In Washington, a grandfather was taken aback by the sight of a stranger loitering near a seldom-used dead-end road. His concern grew when, moments later, smoke began to rise from the nearby railroad tracks, igniting a destructive wildfire.

Paul Child had been en route with his grandson to pick up a friend on Saturday when he observed a bald man, seemingly out of place, lingering by the tracks along West Euclid Road, intently watching the tree line.

“At first, it didn’t strike me as odd,” Child recounted to News Media, reflecting on the initial encounter.

Upon retracing his steps about 10 minutes later, Child noticed the stranger was still at the same spot, adding to his suspicions.

“This time he was kind of bent over and looked like he was doing something in the brush or the bushes and the grass and the trees,” Child said. “When he saw us, then he kind of stood up and was acting kind of nervous.”

Even Child’s grandson sensed something was off.

“My grandson said, ‘What’s he doing?’” Child said.

The family returned to their home and minutes later, Child’s daughter, Ana Dillon, glanced toward the same stretch of railroad tracks.

“I just happened to look up and saw a huge cloud of white smoke, then black smoke,” Dillon told News Media.

Child immediately connected the smoke to the stranger he had seen lingering near the tree line.

“The first thing I thought was, ‘That SOB started the fire,’” Child alleged.

Child called 911 and tried to reach the only other homeowner on the dead-end stretch of road. The neighbor was not home, but Child reached him by phone and warned that a wildfire was moving toward the property, where workers were inside a shop behind the house.

“We drove down there and notified that person and told him maybe he should leave,” Child said.

By then, firefighters had begun to arrive as flames spread across the dry grasslands and the family hurried to evacuate.

“The fire was coming toward us, so we packed up everything, everyone and animals,” Dillon said.

Child said the family fled their nearly 17-acre property with five dogs and two cats, later flagging down an Airway Heights police officer and describing the man he had seen as a bald white male wearing a green T-shirt and backpack, court records show.

He also told officers where the man had been standing before smoke began rising from the area. Spokane County sheriff’s deputies soon detained a man matching the description.

Child, his grandson and the grandson’s friend then traveled with an Airway Heights police officer to where deputies were holding the suspect. Sitting inside Child’s pickup about 50 yards away, the three watched as deputies removed the man from a patrol vehicle and had him face them.

“The only thing I could really identify on him was his build and what he was wearing,” Child said. “There was no question in any of our minds that was the individual we saw.”

Authorities later arrested Aaron F. Farinacci on suspicion of first-degree arson, accusing him of intentionally setting the Old Trails Fire, the largest of three wildfires that destroyed hundreds of buildings and forced about 67,000 people to evacuate.

Child said the family did not learn until the following day that deputies had initially released Farinacci before arresting him after investigators developed additional evidence.

Court records reviewed by News Media show Farinacci was previously charged with first-degree murder after fatally shooting his father during an argument in Arizona in 2010. He later pleaded guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault, served about eight years in prison and was released in 2020.

Learning about Farinacci’s criminal history turned the family’s initial relief into concern, Child said.

“He knew where I lived,” Child said. “Then to come to find out what his history was, it’s kind of like … this dude could have come back down here.”

Child said the man initially caught his attention because strangers rarely venture onto the family’s road. The county permanently closed the dead-end stretch several years ago, leaving only two homes beyond the barricade.

“There hasn’t been a lot of trespassing now,” Child said. “If we see somebody down there, a lot of times we take it upon ourselves to pull up and say, ‘Are you OK?’ … Nine times out of 10, they’re gone after that.”

Dillon said anyone lingering near the tracks would immediately stand out to the family.

“There’s only two houses on this street,” she said. “If anyone is on this street, we most always call Crime Check. No one should be on this road. It’s a closed road. Anyone standing and kneeling down by the train tracks that’s not a city worker is a red flag.”

While Child’s observations helped point investigators toward a suspect, retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executive Scott Sweetow said eyewitness accounts are only the beginning of a wildfire arson investigation.

Fire investigators must first determine where a blaze started before they can establish how it ignited, Sweetow told News Media. That requires them to work backward from the aftermath, examine how the terrain and vegetation burned and eliminate plausible accidental causes.

“Arson fire in general is very hard to investigate,” Sweetow said. “It requires a very meticulous focused effort that is not present in a lot of other investigations. And what complicates it is the fact that the evidence that you have to examine is often badly damaged by fire.”

Investigators can reconstruct a fire’s earliest moments using witness accounts, video, cellphone data, first-responder observations and physical evidence. They also examine potential causes such as lightning, power infrastructure, trains, discarded smoking materials or other ignition sources.

That process can allow investigators to determine that a person started a fire even when no single item definitively establishes how it began, Sweetow said.

“It’s not magic. The grass doesn’t just burst into flame for no reason,” Sweetow said. “So by eliminating all the causes that weren’t you figure out the cause that was, if that makes sense.”

Sweetow cautioned against placing too much weight on any single piece of evidence, including investigators’ claim that Farinacci was carrying waterproof matches and a butane lighter when deputies first contacted him.

He said windproof and waterproof matches are more specialized than ordinary paper or wooden matches and are designed to remain lit in conditions that could extinguish a conventional match. Investigators would likely look for remnants of the same type of match near the fire’s point of origin, he said.

“They’re very expensive. And they’re designed really almost like a little portable flare,” Sweetow said.

The matches and lighter would still need to be considered alongside witness statements, physical evidence, electronic records and forensic findings. Sweetow said wildfire arson cases often depend on the combined weight of numerous facts rather than one decisive piece of evidence.

He also said the decision to release Farinacci before arresting him after further investigation was not inherently unusual, particularly in a fast-moving emergency in which deputies were focused on evacuations and investigators had not yet completed their work.

“I wouldn’t say it’s particularly unusual, it just seems like good police and investigator work to put the case together,” Sweetow said.

Court records show fire investigators later concluded the blaze originated where Child reported seeing the man. They ruled out trains and nearby electrical infrastructure before determining the fire was consistent with dry grass being ignited by an open flame from a match or lighter.

For Child, the investigation has been about the people whose homes and property were destroyed.

“My heart goes out to everybody,” he said. “Hopefully the individual that caused all their pain and suffering is going to be held accountable for those actions.”

Emergency systems have swung into action for millions, as intense heatwaves and severe thunderstorms pose a significant risk of perilous flash floods.

Reacting to the sweltering conditions, New York City’s Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, declared a citywide emergency response on Thursday. This came as all five boroughs were placed under a heat advisory stretching into Friday evening at 8 PM.

Similar heat alerts have been issued across a vast region, affecting parts of Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, as well as the nation’s capital, Washington DC.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a warning, predicting New York City’s heat index could soar to a blistering 100°F. In Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, it may climb even higher to 103°F, while southern Connecticut could face a staggering 105°F or more.

Nighttime temperatures are forecasted to linger in the low 70s, providing minimal respite before the stifling heat makes its return on Friday.

The extreme conditions will coincide with thunderstorms capable of unleashing torrential rain, powerful winds and frequent lightning across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Forecasters warned that the storms could trigger localized flash flooding, topple trees and bring down power lines through Friday.

New Yorkers living in basement apartments were issued the most urgent warning and told to identify somewhere safer to shelter before floodwaters begin rising.

New York City officials urged residents to remain indoors during severe weather and avoid flooded roads.

The most urgent warning was issued to people living in basement apartments, who were told to identify somewhere safer to shelter before floodwaters begin rising.

Anyone trapped or facing immediate danger should call 911, while downed trees, clogged catch basins and other nonemergency hazards can be reported to 311.

‘City government is mobilizing every resource we have – from clearing catch basins and preparing emergency crews to sending COOL vans to check on older adults,’ Mamdani said.

‘Protecting New Yorkers means showing up before the storm, not just after it.’

Hundreds of cooling centers will open across the five boroughs Thursday and Friday, including accessible and pet-friendly facilities. Locations can be found online or by calling 311.

The dangerous conditions stretch well beyond the city, with heat advisories covering large parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

In New York, eastern Ulster and western Dutchess counties could experience heat index values of up to 98°F through Friday evening.

Nearly all of Connecticut is also under an advisory, with only northern Litchfield County excluded.

Heat index values could climb above 105°F in the hardest-hit areas of southern Connecticut, while Hartford could feel as hot as 102°F and New Haven could reach 103°F.

Actual temperatures are forecast to rise into the upper 80s and low 90s, but oppressive humidity will make conditions feel significantly hotter.

Scattered thunderstorms are expected across Connecticut on Thursday afternoon and evening, particularly in western and northwestern areas.

The storms could produce heavy rain, frequent lightning and powerful wind gusts, creating a risk of localized flooding in communities recently hit by downpours.

Friday will bring another round of punishing heat and a greater chance of thunderstorms, with the likelihood of storms reaching between 50 and 60 percent in parts of the state.

Heat advisories have also been issued across sections of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Much of New Jersey is also under a heat advisory, with heat index values potentially reaching 103°F. 

The warning covers communities including Trenton, Camden, Cherry Hill, New Brunswick, Glassboro, Freehold, Somerville and Mount Holly and remains in effect through 8pm Saturday.

Northeastern counties including Passaic, Bergen, Essex and Union also face thunderstorms Friday that could produce powerful winds, torrential rain and localized flash flooding.

Farther south, heat index values could reach 103°F across a heavily populated region encompassing Philadelphia and parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

The advisory there will remain in effect until 8pm Saturday, potentially exposing residents to several consecutive days of dangerous heat.

Communities covered by the warning include Philadelphia, Trenton, Camden, Cherry Hill, Wilmington, New Brunswick, Glassboro, Doylestown and West Chester.

Advisories were also in effect across parts of the Baltimore and Washington DC, region as the hot, humid air spread along the East Coast.

The NWS said a frontal boundary moving through the eastern US would fuel scattered showers and thunderstorms, with some capable of producing torrential downpours.

Extreme heat and humidity can prevent the body from cooling itself efficiently, increasing the risk of heat exhaustion and potentially fatal heat stroke.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include dizziness, weakness, nausea, headache and heavy sweating. Heat stroke can cause confusion, loss of consciousness and dangerously high body temperatures and requires immediate medical attention.

Older adults, young children, outdoor workers and people with chronic health problems face the greatest danger.

Residents across the affected states have been urged to drink plenty of water, remain in air-conditioned spaces, postpone strenuous outdoor activity and never leave children or pets inside parked vehicles.

Gunfire, armed stalkers, and foiled conspiracies have continually shadowed President Donald Trump throughout his decade in the national spotlight. These threats form an ominous backdrop to his political narrative.

Despite surviving a sniper attack in Butler, Pennsylvania, two years ago, Trump’s political journey remains marred by a relentless wave of assassination plots, navigating him through treacherous waters once considered unparalleled.

From the campaign trails of yesteryears to the latest breach at the golf club, this continuous specter of danger has relentlessly pursued President Trump, intensifying with each step of his second term.

Las Vegas, Nevada — June 18, 2016

Michael Steven Sandford, a British national, tried to pull a Las Vegas police officer’s handgun from its holster while then-candidate Trump spoke at a campaign rally.

According to court documents, Sandford told investigators he had traveled to Las Vegas intending to kill Trump and had practiced firing a rented handgun at a shooting range the previous day. Officers immediately subdued him, and no one was injured.

Sandford pleaded guilty to federal firearm and disruption charges and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison.

Mandan, North Dakota — Sept. 6, 2017

Gregory Lee Leingang stole a forklift and drove it into a restricted area near the route planned for Trump’s motorcade before the president’s appearance at a refinery.

Prosecutors said Leingang intended to use the forklift to overturn the presidential limousine and kill Trump.

The forklift became stuck inside a gated area before the motorcade arrived, and Leingang abandoned it and fled on foot. He was arrested and later pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from the security breach.

Washington, D.C. — September 2020

Pascale Ferrier mailed a threatening letter containing homemade ricin to Trump at the White House during the 2020 presidential campaign. The envelope was intercepted at a mail-sorting facility before it reached the White House, and Trump was not exposed to the deadly toxin.

Ferrier also sent ricin letters to eight law enforcement officials in Texas and was arrested at the U.S.-Canada border with a loaded gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

She pleaded guilty to violating federal biological weapons laws and was sentenced to 262 months in prison.

Butler, Pennsylvania — July 13, 2024

Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a rooftop outside the rally’s security perimeter as Trump addressed supporters near Butler.

The gunfire wounded Trump in his right ear, killed rally attendee Corey Comperatore and seriously injured David Dutch and James Copenhaver.

A Secret Service counter-sniper killed Crooks seconds after the shooting began.

West Palm Beach, Florida — Sept. 15, 2024

Ryan Wesley Routh concealed himself in brush along the fence of Trump’s golf course while the then-presidential candidate played nearby. A Secret Service agent scouting ahead of Trump spotted Routh’s rifle and opened fire, causing Routh to flee without firing a shot.

Authorities arrested him on Interstate 95 and recovered a loaded, scoped rifle, armor plates, a camera and other evidence from the fence line.

A federal jury convicted Routh of attempted assassination and related charges in September 2025, and a judge sentenced him in February 2026 to life plus seven years in prison.

Washington, D.C. — April 25, 2026

Federal prosecutors allege Cole Tomas Allen entered the Washington Hilton armed with a shotgun, a pistol and knives during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

Authorities say Allen rushed a security checkpoint and fired, striking a Secret Service officer in the chest; the officer’s ballistic vest prevented a serious injury.

Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other senior officials were evacuated. One Secret Service agent was struck in the chest by a round but survived due to wearing an armored vest.

Allen has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to assassinate the president, assaulting a federal officer and firearms offenses, and the case remains pending.

Rancho Palos Verdes, California — Aug. 2, 2026

A California man was arrested Sunday at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes after allegedly monitoring security planning activities days before the president’s visit, and was later found with a cache of weapons and body armor, authorities said.

Investigators said they recovered an illegally modified AR-platform rifle; a 1911 .45-caliber pistol; an AR-platform upper receiver; body armor; high-capacity magazines; bulk pistol and rifle ammunition; two radio signal devices; and multiple notebooks containing what authorities described as “concerning statements.”

Jeanine John Taele, 38, of Downey, pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges stemming from his arrest outside the golf course days before the president’s scheduled visit.

A Los Angeles County judge set Taele’s bail at $250,000, ordered him not to possess any weapons, barred him from Trump National Golf Club and prohibited him from leaving California while the case is pending.

In a statement to News Media, a spokesperson with the U.S. Secret Service said: “With respect to this defendant, we do not comment on the specifics of protective intelligence matters. However, the U.S. Secret Service thoroughly investigates any information or activity that may reasonably be perceived as a protective intelligence concern or indicate a potential threat or directed interest toward any individual under Secret Service protection.

“We are grateful to our partners at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their continued support and strong partnership in advancing our shared investigative and protective missions.”

Renowned gossip blogger Perez Hilton has candidly shared his struggles with feeling “overwhelmed” and experiencing a “spiral” in the lead-up to a concerning livestream event.

In a reflective YouTube video posted on June 28, Hilton admitted to having “fallen off the wagon in every sense” amid the challenges of his family’s transition from Nevada to Florida.

“I’m back,” Hilton declared to his subscribers, revealing a return to routine. “I went to the gym this morning for the first time in weeks.”

Hilton continued to highlight his renewed resolve, saying, “I also went to church today for the first time in weeks.” He added, “I also read my bible today for the first time in weeks.”

Detailing the reasons behind his recent struggles, Hilton confessed, “I was in a bit of a spiral because I was overwhelmed with our move to Miami, and I didn’t do these things that I know are good for me.”

While Hilton had been feeling “anxious,” he became “soothed” and “inspired” after his day of “work.”

Hilton, notably, became vocal about his faith earlier this year on the heels of a life-threatening sepsis battle and emergency surgery.

The 48-year-old was hospitalized again on Tuesday after self-harming in a TikTok livestream.

Cops responded to reports of a “suicide attempt,” according to 911 dispatch audio obtained by Page Six on Wednesday.

Authorities arrived at the scene around 7 p.m. and remained at Hilton’s Miami residence for four hours before he was “safely recovered and transported … to a local hospital.”

In a hopeful update on Hilton’s health issued Wednesday, his family said he is “able to communicate.”

The statement noted, “We’re taking things one step at a time and keeping our focus where it belongs, on Perez and his recovery.”

We hear Hilton, who is a three-time dad, has been experiencing a “really hard” few months as the “breadwinner” of his family as “pretty extreme” medical bills “hit him hard.”

A source shared with us, “Suddenly being faced with these mounting financial pressures was a lot for him. He just wants to provide a good life for everybody.”

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

As I held the newly delivered package of Wegovy pills, initial excitement quickly faded upon discovering an assortment of additional medications nestled alongside to counteract potential side effects.

Having spent the past year and a half administering Mounjaro injections weekly—complete with all its necessary gear like refrigerated syringe pens, spare needles, alcohol wipes, and a sharps bin—the prospect of simplifying my routine to a single daily pill was indeed promising.

After signing up on a waiting list, I was among the fortunate few in the UK to be granted access to these new pills when they were dispatched earlier last month.

However, the arrival of four separate packs of remedies for diarrhoea, bloating, constipation, and heartburn took me by surprise.

Though I had successfully shed 2st while on Mounjaro, going from 13st 5lb to 11st 5lb without much struggle from these issues, I couldn’t help but wonder what challenges I might face with this new endeavor.

It turns out the stash was very much needed. Here’s my diary of my tumultuous first month on the new skinny pill.

Week one

UK pharmacies start shipping out their first packs of Wegovy pills on July 7. Only the two lowest doses have so far been supplied by manufacturer, Novo Nordisk – 1.5mg for complete beginners and 4mg for people like me moving over from a low dose of Wegovy or Mounjaro injections.

The pills are not likely to be available via the NHS for months (pending NICE approval) but all the online pharmacies are selling them privately, pitching their prices in line with the Wegovy jab (around £100 for a one month supply of the lowest dose) rather than more expensive Mounjaro (£150). Like the jabs, the cost goes up with the dose.

I go through a strict screening process with online provider shemed.co.uk, showing proof that I reached the criteria (BMI of 30 or, in my case, 27 with health concerns) at the start of my GLP-1 journey and convincing them of my commitment to continue on a low dose to maintain my weight loss and hopefully shift the last stubborn half stone that would take my weight into the ‘healthy’ category (BMI of 25 and under).

These tablets contain the same GLP-1 drug – semaglutide – as you find in the Wegovy syringe but the active ingredient is encased in a special coating which protects the peptides from stomach acids and digestive enzymes just long enough so it can dissolve and pass through the stomach lining to enter the bloodstream. There’s been a huge buzz of excitement surrounding the pills which many believe will revolutionise the medicated weight-loss market, driving costs down and opening up the GLP-1 world to a new needlephobic clientele and beyond.

Why am I switching? I am committed to being on a low dose of GLP-1 forever to keep my weight steady, my brain free from food noise and to reap the many emerging long-term health benefits (protecting me against heart disease, cancers and dementia), and I’m intrigued by the relative ‘normality’ of taking a pill each morning. My health is so much better already (blood pressure and cholesterol back in normal ranges), that my hope is this daily pill will take the place of the blood pressure tablet and statin I no longer need.

The active ingredient in the pill works just like the injection with the same impact on the body and brain, and the same potential side-effect warnings (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation). Studies for both show more than 70 per cent of users are affected by these ‘gastric issues’ but the pills were expected to hit the gut harder because it passes through the digestive tract every single day.

My ‘day one’ is timed exactly seven days after my last Mounjaro injection and I go to bed with the box by my pillow ready to take my first pill the moment I wake.

Your stomach must be empty (ideally after an eight-hour overnight fast), you can’t use more than 120ml of water (equivalent to a small glass of wine) to swallow it down and you absolutely must not eat or drink anything else or take any other tablets for at least 30 minutes so it has the perfect conditions in your stomach to dissolve and disseminate. It’s a hot and sweaty night and I wake up desperate for a large glass of water but that would over-dilute the pill and render it ineffectual so I ration myself to a few sips which barely disguise the bitter taste.

My second night is blighted by stress dreams in which I’m accidentally eating. Waking at intervals throughout the night, I’m constantly checking the time and wondering if I should take my pill. Plus I really miss the early morning cup of tea that my husband Jon usually brings me in bed.

I’m eating healthily during the day but each evening I am hit by a strong drive to search out something sweet to eat. The sugar cravings are so strong I have to make a batch of biscuits because I want to lick the bowl so badly.

I’m concerned this 4mg dose is not going to be powerful enough to keep my evil eating demons in check. I needn’t have worried.

On day four a wave of nausea hits. It’s not debilitating or vomit-inducing but more like the ‘yuk’ feeling you get if you try to read your phone when you’re a passenger in a car. It passes but I have to force myself to eat lunch with Jon. He has zero tolerance for nausea and is struggling to understand why I’m doing this to myself.

Rachael Joy, chief clinical officer at SheMed (and a registered nurse) tells me the semaglutide in my daily pill has been accumulating over the last four days. ‘Although you take the tablet every day, semaglutide has a long half-life [the time it takes to reduce to half its original quantity] of around seven days, so it is not flushed out of your system after 24 hours,’ she says.

‘Each daily tablet adds to the semaglutide that’s already in your body, gradually increasing the overall amount in your circulation until you reach steady state, which takes around four to five weeks of daily dosing.’

She reassures me that serious complications such as pancreatitis and gallbladder disease are uncommon and normally associated with rapid weight loss. ‘As oral Wegovy may produce more gradual weight loss, these complications are less likely on the pills, although more real world evidence is needed to understand this fully,’ she says.

The bowel perforation which led to the untimely death of a 73-year-old woman from Norfolk recently is so rare, she adds, that it is not even listed as a recognised side-effect of GLP-1 medicines.

But the next night my tummy pain keeps waking me up. I check the clock at 4am, then 5.30am worrying – now – whether the drug is too strong for me.

Week two

The scales tell me I’m 11st 6lb and I’m infuriated to see my weight slightly higher than when I started. But I twisted my knee playing padel a few weeks ago which means I can’t walk the dog or do spin classes and my daily step count has plummeted.

And although I have all the self-control required to eat small, healthy meals during the day, I seem unable to resist nibbling and picking at food (or succumbing to a glass of wine) in the evening.

Mounjaro used to be strongest for the first days after the injection, before tailing off and the Wegovy pill seems to follow a similar but daily curve: waves of nausea in the morning which subside, then an infuriating ‘all bets are off’ blast of food noise in the evening.

Rachael Joy explains that peak blood concentrations are typically reached an hour after taking the tablet. ‘The concentration then gradually falls over the rest of the day,’ she says, ‘but the half-life means it won’t fall to zero and each day’s dose simply tops up the background level that’s already there.’

Levels of semaglutide in my system are clearly building but the daily dosage curve means it’s now far too easy to say ‘yes’ to a proffered glass of wine in the evening, and the chemical cocktail seems to be ramping up a hangover.

After one ill-advised (but fun!) evening, my body feels totally toxic and, bizarrely, I develop an itchy hives-like rash on the back of my neck/upper shoulders. I’m not a rashy person and I can’t work out what might have caused it. Possibly the Wegovy?

A series of bad nights follows with gastro discomfort and the itching rash keeping me awake. It means my days are spent feeling shattered with strong sensations of nausea interspersed with intermittent trips to the loo with diarrhoea.

I’m beginning to wonder if it’s worth it.

On the Facebook support groups I follow, pill-takers are starting to bail.

‘It’s been hard work living with this horrible yukky feeling all the time,’ says one, with another agreeing: ‘I can’t take any more of the sickness, headache, fatigue and generally feeling lousy.’

I could safely switch back to the Mounjaro jab 24 hours after taking my last pill but decide I need to push through with this. The expense of Mounjaro is so much more difficult to justify when you’re maintaining rather than losing weight and, despite the side-effects, as my body gets used to the drugs, I’m finding I need to deploy far less willpower to stay in ‘diet mode’.

The Wegovy pill might be hard work right now but the suppression I feel is impressive (like the first few months on Mounjaro) and steady every day. I’ve just got to hope the gastric side-effects diminish.

Week three

I’m relieved to find I’m 11st 5lb – just one pound down but I’m back on track.

Finally! No hunger all day, side-effects are less strong, no food noise, just measured healthy eating. Antihistamines clear the rash and the evening munchies (and wine craving) have disappeared.

I’ve stopped sleep-stressing about taking the tablet and it turns out it’s really not that hard to use up the required 30 minutes waiting time in the shower and getting dressed before the normal routines of daily life can resume. I still do get occasional waves of nausea but I find it strangely reassuring that the pill is working.

I’m eating so much less than I was before I started taking this pill. If only I wasn’t so sedentary, I reckon the weight would be falling off now.

New week, new problem: constipation. I glug a fibre drink and spend the evening snacking on prunes (to me in this sugar-deprived state, they taste as delicious as Lindt balls). Disaster averted and I don’t need to dip into the constipation capsules in my ‘care’ package from SheMed.

Fatigue is also still bothersome. Mounjaro made me feel spritely and light but some days now I feel as if I could curl up and sleep, particularly during the afternoon.

I’m putting extra focus on the quality of my nutrition but I wonder whether my poor microbiome (the population of good bacteria in my gut which influences digestion, mood and immunity) is having a tough time adjusting to swimming around in my GLP-1-infused intestinal soup.

Week four

I’m 11st 4lb. Finally, after a 12-month plateau, the scales are moving down and I feel optimistic that I might reach my original weight-loss goal and get my BMI into the ‘healthy’ category for the first time in 30 years.

The side-effects have completely disappeared now my body has got used to the new GLP-1 regime, and I’m falling into an easy rhythm of taking the pill each morning and being ‘good’ about what I eat and drink.

It’s so much easier to pop the pills in my wash bag for a big girlie weekend away – no more worrying about trying to micromanage the timing of a weekly jab – and the strong steady suppression really helps me resist the cocktails and pastries on offer.

Bonus: all the girls had hideous hangovers apart from me.

I celebrate by ordering my next month’s supply of pills. The predicted shortages haven’t happened – perhaps because the claimed loss (17 per cent of body weight) is less than Wegovy jabs (20 per cent) and Mounjaro (22.5 per cent) and the pills aren’t as cheap as expected – yet.

The protocol for those starting out on the Wegovy pill is to move up a dose each month if symptoms allow and the bigger doses (9mg and even 25mg) are now available but I definitely couldn’t handle a higher dose. This is plenty.

In fact, if I can get down to my goal weight, I think I’ll drop to the 1.5mg ‘starter’ dose pill which should be just enough to keep that trickle of GLP-1 in my system long-term.

The second box of 4mg pills arrive without the side-effects care package which Rachael Joy tells me is sent out as a gesture of support to all SheMed GLP-1 users in their first delivery, regardless of pill or jab. Not just because they were expecting me to be blighted by symptoms.

I’m keen to keep going and I’m hoping the cost of the tablets will soon come down so they can be more widely available to everyone.

Maybe when the next GLP-1 pill – Foundayo – is approved for the UK market later this year, a price war might work in our favour.

But right now I figure I’m saving so much money on food, wine and the taxis we no longer need because I volunteer to drive that my daily magic skinny pill is virtually cost free.