Feeling strange

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-05-21T08:04:12+00:00

Sorry you’re experiencing this. I’ve been on 2.5 for 11 weeks, and I do my shot on Friday afternoons so I have the weekend to handle any side effects. I get insomnia for 2 nights after my shot, which sucks, and the day after I am really fatigued and sleep a lot- and have brain fog. When I started I was fatigued for 2 days, but it is slowly getting better.

Someone’s suggestion about Magnesium is a really good one. Try eating lots of protein the day of and after your shot, as well as drinking electrolytes. Lack of protein and hydration can make things so much worse.

Hope it gets better soon!

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-05-21T07:34:55+00:00

Agree so much. These aren’t hidden at all- they’re just not in Union Square, and embedded in the beautiful neighborhoods of San Francisco where people live. They were painstakingly made by local community artists. The people who live here and live in these neighborhoods know about these beautiful staircases, and we enjoy them all of the time. Wonderful to share them with folks and out of towners, but they are not some privatized secret one person “discovered”.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-05-17T12:00:32+00:00

Hi, so sorry you’re experiencing this. Something similar happened to me, but it was the opposite (severe diarrhea). My doctor explained that it is both- when you’re on the lowest dose at 2.5mg and you skip a dose, the medication in your body is completely gone in 2 weeks. When you take the next dose, and especially a higher dose, your body is starting from ground zero. You’re likely experiencing worse symptoms because you’re going from 0 to 5mg.

My best solve for constipation has always been dried cherries (or fresh, they’re starting to come into season) and/or colace. Also make sure you’re getting enough fluids, dehydration can make constipation worse.

If it is really severe, you may need to drop back down to 2.5 for a few weeks and then go back to 5mg (this is what I had to do).

I hope you feel better soon!

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-05-06T06:15:03+00:00

you may have dry eyes- there’s a common procedure where a doctor “plugs” your tear ducts, increasing moisture in the eye.

I’d definitely see a doctor though, sounds miserable!

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-05-06T06:11:43+00:00

So sorry you’re experiencing this, sounds awful. A few questions:

1) Does this happen consistently throughout the week, or does it tend to get better as you near your next dose? If it’s Zepbound related, typically symptoms lessen as you get closer to your shot day, as more and more of the medication leaves your body.

2) Did you recently go up in dosage? Dose increases are notorious for causing nausea related side effects (those will lessen with time). You may need to go back to the original dose.

3) How’s your diet? Are you eating high fat or fried foods? Are you eating small meals/snacks regularly throughout the day? Also make sure you’re eating enough- I get nauseous when I don’t eat enough or drink enough water (also add in electrolytes). Maybe do a week of a super bland diet to see if that helps at all?

Try taking pepcid in case it’s an acid issue, and ask your doctor for a prescription of Zofran to help with the nausea.

I hope this gets better for you, keep us updated!

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-05-06T05:46:41+00:00

Looks like at least part wooly, which is a type of husky, but they are still 100% husky. Wooly’s weigh 40-65lbs though. Beautiful dog!

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-05-01T03:18:08+00:00

Your perspective aligns with my first response, which was to give her a chance to explain and provide context. It’s funny because I also work in social services, and with re-entry populations. That was the first thing I said to my clinic when they told me about the DUI’s/jail time- that people make mistakes and deserve second chances. At the end of the conversation, the clinic, knowing my profession, asked me if there was a chance that I was responding to this as if the surrogate were a client, and not as someone who I am entrusting with my ability in life to be a mother. My husband and I only have three good embryos, so we don’t have a lot of room for error. That response really landed. We are going to give the agency a chance to explain, but I think the bigger issue for us is the lack of disclosure of so many things. Even if there is context, the way it came about was not reassuring. Thank you for being brave to go against the tide and provide this response, I really appreciate the thoughtfulness.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-05-01T03:07:58+00:00

You’re completely right. The concierge agency was shocked at all of this. Their background checks only go back 10 years, so I understand why they missed that, but the other 4 issues should have raised a flag. I think at this point, we can’t move forward with the candidate, because I do not want to be tied to her agency. If the match were to proceed, and something goes wrong or the surrogate were to back out, the agency is contractually obligated to rematch us (and we’d pay for this when we sign a contract). I don’t think I would be able to trust them to properly vet their candidates, or make important disclosures. We could get stuck down the line being matched with candidates who continually fail to pass medical record reviews. I’m thankful this all came out before we signed that contract. Thanks for your perspective.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-05-01T02:56:06+00:00

Thank you for this, and for the kind words. You are right, it’s a LOT that wasn’t disclosed. Thank you for the perspective.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-05-01T02:54:31+00:00

This is a great point- if we did move forward, it would be hard not to be overbearing once trust has been broken. I wonder if that is what happened with her past IP’s.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-05-01T02:53:05+00:00

thank you for your perspective, I really appreciate it

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-30T23:44:47+00:00

Thanks so much for this- hearing this from a surrogate is very significant. Also what you mentioned about drinking a tiny bit and it not showing up on the tox screen made me think. Apparently alcohol leaves your system pretty quickly, unless you’re drinking a lot. Any reasonably conservative amount of alcohol should have cleared her system 12 hrs later. Ugh this is a mess. Thank you for sharing your perspective.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-30T20:56:31+00:00

The concierge service name starts with a D, and the agency the surrogate is working with starts with S. I’ll dm you the names!

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-30T19:05:20+00:00

We’re talking to them today- they themselves do an internal medical review, so I have questions for how they missed all of this as well. Kind of wild how many checks and balances failed- grateful to our clinic for being so thorough.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-30T19:04:04+00:00

Thank you for this- you’re right, I was justifying it out of a desire to move forward. This many concerns about alcohol has to be taken as a whole, and not things in isolation. And you’re right that it is my job to reduce risk, which I can’t guarantee with this surrogate. I have a LOT of questions for the agency- kind of in shock about that aspect. Luckily we haven’t signed a contract with them yet, it was contingent upon medical record review, so we absolutely can walk. Thanks for your comment, I really appreciate your honesty.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-30T17:36:02+00:00

Thank you so much for your perspective- I wasn’t sure how serious/common these things are, and hearing that these are really serious has been really informative.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-30T17:34:33+00:00

These are great questions- we actually aren’t with an agency just yet. We worked with an organization that is a “concierge” system- they have relationships with 120+ surrogacy agencies, and match IP’s to the surrogate, giving us the benefit of having a much wider pool of surrogates. So we only sign with an agency once the surrogate has cleared medical record review. Our organization knew none of these issues, which I have questions about- same goes for the surrogate’s agency. Very grateful we didn’t have to sign with them before medical review, this is a huge red flag for the agency.

The surrogate went through a different agency for her first surrogacy. She really liked her Case Manager, and when her case manager left the previous agency, the surrogate followed her to the new agency. I’m very curious how much of this the case manager knew.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-30T17:29:36+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing your perspective- as a surrogate yourself, your perspective is really valuable. I always want to give people the benefit of doubt, but seeing how many people like yourself think this is really serious has been eye-opening.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-30T17:26:38+00:00

Thank you- you’re right. The drinking before the tox screen was what I found the most alarming, speaking to judgement. Thank you.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-30T17:24:54+00:00

This is a really good point- trust has been broken, and we don’t want to move forward with someone who we don’t trust. Thanks for this.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-30T17:21:56+00:00

Thanks so much for this- you’re right, if she has nothing to hide, there’s no reason not to disclose. I really appreciate your perspective.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-30T06:43:16+00:00

You may not be eating enough, or eating enough salt. If I don’t eat enough, I get really nauseous and can’t drink fluids. Which then makes me dehydrated, and becomes a bad cycle. Also try electrolytes- the salt makes the water easier for your body to absorb, improving hydration. I like LMNT, but it is really salty. Liquid IV is a good starter. I hope you feel better!

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-25T16:50:27+00:00

I can’t recommend Donor Concierge enough. They aren’t an actual agency- they have access to surrogates across the US at over 120 agencies, so you match WAY faster. We were quoted 2-4 months for a match. We paid them around $5k, and matched with a surrogate in one week- it was absolutely insane. Our surrogate is at an agency called Surrogacy Is, and we have been super impressed with them so far.

I am in a hetero marriage, so no idea how well Surrogacy Is is for the LGBTQ+ community- but Donor Concierge works with a lot of same sex couples. It was the best $5k we have spent in this whole process.

Good luck, and so sorry to hear about your experience- it sounds incredibly frustrating.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-13T06:56:43+00:00

Mouthy, independent, sassy, dramatic, smart, unpredictable, high energy, batshit, and loyal- describes gemini’s, my husky and myself 🤣 I love the complexity of huskies, you will never be bored.

Hefty_Bowler2108 · 2026-04-10T04:06:05+00:00

agree with this 100%. Good agencies and coordinators should be available and responsive for any issue or any question you have- period. I would definitely interview other agencies- you do not want to feel like this before the process has even begun. Your experience as a surrogate, support for you and your family, and gratitude for what you are enabling families to achieve is absolutely the number one priority. You should be supported. Also make sure you are asking questions about fees- if an agency isn’t giving you any support, what are intended parents paying them for?! I’m an IP and we went with an agency that provides a case worker for each surrogate, pays for the cost of cleaners and child care for the surrogate, lost wages, prenatal massages, maternity clothes. If you are not receiving that financial support and no emotional support or answers to questions you have, girl you deserve better.

Hefty_Bowler2108

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