One Month Away Update

David, sorry to have been away so long, and sorry your life could be better. But frankly, as it took me a while to find your post, I was happy to see you are still with us. Still thinking of you often.

DJ

It's still me, but something went awry with my old account, so I had to make a new one.

Gibson, you just suggested the following:

"No idea if this is a realistic option, or how much it would help, but if your digestive tract isn't working/absorbing food properly, is maybe worth asking your doctor about intravenous feeding periodically?"

Actually, at my last appointment with my family doctor a couple of weeks ago, he brought up that idea, that it may have to happen as some form of intervention if things don't change. He spoke of some kind of portable unit that I would wear, that would periodically inject some form of IV nutrition.

Didn't sound good to me at the time, but it may have to come down to that.

The anti-depression drug he put me on, have been on it for over 3 weeks, isn't doing the slightest bit of good. 17% of people on it, report weight gain and a huge increase in appetite, but I must be in the 83% that it doesn't help.

In fact, it's having the opposite effect. I have had all day low grade nausea every single day I have been on it. I agreed to try it for one month, and I will keep my word, but I have no plans to re-fill it when the bottle runs out. I hate feeling nauseous, and its no way to create an appetite when its already making me feel queasy. Just another bad idea that's not working for me.

We went to our weekend RV place all weekend, and tried an experiment. I purposely tried to eat heavy the entire time. Had steak and baked spuds one night, next day ate a huge breakfast with lots of fatty type foods, ended up eating a total of 8-9 calorie rich deserts, drank sugared drinks (which I never normally do), etc.

Weighed in Monday morning, and despite all the forced eating, managed to lose another 1 1/2 lbs. It's reached the point, where no matter what I do, I simply can't gain any weight. Just keep losing it.

It has all the trade marks of "wasting" disease in my opinion. With clothes on, I may appear to be a slim or skinny guy, but underneath it all, I am looking emaciated more and more. Gone from a waist size of 42 in January to where a 30 is now loose on me. Having to buy a few new article of clothing every couple of weeks or so.

I am concerned at some point, that its going to have a real detrimental effect on some organ, or other part of my anatomy. I have lost almost all interest in sex (nothing has changed in the ability part), but just never crosses my mind That may be from the anti-depressant drug.

I feel that my doctors working separately, are missing some common link with what is going on. They may be good specialists, but something isn't connecting the dots.

Still going to term it over to my VA doctors for a fresh opinion, but that's not going to happen for another 6 weeks.

I am more concerned about this major/rapid weight loss without reason, than I am still dealing with my PC itself. I am losing this battle, and I can see it by the day. Nothing is helping, nothing is working.

Ah, you will never change, Mel, lol.

And no, not a single doctor remotely thinks my remaining PC is behind this.

That's all I got, David, that elephant in the room.

Anyway, IV nutrition might help a lot.

(I think it is called TPN)
Mel

thanks, pro.

spoke to the head Oral Surgeon today. he said on the 22nd of July, the VA approved 100% for all the oxygen treatments I will need pre-surgery (20 "dives" as they call them), plus 20 "dives" post surgery, and the surgery itself.

just waiting for the physical letter to appear from the VA in Columbia, telling me when it starts, and at what civilian medical facility in my area will be doing the special treatments. he will schedule the actual surgery the first week day after the treatments end, he said it was critically important.

But he warned me again, I will be in for a long surgery (dental), possible hospital stay, and a long and painful recovery (at least 4-5 months). Can only imagine what this will do to my weigh loss problem, when I won't even be able to chew or eat anything remotely solid. But will cross that bridge later.

The high level dental surgeon is well informed of my weight loss issue, and is keeping that in mind in his plan. However, we are talking a lot of dollars (value) for these oxygen treatments and the surgery that the VA is paying for 100%, not a cent to me. I have been trying to get this done since January of this year and 7 months later, it still hasn't happened.

I have to have it done, when they have it arranged, or else I might get bumped another year or more. Only reason its happening this "fast", is because they viewed it as "urgent", which bumped me way ahead of guys that have been waiting for years.

The dentist said, that even if I don't spend a night in the hospital, the surgery, the oxygen treatments, and the final denture work would easily top 50k or more. So I have to take advantage. It's only because I am rated 100% with the VA, that they are agreeing to pay for this work.