Feb 2010 weights

• Yesterday morning I took my last clendamyacin (spelling?).
• Tonight my weight is 143 pounds. Last night my wife commented that it looked like i was starting to put fluid on again.
• I went to dentist today(tuesday 9 Feb), He extracted a tooth and prescribed kaflex (antibiotic) that I will start taking tonight. The antibiotic the dentist gave me is cephalexin 500mg caplets LUP. I'm to take one every 6 hours till gone.
• 9 Feb 143 at 9:00 pm
• 10 Feb 2010: 143 at 3:00 pm
• 11 Feb 2010: 144 pounds at 9:30 am (I forgot to take my meds last pm. this includes diuretics)
• 13 Feb 2010: 142 pounds at 11:00am
• 13 Feb 2010: 142 pounds at 7:00 pm Ifrequent urination today and early this morning
• 14 Feb 2010: 143.8 Pounds at 7:45 pm.
• 15 Feb 2010: 143.2 pounds at 10:00 pm
• 16 Feb 2010: 141.0 pounds at 9:00 am
• 17 Feb 2010: 142.4 pounds at 9:40 am (last night at around 10pm, I weighed 145.6 I only took one dose of lasix yesterday, the night-time dose.)
• 17 Feb 2010: 144.4 pounds at 9:45 pm

I'm currently taking (supposed to be taking) 60mg, lasix q12 hrs.

• 18 Feb 2010: 140.4 at 11:25 am
• 18 Feb 2010: 144.4 pounds at 10:00 pm
• 19 Feb 2010: 142.6 pounds at 9:30 am
• 20 Feb 2010: 143.6 Pounds at 9:30 pm
• 21 Feb 2010: 144.2 pounds at 11:00 pm
• 23 Feb 2010: 144.4 Pounds aat 9:30 am (yesterday, Feb 22, I didn't take my morning dose of lasix.) And I didn't weigh myself. (oops!)

  ***Still Feb 23, It's 8:00 pm and I'm beginning to note a merked increase in my body mass.  Maybe I'm just imaginating it, but I'll weigh myself in a couple hours.  I also just took my last antibiotic.  I only took 2 of them since 10:00 pm last night.  Additionally, I've been increasing my beneprotein intake from none, to about 18 mg/day for the past 3 days. 
My activity level has increased.  I've begun working around the house, cycling 1 day last week, and some light exercise.  My energy level seems increased, normal stool. 
Currently, no infection symptoms.   I did recently in the past 3 days experience a nasal discharge that is totally new.  May have been some nasal irritation, but  out of my nose came a sudden flow of clear liquid that lasted only a few seconds.  It was like having a bloody nose, only the fluid was clear.  This happened 2 times.

***  I took an additional 60 mg Lasix today between my morning / evening doses.

• 23 Feb 2010 :  147.0 pounds at 9:30 pm (oh no!)
• 26 Feb 2010:  147.6 at 9:00 am
•  26 Feb 2010:  148 lbs at 8:00 pm  didn't take lasix this morning... went on a day trip this morning... didn't want to be urinating every 15 minutes.  My belly seems to be pooching out more.
• 27 Feb 2010:  147.6 pounds at 11:00 am  
• 28 Feb 2010:  147.0  Pounds at 11:00 am

Observations Related to Prolonged Protein Increase

(Picture - a reminder: When flash flooding is occuring, turn around, don't drown)

Keep in mind here that my weight without edema is approx 127lbs. When I was healty however, my weight was in the 170's... that was back in about 2002.

For one reason or another, I've had moments (peoiods of time lasting weeks) when my protein would "spike". That is, my protein would suddenly albeit, enigmatically rise to near normal.

My doctor had discussed possible causes of the spikes, and had even tested some of your theories.

One such theory is the reason for this post. You see, my doctor, Suzanne Sanders of G.V. Sonny Montgomery Veterans Medical Center in Jackson, MS had suspected that some antibiotics were responsible for my protein spikes. When we tested this hypothesis with the administration of IV antibiotics while hospitalized, our hypothesis was not supported.

This past month I was admitted to the hospital with anasarca. My weight was 165lbs. I had pitting edema all the way up to my cranium.
I went in the hospital Jan 22, and came out Jan 27. I went from the weight of 165 pounds to 135 pounds. I was treated with albumin infusions as well as lasix IV push. I was getting 50mg Albumin infused over 1 hour q8 hours. Each albumin infusion was followed up with an IV push of 60 ml of lasix given 1/2 hour after each albumin. We chose this aggressive strategy of direusis since my last hospitalization yeilded little results with the albuming and only 40ml lasix given q 12 hrs.

Okay, back to the antibiotic angle: While in the hospital, the doctors found my white blood cell sount rose to 17. After investigating they determined it was probably an absessed tooth causing it so they prescribed an oral antibiotic, clendamyacin (sorry if I spelled it wrong).

I had 2 weeks worth of it. Today is Feb 9, and I'm still in the 130 pound range.

My oral lasix is still working very well. Usually, by now my weight would be creeping back up as my lasix slowly diminishes in effectiveness.

The reason I'm talking about my weight a lot is because that's how I (roughly) guage what my protein level is without a blood test. When my albumin is less than 1, and my total protein is 2 or less my edema (and my weight) increases dramatically.

Hence, when my weight stays low for an extended period of time, I can pretty well be sure my protein is in a more acceptable range. Anyway, I ran out of the clendamyacin yesterday. I have a prescription for another antibiotic i'm going to be taking till it is gone, then we'll see what my protein level does.

***25 Feb 2010:  147.6 pounds at 10:00 pm  I ate several pickles today.  I'm adding this at 1:30 am Friday morning.  I seem to have been urinating a lot tonight.  I think that's a good thing.  I don't want to retain that water (third spaced) it really sucks.

Idiopathic Protein Losing Enteropathy (PLE)

IDIOPATHIC PROTEIN LOSING ENTEROPATHY in a 43y/o Caucasian Male.

Mr. Taverne was diagnosed with (PLE) in the fall of 2002. He presented in the ER with c/o dependant edema of scrotum and lower extremities.

Blood workup noted a marked deficiency of Album <1 and a total serum protein of 2.0

The pt was referred to the Veteran’s Administration for tx.

I have had EGDs, colonoscopies, small bowel full thickness biopsies, gastric biopsies. All of which showed nothing remarkable. At the Mayo clinic, however, a doctor did make the diagnosis of Menetrier’s disease which is also known as hypertrophic gastropathy.

The VA was unable to confirm this diagnosis. However, the VA did prescribe the recommended tx which was subcutaneous octreotide (sandistatin) injections. This rx yielded marginal results which seemed to decrease over the course of a few months.

Prior to the octreotide, I had gone the prednisone route, the amuran, cytoxan, humera and others, It seemed the prednisone did some good keeping my protein up some, but the side effects were terrible. The Humera seemed to work very well keeping my Albumin above 2 for about a year. I then had a positive AFB in my spinal fluid which meant I’d have to be worked up and treated for tuberculosis meningitis.

My spleen clotted, and I had to have it removed after about a week. I had to have bypass surgery on my leg after I seemed to develop a neuropathy, as well as a circulation issue. My toes started turning black, and they hurt like crazy. I also developed 2 sores on the bottom of that same foot. Eventually, the toes had to be taken off, and the sores cleaned out. These procedures were performed after the bypass (femoral to distal) was deemed a success.

I had plural effusions in 2009. The doctor went to drain the plural space when he hit an artery in my lung. I almost died., but I pulled through.

I had a miraculous spike in my protein that month (June) that lasted about 2 months. It’s unclear what caused it.

I’m of the feeling that it was due to a combination of factors. 1. I didn’t eat very much during that time. 2. I was given upwards of 6 units of whole blood. There might be a few other factors such as phosphorous tablets.

The doctor recently had me try taking Budesonide which is a new tx for irritable bowel syndrome. I developed severe abdominal pains and a whole lot of gas.