Wegovy Anti-chubster injection-pen things

[MOBB]

Been off of the 5mg Mounjaro a week now, managed to eat very similar food and quantity to when I was in the jabs but I am pretty hungry at times, only savoury stuff desired though

Constipation gradually diminishing

Cardio massively increasing and much more able to push, and gym strength getting better already

I think I m ok without the jabs so far but will keep updating the thread

[Quattr04.]

Has anyone successfully got any of the jabs without having a high BMI,

I have a lot of belly fat in proportion to the rest of my body that I’m struggling to shift and have so much food noise and the way I look is damaging my mental health

I weigh 12 stone and I’m 5 foot 11 , 32, go to the gym and eat well

[Blown2CV]

Badda said:

Blown2CV said:

biggbn said:

Blown2CV said:

Defcon5 said:

I found that cravings for sweet food went to zero when doing a keto diet.

May be a tough first fortnight but I found it easy to maintain after that.

i think this above, also generally cravings and drives are something which is extremely subject to individual differences. I don't think there is a way to say, I did X and got this result, and have it apply to almost anyone else.

Of course there isn't, but it is good to share things that work for you as they MAY work for others who are struggling. If I drop my protein intake I am much hungrier, so high protein and high fibrous veg works to keep me satiated...and it MIGHT for others.

but if the keto diet really worked for lots of people then they wouldn't end up on MJ.

Basically, only B2CV is allowed to offer advice. This has been established.

does no one actually read what i wrote? Keto is one of the hardest diets to stick to. That and paleo. All i have said is what works for one person won't be guaranteed to work for another, and if there is an easy diet that can work for one person, why would they need drugs.

Does that count as advice to you? Or when I said sticking to medical advice is best - not really my advice is it?

[Mark-BMW-E30-318is]

Finding life tough right now. I'm so grateful to all that have helped and encouraged me thus far and the weight loss has been fantastic but I can't rely upon others, yet I'm drowning with the cost. The skin on my right ankle has started breaking down and I fear another ulcer.

I'm constantly playing over the pros and cons and acknowledging the changes I've made, but underneath I'm being eaten up with the anxiety. I know that I have much to be grateful for and there are plenty of people in much worse situations than mine. It doesn't stop me feeling this way though.

Apologies if this isn't the place but it's easier being honest here than ''real life''. I also have a son who's poor mental health (Borderline Personality Disorder) is that bad that I can't recognise him. Came to add that I realise how bad it must sound for a father to not recognise his son, but he's just not the person I knew. He's done terrible things to his brother and mother. Sorry, I just felt I should qualify that statement.

I'm 60 in June and I'm literally sat crying to a screen.

Edited by Mark-BMW-E30-318is on Tuesday 31st March 13:17

[ambuletz]

wegovy to be offered for free on NHS to those with a history of heart probems

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz90595pgzlo

[Scrump]

Mark-BMW-E30-318is said:

Finding life tough right now. I'm so grateful to all that have helped and encouraged me thus far and the weight loss has been fantastic but I can't rely upon others, yet I'm drowning with the cost. The skin on my right ankle has started breaking down and I fear another ulcer.

I'm constantly playing over the pros and cons and acknowledging the changes I've made, but underneath I'm being eaten up with the anxiety. I know that I have much to be grateful for and there are plenty of people in much worse situations than mine. It doesn't stop me feeling this way though.

Apologies if this isn't the place but it's easier being honest here than ''real life''. I also have a son who's poor mental health (Borderline Personality Disorder) is that bad that I can't recognise him. Came to add that I realise how bad it must sound for a father to not recognise his son, but he's just not the person I knew. He's done terrible things to his brother and mother. Sorry, I just felt I should qualify that statement.

I'm 60 in June and I'm literally sat crying to a screen.

Edited by Mark-BMW-E30-318is on Tuesday 31st March 13:17

Mark, no need to apologise for your post. PH has always been a great place to share things that are not easy to in real life.
Your story of improvement facilitated by the jabs is a great tale to hear. I hope you don’t let your son’s behaviour/actions set you back.
We are all rooting for you and your recovery.

[MOBB]

From AI;

"Stopping Mounjaro (tirzepatide) does not cause traditional addiction withdrawal but can trigger increased appetite, food cravings, and weight regain. While not a listed side effect, some reports suggest a potential link between GLP-1 receptor agonists and shingles outbreaks, possibly due to stress or immune system changes."

Guess who's got Shingles......................

[spikeyhead]

MOBB said:

From AI;

"Stopping Mounjaro (tirzepatide) does not cause traditional addiction withdrawal but can trigger increased appetite, food cravings, and weight regain. While not a listed side effect, some reports suggest a potential link between GLP-1 receptor agonists and shingles outbreaks, possibly due to stress or immune system changes."

Guess who's got Shingles......................

That's a bugger

[ben5575]

Quattr04. said:

Has anyone successfully got any of the jabs without having a high BMI,

I have a lot of belly fat in proportion to the rest of my body that I m struggling to shift and have so much food noise and the way I look is damaging my mental health

I weigh 12 stone and I m 5 foot 11 , 32, go to the gym and eat well

You need two aggravating factors; high cholesterol, sleep apnea, high blood pressure etc. It's also difficult to tell how tall you are from a photo...

[Blown2CV]

ben5575 said:

Quattr04. said:

Has anyone successfully got any of the jabs without having a high BMI,

I have a lot of belly fat in proportion to the rest of my body that I m struggling to shift and have so much food noise and the way I look is damaging my mental health

I weigh 12 stone and I m 5 foot 11 , 32, go to the gym and eat well

You need two aggravating factors; high cholesterol, sleep apnea, high blood pressure etc. It's also difficult to tell how tall you are from a photo...

on the NHS yes. However you can buy the injections from 27 BMI and no illnesses/conditions.

[Truckosaurus]

I'm sure many people game the system to boost their BMI by taking deliberately unflattering profile photos after drinking a load of water to be all bloated and heavy, and then weigh themselves wearing lots of clothes.

[Blown2CV]

Mark-BMW-E30-318is said:

Finding life tough right now. I'm so grateful to all that have helped and encouraged me thus far and the weight loss has been fantastic but I can't rely upon others, yet I'm drowning with the cost. The skin on my right ankle has started breaking down and I fear another ulcer.

I'm constantly playing over the pros and cons and acknowledging the changes I've made, but underneath I'm being eaten up with the anxiety. I know that I have much to be grateful for and there are plenty of people in much worse situations than mine. It doesn't stop me feeling this way though.

Apologies if this isn't the place but it's easier being honest here than ''real life''. I also have a son who's poor mental health (Borderline Personality Disorder) is that bad that I can't recognise him. Came to add that I realise how bad it must sound for a father to not recognise his son, but he's just not the person I knew. He's done terrible things to his brother and mother. Sorry, I just felt I should qualify that statement.

I'm 60 in June and I'm literally sat crying to a screen.

Edited by Mark-BMW-E30-318is on Tuesday 31st March 13:17

sounds st mate and I know there is not much people can say to really help with the causes, but maybe it helps to talk. What i would say is that I think a lot of people are surprised by GLP-1s along the lines of "but i've lost all this weight, why am i not happy?". I guess when we've had lifelong or certainly long term struggles with weight, we put so much stock in it that we can't see past it almost.

We spend all this money and we get where we need to be, but then we're sort of left feeling like we've knocked one thing off the list, but we don't feel massively different, or we would have hoped everything would feel a lot more fixed than it does. Yes there are positives, but our lives are probably far from fixed in many cases, and the attention turns to the next thing. Personally, I've felt great that I've lost the weight and upped the fitness, but I now feel a and feel like I look a lot older, so it's not been the all rosy situation I had maybe naively assumed it would be.

Maybe there is also a strange feeling of control where you take control of weight loss and it feels good to be solving it, but then when it's solved you kind of feel like you lose control again, like you're stuck spending money to stand still and are fearful to come off the drugs, and that empowering feeling of 'self improvement' generally fizzles away. That can be a big mental health dent too, as most of it generally is about perceived lack of control.

I know you've got more going on than the above but maybe there is relatable stuff in there. Hope you're OK.

[bigdom]

Quattr04. said:

Has anyone successfully got any of the jabs without having a high BMI,

I have a lot of belly fat in proportion to the rest of my body that I m struggling to shift and have so much food noise and the way I look is damaging my mental health

I weigh 12 stone and I m 5 foot 11 , 32, go to the gym and eat well

I work with someone who lost 5 stone, and due to current stresses has gained about 10lbs since coming off them about 8 months ago. Her existing supplier wouldn't help as still in her BMI target. She has changed supplier to one that supports 'maintenance dose'

Edited by bigdom on Friday 3rd April 08:47

[P-Jay]

MOBB said:

From AI;

"Stopping Mounjaro (tirzepatide) does not cause traditional addiction withdrawal but can trigger increased appetite, food cravings, and weight regain. While not a listed side effect, some reports suggest a potential link between GLP-1 receptor agonists and shingles outbreaks, possibly due to stress or immune system changes."

Guess who's got Shingles......................

Ahhhhhhhh, that makes sense.

I quit MJ when the price leapt and moved to Wegovy. I've had terrible Singles, which are easing now. I put it down to stress, I'm in the middle of a separation.

Wegovy, isn't nearly as effective as MJ for me, but there are few serious side-effects, it's still working, but needs a lot more self-control which is tough when you're ADHD and stressed/depressed (Separation).

[Mark-BMW-E30-318is]

Blown2CV said:

Mark-BMW-E30-318is said:

Finding life tough right now. I'm so grateful to all that have helped and encouraged me thus far and the weight loss has been fantastic but I can't rely upon others, yet I'm drowning with the cost. The skin on my right ankle has started breaking down and I fear another ulcer.

I'm constantly playing over the pros and cons and acknowledging the changes I've made, but underneath I'm being eaten up with the anxiety. I know that I have much to be grateful for and there are plenty of people in much worse situations than mine. It doesn't stop me feeling this way though.

Apologies if this isn't the place but it's easier being honest here than ''real life''. I also have a son who's poor mental health (Borderline Personality Disorder) is that bad that I can't recognise him. Came to add that I realise how bad it must sound for a father to not recognise his son, but he's just not the person I knew. He's done terrible things to his brother and mother. Sorry, I just felt I should qualify that statement.

I'm 60 in June and I'm literally sat crying to a screen.

Edited by Mark-BMW-E30-318is on Tuesday 31st March 13:17

sounds st mate and I know there is not much people can say to really help with the causes, but maybe it helps to talk. What i would say is that I think a lot of people are surprised by GLP-1s along the lines of "but i've lost all this weight, why am i not happy?". I guess when we've had lifelong or certainly long term struggles with weight, we put so much stock in it that we can't see past it almost.

We spend all this money and we get where we need to be, but then we're sort of left feeling like we've knocked one thing off the list, but we don't feel massively different, or we would have hoped everything would feel a lot more fixed than it does. Yes there are positives, but our lives are probably far from fixed in many cases, and the attention turns to the next thing. Personally, I've felt great that I've lost the weight and upped the fitness, but I now feel a and feel like I look a lot older, so it's not been the all rosy situation I had maybe naively assumed it would be.

Maybe there is also a strange feeling of control where you take control of weight loss and it feels good to be solving it, but then when it's solved you kind of feel like you lose control again, like you're stuck spending money to stand still and are fearful to come off the drugs, and that empowering feeling of 'self improvement' generally fizzles away. That can be a big mental health dent too, as most of it generally is about perceived lack of control.

I know you've got more going on than the above but maybe there is relatable stuff in there. Hope you're OK.

Many thanks for that and yes, definitely relate.

The past weekend wasn't great and I just couldn't escape my own head. I was aware that I was no fun to be around and short tempered, only to almost instantly regret how I had been. It was all just so dark but thankfully I had a moment of clarity and was almost taken by surprise by the way I was feeling and the thoughts that would push to the fore. The constant worry of my youngest boy is taking its toll. I've seen someone I just no longer recognise, attempt to absolutely destroy his mother and brother. It has even got to the extent of our having to take out an injunction to try and moderate his behaviour somehow. When I see pictures of him I just feel loss, as if he's gone forever. Yet he's out there living a life that none of his family play a part in anymore. His nephew doesn't even know who he is and poor lads school has had to be forewarned should his uncle ever show up at the gates.

On Bank Holiday Monday I was able to drive the E30 up to Barnstaple to see my other son, his wife and my grandson. I was able to do that as a direct result of people here. The drive up the Atlantic Highway (A39) is always fun and when the sun is also out, it makes to views out across North Cornwall and North Devon, even more special. Especially in a light, moderately powered, rear wheel drive car with an M20 six pot and fruity exhaust note and very little traffic at 8am. I stopped off in Bude and spent some time drooling over a stunning 911 GT3 RS, which is even more special in person, than video can convey. Mind you, it dwarfed the E30 so would be a nightmare to own where I live. I doubt the mud and slurry would do much for the alloys either. As I left the owner came running over to give me a flier for a local event he's promoting and he wondered if I might take the E30? It's amazing how many people like it, despite being a battered and bruised ex race car. I'll probably not bother with the GT3 RS though.

So I pushed on to Barnstaple and spent a couple of hours with my grandson. Obviously he had to sit in ''Grandads racing car'' and I gave him a small, remote control E30 of his own, to try and cement him as a BMW fan as early as possible! Seeing him with his mum and dad was just lovely and for pretty much the whole day, I was able to get some direction back. The impending doom has subsided! At the risk of repeating myself, I want to thank all of you for Monday. It may sound a bit corny but people here have allowed me to make some huge changes (to my life), that also impact on those closest to me. I've lost weight and been able to support those closest to me, by being there in person. I simply couldn't have done that without people here. Thank you,, thank you, thank you!


Now it wasn't all good news unfortunately and it was my grandson that noticed the aroma from my ankle first. Embarrassing though it was, he alerted me to the fact there was an infection in the wound on my left ankle. It's a sickly smell that is just vile so once home I was able to clean the ankle and put a clean dressing on it. Thankfully I already had an appointment for 8:30am Tuesday with the nurse, so she swabbed and cleaned it once again. It's incredible how quickly the infection takes hold and Cellulitis and Sepsis take hold. I'm on a strong antibiotic and they also used an antibiotic cream directly on the wound itself. It has only been a couple of days but the smell has gone, so fingers crossed we got it early. Sometimes it can come back within a short time and that's when I need IV instead. Hopefully that won't happen this time. I also feel that the brewing infection probably impacted on my general wellbeing, as previously I've suffered terrible confusion and speech dysphasia. I found that really scary. You go to say something and a completely random word comes out. Or you simply cannot say the word that you want to.

Anyway, that's not where we are so I'm just going on with the day. Yesterday there was a bloody great orange thing in the sky but today we're back to mizzle and now wind!


Cheers guys and thank you. Mark

[redrabbit29]

Quattr04. said:

Has anyone successfully got any of the jabs without having a high BMI,

I have a lot of belly fat in proportion to the rest of my body that I m struggling to shift and have so much food noise and the way I look is damaging my mental health

I weigh 12 stone and I m 5 foot 11 , 32, go to the gym and eat well

Yes, I did. I lost about 2-3 stone to bring my BMI down. It was then technically below the threshold.

I weighed down a backpack with heavy books, which I held behind my back as I video'd myself standing on the scales and then showing the weight. I know some will be outraged, but I felt so good on Mounjaro and I was not where I wanted to be at that point.

I think if you're mid-treatment, they should these days keep supplying you if you're an existing customer. But if not, maybe try my trick

[J4CKO]

Been off it for about 2 months, gone up a bit but keeping it in check, doesnt help have been ill twice with colds and there was Easter but holding steady on 200 lbs.

Off to the gym for the first time in a while today, well over a week, just been coughing and sneezing, wasnt an option, so annoying.

Put a chin up bar up last sunday outside, skinned a knuckle and started with the cold so not used it yet, first day feeling almost normal today.

[the-norseman]

I had my first Wegovy 1mg jab on Saturday, I had previously run 0.25 and 0.5, on the 0.5 I had occasional sulphur burps and feeling cold.

Took the 1mg on Saturday, Monday all day very strong sulphur burps, Tuesday morning all hell broke loose for the first 4 hours of the morning, many trips to the toilet and a strong feeling of I'm about to puke for about 10 minutes. The it went off. Due my nexy jab on Saturday so will see how I get on.

[Blown2CV]

Mark-BMW-E30-318is said:

Blown2CV said:

Mark-BMW-E30-318is said:

Finding life tough right now. I'm so grateful to all that have helped and encouraged me thus far and the weight loss has been fantastic but I can't rely upon others, yet I'm drowning with the cost. The skin on my right ankle has started breaking down and I fear another ulcer.

I'm constantly playing over the pros and cons and acknowledging the changes I've made, but underneath I'm being eaten up with the anxiety. I know that I have much to be grateful for and there are plenty of people in much worse situations than mine. It doesn't stop me feeling this way though.

Apologies if this isn't the place but it's easier being honest here than ''real life''. I also have a son who's poor mental health (Borderline Personality Disorder) is that bad that I can't recognise him. Came to add that I realise how bad it must sound for a father to not recognise his son, but he's just not the person I knew. He's done terrible things to his brother and mother. Sorry, I just felt I should qualify that statement.

I'm 60 in June and I'm literally sat crying to a screen.

Edited by Mark-BMW-E30-318is on Tuesday 31st March 13:17

sounds st mate and I know there is not much people can say to really help with the causes, but maybe it helps to talk. What i would say is that I think a lot of people are surprised by GLP-1s along the lines of "but i've lost all this weight, why am i not happy?". I guess when we've had lifelong or certainly long term struggles with weight, we put so much stock in it that we can't see past it almost.

We spend all this money and we get where we need to be, but then we're sort of left feeling like we've knocked one thing off the list, but we don't feel massively different, or we would have hoped everything would feel a lot more fixed than it does. Yes there are positives, but our lives are probably far from fixed in many cases, and the attention turns to the next thing. Personally, I've felt great that I've lost the weight and upped the fitness, but I now feel a and feel like I look a lot older, so it's not been the all rosy situation I had maybe naively assumed it would be.

Maybe there is also a strange feeling of control where you take control of weight loss and it feels good to be solving it, but then when it's solved you kind of feel like you lose control again, like you're stuck spending money to stand still and are fearful to come off the drugs, and that empowering feeling of 'self improvement' generally fizzles away. That can be a big mental health dent too, as most of it generally is about perceived lack of control.

I know you've got more going on than the above but maybe there is relatable stuff in there. Hope you're OK.

Many thanks for that and yes, definitely relate.

The past weekend wasn't great and I just couldn't escape my own head. I was aware that I was no fun to be around and short tempered, only to almost instantly regret how I had been. It was all just so dark but thankfully I had a moment of clarity and was almost taken by surprise by the way I was feeling and the thoughts that would push to the fore. The constant worry of my youngest boy is taking its toll. I've seen someone I just no longer recognise, attempt to absolutely destroy his mother and brother. It has even got to the extent of our having to take out an injunction to try and moderate his behaviour somehow. When I see pictures of him I just feel loss, as if he's gone forever. Yet he's out there living a life that none of his family play a part in anymore. His nephew doesn't even know who he is and poor lads school has had to be forewarned should his uncle ever show up at the gates.

On Bank Holiday Monday I was able to drive the E30 up to Barnstaple to see my other son, his wife and my grandson. I was able to do that as a direct result of people here. The drive up the Atlantic Highway (A39) is always fun and when the sun is also out, it makes to views out across North Cornwall and North Devon, even more special. Especially in a light, moderately powered, rear wheel drive car with an M20 six pot and fruity exhaust note and very little traffic at 8am. I stopped off in Bude and spent some time drooling over a stunning 911 GT3 RS, which is even more special in person, than video can convey. Mind you, it dwarfed the E30 so would be a nightmare to own where I live. I doubt the mud and slurry would do much for the alloys either. As I left the owner came running over to give me a flier for a local event he's promoting and he wondered if I might take the E30? It's amazing how many people like it, despite being a battered and bruised ex race car. I'll probably not bother with the GT3 RS though.

So I pushed on to Barnstaple and spent a couple of hours with my grandson. Obviously he had to sit in ''Grandads racing car'' and I gave him a small, remote control E30 of his own, to try and cement him as a BMW fan as early as possible! Seeing him with his mum and dad was just lovely and for pretty much the whole day, I was able to get some direction back. The impending doom has subsided! At the risk of repeating myself, I want to thank all of you for Monday. It may sound a bit corny but people here have allowed me to make some huge changes (to my life), that also impact on those closest to me. I've lost weight and been able to support those closest to me, by being there in person. I simply couldn't have done that without people here. Thank you,, thank you, thank you!


Now it wasn't all good news unfortunately and it was my grandson that noticed the aroma from my ankle first. Embarrassing though it was, he alerted me to the fact there was an infection in the wound on my left ankle. It's a sickly smell that is just vile so once home I was able to clean the ankle and put a clean dressing on it. Thankfully I already had an appointment for 8:30am Tuesday with the nurse, so she swabbed and cleaned it once again. It's incredible how quickly the infection takes hold and Cellulitis and Sepsis take hold. I'm on a strong antibiotic and they also used an antibiotic cream directly on the wound itself. It has only been a couple of days but the smell has gone, so fingers crossed we got it early. Sometimes it can come back within a short time and that's when I need IV instead. Hopefully that won't happen this time. I also feel that the brewing infection probably impacted on my general wellbeing, as previously I've suffered terrible confusion and speech dysphasia. I found that really scary. You go to say something and a completely random word comes out. Or you simply cannot say the word that you want to.

Anyway, that's not where we are so I'm just going on with the day. Yesterday there was a bloody great orange thing in the sky but today we're back to mizzle and now wind!


Cheers guys and thank you. Mark

mate it does sound when I read that that you feel in a more positive place, which is really good. I guess life is about trying to grab the small positives and nice experiences when you can. This time of year helps a ton as the sun makes lots of things just that bit better. Glad you've got some nice motors to turn normality into an event - i do think that's the main function of petrolheadery! All the best. Keep going.

[biggbn]

Blown2CV said:

Mark-BMW-E30-318is said:

Blown2CV said:

Mark-BMW-E30-318is said:

Finding life tough right now. I'm so grateful to all that have helped and encouraged me thus far and the weight loss has been fantastic but I can't rely upon others, yet I'm drowning with the cost. The skin on my right ankle has started breaking down and I fear another ulcer.

I'm constantly playing over the pros and cons and acknowledging the changes I've made, but underneath I'm being eaten up with the anxiety. I know that I have much to be grateful for and there are plenty of people in much worse situations than mine. It doesn't stop me feeling this way though.

Apologies if this isn't the place but it's easier being honest here than ''real life''. I also have a son who's poor mental health (Borderline Personality Disorder) is that bad that I can't recognise him. Came to add that I realise how bad it must sound for a father to not recognise his son, but he's just not the person I knew. He's done terrible things to his brother and mother. Sorry, I just felt I should qualify that statement.

I'm 60 in June and I'm literally sat crying to a screen.

Edited by Mark-BMW-E30-318is on Tuesday 31st March 13:17

sounds st mate and I know there is not much people can say to really help with the causes, but maybe it helps to talk. What i would say is that I think a lot of people are surprised by GLP-1s along the lines of "but i've lost all this weight, why am i not happy?". I guess when we've had lifelong or certainly long term struggles with weight, we put so much stock in it that we can't see past it almost.

We spend all this money and we get where we need to be, but then we're sort of left feeling like we've knocked one thing off the list, but we don't feel massively different, or we would have hoped everything would feel a lot more fixed than it does. Yes there are positives, but our lives are probably far from fixed in many cases, and the attention turns to the next thing. Personally, I've felt great that I've lost the weight and upped the fitness, but I now feel a and feel like I look a lot older, so it's not been the all rosy situation I had maybe naively assumed it would be.

Maybe there is also a strange feeling of control where you take control of weight loss and it feels good to be solving it, but then when it's solved you kind of feel like you lose control again, like you're stuck spending money to stand still and are fearful to come off the drugs, and that empowering feeling of 'self improvement' generally fizzles away. That can be a big mental health dent too, as most of it generally is about perceived lack of control.

I know you've got more going on than the above but maybe there is relatable stuff in there. Hope you're OK.

Many thanks for that and yes, definitely relate.

The past weekend wasn't great and I just couldn't escape my own head. I was aware that I was no fun to be around and short tempered, only to almost instantly regret how I had been. It was all just so dark but thankfully I had a moment of clarity and was almost taken by surprise by the way I was feeling and the thoughts that would push to the fore. The constant worry of my youngest boy is taking its toll. I've seen someone I just no longer recognise, attempt to absolutely destroy his mother and brother. It has even got to the extent of our having to take out an injunction to try and moderate his behaviour somehow. When I see pictures of him I just feel loss, as if he's gone forever. Yet he's out there living a life that none of his family play a part in anymore. His nephew doesn't even know who he is and poor lads school has had to be forewarned should his uncle ever show up at the gates.

On Bank Holiday Monday I was able to drive the E30 up to Barnstaple to see my other son, his wife and my grandson. I was able to do that as a direct result of people here. The drive up the Atlantic Highway (A39) is always fun and when the sun is also out, it makes to views out across North Cornwall and North Devon, even more special. Especially in a light, moderately powered, rear wheel drive car with an M20 six pot and fruity exhaust note and very little traffic at 8am. I stopped off in Bude and spent some time drooling over a stunning 911 GT3 RS, which is even more special in person, than video can convey. Mind you, it dwarfed the E30 so would be a nightmare to own where I live. I doubt the mud and slurry would do much for the alloys either. As I left the owner came running over to give me a flier for a local event he's promoting and he wondered if I might take the E30? It's amazing how many people like it, despite being a battered and bruised ex race car. I'll probably not bother with the GT3 RS though.

So I pushed on to Barnstaple and spent a couple of hours with my grandson. Obviously he had to sit in ''Grandads racing car'' and I gave him a small, remote control E30 of his own, to try and cement him as a BMW fan as early as possible! Seeing him with his mum and dad was just lovely and for pretty much the whole day, I was able to get some direction back. The impending doom has subsided! At the risk of repeating myself, I want to thank all of you for Monday. It may sound a bit corny but people here have allowed me to make some huge changes (to my life), that also impact on those closest to me. I've lost weight and been able to support those closest to me, by being there in person. I simply couldn't have done that without people here. Thank you,, thank you, thank you!


Now it wasn't all good news unfortunately and it was my grandson that noticed the aroma from my ankle first. Embarrassing though it was, he alerted me to the fact there was an infection in the wound on my left ankle. It's a sickly smell that is just vile so once home I was able to clean the ankle and put a clean dressing on it. Thankfully I already had an appointment for 8:30am Tuesday with the nurse, so she swabbed and cleaned it once again. It's incredible how quickly the infection takes hold and Cellulitis and Sepsis take hold. I'm on a strong antibiotic and they also used an antibiotic cream directly on the wound itself. It has only been a couple of days but the smell has gone, so fingers crossed we got it early. Sometimes it can come back within a short time and that's when I need IV instead. Hopefully that won't happen this time. I also feel that the brewing infection probably impacted on my general wellbeing, as previously I've suffered terrible confusion and speech dysphasia. I found that really scary. You go to say something and a completely random word comes out. Or you simply cannot say the word that you want to.

Anyway, that's not where we are so I'm just going on with the day. Yesterday there was a bloody great orange thing in the sky but today we're back to mizzle and now wind!


Cheers guys and thank you. Mark

mate it does sound when I read that that you feel in a more positive place, which is really good. I guess life is about trying to grab the small positives and nice experiences when you can. This time of year helps a ton as the sun makes lots of things just that bit better. Glad you've got some nice motors to turn normality into an event - i do think that's the main function of petrolheadery! All the best. Keep going.

This is a great observation Mark. I actually find you quite an inspirational character. You have clearly had it tough bit are not lying down and taking it. You are meeting life on your terms as it keeps throwing curve balls at you. As B2CV alluded too, keep moving toward the light man, don't dwell in the shadows. Best wishes to all, peace and love always, gbn x