Mother, 58, suffered 'burst appendix' after taking weight loss jab
Ali Eastburn, who was a size 16, was prescribed the drug by her doctor in April to feel more confident in wedding photos.
The 58-year-old, from Nashville in Tennessee, US, claimed she had tried shifting the weight from her 'post-menopausal' body naturally, but nothing had proved effective.
After her 'trusted' doctor suggested she was eligible for the weight loss injection, she began on a low dose of the drug and soon noticed her weight drop.
But after this plateaued in July, weeks before the wedding, the mum-of-three suddenly increased her dosage—which experts have long warned against.
Within days she experienced heartburn, nausea and 'violent' diarrhoea, and was rushed to the emergency room twice.
Determined to make her son's wedding despite her health woes, the estate agent travelled to Orange County in California on July 15.
Yet, her appendix ruptured during the flight and she was rushed for emergency surgery as soon as she landed.
Semaglutide, the ingredient behind Ozempic, has long been hailed a game-changer in tackling obesity.
Administered weekly, the drug—manufactured by Novo Nordisk—is designed to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels or for obese people to lose weight for health purposes.
However, the injections, known collectively as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), are known to cause worrying side effects such as pancreatitis—when the pancreas suddenly becomes inflamed—or gastrointestinal issues.
Recalling her terrifying ordeal, Ms Eastburn said: 'I would say think long and hard before taking a GLP-1 as it almost killed me.
'If you care about your family or people that you love, think about them having to live life without you as it might kill you. Being thin is not worth losing your life.
'I'd been struggling with my weight for years. I was post-menopause and my whole metabolism just changed and I had tried everything to lose weight.
'When I went to see my doctor, my doctor said I'd benefit from a GLP-1 and I trusted them.
'At first, it seemed like a miracle as the weight was just coming off.
'I was trying to get thin for my son's wedding and I knew I had to do something drastic as I was desperate to look better. I didn't want to hate the wedding photos for the rest of my life.
'[By July 1st], I had lost 15lbs and I felt better and that there was hope.
'But when my weight loss plateaued, I upped my dose so I could get to my goal of losing 20lbs.'
She added: 'The first week the nausea was uncontrollable and I had no desire to eat or drink anything.
'The heartburn was at an all-new level and it was excruciatingly painful all day long.
'In week two, I went wedding dress shopping and I was sick as a dog.
'I was dry heaving and I was fighting the urge to throw up all day. I then had violent diarrhoea for four days.
'[On July 15th], when we landed, an ambulance took me to the hospital straight away and I was diagnosed with a burst appendix.
'It was terrifying. Within 15 minutes of leaving the airport I was in a hospital room. The doctor said my appendix had ruptured and they needed to remove it.'
After having her appendix removed, Ms Eastburn spent four days in hospital, which saw her miss her son Chase's rehearsal dinner.
Despite being discharged in time for the wedding, she spent the day in pain and unable to walk properly, she added.
Following the celebrations, she was hospitalised again over concerns about internal bleeding, delaying their flight home until July 29.
Ms Eastburn said: 'I was really upset and when I couldn't go to the dress rehearsal I just cried as I felt like it was my fault as I did this to myself.
'I missed all of this as I wanted to be thin and it broke my heart.
'On the wedding day we went at the very last minute as I was in so much pain. Sitting on a chair was so painful and I could barely walk.
'When my son saw me sitting in the front row, he came over and hugged me for the longest time and bawled like a baby.
'For the longest time, we didn't think I was going to be at the wedding, much less live to tell anyone about it.'
She added: 'My weight was the last thing on my mind at the wedding and I was so swollen and my stomach was so puffy.
'It was the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen and to see my son marry the woman of his dreams was amazing.
'I didn't care about my size as I was just so proud to be there. It was hard to stand and do the mother-son dance, but I was so grateful.
'I will never jeopardise or endanger myself again with any drugs to lose weight as that was too close of a call.'
A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk told the Daily Mail: 'We understand and empathise with the health challenges this patient has faced. While we cannot comment on this particular incident, the safety and wellbeing of patients taking our medicines is our top priority.
'We strongly recommend that all patients stay in close contact with their healthcare professional for proper diagnosis, ongoing guidance, and careful monitoring.
'It is important to note that Ozempic is a prescription-only medicine, meaning that it must be prescribed by a healthcare professional under strict supervision.
'Patients must make any decisions about treatment together with their healthcare professional so that their doctor can assess whether it is appropriate to prescribe the medicine or not, based on their assessment of the patient's individual medical profile.
'Accessing prescription-only medicines without a valid prescription or without the care of a healthcare professional can pose a direct danger to health.'
It comes as a a Mail on Sunday investigation in January revealed almost 400 Brits had been hospitalised—some with life-threatening complications—since the rollout of weight loss jabs.
Most of the reactions were gastrointestinal issues such as persistent nausea and diarrhoea, which leave some patients with 'severe dehydration'.
But some doctors warned they were seeing patients with 'serious, life-threatening complications' including seizures, bowel obstruction and inflammation of the pancreas, known as pancreatitis.
Under official guidelines, only patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of over 35 and at least one weight-related health problem like high blood pressure, or those who have a BMI of 30 to 34.9 and meet the criteria for referral to a specialist weight management service, should be prescribed weight loss jabs.
In the UK, law forbids the sale of such drugs without a prescription from a medical professional.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
New England Patriots DC Terrell Williams suffers major health scare as he collapses in practice
New England Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was carted out of practice on Monday after collapsing, according to multiple reports. Williams stepped away from the Patriots' rookie minicamp earlier this year after experiencing a health scare, which forced him to work remotely on doctor's orders. Yet just over a week after returning, the 51-year-old reportedly collapsed on the sideline during Monday's practice session. Boston reporter Pat Lane claims a stretcher was brought out, but he was able to get back to his feet and eventually leave the field on a cart. More to follow.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
‘You can literally pregame recess with these': Experts warn of caffeine pouches targeting teens
Last summer, a TikTok user shared a video responding to a commenter asking if 13-year-olds can use caffeine pouches. The pouches, which are placed between your cheeks and gums to absorb the stimulant directly, have become increasingly popular amongst teens. 'Yes, guys, you can literally pregame recess with these,' the video creator says, holding up a tin of LyvWel 'Cherry Blast' caffeine pouches. There are a lot of similar videos all over TikTok. 'Can a 13-year-old use or buy upper-deckies from the TikTok shop? Yeah, of course you can,' a different user said, referencing the popular online nickname for pouch products. 'These are literally just caffeine pouches.' There is no national age restriction on caffeine in the U.S., so anyone can purchase products that contain the stimulant. Caffeine use in kids can even result in a hospital trip, which is rare but on the rise. The number of children ages 11 to 14 who had to visit the emergency room due to a caffeine overdose doubled between 2017 and 2023, according to a November 2024 study. And experts are getting increasingly concerned about the impact of caffeine on children, and the marketing tactics that could expose kids to these products. Dr. Michael Garcia, an internal medicine doctor with a focus on nutrition at UCLA Health, told The Independent that 'less is more' when it comes to caffeine for adolescents. Long-term use among teens can increase blood pressure, worsen anxiety and impact sleep, he explained. 'We know caffeine is one of those things our body can develop tolerance to,' Garcia said. 'So little by little, maybe use increases as that tolerance develops. And it's like any other stimulant or substance that gives us some sort of immediate effect, we then depend on it ... long-term.' The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests 100mg as the upper limit for kids 12-18, which is about the equivalent of a cup of drip coffee, about two cans of Diet Coke, or one energy drink. There are several other companies that sell caffeine pouches, including Deckiez, Rebel Pouches, and Wip, a caffeine pouch start-up founded by Richard Mumby, a strategic investor and marketing executive who worked with the e-cigarette company Juul. Different brands have different amounts of caffeine: many of LyvWel's pouches contain 56mg per pouch, which is roughly equivalent to a can of soda. Deckiez sells pouches with 40mg and 50mg of caffeine. Wip sells products with 100mg and 200mg of caffeine per pouch, with 15 pouches per package. Wip's Instagram features influencers over 18 promoting the products while doing athletic activities, including surfing, skateboarding and weightlifting. Rebel Pouches' Instagram shows men playing golf, softball and running, amongst other sports. Deckiez, founded by a teenager and his father, shows the now-college student founder talking with other young men, and shows people snowboarding and playing softball. LyvWel's focuses on discount prices and flavor variety. Dr. Robert Jackler, founder of the Stanford Research Into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising group, tells The Independent he's concerned social media marketing tactics could make teens eager to try the products, pointing out Wip's use of sports teens are particularly attracted to. 'These videos of the skateboarder doing his tricks…I mean, there may be 50-year-olds and 30-year-olds who are interested in that, but it clearly has a differential interest amongst young people,' he said. Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, a developmental psychologist at Stanford Medicine, also argued that using influencers and sporty imagery indicates it's 'clearly being marketed to young people.' 'You could talk about users on the way to the office, on the way to a business meeting…that would be much more obvious that you're targeting adults,' she said. 'There's nothing that I can see of the sort here. It is all fun and games.' However, caffeine pouch companies claim that they only aim their products to over-18s and, there's age-related warnings on the tin. Wip rejects any suggestion that they have advertised to underage children, with the company noting that its packaging is designed to appeal to adults and that hiring influencers is normal marketing practice. The product also includes age and usage recommendations, including a warning that says Wip is intended for people 18 and older. 'Wip has adopted an exceptionally proactive and responsible marketing approach, grounded in and exceeding official health authority guidelines,' the company said in a statement to The Independent. Deckiez founders Dean and Mike Herkenrath noted that their product was created 'as a healthier alternative to the huge spike in nicotine pouch use' and pointed out that caffeine has some health benefits for adults. For instance, studies have shown that adult coffee drinkers are less likely to develop heart failure, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. 'Many of our customers have quit or heavily reduced their nicotine pouch consumption and we're very proud of that,' the Herkenraths said in a statement. 'Our social media content is indented for success minded young adults to ageless at heart seeking to energize their goals!' LyvWel said in a statement to The Independent that the TikTok creators encouraging 13-year-olds to try their caffeine pouches are not affiliated with the company, and appear to be using 'TikTok's Affiliate Program, which allows any user regardless of age to tag and promote TikTok shop products without brand involvement or approval.' The company says it has tried to report 'several inappropriate videos,' but some haven't been taken down. The Independent has contacted TikTok for comment. As interest in caffeine pouches grows, Dr. Grace Kong, a psychiatry professor at Yale Medicine who specializes in child and adolescent psychology, told The Independent that adolescents don't have all the tools they need to make informed decisions about caffeinated products, especially those they find on social media. 'There is an issue if we're targeting that kind of advertising or marketing to teens for those substances, because teens are still minors,' she told The Independent. 'There still needs to be protection in some way about the decision-making.' She noted that she thinks caffeine pouches are too similar in design to nicotine pouches, which could encourage young people to try them. 'It could be a gateway, or it could really normalize pouch use,' Kong said. There's also concern about how the caffeine is being delivered through these pouches, Dr. Taylor Argo, an adolescent medicine fellow at the University of Michigan, told The Independent. 'There are lots of blood vessels right there, and so that caffeine is being absorbed directly into the bloodstream…we hypothesize that when you put medicines directly into your mouth that way, or other substances, it's absorbed a little faster,' she said. The 'biggest risk factor' for teens when using high levels of caffeine is irregular heart rates, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, Argo said. 'I actually have not heard of any of my patients using these, and I care for teens every day…I do worry about the amount of caffeine that is in it and how it's being delivered,' she added. Garcia encourages parents to talk about caffeine products with their teens and learn why they might want to use them. 'I think as adults, we are always inclined to provide a solution, but I think there's a lot of value in listening,' he said.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Study: Avoiding ultra-processed foods while dieting can double weight loss
By Consuming a diet low in ultra-processed foods could help supercharge weight loss , promising research suggested today. Additive-laden foods such as crisps and sweets have been vilified for decades over their supposed risks, with dozens of studies linking them to type 2 diabetes , heart disease and cancer . Experts have even called for UPFs—typically anything edible that has more artificial ingredients than natural ones—to be slashed from diets. Now, British scientists who tracked dozens of adults have discovered those who ate a diet rich in minimally processed foods and avoided UPFs, lost twice as much weight as those who often consumed UPFs. Sticking to meals cooked from scratch could also help curb food cravings, they also found. However, diets high in UPFs had little impact on blood pressure, heart rate, liver function and cholesterol. 'But not all ultra-processed foods are inherently unhealthy based on their nutritional profile.' In the study, the researchers tracked 50 people who were already consuming diets packed with UPFs and split them into two groups. Half were given an eight-week diet plan comprising minimally processed foods, such as overnight oats and spaghetti bolognese, while the other half were given foods like breakfast oat bars or lasagne ready meals. After completing one diet, the groups then switched. Researchers matched the two diets nutritionally on levels of fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrates, salt and fibre using the Eatwell Guide, which outlines recommendations on how to eat a healthy, balanced diet. They found those on the minimally processed diet lost more weight (2.06 per cent) compared to the UPF diet (1.05 per cent loss). The UPF diet also did not result in significant fat loss, the researchers said. Dr Dicken added: 'Though a 2 per cent reduction may not seem very big, that is only over eight weeks and without people trying to actively reduce their intake. 'If we scaled these results up over the course of a year, we'd expect to see a 13 per cent weight reduction in men and a 9 per cent reduction in women on the minimally processed diet, but only a 4 per cent weight reduction in men and 5 per cent in women after the ultra-processed diet. 'Over time this would start to become a big difference.' Those on the trial were also asked to complete questionnaires on food cravings before and after starting the diets. Those eating minimally processed foods had less cravings and were able to resist them better, the study suggests. However, researchers also measured others markers like blood pressure, heart rate, liver function, glucose levels and cholesterol and found no significant negative impacts of the UPF diet. The Eatwell Guide recommends the average woman should consume around 2,000 calories a day, while an average man should consume 2,500. Both diet groups had a calorie deficit, meaning people were eating fewer calories than what they were burning, which helps with weight loss. However, the deficit was higher from minimally processed foods at around 230 calories a day, compared with 120 calories per day from UPFs. Professor Rachel Batterham, senior author of the study from the UCL centre for obesity research, said: 'Despite being widely promoted, less than 1 per cent of the UK population follows all of the recommendations in the Eatwell Guide, and most people stick to fewer than half. 'The best advice to people would be to stick as closely to nutritional guidelines as they can by moderating overall energy intake, limiting intake of salt, sugar and saturated fat, and prioritizing high-fibre foods such as fruits, vegetables, pulses and nuts. Tracy Parker, nutrition lead at the British Heart Foundation, also said: 'The way this study was designed means it is more reflective of real-world conditions than previous research on UPFs. 'The small size of the study is a limitation, and the fact that most participants were women limits how much we can generalize the findings to the general population. 'We also can't be certain how closely the diets were followed, as participants self-reported what they ate during the study. 'Larger, longer-term studies will be needed to see if the greater weight loss on the minimally processed diets seen here translates into bigger improvements in risk factors, including blood pressure and cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and a reduced risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases.
