'RHONJ' Star Jennifer Fessler Won't Stop Weight Loss Injections Despite Suffering ‘Impacted Bowel’
"Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Jennifer Fessler said she was hospitalized due to a side effect of taking injections for weight loss.
The reality TV personality disclosed on her podcast "Two Jersey Js" that she experienced an "impacted bowel" after using semaglutide, known under its brand name Ozempic, a prescription medication used by people with Type 2 diabetes and chronic obesity.
Fessler, 55, claimed that she's lost approximately 22 pounds since she began taking semaglutide over a year ago but admitted to a hospital visit due to constipation, a known side effect of the drug.
"I have been on, and I'm not going to call it Ozempic -- that's been the umbrella name. But I've been on semaglutide for over a year now, and I've lost maybe 22 pounds," Fessler said during the podcast.
She emphasized her lack of fear regarding weight loss injections despite the uncomfortable incident.
"I'm not afraid of Ozempic, and I will tell you I have had an experience that was not good -- and I'm pretty positive it was about the semaglutide -- where I had to go to the hospital for an impacted bowel ... and I'm still not nervous about it," she insisted.
Fessler attributed her constipation to lifestyle choices, including inadequate water intake and a diet lacking in vegetables.
She said she chose not to take remedies like Miralax or stool softeners, resulting in a week-and-a-half-long bout of constipation.
While acknowledging her responsibility for ignoring signs, Fessler said that changing her habits resolved the issue.
During the podcast, Fessler also touched upon the side effect of potential muscle loss, noting that she experienced changes in her physique and sought medical monitoring.
As for the results of her weight loss, she explained, "Physically, I feel a lot better in clothes. When I'm not in clothes, I look 90 because I have gone up and down my more than 20 pounds in my life ... so there is a lot of skin that exists now when you lose muscle and fat."
But Fessler blamed this on her decision not to work out while taking the drug, noting that she has since hired a personal trainer to help her put on muscle.
Her podcast co-host, Jackie Goldschneider, expressed concerns about the medication, asserting her advocacy for eating disorder recovery and opposition to semaglutides for weight loss, a trend she claimed "more than half" of the "RHONJ" cast follows.
Fessler had previously hinted at her Ozempic use in March during an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," acknowledging her weight loss without explicitly confirming her use of the drug.
Last year, doctors spoke out against the trend of non-diabetic, non-clinically obese individuals using Ozempic and its counterpart Wegovy for weight loss amid a shortage of the drugs.
In an interview with People, Dr. Caroline Apovian cautioned against the Hollywood trend, emphasizing the drugs' importance for diabetic patients and underscoring their shortage due to increased demand and supply chain issues.
