Why am I getting Lipo?

[egello]

I am not on anything that is suppose to cause Lipo or P/N

Is it Norvir as a booster for Reyataz that is causing this?

Why am i getting stage 1 Lipo?/??

Does high cheekbone have anythign to do with anything?

[Catman]

Remember, this can be caused by the meds (as Norvir, which I also take) and it can be the virus itself or just plain age and family tendency to have sunken cheeks. In my case it began slowly but progressed once I became "undetectable" to the virus. I did get a facial filling because lipo really gave me an unhealthy appearance in spite of me feeling great and full of pep! Browse through the previous posts here and check out everyone's opinion. I don't think your high cheekbones have anything to do with it.

[Miss Philicia]

I really think it's all the weight loss from your PCP, not wasting.  Of course, I could be wrong.  Anyway, there's not way to answer your specific questions without a picture.

[bobino]

Egello,

HIV alone can cause lipo.  I'm not on any antiretroviral drugs at all and I never have been, yet I have lipo.  The condition varies enormously from person to person.  Some people develop it just from HIV infection.  Others get it only after they start meds.  Some take meds for a while with no lipo problems but develop it later.  There's no way to tell, really.  At the moment, there isn't even an accepted definition of what lipo is, much less any clear idea of what causes it.  So I'm afraid there's not much to be done about it.

John

[Miss Philicia]

Wasting is not the same as lipo.  It's too separate issues.  It could very well be the former, he just said he had PCP and a severe weight drop due to illness.  Seems rather obvious to me.  Why obsess over lipo prematurely?  I don't understand this.

[jkinatl2]

Have you been diagnosed with lipo?

[egello]

no, but i can see it... my belly is getting bigger not from fat around it, but from inside, i still see some shadow on my cheek, yet i weigh 5 lb heavier than i have ever been before.

[Miss Philicia]

$10 you doctor will say it's simple weight loss and then gaining some back from the PCP.  Stop self-diagnosing when you don't really know the issues yet that would be my advice, because you will drive yourself crazy, start having mental issues, and end up with chronic panic attacks.

Just some simple advice when you've been recently diagnosed.

[bobino]

Egello,

I agree with philly267 that your doctor will probably tell you that it's weight loss.  Unfortunately, your doctor could well be wrong.  That's exactly what my doctor told me when I explained to him that I was having peripheral fat loss but my weight was staying the same.  He simply couldn't bring himself to believe that someone like me could possibly have lipo.  I was relatively newly infected, had never been on meds, have really good numbers, and had no infections.  People like me aren't "supposed" to have lipo, so my doctor simply refused to believe me, at least at first.

Now, my weight is about five pounds *higher* than when this whole process started.  I've gained about two inches on my waist.  But my hands have lost so much fat that I can't open jars or twist off bottle caps without a lot of discomfort.  I've lost the fat pads on the bottoms of my feet and have had to put inserts in all my shoes so that I can stand and walk without pain.  My face is much thinner, and people are constantly asking me if I've lost weight, and this is despite thousands of dollars worth of Sculptra injections. 

My essential point is this:  I can't say whether or not you have lipo without actually seeing what you look like now versus what you looked like before.  You may or may not be experiencing the condition.  But you should not categorically *exclude* the possibility that you're seeing lipo symptoms.  It can happen to people at all different stages of HIV infection.  And according to an article on thebody.com, HIV patients are far more accurate at detecting the early signs of lipo than their doctors are.  (This isn't surprising.  After all, who knows better what you look like than you?)  So trust what your own eyes and nerve endings tell you. 

There is not much that can be done about lipo, so to some extent, determining whether or not you actually have it is an academic exercise.  But in my view, nothing is served by denying that the phenomenon is occurring if, in fact, it is occurring.  And if you're experiencing fat loss, this could be an important consideration in deciding which combination of antiretroviral meds you should take. 

If you need to document this, start taking pictures of yourself once a month.  Make sure the pictures are taken under precisely the same conditions -- lighting, distance from the camera, etc.  (Don't smile, as this makes it harder to see any possible fat loss in your cheeks.)  You can then use the pictures to determine whether you've got facial fat loss.  It was only by doing this that I convinced my doctor that something was up.

Best of luck to you.

John

[egello]

thanks guys,,,

philly, i keep imaginign you to be like those guys on your avatar, and thanks for caring,,, it really means a lot to me

bobino,,,

yeah, i am proba bly obsesing over this too much, you konw, lipo is sort of like getting old relaly fast on young people's body. if you noticed, lipo-like symtoms does happen to relaly old peopel like in their 80 and 90s.

[Miss Philicia]

You're 31.  If it's lipo it won't be due to aging.  I started noticing mine first around age 33 so I know it was not really due to old age.  Now that I'm 42 if it was starting it could be more confusing, plus when mine happened it pretty much was in the span of the first 2 years -- noticeable and quick.

At any rate, if it was simple weight loss from PCP you'll know soon enough as you gain weight back. Why not try and relax some until you allow your body to re-adjust to regaining what was there.

[Pippet]

I lost quite a bit of weight before starting treatment.  I'm 5' 9" and I went from 150 down to 138lbs.   My face looked very gaunt and sunken.  Since I have been taking meds I am back up to 146lbs.  and my face is plumping up a bit.  My husband says he sees a difference, that I'm looking like my old self again.  I , as most are, am my worst critic.

Better days are around the corner,  Pip