Degenerative disk disease and severe weight loss. Posted: 12-03-07 21:52pm
my fiance has degenerative disk disease. 4
yrs ago we were in an accident (auto)
which severely aggravated this to where he
now has spondyloptosis (stage 5
spondylolisthesis). Around that time he
became also very stiff and found out he
also has Ankylosing Spondylitis. He needs
spinal fusion very badly as this has been
going on for 3-4 yrs... He has a lot of
stetching and atrophy in the backs of his
thigh areas. Which I know is common in
spondyloptosis. He is in constant pain. He
has also lost a lot of weight. He's never
been a large guy, he was about 5'8" and
130 lbs when we met 6 yrs ago, now he is
weighing less and less. On a good day he
weighs 107lbs. Which is very dangerous I
think. He is 33 yrs old. He has been
tested for HIV, TB, Hepatitis, which are
all negative. He is not a drug user.
Except pain medication Lortab prescribed
for his pain. The doctor keeps telling him
"Eat more, you aren't eating enough." But
I know he eats because I see him eating at
least 3 meals a day. He tells the dr this
and the doctor doesn't seem to believe
him. He desperately needs surgery and he
has to gain weight before they will do it
but he has really been trying and nothing
works. He eats and nothing happens.
sometimes he'll gain a couple lbs but in a
day or two his weight goes down again. He
is prescribed testosterone because his was
a little low and they thought that might
be why he is skinny but he has been on
that for months and hasn't gotton bigger.
He has really increased his protien
intake, on his doctors's recommendation,
and that hasn't worked. We've been to
numerous doctors and nobody knows why he
is losing weight. Could stress from having
the other 2 conditions for so long be
causing this? He looks very ill. I am
extremely worried about him.....
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lonestarguy
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 592 Location: , Hoosierland, USA
Thanks: 10
Thanked:1
Posted: 12-03-07 22:17pm
Hi! I'm not sure we could tell you what
specifically is wrong, but as far as back
pain, there is an excellent thread you
should look through. It's called Laser
Spine Surgery and is located in the Back
Pain forum. There are several people on
there who had the spondy problems. I have
degenerative disc disease myself, but not
the spondy. The people on the thread will
also answer your questions in detail about
any type of back pain and accompanying
side effects.
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ttirips1
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 8
Posted: 12-05-07 00:22am
well, thanks....
did you experience any weight loss with
the spondylolisthesis?
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Tylanas
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 12985
Thanks: 3
Thanked:0
Posted: 12-05-07 01:06am
You and he need to go to a nutritionist
and discuss openly and honestly his diet.
He may eat three meals a day, but pain can
cause a loss of appetite. You're right
close to him; so in all honesty you
probably don't see as clearly as you
should the true amount he's eating. Just
like you watch TV and wonder how on earth
those obese people's spouses let them get
like that. It's because they just can't
see it.
So, I think a trip to the nutritionist
would be good for the both of you. He or
she can prescribe a good, protein and
calorie rich diet that will help your
husband gain the weight he needs for
surgery. You're right; his weight right
now IS dangerously low. He needs to gain
weight for his general well-being, not
just surgery.
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ttirips1
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 8
Posted: 12-05-07 11:41am
well thanks. We've made an apptmt. The
problem with that I think is that he has
two very serious conditions, one of them
an autoimmune disorder. A nutritionist
will help with diet but I am not sure that
that is the problem. He has kept food
diaries for the past 3 days and really, I
can see that he's eating. It's actually
amazing to me the amount of food consumed
and the fact that his weight continues to
be low. He drinks 3 ensures a day with his
meals and also snacks in addition to
meals. We already know thats not what it
is. Could be a thyroid thing, or a
malabsorption problem. We know he is
eating and I am getting a little tired of
people dismissing it as though he is an
anorexic or something. The man is eating
the food just isn't sticking.
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ttirips1
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 8
Posted: 12-07-07 23:31pm
Well I researched his symptoms a little
more and he might have Celiac Disease,
which coincidentally has been linked to
the same gene which has caused him to have
Ankylosing Spondilitis. Often people will
have multiple autoimmune conditions linked
to gene HLA-b27 (human leukyte antigen).
Celiac is a malabsorption problem caused
by a gluten allergy. Basically a person
with Celiac is allergic to gluten and when
they eat it in food their small intestine
is damaged and they can no longer absorb
nutrients from food. They then become
malnourished, no matter how much food they
consume. We are going to try a gluten-free
diet and see if this might be the case
with him. I certainly hope it will be that
simple. A simple food allergy! How crazy
would that be?
