[Motor]

I just read in my copy of Paralysis news that Testosterone and Growth Hormones are good for helping repair muscle damage and boosting sex drive. I don't want to be like Roger Clemens and other athletes..LOL. Anyone have info on this.

[erickk12]

i dont know.it i thought about it.sorry i cant help

[Quad65]

Seems a bit of a two-edged sword. The negative side effects may outweigh the potential benefits.

From what I understand, there is an increased risk of kidney damage/disease, heart problems, and testicular shrinkage. Like I don't have enough problems already.

If I'm wrong, I'm willing to be enlightened.

[Texaswheelz]

there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about steroids. If used correctly and under supervision, which is also not against the law, it can do wonderful things. The people you hear about using them(athletes) are normally not using them under the supervision of a Dr, nor are they using them lawfully. In high doses they think it has been linked to those problems listed above and a few others. Of course when it really got the bad press was back in the 80's with Raiders football star Lyle Alzado, who died of brain cancer and himself admitted to abusing steroids and said that they caused his cancer. There has never been anything linking the steroids to his cancer though.

When people are injured, a lot of time steroids are part of the healing process, even some professional athletes have used them while being supervised by a Dr. while rehabbing an major injury. Why do you think that injuries that ended careers or took a year plus to rehab are now seeing athletes return to the playing field in short order?

There is a big difference between the doses and types used by Dr. and what is used by bodybuilders or other high profile athletes with huge heads and muscles that seemed to pack 30 lbs over the off season. The first and major difference is that one is legal and one isn't. The 2nd being that one is for healing and recovery and one isn't.

[nomis]

Increased anger and aggression often goes with increased Testosterone.

[silone74]

Hi motor did you get any gh treatment? also testosterone i would like to see what kind of reaction it has if you have been using them i know anabolic steroids will cause muscle gain and strength but to make you aggresive it has to be high doses of testosterone it may cause water retention depending on the product used but i am going on what i know from bodybuilding on the steroid side of things and the doses used in that are alot higher than you would get from the gp or specialist.
I am very interested though if you have tried any treatments.





Silone74

[City Girl]

I am going to enquire with my physiatrist and PT. I am currently working on muscle strengthening for my left quad. I still use my chair as my primary means of modality but I am walking using forearm crutches because my left quad is so weak. My glutes are like rocks and my right quad is solid but the left is weak, weak, weak. I walk every day and I have an independent muscle strengthening regime but it's just taking sooooo long to recover. I would be interested in something like that but would only want the effects channelled to my weak muscle which, currently, is my left quad. My upper body is buff enough for a woman. I will post the comments from my doctor and therapist.

[Motor]

City Girl, on May 17 2008, 09:09 PM, said:

I am going to enquire with my physiatrist and PT. I am currently working on muscle strengthening for my left quad. I still use my chair as my primary means of modality but I am walking using forearm crutches because my left quad is so weak. My glutes are like rocks and my right quad is solid but the left is weak, weak, weak. I walk every day and I have an independent muscle strengthening regime but it's just taking sooooo long to recover. I would be interested in something like that but would only want the effects channelled to my weak muscle which, currently, is my left quad. My upper body is buff enough for a woman. I will post the comments from my doctor and therapist.

I actually start my testosterone cycle June 1st. I am going on my cruise this week so am weighting till I get back. It will be a 10 week cycle with vitamin B therapy as well. I was turned down for the HGH because I don't fit the requirements. It is allowed by insurance in only a few instances and I am not a case that is covered. I have access to anything I want but will not take them without a doctors supervision.

Richie aka Motor

[silone74]

Hope it al goes well for ya do ya know the doses through out the cycle yet or have ya not been told yet?


Silone74

[City Girl]

Motor, on May 18 2008, 01:11 AM, said:

City Girl, on May 17 2008, 09:09 PM, said:

I am going to enquire with my physiatrist and PT. I am currently working on muscle strengthening for my left quad. I still use my chair as my primary means of modality but I am walking using forearm crutches because my left quad is so weak. My glutes are like rocks and my right quad is solid but the left is weak, weak, weak. I walk every day and I have an independent muscle strengthening regime but it's just taking sooooo long to recover. I would be interested in something like that but would only want the effects channelled to my weak muscle which, currently, is my left quad. My upper body is buff enough for a woman. I will post the comments from my doctor and therapist.

I actually start my testosterone cycle June 1st. I am going on my cruise this week so am weighting till I get back. It will be a 10 week cycle with vitamin B therapy as well. I was turned down for the HGH because I don't fit the requirements. It is allowed by insurance in only a few instances and I am not a case that is covered. I have access to anything I want but will not take them without a doctors supervision.

Richie aka Motor

Hmmm. I wonder if chics can qualify for this? I have excellent insurance but would pay out of pocket if I had to. I'm walking (did 1.5 km yesterday - personal best) but left quad is very weak.

I am a vitamin freak. I take 100 mg of each of the vitamin B's. B's are excellent for energy, metabolism and cell division...hence, muscle growth???

I've got a lean, mean bod. Upper body is totally buff. Can do one arm chin-ups and push ups. Can do floor to chair in secs. Butt is hard now. Right leg is 90%. Left is only at 30% because the left quad is weak. It is more atrophied than my calves. It's strengthening but VERY, VERY slowly. I wonder if this could kick-start? Are you doing injections? Can you focus the steroid to certain areas?

See my PT on Tuesday. Will ask then. Attaching photos of me from August 07 before my accident (September 07). Used to box, dance and do yoga.

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[silone74]

Testoterone is a male hormone when women take testosterone in large ammounts they will start to take on male characteristics like deeper voice,jaw muscle growth but it will build muscle in the same way as a male using it injecting into the thigh on 1 leg would not really make just that muscle grow it gets released over time in the body depending on what testosterone is used but the stats are what i learnt when bodybuilding and steroid use, a high protein diet will help with muscle repair and strentgh its the basic diet for bodybuilders to take in high protein.



Silone74

[City Girl]

silone74, on May 19 2008, 09:52 AM, said:

Testoterone is a male hormone when women take testosterone in large ammounts they will start to take on male characteristics like deeper voice,jaw muscle growth but it will build muscle in the same way as a male using it injecting into the thigh on 1 leg would not really make just that muscle grow it gets released over time in the body depending on what testosterone is used but the stats are what i learnt when bodybuilding and steroid use, a high protein diet will help with muscle repair and strentgh its the basic diet for bodybuilders to take in high protein.

Silone74

Stink! I'm already eating a high protien diet. I shoot for 50% protien, 25% fat, 25 % carbs (mostly from veggies & dairy). I stay away from fruit and starches so the fat just burns as energy. I'm still going to talk to my PT about steroids tomorrow. I'd have no intention of taking 'large amounts'. I just want something to accelerate muscle growth in my left leg.

[Yong]

City Girl, on May 19 2008, 11:26 AM, said:

Stink! I'm already eating a high protien diet. I shoot for 50% protien, 25% fat, 25 % carbs (mostly from veggies & dairy). I stay away from fruit and starches so the fat just burns as energy. I'm still going to talk to my PT about steroids tomorrow. I'd have no intention of taking 'large amounts'. I just want something to accelerate muscle growth in my left leg.

Someone's gotta say it. You're hot. Haha

[silone74]

There are oral steroids that are not so bad called Anavar ( Oxandrolone is its proper name ) it is used by female athletes as most have no effects from the drug other than harder leaner muscle they use it pre contest to keep muscle when dieting and it also helps with fat loss,it is known as one of a few safe steroids to use as it is easy on the system the only thing is it is a short acting steroid so you have to split the doses up through the day and take it every day for a cycle it is not a water retention steroid so it will be lean muscle that is built although it is not a mass builder it will make your strength increase alot ask about it but i dont thing it will be prescribed it is an expensive steroid to buy i am sure there will be some thing that will help i am looking at loads of steroids i am interested in the effects it has on sci people i have used in the past pre injury for bodybuilding but am reluctant to go down that route at the moment it would be good to hear what a specialist thinks on the subject.
As ya already on a high protien diet any steroids taken will be more affective as it will help absorb the protien more effectivley making muscle growth a faster process.

Silone74

[City Girl]

Yong, on May 19 2008, 11:44 AM, said:

City Girl, on May 19 2008, 11:26 AM, said:

Stink! I'm already eating a high protien diet. I shoot for 50% protien, 25% fat, 25 % carbs (mostly from veggies & dairy). I stay away from fruit and starches so the fat just burns as energy. I'm still going to talk to my PT about steroids tomorrow. I'd have no intention of taking 'large amounts'. I just want something to accelerate muscle growth in my left leg.

Someone's gotta say it. You're hot. Haha - GO DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

silone74, on May 19 2008, 01:19 PM, said:

There are oral steroids that are not so bad called Anavar ( Oxandrolone is its proper name ) it is used by female athletes as most have no effects from the drug other than harder leaner muscle they use it pre contest to keep muscle when dieting and it also helps with fat loss,it is known as one of a few safe steroids to use as it is easy on the system the only thing is it is a short acting steroid so you have to split the doses up through the day and take it every day for a cycle it is not a water retention steroid so it will be lean muscle that is built although it is not a mass builder it will make your strength increase alot ask about it but i dont thing it will be prescribed it is an expensive steroid to buy i am sure there will be some thing that will help i am looking at loads of steroids i am interested in the effects it has on sci people i have used in the past pre injury for bodybuilding but am reluctant to go down that route at the moment it would be good to hear what a specialist thinks on the subject.
As ya already on a high protien diet any steroids taken will be more affective as it will help absorb the protien more effectivley making muscle growth a faster process.

Silone74

Thanks for all of this good information. Obviously I'm going to talk to my specialists but do you think that if my right leg is already solid and my left leg is weaker...there is muscle present but I still have atrophy so when the quad is not flexed, it falls and hangs...would the use of steroid just evenly distribute muscle growth such that my arms, abs and right leg would get even bigger and although my left leg would get bigger, it would still remain proportionately smaller than the rest of my muscles which, quite frankly, I don't really want them getting any bigger than they already are.

Given your background, can you recommend any exercises that will focus muscle growth on the left leg? I'm wondering if it is more of a neurological connection thing whereby the messages from my brain to the muscle in the left quad are just not as strong as they are with the right. I have ankle weights and do legs lifts. I use the yoga ball to roll around with the left leg.

Any advice is appreciated.

Best,
~ City Girl ~
Also just wondering about yourself. Motorcycle accident? How long ago? Surgury? Any fusions? T3, T4 & L1. Complete/Incomplete? Any sensation? Any motor function? You don't have to share. Just curious.

[silone74]

Hi the problem will be neurological if it s a spinal injury and if the muscle does not work as it should then the other muscles will grow quicker than that the left but if the muscle started to respond you could concentrate more on that leg if it is strong enough to do leg extensions this will help get the muscle built up to maybe do squats usin your own body weight but as i am not a specialist in the SCI and talking to one would help you understand the signal side of things but when i used to train and had a lagging body part i would start to do some more work on that muscle not over training it but just not training some other stronger muscles until the lagging ones had caught up.But squats are a main thigh builder you can do 1 leg squats if your leg is strong enough?? Lunges will also help with the building of muscle on the legs,and if strong enough leg presses also can be done 1 leg at a time but i would get some advice from the physio on the excersises before doin them i would not want to get ya hurt you might come over an kick my butt lol.

The accident was just under 3 years ago car pulled out and i ended up under a van,had alot of other injuries so the back was left to heal together on its own as more important injuries needed to be dealt with. i have got back some feeling of touch back and have some movment in my right leg and move my toes on my left foot which only happened last month or so,i can feel my butt 2 lol so i know when i need to move off of it.

I hope some of this is going to help and i dont mind talking about my SCI.



Silone74

[City Girl]

So, I asked my PT about steroid use for muscle strengthening...obviously, specific to my recovery...and he didn't feel that it was something I would benefit from. The primary reason being that it does have side effects, one being that it can deplete bone. Since my bones already rate in range between -1.9 and -2.4 (not osteo: -2.5 or greater, but extremely high risk), he thinks it would do more harm than good. Additionally, steroids will often cause one to hold water. I was talking to someone yesterday who is taking steroids for a completely different ailment and has gained 40 lbs in water weight in only three months. Yeeks! Further, despite using local injections, the steroid finds it's way into the blood stream and distributes itself throughout the body. Thus, I'd still end up with one bulky leg and one skinny leg.

So at the end of the day, I will just continue with my exercise regime and wait it out. My PT today rated the muscle strength in my legs and told me that my right is a 5- and my left is a 3-. It's a slow road but I'm getting there. When I left rehab in January they were still telling me that I'd never walk again.

I can't do squats with just the left leg because as soon as the knee bends, I buckle. The quad is simply not strong enough. I can stand on the left leg if the knee is locked, however. We have decided not to brace it at this point because things are still changing. A brace would immobilize the muscle preventing growth and would form a limping habit. I'll reassess at my one year mark. I can do wall sits if both legs are supporting me.

In regard to your accident Silone, it sounds terribly serious. I hope you are not in pain. I was in terrible pain for a long time but turned a corner about a month ago. It's so nice.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions.

[silone74]

Hi yes water retention is a side effect of certain steroids but anavar wont make you hold water it is given to people with aids to stop muscle waisting and children that have muscle waisting disorders but as a pt they will not advise using it not taking any thing from them but they are not experts in steroids and will tell you the side effects of some they do know about there are a few steroids out there that are non toxic to the liver and have no real side effects these are not for building massive muscles but to help keep muscle and increase strength they will help build lean muscle but not in a massive way and they will not make you hold water these are the steroids bodybuilders use before competition so they dont want any water retention but keep all of the gains they made with the strong steroids used before to bulk up, Women use them more than men as they dont cause testosterone build up and cause any masculin side effects to occur.
But at the end of the day it is down to personal choice and researching the whole subject then deciding if it is the right road for you to take.
The accident was a bad 1 smashed all of my ribs on the right side and needed my chest cut open to fix internal damage,i have no real pain now and have come off the pain meds completley now.My ribs are a weird shape on the right now as they where too far apart to heal properly they told me the tissue will form a bridge to the other part between the breaks and then harden up that looks like what has happened.
Hope ya get that leg stronger keep up the good work.


Silone74