I graph my headaches daily and average a 5 on a 0 - 10 scale, no changes noted with Zonisamide treatment. No days are 0. I avoid taking any OTC medications and use the Naproxin and Imatrex very sparingly.
An MRI a year ago showed bulging but it was discounted as unimportant by my neurologist. A week ago my PT however suggested an exercise for correcting a bulging cervical disc that she feels I may have. She knew nothing of the MRI results.
Some people stay the same or actually gain weight on treatment which is hard for me to understand but it happens. When you think about it though, we're trying to consume higher fat foods to enhance ribavirin absorption and those types of foods tend to stick the ribs more. You have to be careful after treatment because it's easy to pack the pounds on and cholesterol shoots up with many too.
I have been seeing a regular neurologist to see if she can treat my migraines and am currently on 150 mg. of Zonisamide every night to try to help that, but I am also working with Dr. Gardner at UPMC, who is a Chiari specialist. He believes it is best to eliminate all other possibilities before actually resorting to surgery to treat the Chiari, which I respect. I go back for a 6 month follow-up MRI and consult with Dr. Gardner next week.
Hair loss is actually reasonably common after weight loss surgery, believed to be related to fewer calories taken in and calories being directed toward the organ systems that need them. Hair unfortunately loses out. The exact cause is not entirely understood, and so the treatment is a bit more difficult to determine. Most doctors agree that it tends to be temporary and improves once the body re-equilibrates after the initial period of significant weight loss has ended.
Medical marijuana is often recommended as an appetitite/weight stimulate for those on treatment. There is also another drug, Megace,, but the weight gain is almost entirely fat, but it is an option. You can also try caloric dense weight-gain products like Ensure and Prosure. You could also add some ice cream to the prosure or Ensure if she can tolerate.
on treatment but I was told to eat to maintain weight and like yourself I realized that if my weight loss continued then I might be pulled from treatment. At one point the weight loss was so significant (close to 40 pounds) that the doc was talking injections of anerbolic steroids and/or testosterone supplementation. Fortunately, my weight leveled off due to a combination of eating more calories and also probably just finding a new "set point" for my altered metabolism on treatment.
Recommended
