[quote=PaulB]...nutrient deprivation, which can be gained back, unlike metabolially from cachexia. [/quote]

This pretty much what I have been hearing for a couple of years to the point I was "beyond recovery" according to the docs. I DID reverse the cachexia and the other night I stumbled across why it stopped. I was choking on sputum/mucous as my body is in this strange mode of secretions from the lungs and esophagus. It is indicative of motor neuron disease/ALS and I choke on it since I can't swallow it and I can't breathe because it plugs up the airway or the lungs. When nebulizing wouldn't clear it out in December and I didn't think I would make it through the night I just took a swig of N-Acetylcysteine and it cleared everything from mouth to tail. This just happens to be cachexia treatment and I knew I started gaining weight within a day or two. I also did a few things to try and reverse the fight or flight cycle/oxidative stress. I felt better every day since. Struggling with breathing a swallowing right now but I am more convinced every day it is a vagus nerve issue versus autonomic nervous system. I also learned that one of the risks of a laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication is damage to the vagus nerves with as many as 10% of the procedures causing this. When I was going to the dysphasia clinic there were a bunch of Nissen patients with complications. The issues that can arise include compromised breathing, swallowing, cachexia and heart/bp fluctuations.

Now I am sort of out of the fog, I just wanted to update the discussion.