A close friend of mine has gastric bypass a few years ago and lost a bunch of weight. She started losing way too much weight, went into the hospital for pnemonia and was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS. She is now 85lbs is lactose intolerant and the wheat based protein drinks are upsetting her stomach as well and is really not interested in eating. I feel like she is giving up and I don't know what to do (short of force-feeding her). Are there any other cases with this combination of factors that could assist in weight gain. She says she is trying, but the evidance says otherwise.

I am assuming she is in the United States.

It would be good for you to talk to her doctor. She may be depressed. Depression is common in people going through challenges like hers. Her appetite may improve if she is depressed and treated with medications like Remeron, an anti-depressant that also increases appetite.

You may also want to talk to her doctor about having her try Oxandrin, a mild anabolic agent that has been shown to increase lean body mass in men and women with HIV. A dose of 10 mg a day is enough for females.

There are whey protein-free supplements like Juven that are very light and easy on the gut. She does not need a prescription for it. It may be found in HIV buyers clubs like the houstonbuyersclub.com

Also, find out what she may be craving. Sometimes when we are sick things tend to taste too salty. Concentrate in high calorie snacks like peanut butter, hummus, nuts, etc

And last but not least, make her laugh. There is nothing better for people than having someone talk about silly things that make them forget about the difficult times they may be going through.

I hope she pulls through. She is lucky to have a friend like you that worries about her.

Let us know how things go, please

Nelson