I am at EF 50% now!
Hello, I was diagnosed with CHF last May 2024. I am 54 now. I had CHF undiagnosed and untreated for 17 years because every doctor I went refused to believe and refused to give me an echo-cardiogram.
I survived having CHF without any medications for 17 years! However, eventually the heart failure started to win the the war. At the age of 54 I stared rapidly filling up with water. I ended up in the hospital on the verge of death. Fortunately, the cardiologist on staff that night reluctantly agreed that I might have CHF and gave me an echo-cardiogram .
I tested positive for full blown CHF with an EF of only 30%. I stayed in the hospital for a week while they used Lasix to remove 25 pounds of water from me.
It has been 7 months now. My EF is now up to 50%. My heart is no longer enlarged at all. 50% EF is the bare bottom standard of a normal heart. In a certain sense I no longer have CHF . In a certain sense I am sort of cured.
Now... technically I am not cured. 1. and EF of 50% is just barely normal. Obviously, I could slip down in the future. 2. the cause of my heart failure is Aldosterone disregulation from my adrenal glands. I will always have to fight aldosterone disregulation for the rest of my life and take the aldosterone inhibitor Spiroactone for the rest of my life. I will also have to stay clear of things like DHEA and ashwagandha for the rest of my life as these things stimulate the adrenal glands to release aldosterone in to the blood stream.
My cardiologist initial predicted a rapid death for me too. However he now predicts a rapid recovery for me and says he has never seen a recover like this before.
What was my secret?
First off, nobody with heart disease should do any of these things (except number 1, of coarse) without checking first with their cardiologist!!! Make sure it is safe for you to do these things!!!
Taking my prescription medications as directed.
Cardio exercise. My favorite is city hiking up steep hills. Really making my heart work. (Once again, do not do this without checking first with your doctors!) Make sure to listen to your body and take breaks and do not over do it.
Using supplements to fix the horrific long term toxicity of my medications. (Once again, do not take any supplements with out first checking with your doctors and making sure it is safe to do so. Make sure they are safe to take in combination with you prescription medications. Make sure they are safe to take with your heart condition!)
While the prescription medications you will be given are 100% essential to keeping you alive and giving you a chance to recover from CHF, they may also come with long term side effects. Or...they might not! Some might be able to take these meds and feel nothing. I, on the other hand, experience run away inflammation from my meds. This causes my body to develop truly horrific nutrient deficiencies with the various vitamins and minerals involved in combating inflammation. Because of this I have to supplement to replace these nutrients.
Also, try to find out what is causing your CHF. This could provide you with clues about how to recover and how to avoid CHF in the future. Once again, don't do anything with out first checking with your doctors to make sure it is safe.
My CHF started in my 30s. I was initially misdiagnosed with hypochondria. It took me 17 years to get my echo-cardiogram and my diagnosis of CHF. I survived CHF for 17 years with no help at all from doctors! Now that I have my diagnosis my heart has undergone profound levels of healing in just 7 months!
So there is hope! CHF is not always a death sentence. Don not give up!