This Is My Journey

S2 E10: 8 Stone Down on GLP-1 – The Highs, The Health Scares & What’s Next (with Anna Cadman)

• Marc McKee (This Is My Journey) • Season 2 • Episode 10

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0:00 | 31:24

Losing weight on a GLP-1 can completely change your life… but it doesn’t always come without challenges.

In this episode of This Is My Journey, Marc McKee sits down with Anna Cadman (@dexbudsnewchapter), who has lost an incredible 8 stone using GLP-1 medication.

Anna shares her full journey, from what life was like before starting, to the moment she decided to take that step, and how her mindset, confidence and relationship with food have changed along the way.

More recently, Anna has also faced serious health challenges, including pancreatitis and gallstones, adding a new layer to her journey and forcing her to navigate progress while prioritising her health.

This is a real, honest conversation about transformation, resilience and what comes next.

We talk about:

• Starting a GLP-1 journey and overcoming hesitation
 • Losing 8 stone and what it really feels like day to day
 • Changes in mindset, confidence and identity
 • Food noise and relationship with food
 • Reactions from others and sharing the journey online
 • Navigating pancreatitis and gallstones during weight loss
 • Thinking about maintenance and the future
 • Advice for anyone starting their journey

If you’re on a GLP-1, considering it, or just want to hear a real story from someone living it, this episode will resonate.

Follow Anna:
 TikTok: @dexbudsnewchapter

🔗 Connect with Marc

📲 TikTok: @my.journey.with.marc | @my.skinjourney.with.marc
📸 Instagram: @my.journey.with.marc

📺 YouTube: @myjourneywithmarc
🎧 Podcast IG: @this.is.my.journey.podcast


🎧 New episodes every Tuesday at 6am.

SPEAKER_02

Right now, more people than ever are turning to DLP1 medications as part of their weight loss journeys. And what was once something rarely talked about has now become this global conversation with millions of people using these treatments to take control of their health, build confidence, and completely change their lives. But behind the headlines, the before and afters and the numbers on the scale, there are real stories. Stories like mine and stories of struggle, resilience, stories of navigating both the highs and the challenges that come with transformation. Today's episode is all about one of those journeys: a journey of significant weight loss, real life challenges, and what it actually looks like to live through this experience day to day. So let's roll the intro and I will introduce you to today's amazing guest. Welcome to This Is My Journey, the podcast where real people share real stories of transformation, resilience, and growth. I'm Mark, and after navigating my own path through major lifestyle change, I created this space to open up honest conversations around identity, mindset, and what it really takes to evolve. So along the way, we'll also hear from professionals, you know, from pharmacists to psychologists and fitness experts who help us make sense of the science and support behind these journeys. So whether you're just starting out, deep in the process, or you're finding your footing after big change, you're not alone. This is your place. This is my journey. Let's walk it together. Welcome back, everyone. And today we are joined by a lady that has had an incredible GLP1 journey. Anna Cadman has lost over eight stone with the support of a GLP1 and her journey. Has connected with so many people online, not just because of the weight lost, just but because of how honest and relatable she's been over the whole process. And more recently, she's also been navigating some unexpected health challenges, which I am looking forward to getting into a little bit more, which adds a whole other layer to her story and you know, perspective of this journey that she's been on. So today's conversation is all about the food picture and Anna's picture, the highs, the challenges, and just what comes next for her. Because I know there's going to be many things. So thank you so much, Anna, for joining me today.

SPEAKER_03

Hello. You welcome.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, no, I'm absolutely delighted to have you on because we both do TikTok. I've seen lots and lots of your visit videos. You're so, so honest, and I just love that about you. And you've just had such an incredible journey, especially more recently as well. So maybe to start, just give us a little bit of a rundown of your journey, how things have been, you know, and just where you are now.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, so um I'm Anna. I'm 45 from Birmingham, and I have been on Monjaro for 12 months and coming up to three weeks now. Best thing I've ever done. Best thing I have ever done. It's just absolutely incredible. I am a completely different person. Don't get me wrong, it's been the most rewarding but hardest thing I think I've ever done in my life. Like I was saying to you earlier, Mark, I think I've hit every single emotion. And unfortunately, I've had some of the worst side effects of the rapid weight loss in that jarro. In the fact that I have gallstones and I've had a bout of pancreatitis, and I will be having my gallbladder out on the 27th of this month, which I cannot wait.

SPEAKER_02

The countdown is on. So I suppose for me, you know, it was that moment of a doctor telling me I wasn't gonna live till I was 40. That was the moment for me that, you know, sort of cemented that I need to do something about my weight. For you, was there like a big kind of life event or anything that really This is gonna make you giggle?

SPEAKER_04

So I said that the minute I get any health-related, you know, obesity-related health conditions. So I had a fatty liver, I was pre-diabetic, I had severe sleep apnea. Anytime anytime I'm gonna go on a diet, I'm gonna stop.

SPEAKER_02

I'm gonna be there.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, know what my epiphany was. And you know, honestly, I went into a shop and there was some clothes in my size, the size 26, a fiver. Thought, oh bargain, you know. Tried them on and I couldn't even get them over my shoulders. That day, I went home, I ordered my Manjaro, and I have not looked back. And it was literally, it's not anything exciting like with a lot of people, but that is that what that's what it was for me.

SPEAKER_02

That is a major moment, and especially in somebody's because I get it, I've been there, like going into shops that you know you're trying something on that you can't actually get into, like that is I just know how you how you view the spent emotionally.

SPEAKER_04

It's yeah, and to be able to now go in any shop, and I mean any shop, whether it be a designer, not that I can afford that, but yeah, designer. So one of the big things for me was going into Primark, yeah, being able to fit in the stuff in there and stuff, and just I can just shop anywhere now. Cause I mean, I I went from a size just to give people perspective. I was 21 stone three when I started my journey, and I am now 13 stone three, I've lost eight stone bang on in just over a year. But I was also a size 26 to 28 in clothing and now 14 to 16. My waist went was a 59-inch waist, it's now 36.

SPEAKER_01

Wow.

SPEAKER_04

It's just like I say, with the pangatites and the gallstones and all that, that don't even compare to all that positivity and all that bored. It just really doesn't.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, no, it just the vibe I'm getting from you is just that it's been life-changing for you, and no matter some of some of them negative things that have happened, it's not taken any shine away from the fact of all the work that you've done, and it is it's work. I know there's a lot of people say being on this medication is is cheating and things like that, but actually there's serious work goes in behind being on these medications and eating right and doing the right thing.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, hardest thing I've ever done. I did not realise how difficult staying in a deficit was because I have never had suppression on my journey. I've never wanted suppression, I've never chased suppression. I don't think it's healthy. You should, it's normal for your body to have hunger cues.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yes, I agree.

SPEAKER_04

It's where a lot of people go wrong, and this is where people go up their dose is way too quickly.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I've had satiety to a certain extent, but the main thing for me is not having the food noise.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

It's also actually helped my ADHD as well, because it helps on that impulsivity side of your brain. Yeah, it's made my ADHD more relaxed and calm. It's just had honestly, the benefits have just been never-ending for me in all aspects, not just the weight loss. Yeah. Friends, friends, and I've had friends before, very few friends. I have got such an amazing group of friends that I have met on TikTok who are in person, real life friends, yeah, who I will grow old with. And then I've got my TikTok friends as well that I've I've met on TikTok, and it's just the confidence in me. I I you know, there's a fine line between confidence and cocky, and I think I'm really riding it at the moment.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

But yeah, I just I could go on forever, honestly.

SPEAKER_02

So you just get the there's so much positivity that's coming from you because of it, and you can just see the confidence come from you. Just talking about it, you can just I think you know, I get it because I've been there, and I I think just uh I feel every emotion that you're giving out right now. I don't know anybody else's listener will be able to pick that up too because it's it's it is life-changing. There really, really is.

SPEAKER_04

Be able to simple things like you know, when you go to a or you can eat buffet or a Toby Carvery or something like that. I would like before you could get people thinner people, pile the plate up, nobody would look. If I did it, everybody would stare at you, okay. Well, since I've lost my weight, I've done that. And I'll still pop your plate up because you know what, get as much money as you can, right? Yeah, not a percent. If I wouldn't finish it all, get as much but it's it's just little things like that, being able to eat in public and not worry that people are looking. I'd walk down the street and I'd get jeered at honestly, fat this, fat that. I've had that happen. You know, and things like that. And yeah, I'm still no skinny midnight by any means, and I never want to be skinny, I just want to be comfortable in my own skin. For me, it's not about BMI. BMI is so outdated, people, and they don't raise BMI. Lose your weight until you are comfortable in your own skin, until you are healthier, until you're happy.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And that's that's you literally hit the nail on the head. It's about being healthy, it's about being happy, it's it's not about being. And I think there is a lot of negativity in the media and stuff about that. Like, you know, people want to be skinny. That's that's not how I feel. Like, if I wanted to be skinny, I would have lost a lot more weight. You're exactly the same. Like, I think getting a certain goal that you're happy in and yourself and feel confident in, I think is it's a positive message because I I think the media does have a lot to answer for, you know, in terms of the negativity around body image and stuff. But um definitely.

SPEAKER_04

And I think we suffer from body dysmorphia, Mark. We're always gonna know. It doesn't matter if we've been nipped, we talked, we're at the perfect weight. Yeah, we are still gonna look in that mirror and we are still gonna have the demon looking back at us sometimes. I was talking to my friend that the other day, and I was saying that when I'm dressed, I'm happy where I am. Yeah, I'm happy in my skin. As soon as them clothes come off, I need to lose more.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I think I I've got to be very careful. I could be one of them that goes too far. Yeah. And I need to know when to start. So many people are saying you don't need to lose anymore, you don't need to do this and that. And I get it, I see from where I was to where I'm at, but I am still not happy. Yeah. And this is about me, it's not about anybody else.

SPEAKER_02

Exactly, 100%. And when you're comfortable in how you are, then that is when, you know, and just hearing what you're saying, it's not like you're under any illusions that you're wanting to get to size that's unrealistic for you. And because you, you know, you could go so far that you actually don't look like yourself and that you're not, you know, the person that people maybe recognise. But as long as you're comfortable and you're healthy and you are healthy, then I think that's the main thing, and that's what people need to focus on.

SPEAKER_04

But I think that's I may not put space on I can now go to sleep tonight without having a breathing machine keeping me breathing. I mean, that in itself is is just incredible. Yeah. No, you know, I was teetering on type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, another massive non scal victory for me. When I was in hospital, I used a small blood pressure cuff, guys.

SPEAKER_01

No, that's a big deal.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, exactly. And the nurse was looking at me like I was nuts. I was like, you'd have no idea how much of a massive thing that is.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, my whole life I've been using this big cuff and now I get a little cuff.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I get it, I get it. No, that's that's amazing, honestly. You should be so proud of yourself of where you've you you know you've come from to even just starting the journey, it's such a big step, but like to get into where you are now is just absolutely incredible. And you know, absolutely, you know, hats off to you. You've done amazing. And you know, not that you need any praise from anybody because it's you're doing it for you, but I just think it's it's something to really be admired because to to take your health by the reins and point of no return.

SPEAKER_04

Point of no return, I was at I was at a point where I was gonna die 15, 20 years earlier than I should have done. Yeah, you know, my children are 22 and 15. I want to be a grandparent, I want to be a great grandparent. I, you know, I want to live as long as I can. Yeah, death terrifies me. So then why why was I doing stuff to end my life prematurely? And you know, I still smoke, which is very, very naughty, guys. But I'm looking as soon as I hit target, that's another thing I'm gonna knock on the head and try and get that. I can't I can't do it now while dieting, it's impossible to do both at the same time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Well, do you know what? You're you're you're doing one thing for your for your health and then you know, moving on to to other things once, you know. Hopefully. You know, do you know what I mean? At the at the end of the day, I think you've done it's a massive achievement what you've done so far. So, you know, smoking aside, I think it's that's that's incredible.

SPEAKER_03

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah, from like day to day, what has you know, because losing its stone, like we said, that's that's a mind blowing, it's incredible. Like, how has your manjaro journey been like day to day? Like, have you has it been like smooth ceiling or have you suffered with side effects? Like, kind of how's that journey been?

SPEAKER_04

Other than obviously, we'll touch base on the gallstones, pancreasitis, ITA, but constipation for me, Mark. Oh my goodness, I'm terrible at getting my fibre in. So I take fibre gummies, which definitely helps me. Water, I struggle with water. I probably have a litre, a litre and a half a day.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Most days, I know that's something I need to get on top of. And cold, my god, I have never in my life have you had the coldness. It's to your bones. That's I am freezing all the time. But other than that, and obviously what we'll talk about in a little bit, I've been very lucky.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I think definitely the the cold I get, uh my heated blanket is actually my best friend. That's just I can do without me.

SPEAKER_04

It's too bad. And I think a lot of that is because we have lost a hell of a lot of weight, but uh it it's also a side effect of the drug crop. Yeah, but one thing I will a negative thing I'll touch base on from my journey that I did to myself, yeah, don't weigh daily, guys. Honestly, I've I've got into a horrible routine of weighing daily. Now, at first it was all good because it held me accountable. Yeah, if I had a fluctuation, I'd then get back on track, if I was off track or whatever, but then it became an obsession. And when I not now because I'm so close to target, when I had again, I would cry, I would be depressed, I would stay off social media, I would do it, would just really, really derail me. My advice from someone who has been on this journey for over 12 months is minimum weigh once a week because it can easily become an obsession. And when it does become an obsession, when them scales don't say what you want them to say, it can be earth-shattering and soul destroying. And also that's why it's so important to measure and photos, and I shout that from the rooftops with people because when I've had mountains and gains and whatever, I can measure and I'll be like, oh my god, I've lost an inch all over. It's the inches you see, not the number on the scales.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And Joe, what what you said there, like the something that I was conscious of at the very start that I didn't want to do it daily because I was afraid because I have done that before in previous diets, and this time I was like, you know what? I'm gonna do it once a week, that's that. And then once I got the maintenance, it was like once a month for a while, and then I kind of stopped because I just wanted to kind of come out of that mindset because when you're on the way down in normal life, how many people by themselves every week alone every day? And I say this, I have said this so much about like once you get to maintenance, try and come off that daily weigh-in. And yeah, you almost get attacked for saying it. It's like, you know, everybody, you should be checking in your weight every day, but but that's not life. That's not real life. People don't do that in real life. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04

So what real life is weight fluctuations, yeah, exactly. That weight can can can go half a stone either way throughout the week. Yeah, that much of a difference depending on what you're eating, what if you're exercising, etc. So, especially us being women, not not putting men without hormones and stuff like you. For me, you can write off when it's the time of the month before even drying. Yeah. Um, so we obviously have all I'm perimenopausal as well, so I have that to contend with. So I think considering I've got all that to still have hit my eggstone just over 12 months, so I'm kind of doing okay.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, I think you're doing a lot more than kind of okay. I think you're smashing it. But but I think for me, just hearing you know, you talk and stuff, it's been such a positive, positive journey. Thank you. But what has I suppose just in terms of like the challenges for you, have there been any like physical challenges, mental challenges, emotional challenges that you've kind of found being on this or trying to get upset.

SPEAKER_04

The hardest part, sorry, about this learning to love myself. Because I still don't I am nowhere near, and I don't think I ever will. I don't think I will ever look in that mirror and like what I see. And this is why I touched base on the body dysmorphia side of it earlier. And that is a hard pill to swallow when when we have worked as hard as we have worked, I'm sure you are you are hearing everything I'm saying. Yeah, but to think that at the end I'm happier, don't get me wrong. But to know that I am probably never gonna fully love what I see is a hard pill to swallow for me. So I'm getting a bit jittery now.

SPEAKER_02

Well, sorry to cut over you, but you should honestly you you should love yourself for for where you are because you've done amazing and just to get where you are, you know, you're looking amazing, you sound amazing, your confidence is booming.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, my confidence is next level. Like I said, I am borderline khaki. My confidence is it's crazy out there now. I you know, it's and that I think that is the biggest thing. As for negatives, I would say the learning to love yourself, although I'm getting there slowly, the comments of people, although they think they're helping you, the you don't need to lose anymore. You're going too far, you can you're gonna go too far, you're perfect the way you are. And although I know it's coming from from a good place. I'm sorry, but piss off. This is not about this is not your journey. I will lose weight until I am happy. Yeah, and like I say, it's not from negativity or anything. I've got to be honest, the online presence, I can probably say I've had five negative comments on my hundreds and hundreds of videos. I I don't get any trolls, I just I mean, I wouldn't anyway, because I can handle trolls, believe me.

SPEAKER_01

That's probably why they leave you alone.

SPEAKER_04

There hasn't been then the scales, the obsession on the scales has probably been the biggest negative part for me because it really affected moods. Yeah, in the fact that I would withdraw from everybody, I would sniff at my husband, I would, but now I'm so close to target and stuff. I'm like, oh two pound gang, that's only waterway, there's no way I've it three thousand calories, it'll come off. Yeah, and that's something you have to learn journey. Yeah, it's been really, I would say 80% positive and 20% negative. It's been amazing.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Thank you so much, firstly, for being so honest there, because it's it's hard talking about that kind of stuff, and you know, it it did resonate a lot with me because that's I think for most people, anybody that has been obese and clinically obese their whole life, like I was, like I think that is it it's a daily mental struggle, you know, thinking about your weight and and how you feel and your and that food addiction as well.

SPEAKER_04

Like just that I actually did a video on that, Mark. I don't one of my pin videos, if you if you would like to go and have a look after this, and I did another video and I and the the the headline on it was this is my addiction or something. Because I thought that's gonna draw people in, and I think, oh, is it alcohol, is it drugs, is it? And I start speaking and I say, Hi, I'm Anna, I have a food addiction. And it makes people and that that video has done really well because it is no different to anybody with a drug addiction or an alcohol addiction, it is an addiction. Like when somebody who's an alcoholic is stressed, upset, whatever they they turn to drink, it's exactly the same with us with food, except we have to eat. Yeah, we can't avoid food. Yes, we have to eat to survive. Someone who takes drugs doesn't have to take drugs to survive, an alcoholic doesn't have to drink to survive.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

You know, but we have to eat, and I think not that I'm comparing, I think that puts us slightly above, if I'm completely honest, because like I said, we cannot avoid food.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, no, completely, completely get get what you're saying. And uh definitely I've noticed a change in sort of more of a cultural shift now towards obesity in terms of like being more uh recognized, I think, just more as as that kind of addiction and and the treatment for it and stuff. I think before it was just like, you know, it's just a other fat, they're gonna, you know, it's lazy fat people eat, you know, eat less move more.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. Do you know how some of that? 100%. Just just jab and lose weight, and it's like you know, I've had so many trolls come into my lives, and once they've listened to me and spoke to me, they've left me with a completely different mindset because what I've done, they've listened, they've read the newspaper clippings, they've listened to the news, they haven't actually spoke to somebody who's had a positive experience on this journey because the newspapers aren't interested in that side of it, because that isn't getting the that that isn't gonna get readers or views.

SPEAKER_02

That's it's ignorance, really, and and like just you know, of course, negativity sales. So, like of course, that's all that's always going to be the case.

SPEAKER_04

I think for me and and you, it's about educating people. Yes. Because yes, some of it is just pure ignorance and it's just nasty people, but a lot of it is because they're uneducated, yeah, and that they don't know what we have to do alongside our journey. Yeah, like at the moment, I'm in a 1300 deficit, that's hard in itself. Yeah, you know, I'm gonna go up to 7.5 for the last leg of my journey. I've done 10 months on five, but I think I now need this extra push. I'm gonna wait till after my surgery and stuff, and then I'm going up to 7.5 and to to give me that push to the end goal.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Um, because I need to. I'm making silly choices with food and things. It's about before I wouldn't have recognised that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

How I do, and that's a big thing as well.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's a huge thing. It's a huge thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I'll be able to do it ever without.

SPEAKER_02

Are you gonna be a lifer or I think so? I think I would like to try coming off it. I did come off it for a little while and then went back on it just as part of like a reset alongside my Oh I did.

SPEAKER_04

I did seven weeks off.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So the four weeks in it, I went back on and it definitely was better for me. But I th I do think it would I actually talked about this and it was just it was it was one of the hardest times coming off because just having all that noise coming back and just You don't realise how loud food noise is until it's gone.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, exactly. So I'm quite nervous because obviously I've got my operation coming up, I've had my gallback move, and I've got to be off the jab ten ten days before because of the risk of reflux and stuff.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_04

And then two weeks afterwards. So that's you know, what three and a half weeks off. But I've got to do that. Hopefully I'll well, not hopefully I'll be so poorly, but I'll be recovering afterwards. So I won't want to eat my food bridge anyway for a bulk of it. But yeah, I'm nervous, nervous about doing that. Yeah. Like when I'd had because I've just had been hospitalized with gallstones and pancreatitis, I was in for five days. I was like, right, so I'm not gonna jab now till I've had my surgery. But then as soon as I came out of the hospital, first thing I did on the sat date, straight in that fridge.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

And why? Why did I do that? It's like, did I need to? Did I not? Why did I do it? And I can't tell you now why I did it, but I did. It is what it is. And I'll be changing jab sites next week.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

See, I don't what are your thoughts on changing jab sites?

SPEAKER_02

Oh well, I do. I so I change, I alternate between my thighs. I've done them all up on my stomach, I've done them under my arm, but I think for me it's it's it's just a case of uh the thigh works, the top of the thigh works best for me, so I just alternate from thigh to thigh. But I know it's different for everybody, and it is I think you do need to figure out what works best for you. I think that's that's a that's good practice to do, do that.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, so I say I want to go up to 7.5, but what I think I'm gonna do is I'm gonna try jabbing my arm next week with five and see how I go.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

And see if that makes any difference. I would like to complete my journey and say I've never been able five. I would, you know, yeah, do that. I mean, if I have to go up, I will. I'm not gonna cut my nose off my face, but yeah, so I'm gonna be changing jab side. I have tried my thigh, but uh it was ever so sore and it was bled quite a little bit as well. So no, no, thank you. So I've always gone like up and around my belly button. Um, but yeah, so next week, definitely gonna be trying back of my arm with some assistance from someone because it's awkward, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, it's so awkward. I I think that's why I've never I literally I think I've done it two or three times. I actually did it last week for like the third time because I'm feeling a little like I'm not getting much effect because I'm on the the higher dose and I feel like I need to something's gotta change for me. I think my body's just regulating to it. So you've recently come out and said that you've been dealing with like a few health issues or whatever. You've touched on it briefly there at the start, but yeah, kind of just maybe just in a bit more detail if you're happy enough to put it across, just where where has your health kind of taken a turn recently and and sort of what's the outcome and things and where is that gonna go for you?

SPEAKER_04

I started experiencing around September time a tense pain in my stomach. I was taken to hospital with it, and then they started to do investigations and I had an ultrasound and I was diagnosed with gallstones. I was then told that I would be put down for to have my gallbladder out. And since then I've been I haven't really found a trigger food or anything for it. So I'll either I can have an attack when I'm not eating, when I am eating, I can't pinpoint anything to be honest. So I can go weeks and weeks without having an attack, or I can have five days of consecutive, you know, attacks. So recently I had not last weekend, the weekend before, I had what I thought was a gallstone attack, but it was a lot worse than it usually is, with the pain more in my chest rather than on the right side, and I was projectile vomiting everywhere. It was like something I have a horror feel. I'm so caught in an ambulance, got them out. I usually refuse to go to hospital because I just don't want to be going and sitting in A for hours all the time.

SPEAKER_00

I got off.

SPEAKER_04

But this time I went to hospital and I was taken straight to the surgical assessment unit, and I was I was in for five days and I was quite poorly. I had quite bad pancreatitis, which was caused by the the flow of the bulb being blocked from the gallbladder to the pancreas, which then kicked off the liver, so I had jaundice as well, so I was quite quite poorly. I had an infected gallbladder as well, so I had to go on antibiotics fluids, I was on morphine, everything, and but then I had a camp an endoscopy where they removed the stones from my duct, which and I then started to improve the jaundice went, etc. I was then down for emergency gallbladder removal, but they couldn't fit me in. I was told I could stay in and wait and play the waiting game, but I decided I want to go home because I was no longer in any pain, just very just discomfort.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

And I'm now having my gallbladder out on the 27th of this month, all being well, fingers crossed.

SPEAKER_02

And then, well, start off with I'm I'm glad you're not on the other side of it, but you are on the other side of the hospital side of it. So I'm glad that you're feeling better in yourself and you're smiling and you're laughing and all that, because that sounds like a horrible experience. And I think it's so important for you to tell that story because it it's the reality of well, not the reality of Manjaro, but the reality of losing weight in general. And and I think these are all complications that can happen when you when you're losing weight and things. And you know, I know you touched on it at the very, very start, and you said, you know, it wasn't as a result of Manjaro, it was a result of your weight loss and things. And I think that's such an important message to get out there because so many people think that it's the actual medication that causes it when it's not, it's just the weight loss. But but no, I'm so glad to hear that you're on the road to recovery and hopefully to be fully recovered very, very soon.

SPEAKER_04

But and a gallbladder weigh is about three to four pounds without the stones. So it could get me to target this.

SPEAKER_02

Well, okay, good. That's a positive way to look at it. If anybody takes anything away from this episode of this podcast, it is if you get your gallbladder out, you could actually get to goal quicker. So uh so yeah, no, I love that. And Joe, that says so much about you and your humour and your just positive light and energy that you give off and it that's sort of around. So thank you so much for sharing that. And you know, I think looking ahead for you, do you feel obviously you're not just at goal yet, but do you feel you know there's more you want to achieve, you know, or are you, you know, are you starting to think about maintenance now being, you know, what's I've already got a plan for maintenance. Love that. So what's your plan?

SPEAKER_04

So obviously I've got another stone to target, whether I'll be happier at that target or lose a bit more, I don't know. But we'll see. My my I wanted to lose nine stones. So my goal, so if I'm still on five milligram, my plan is that when I get to goal, I will go down to 2.5 and then I will do a few weeks on 2.5, see how I go. And then I was gonna go down to 1.25 for another few weeks and see how I go. And if I'm still alright then, come off and see how I go. Okay. And if I can't cope, I will get straight back on it. I am not going back to that life again, not in a million years.

SPEAKER_02

And I think it's the reality of knowing that it is a possibility that you can stay on this for the rest of your life if you need to. And I think you know, it's great that that you know, the medication is being recognized for long-term use because there's so many people, in my opinion, anyway, is obesity is it's a chronic condition. We need something to treat it. Do you treat blood pressure with blood pressure, high blood pressure medications? So why can you not treat obesity with medications for obesity?

SPEAKER_04

At the end of the day, but people, a lot of people are also unaware that the first use of this drug was for in type 2 diabetes because it regulates blood sugars, it improves insulin production, it's been used in the NHS for years and years and years of that before fatty jumps on the bandwagon. For weight loss, you know. So and like I say, I've experienced the worst side effects, and I would still do it a million, million times over.

SPEAKER_02

I love that. So on that note, if anybody is listening for the first time and they're listening, hearing your story, and they're unsure about going on this journey, what would your advice to them be?

SPEAKER_03

Can I swear? Fucking go for it. Don't waste time like I did. Yeah, go for it. Life's too short.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, no, 100%. I completely agree with you. And yeah, well, thank you so much, Anna, for sharing your story. And I know so many people listening will find so much comfort listening to what you've been through and your experiences, and yeah, it's just for you, you've lived the last year has been full of ups and downs by the signs of things, and it's it's so much.

SPEAKER_04

A lot more ups and downs.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, but it sounds like you wouldn't change any of it for anything, and I think that says a lot about your journey, and uh you know, people should take a lot away from that as well, in terms of you know, their own journeys and stuff too. So thank you so much for sharing your story. It's such a personal one, emotional one, and I think you're welcome. Thank you for listening. So many people I really appreciate people like you coming on and sharing your story like I have, because I think it's the more positivity about how life-changing this can be, you know, the more positivity that we can get out there into the world and and share it.

SPEAKER_04

I think it's just such a you won't get anybody more honest than me, as you know from watching me on social media.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I ups the downs, I document everything because I'm not gonna be a creator who just documents all the oh, this is rainbows and butterflies and amazing. And then somebody starts the journey like, oh, this is so hard. Why has nobody told me this? Because it is bloody hard.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, 100%, it is.

SPEAKER_04

But it's also the best thing I've ever done. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you. On that note, thank you so much for joining me and sharing your story again. And yeah, thanks everybody for listening. And catch you on the next one.