It is good to hear that your weight is at least stabilized, I was wondering if you were still losing weight or not.

I kinda wish I was having your problem at the moment LOL. Since I couldnt get the topamax anymore I have gained back all the weight I had lost, and then some hahahaha. The topamax took me down to 194 lbs, havent been that light in years, but now I have ballooned back up to 235.

My wife said she couldnt get her arms around me anymore, even though she had a difficult time even when I was considered smaller hahahahaha!

The weight lifter powder would help you put on some mass, but you would have to keep using it to keep the effect. Jose had the right idea with the shakes, but it wouldnt hurt to slip some of the powder into the shakes to beef you up.

Back in my power lifting days when I needed to bulk up. Instead of using the HGH, roids, or powders, I would eat like a mad dog. I mean stuff myself constantly. I would order a large pizza with all the toppings and eat the whole thing, and have a half gallon of ice cream for desert. Proteins are your friend when your trying to gain weight, and that would help if your low on iron too.

I know you wont be able to eat that much, but maybe you might be able to bench press your son when he ****** you off LOL.
Good luck on that bro, and will be keeping you in my prayers.

Hi Vic,
loved the story of the trip, and you kept a good sense of humor when i know you must have been hurting from the car ride.
i wish you well in the hospital, and with the pump. while i was nursing i had an awesome 35 year old patient, that had terminal cancer, and he had the pump put in, and did get enough relief to go to italy! and back to teaching for a few months, maybe a year, before the cancer won. so it does work well if inserted correctly ... so i will add, make suere it is a doctor who is not an idiot! ha!
and the protein in the drinks is the key ... used that in the hospital too. drink them between meals and with meals if possible. i don;t know how much you can tolerate
and for the love of God stop smoking !!!! use the patch now, when people stop smoking, they gain weight!!!
love ya, JOAN

Dear Vicc -

I join completely with EVERYTHING Joan said.

Just to add one thought: nicotine is a major vasal-constrictor, which is why it's implicated so much heart disease. You may want to give this point some consideration, in view of your knowledge of ischemia. There are a number of good prescription drugs out there right now that are used to get folks off tobacco, Wellbutrin is one of them, that you might want to consider using, if you have the opportunity.

Take care and put on the pounds.

Mike

Vicc,
Good luck with the Pump. I hope WC will agree & I hope it will work for you. A friend of mine just got a pump in Aug I believe it was & says it works like a dream. I just asked my doctor about it last week & he said he feels I am an excellent candidate for it. He has been waiting for me to bring it up. His question is whether I can get one for the lower body as that is where I need it, RSD in both feet & ankles, since I have had lumbar back surgery with fusion from L1 to L4. He said he would check on that. Like you I am tired of the side effects. All I seem to do is sleep anymore due to medication sedation. I have to force myself to get up every day. If I didn't I would sleep all day & all night I think. Then I would get nothing done at all. And man it would be good not to be a slave to taking medications.

The biggest hangup will be where I have to go to have this done. Over in San Francisco. Hopefully the hospital would have a place for my hubby to stay. The hospitals in Sacramento do. It was really cheap, something like $10 a night when Jack had back surgery last winter. But anyway something could be worked out I am sure.

Ah now I have quit smoking as of little over a week ago. My husband quit little over 2 months ago. And he is 64 & has smoked since he was a teenager. He had to quit or die of COPD. He is on two inhalers for COPD, but since he quit smoking, he hasn't couged in the morning when he wakes up at all. I never thought I would see the day he quit smoking. He was a hardcore smoker too. What is helping both of us is a new medication called Chantix. Our Medicare RX plans pay for it too. I didn't think they would since it is brandnew but they did. Ours is thru AARP. Also, I think I saw where someone else on the board has quit using Chantix also. I think I know who it was, but not going to say in case I am wrong.

The above is just a suggestion.

DebbyV