So I went to see the traumatologist today about The Shoulder and, after a few questions, the doc went straight to giving me a cortisone injection, which was totally fine by me. I did tell her that when they gave me the same thing for my knee last year nothing happened and she looked at me calmly and said “that doesn’t mean that this won’t help you now”. And I guess so? I mean, the other one was for pretty much bone-on-bone knee pain (with a torn meniscus thrown in), and this is apparently a tendon problem.
Subscapularis tendinosis. Chronic enthesopathy of the subscapularis, subacromial-subdeltoid bursitis, degenerative changes in the acromioclavicular joint.
Anyhow, I was told it could take 2-3 days before I notice any difference and, meanwhile, to use the arm as little as possible. So no chair workouts involving weights for now. I was also given a print out of other exercises to do, which look pretty straightforward. I can just add them to my daily workout routine.
The (possible) good news is that if it does work then my shoulder pain should be greatly reduced for several months. And if it doesn’t? Then I’m supposed to make another appointment via my GP for a second shot. And since I’m seeing the GP again in three weeks to update my mounjaro prescription that’ll work out. So fingers crossed this helps! Meanwhile, four weeks in with mounjaro (and my tweaks) and this morning I was down by 4 kilos.👍Still the tip of the iceberg, but it’s actually more than the 2-3 kilos a month I was hoping for.
Spoiler alert… Mounjaro has already “won”, at least for now, but mostly because I was put on the spot today and didn’t want to have to wait another two weeks to see my GP again. It’s like this. Wegovy (semaflutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) are both GLP-1 drugs that slow digestions and suppresses appetite, but Moujaro has another hormone called GIP that has a stronger impact on blood sugar regulation and hunger reduction.
I had been leaning towards Wegovy as I had read that it is also approved not just for weight loss but cardiovascular health, helping to lower blood pressure and inflammation, as well as reducing the risk of “cardiac events” by as much as 20%. Sounded good to me. And I was hoping that today’s blood test results, combined with my heart issues, would mean that it could be prescribed for medical reasons (not just weight loss) so I wouldn’t have to pay.
Mounjaro is mostly prescribed for Type 2 diabetes and weight loss, with no obvious cardiac benefits. The Endo had made it sound like the only way I could get either of these covered by social security was to be diabetic, hence the new blood test. But it turns out that not only am I not diabetic, my GP informed me today that neither of these drugs are covered under SS so I would have to pay in any case.
So then I asked… how much? Wegovy is 180€ for the first month, Moujaro is 210€. Apparently the price will either remain the same or increase depending on whether I need stronger doses going forward. But GP insisted that Mounjaro is the preferred option these days but if I wanted to think it over… no no, no more delays. I went for it.
Effectiveness… Wegovy shows an average weight loss of 15-21% over 72 week, Moujaro 21-22.5% over the same time period.
Meanwhile, I dunno. Yes, I’m going to give it a go. Picking up the prescription this evening (they had to order it in) so will start tomorrow. But everything I read is about it suppressing appetite, even about losing “obsessive thoughts about food” (probably from feeling nauseous from the drug) and this just isn’t my problem. I mean, yes I do obsess about food, but more in the sense of photographing it and, yes, making it too, but not about wanting to eat all the time. Because you may recall, after four major abdominal ops, my belly is full of adhesions (look at your own risk) so if I do ever happen to over eat, which rarely happens anymore… PAIN PAIN OMG VOMIT VOMIT MORE PAIN. I mean, it’s like I have my own built-in Wegovy/Moujaro. Anyhow, we shall see I guess. Wish me luck.
Apparently I should be down to acceptable knee op weight by Oct/Nov and then I’ll have to get my GP to request another Traumatology appt (average waiting time: 6 months) and THEN they’ll put me on the waiting list for an operation (as long as I’ve kept the weight off). Honestly, if I despair at times, can you really blame me? Every day the pain gets worse, walking (hobbling) is becoming almost impossible and now I have a whole year ahead of me before I will even be able to see the slightest bit of light at the end of this awful awful pain-filled tunnel. Anyhoodle… out of words.
Off to Jerez tomorrow for Vinoble 2026! The hotel was booked in January, got train tickets last week, cat sitting is sorted… very excited but also worried about how I’ll hold up. I can honestly barely hobble these days, the pain has become so intense not only in my knee but also my damn shoulder. Some days I don’t know which is worse and together it sometimes just leaves me unable to do anything. BUT… I shall try! I see quite a few taxis in my near future.
Last (also first) time I saw an endo was in July 2023. Heartless GP had set up the appointment for me and I thought it was going to be about, you know, my endocrine system and metabolism, etc. But it turned out she had made an appointment recommending bariatric surgery (!!!) which I would never have consented to and which I was too old for anyhow.
I was hoping for more this time round as Nice GP made today’s appointment asking for treatment re: weight loss for knee surgery suggesting THOSE injections. What the heck, worth a try? Anyhow, this endo was less dismissive than the first one but said she needed an up to date blood analysis (which should happen next week) and then she mentioned two drugs: Wegovy and Munjaro. And then came the clincher… they are only subsidised for treatment of type 2 diabetes, which presumably the new blood test will rule out. She said Wegovy was less expensive than Mounjaro (180€ vs 360€ per month) and my GP could prescribe one or the other for me after I get the blood test results. Then I go back to see her, the endo, in October.
So now what? I really don’t know. Obviously I can’t afford either of these drugs, but I’ll go get the blood work done and then take things from there.
Back to see my GP today. I wanted to make sure everything was registered and understood re: the knee op and required weight loss, and the procedure we would follow. After my long-time friend, GP (and ex-student) Agustín retired just after lockdown it’s been a bit hit and miss with front line health care. At first I was assigned Heartless GP who didn’t listen to anything I said and clearly couldn’t wait for me to leave her consulting room asap. Then in June 2024 I had to see the GP again and was surprised to see a different woman at the desk. Pleasantly surprised as it turned out because, in spite of a somewhat serious demeanour, she was actually a Nice GP! She got stuff done. It’s thanks to her that I’m even seeing the proper specialists. In other words, she understands the job.
So today she looked over the last report from Traumatology, including the weight loss requirement, and her first response was to say that I should see an endocrinologist. Since the first step to a new knee is the weight loss, she said we needed to find ways to have that happen as quickly and efficiently as possible. And well, yes please! Then I remembered how back in 2023 Heartless GP had sent me to The Endo for bariatric surgery (!!!) when I thought that appointment was going to be about getting to grips with metabolism, post-chemo and menopause issues, trying to work out a way that would help me not have to take statins and other meds that had recently been prescribed. Anyhow, that appointment was a complete disaster (read at your own risk).
Today it felt different. Again, Nice GP is no-nonsense, I can’t joke with her, I can’t say anything actually personal, she’s just dealing with the facts. The facts today included making a new appointment with an endo (hopefully not the same one as before) and also putting in a new “preferential” request for my shoulder (that appointment seems to have gone missing) and then that was that. And for now that’s fine. Because for now, that’s all I’ve got.
casa azahar 