective.

People don’t see immediate results and they are stopping them too soon.
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Siberian huskies are stubborn!

We have our grandpup over while my daughter is visiting her ‘long distance’ boyfriend until Tuesday.

Oh, he’s very attentive when I am spoiling him with scrambled eggs, cheese or treats, but when I call him over so I can measure the summer bandanas that I am sewing for him, he can’t be bothered to move off of the sofa! Grrrrrrr…

I found this cute fabric a beach scene on it. I am making it reversible with a check fabric on the other side. Two looks with one bandana!

I have made several bandanas for our daughter’s dog, my nephews dogs and friends’ dogs. They look so cute wearing them.
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I knew someone who was very obese . Then he started eating the same healthy meals everyday and food no longer became a pleasure or a crutch . He said it became a boring necessity . Lost alot of weight. He found other ways to occupy his time and thoughts ,and crowd out food thoughts .
He had willpower that’s for sure .
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Eating is emotional. The same thing goes for depression. Some people eat more if they are depressed and others won’t eat a thing.
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Anxiety,

I am one of those people who simply can’t eat if I am stressed. Just the sight of food will turn my stomach.

I get sick to my stomach if I try to eat when I am overly stressed. I completely lose my appetite.

I can’t force myself to eat anything because I feel like I would throw up.

Take my coffee away and then I would be very upset! 😝
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ventingisback, i stress-eat too!! guilty as charged!! i'm going to join you on your mission to kick that bad habit to the curb.
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So I continue to try to improve myself. Get rid of some bad habits I picked up in life. I've heard of people (including me) using food to numb their feelings. Today, I read that many people use food as a painkiller. That's exactly what I do. Any uncomfortable feeling, thought I have....I use food as a painkiller. I have to find better ways of dealing with unhappiness.
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Venting, if you are not morbidly obese and you DO eat also a decent quite balanced diet, then I don't see why you would be hard on yourself for this. Are you in general hard on yourself? Because I worry when people are; the world's full enough of OTHERS to be hard on us. We sure can help ourselves by not partaking.
I knew I was (not celiac) but a bit wheat intolerant. Read about building the gut genome. Started eating more a variety of fruits and veggies and am now TOTALLY addicted to fruits and veggies. Go figure. I can't get enough of them, even to kimchi and Wild Brine's red cabbage and beet sour Kraut.
They say out gut has 5 POUNDS of good bacteria in a healthy genome. Mind have begun to scream for fruits and veggies even more often than Trader Joe's Classic Potato Chips, hee hee!
But whatever. Life's short. I am eating what I want to eat, and on I go. Until I don't go on, that is. At 81 I beat them all; the rest is gravy. Literally.
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I can relate Venting. I'm one of the skinniest among my closest friends but I feel like a fat old cow because I'm heavier than I've ever been, and I don't like it. I tell myself I could lose the extra pounds if I just stopped eating all the junk but when evening rolls around and I settle in to read I still reach for the cookies, chocolate bars and chips, even if I'm disciplined enough not to buy anything I will not settle until I find something to satisfy my cravings.
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Hi Alva, I also come from a thinner type family. I’m thin. But I eat a lot of junk when I feel bad.

And there’s no doubt, one can always find something worse: but I still want to improve ME. I know numbing my feelings with food is bad. I’ll try to change that. I’ll try to figure out what’s missing in my life. Maybe it’s self-confidence.
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I was lucky in my genes that I come of a thinner type family.
I think it is very funny how different things are so different for other people. I am very food driven or food motivated, and I can spend a LOT of time thinking about food. What I want to eat today. When to make a big pot of whatever. What to get at Trader Joe (Classic Potato Chips for certain). I will bring up food and my partner doesn't get it. He says he NEVER thinks of food (and skinny as rails, his entire family).

I think surely there are worse things to numb ourselves with, Venting. Vodka? Smokes? Opiates?
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I need to whine about myself today. I don't know why I turn to food, when I feel bad. (I know, I know, there are thousands of books on this topic.)

I think there must be a lot of truth in the idea that people (including me) like to numb their feelings, with food. Momentarily it makes you feel better.

I started this bad habit years ago. Maybe it's just like any other addiction. Some people turn to alcohol, some to food...I have to stop. Maybe there's something missing in my life, and I use food to try to solve that.
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AliBo,
I think they may have have chosen this bunch as a sort of thing to say how awful and over the top it can get on Social Media. I doubt it was a good dissection of the norm there. Couldn't be!
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@the guy from Vegas:
Oh, Vegas, you and I are going to become VERY fond of one another!
I just love the report button.
Since you're new I should clue you in that this is where we come to just chat--called "discussions". Free to join, but definitely not compulsory. Just kind of here giving our opinions about nothing much. Seems you are a PERFECT fit for it!
Welcome to the Forum.
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Alva, I’m on my phone and not my laptop atm, so I’m not seeing the full context of the Reddit discussion, but I saw your comment and thought I’d give my opinion about Reddit.

I love Reddit because it’s anonymous and there’s a downvote system which helps moderate the worst of the worst. Whatever your area of interest, you can find subs that discuss it.

Ignore the rest. The “terminally online” people will say anything to to get attention, or vent their ignorance. But if their comment isn’t popular, then it will be downvoted. If there isn't much “karma” (points on Reddit) for a poster’s account, you should just ignore them for the trolls they are.

In general — I think Reddit is a great site, and more worthwhile and useful than other social media sites.
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Strange comment, Vegas Guy. If you don’t want to hear about other caregiver’s lives, and don’t want any comments on your own, why come to this site?
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Caregivers sharing too much about their lives and opining about ours.
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