It was the summer of June 2021. The inflammation in my body was extremely high, my Lupus numbers were out of whack, the medications we were trying were slow to show improvement and I had topped the scale at 218lbs. At the time, I had been seeing a bariatric specialist along side a nutritionist for six months. We had tried a few weight loss programs and medications, nothing was working. Covid was still going strong and many of the people dying were severely obese.

During my appointment with my bariatric specialist, he mentioned that there was a medication we could try that was used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes but had recently been approved by the FDA to treat morbidly obese patients for weight loss. Since the FDA had now approved the medication for obese patients, the prescription would be covered by my insurance.

My doctor explained that the medication was called Ozempic and it was a weekly injection I would give myself. He let me know it was a commitment and I would be working closely with my nutritionist and be monitored through bloodwork every 3 to 6 months and follow appointments with him. I was in physical pain from RA and Lupus, always exhausted and terrified of dying from Covid. I wanted to try this medication and hoped it would work.

I remember coming home from picking up my prescription and watching a video from the manufactures website on how to give myself the injection. It seemed simple enough. I tried it and it didn’t hurt at all! I was very proud of myself for not being scared. I was excited and hopeful.

I started with the .25 and immediately lost 3lbs within the first week. I remember by the second week I had lost around 8lbs. I felt fine. The only side effect was my stomach flushing itself out. It was like a gentle cleanse.

I remember my doctor being pleasantly surprised by my results at my first follow up. We increased the dose to .05 after four weeks and jumped to 1mg a few weeks after.

When I reached 199lbs, it was a significant moment. My doctor was so happy for me. He continued to encourage me. My nutritionist understood what a big deal it was. Having that continued support was a game changer from anything I’d ever had before.

The first forty pounds came off pretty quickly, my doctor was wowed and let me know not everyone has results like this in such a short amount of time. The weight continued to come off and I was excited. I was feeling better and I didn’t have any bad side effects. Every time I would go in to see my rheumatologist, she would be so happy with my weight loss and the improvement of my lab work. The inflammation was going down. I was on a good path to minimize having the ongoing Lupus flare ups I had been experiencing.

When I reached 180lbs the weight loss stalled and we increased the dose to 2mg. My goal weight was 150lbs and when I reached it, I was floored! I couldn’t believe it. My rheumatologist was in awe of the improvement of my lab work and for the first time, the inflammation in my body was almost at a “normal” level.

My lowest weight was in the last six months at 138lbs. I’ve been maintaining on average between 142lbs-144lbs. My insurance changed from a PPO to an HMO and I’m in the process of having to find new doctors and hoping the HMO will cover the Ozempic so I could slowly wean off instead of shocking my system by all of a sudden stopping.

The judgement, the rude comments, all the miss information that’s out there about using Ozempic is frustrating and at times infuriating. First of all, if you’ve had the good fortune of never having to deal with weight issues, weight struggles, body image issues or a complicated relationship with food, with all due respect, you have absolutely no business being part of the “Ozempic” conversation. With peace and love, mind your own business and be grateful for your good genes. #BLESSED

I strongly feel that the shortage of inventory is a manufacture and pharmaceutical issue. As far as I’m concerned, if the FDA has approved it and my medical insurance is covering it, I have every right to use a medication that is going to help my medical condition and obesity is a medical condition.