Ozempic Update: Barefoot And Fancy Free!
A surprising bonus from losing weight and a minor negative from lower blood sugar.
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When I was a kid, for whatever reason, I walked on the balls of my feet. My father used to call me “Twinkle Toes.” I never knew if it was supposed be derogatory or just a cute nickname. I never cared because that’s how I walked and it was comfortable.
Over the years, a lot of people commented on this because I guess it was odd to see someone of my size, over 6 feet tall and well over 200 pounds, moving around like a cat. Unintentionally quiet as one, too. I cannot tell you how many people I accidentally scared the shit out of because they didn’t hear me walk into a room. It can be a little startling to look up and see someone there when you didn’t realize they came in. It’s far more disconcerting when someone you can’t imagine not sounding like a small avalanche moves like a ghost.1
At the same time, I was one of those people who also liked to walk around barefoot. Indoors, outdoors, I didn’t really care. Once, during the summer in college, I walked from Island Park where I lived to Long Beach barefoot. A little over one and a half miles. That doesn’t sound like a lot until you actually do it. I had some really thick callouses on my feet by then and I still was a bit sore from all of the concrete. The metal grating on the bridge was…unpleasant.
Regardless, walking barefoot was as natural to me as breathing. It was just what one did. Until Captain Underpants.
If you’ll recall, when Deb and I were running the PTA at our kid’s elementary school, we held a monthly Family Movie Night. It was hugely popular and a real community service to our families who were not rolling in money.
We would show whatever the newest kid’s movie on DVD/Blu-ray was and that month it was Captain Underpants. If you’re not familiar with Captain Underpants, it’s a series of kid’s books that was made into a movie. It’s actually quite amusing and if you have kids or grandkids, they’re probably at least familiar with the good captain.
But when it first came out, kids were going nuts and I decided to (very badly) cosplay as Captain Underpants for movie night.
The kids went absolutely crazy over this. They all knew who I was but to see Captain Underpants in real life? Even the Wish.com version? They ate it up with a spoon. Dozens of moms took pictures of me with very excited kids that night. One little girl, maybe 3 or 4 was seriously convinced I was Captain Underpants. So much so that every time I saw her for the next couple of years, she got wide-eyed and whispered, “I know who you are. You’re Captain Underpants!” I always whispered back with a wink, “Shhhh…don’t tell anyone or you’ll give away my secret identity!” Sometimes I would walk away with a quiet “Tra-la-laaaaa!”
Hey, if you can’t bring a little wonder into the life of a kid, what’s the point, right?
Unfortunately, Captain Underpants would be the last time I got to run around barefoot. For the last several years, I had been a stay-at-home parent. That meant no running around outside barefoot. I was still barefoot at home but I wasn’t on my feet nearly as much.
Also, I had put on a significant chunk of weight. I was close to 330 pounds in that picture up above. After I spent three hours running around a school barefoot, my feet said, “Oh the hell you did not!”
I was in agony the next morning. Particularly my left foot. And it didn’t get better. Two weeks later I was still limping and thought maybe I should go see a podiatrist.
Turns out I have a bone spur and I exercised an enormous amount of self-control to not laugh out loud when I saw the x-ray. I knew it was called a “bone spur” but it never occurred to me that it was called that because it actually looks like a spur on a cowboy’s boot. It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. What wasn’t ridiculous was the cortisone shot in my heel. It was the largest and longest needle I’ve ever had jammed into my body and the pain was enough to make me stop breathing. And then the doctor kept pushing it in and I discovered all new levels of pain.
I was told I needed arch support and to get special shoes. I eventually found Teva which worked but I cried at the price tag. I know a lot of people don’t bat an eye dropping $150 for shoes but I am not one of those people. Fortunately, they worked and they last a really long time.
The problem is that I have to wear them pretty much all the time. Even inside. Unless the carpet is insanely plush, my feet start to hurt if I’m not wearing my Teva sneakers or sandals (also really expensive but worth it).
But that was 65 pounds ago.
On Wednesday, Deb and I took Jordan and Anastasia to Great Wolf Lodge in Baltimore. I couldn’t wear my sandals in the pool area so I had to go barefoot. I figured it was only going to be a few hours and I would just suck it up when my feet started to hurt.
Buuuuuuut…they didn’t. Almost three hours of running around barefoot on a hard surface and I was fine. I didn’t even realize it until I was putting my shoes back on. Two hours later after running back and forth doing the Magi Quest with Anastasia, my knees started to protest but not my feet. They were a little sore from standing on them all day but not the kind of pain I once had from going barefoot.
I don’t plan on walking one and a half miles without shoes again anytime soon but it’s really nice to be able to not wear shoes every moment of every day again. I miss being Twinkle Toes.
So that’s the good news! Now for some sort-of-good-but-not-exactly-kind-of-mixed-blessing news.
It appears I actually have to pay attention to my blood sugar now. No, not that it gets too high but that it gets too low. That’s…not really something I ever had to worry about before.
Don’t worry, I’m not talking about a diabetic low that can be dangerous to the point of lethal. I’m talking about just low. Like what you normal people feel when you get hungry.
Except I don’t get hungry in the middle of the day because of Ozempic. I rarely eat lunch. Less so since I started taking Oz. Previously, this was not an issue. My blood sugar was always high. Not through the roof high but high enough that even when I was hungry, I didn’t have the problem of feeling light-headed or getting weak. I was just hungry.
Now that my blood sugar is normal, I’ve been having some occasional issues in the middle of the day if I don’t eat. I get shaky and I feel weak. No sweating, fortunately. A quick bite and I’m fine.
The actual problem is that it’s really hard for me to eat in the middle of the day. I don’t have large breakfasts but they tend to hold me for several hours. Now I have to eat something maybe four hours later and that’s…bleh. Like eating a meal after eating a meal. Remember, Ozempic both suppresses your appetite and slows down your digestion. I still have food in my stomach.
You’d think that would keep my blood sugar from dropping but apparently not. Boo.
It’s not a problem when I’m at home. I just grab something to eat and done. It’s a bit of a problem if I’m out and I have no food. I went for 30 minutes like that and it was very unpleasant.
So, as I have from the beginning, I’ll simply adjust. A smaller breakfast to make room for (an unwanted but necessary) lunch. And I’ll have to start carrying around granola bars. I’d carry candy bars but they get smooshed too easily. Granola bars can take some abuse in my bag.
Overall, I can’t say that I’m overly upset about the whole thing. This is, after all, the goal I’ve been working towards for a very long time. Now that I’m kind of here, there were always going to be adjustments to make. Better to adjust to (not quite) normal weight and normal blood sugar than have to adjust to the escalating problems that come with diabetes, right?
Onwards to the Wizard of Oz(empic)!
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This aggravated my girls to no end in our old apartment. We could tell who was coming down the hall by the sound of their footsteps. Except for me. Because you couldn’t hear mine. They hated that I was 200 pounds heavier and they couldn’t hear a goddamn thing when I walked. They were jealous of my mad ninja skills.
Congratulations on your weight loss! You are clearly a fantastic father.
My husband has type 2 diabetes, and has heard about Ozempic primarily for weight loss. I’m going to have him discuss w his doctor. Because we’re on Medicare and meet the income requirements, if he goes ahead with it, I can get it from the manufacturer at no cost.
If you have people in your life who are on Medicare, the common understanding is that drug manufacturer savings programs can’t be used with Medicare. Which is not true. Some companies do have programs for Medicare patients—I was able to get another of his diabetes drugs, which has put him into the coverage gap this year, free. Which means next year, he won’t fall into the gap. These programs don’t go through Medicare. As long as the total household income is below a certain amount (for a family of two, it’s abut $80k a year), the patient will qualify. I wrote this as I wish more seniors knew this. I’m very determined and persistent, and I advocate for him (and me). Most seniors have no idea how to navigate this.
Congratulations!! Really good work!
I don't know what your healthcare benefits are like, but since you are on Ozempic I am guessing that you would qualify for a consultation with a Registered Dietician. (Not a nutritionist; you want someone who has legit, scientific training.) They could review your meal plan and make suggestions for breakfasts that could keep your blood sugar more steady, and snacks that will not be too filling but will achieve the same end. Hope you can get that kind of help, and please keep us posted on your progress.