I would like to update you on the Pentoxifylline (Trental) / Alpha-Tocopherol (Vit E) regimen. I started about 3 weeks ago with 400 mg/400IU respectively 3 x daily. I began noticing within the first 24 hours a lot of the veins in my left arm and hand swelling up. They have shrunk considerably over the past 2 years in particular. I believe this is because of serum calcium levels around 10.8-10.9 for many months. One plus for the above regimen is clearing calcium plaque from veins. The muscles between my thumb and forefinger on the left hand increased in size. It is hard to tell if there is a net gain because other muscles in the arm and hand have atrophied.

The left SCM has turned to hard fibrous strands. This area became slightly softer but more supple. I was able to have these muscles stretched out for more neck range of motion than experienced in the last 4-5 years. My quadriceps and other upper leg muscles have become hard like tendons. I have been working them very hard for this year. I have been able to stretch them extremely well and I also increased the weight I leg press by 100 lbs in the second week using the regimen. My legs have gained significant bulk but I did not measure the girth before.

In the first week I increased my time on the stationary bike by an hour and from 22 miles to 41 miles. I don't know I can positively attribute the gains too the drug regimen. I also loaded lots of carbs and potassium before the workout for 24 hours. Nothing else was done, however.

One interesting caution was the side effects from day one. I noticed an irregular heartbeat, heart racing, increased blood pressure and increased heart rate. Also, slight dizziness and orthostatic hypotension. Rapid movement of eyes causes blurred vision as if the optic nerves can't adjust the clarity fast enough. The same feeling of muscle confusion occurs in the left hand and arm and both legs and may just be progression of the disorder.

At my doctor's request I backed down the frequency to twice daily. Within 24 hours I noticed significant reversal of all the gains with worse fine motor skills in the left hand which leads me to believe it is progression. I increased the frequency to 3 x daily and everything was restored.

My left calf starts reducing in size and if I exercise it I can see the increase in bulk. I can maintain the size without additional conditioning for 3-4 days. When I reduced the frequency from 3 a day to 2, the calf began shrinking within hours.

I am currently scheduling HBOT to try and regenerate marrow production in all cervical vertebrae to reduce the risk of radio osteonecrosis of the spine. The increased vascular supply in combination with the above regimen is expected to increase blood flow to the vertebrae.