Back after a long hiatus... my heart failure story.

[TODouble2]

Hey guys. good to be back on the board.. thanks to the mods for allowing me back.. and thanks to nothuman for his help.. Just wanted to share my story since i had been reading some stuff on here about other guys in similar situations.. and it helped me through it. its great to have a community like this.. since its hard to find anyone with a similar mindframe to talk to about this stuff. anyway here it goes.,..

Currently 39 years old. i was diagnosed with severe heart failure back in February... Ejection Fraction 20-25. Severely dilated cardiomyopathy. All that good stuff. Ive come to realize i was walking around with very high blood pressure for many years. roughly 170/110 sometimes higher. Cadiac cath test showed pretty much no plaque in arteries so thats good.

i was put on meds of course.. i did a drastic lifestyle change and went back for another echo 3 months later and my heart was pretty much back to normal which is amazing. they couldn't believe how fast i recovered, so i thought id share what i did. EF was now at 55-60 and heart borderline normal size!

Steroids:
I wasn't going crazy with gear as of lately. but i cut out the growth and stopped the little bit of NPP i was on for joints.
Stayed on only 100mg Test cyp weekly split into two 50mg shots. Test showed my levels in the 700s 3 days after injection.

Meds:
Amlodipine 10mg
Carvedilol 12.5mg
Entresto gradually raised to the highest dose
Pravastatin (i forget the mgs)
Ezitimibe 10mg (this was added later after the recovery to help control LDL)

Supplements: (i'll only list the ones specifically for heart failure)
D Ribose 10g
Taurine 4g
Ubiquinol 400-800mg depending if i remember to take that much daily
Magnesium Taurate 400mg
Pycnogenol 100mg
Himalaya Arjuna 1 caplet
Fish oil


Diet/Lifestyle
Cardio every day with an occasional miss 30-45 min low to med intensity nothing crazy
Weights 15-20 reps stopping a rep or two before failure
Control sodium to an extent
Cut out sugars (this actually wasn't even recommended by doctors since they don't know shit about actually diet and health)
Generally ate healthier but did not limit red meat like they suggest. if i go to a restaurant, you can't tell me there's anything healthier than a nice steak with baked potatoes and vegetable.
Alcohol - i like to drink, i didn't quit completely, but i limited it to no more than one or two a few times a week. no getting drunk of course.

Also, took TB500. i believe it was 2.5mg twice a week. I read about TB and heart remodeling, and i wonder if it was a driving factor in my quick recovery but who knows.. i will say the cardiologists were very surprised at how fast i recovered.


After the echo showing improvement, i slowly began living a little more normal.. eating what i want a bit more, not watching sodium as much, if my friends go out i'll go also and not be afraid to eat and drink and enjoy myself, sometimes taking a day or two off the cardio.... i had another echo after months of this more lax lifestyle and it was consistent with the last one. normal size and function. EF 55-60...

So it seems the meds are working great and really keeping my heart where it needs to be, even when i let off the gas a little with the lifestyle and diet stuff.

So thats my story...

Also, i'd love to hear some opinions from people on whether or not i'm crazy for wanting to take a few ius of GH again. and occasionally taking a little something more than 100mg of test. (no crazy high doses at all.) I did lose a bit of size and don't feel like myself at all. And im pretty sure the overwhelming factor in this was the high blood pressure for years.

 

[danieltx]

Great job making such a recovery! Guys don't appreciate what an asset @nothuman is with his health knowledge and personal experience. And a great contribution here from you sharing details on what you did.

 

[TODouble2]

Great job making such a recovery! Guys don't appreciate what an asset @nothuman is with his health knowledge and personal experience. And a great contribution here from you sharing details on what you did.

I agree he is. And this forum as a whole really is the best when it comes to health in this lifestyle.

 

[slesh]

Welcome back!

 

[aHarness]

Welcome back. Great recovery.

As far as the gh, I’d just watch BP and RHR if you add it.

Curious was Ubiqionol brand as well as pycnogenol brand? Would be nice to hear the fish oil dose as well.

 

[SouthernMuscle]

Hey guys. good to be back on the board.. thanks to the mods for allowing me back.. and thanks to nothuman for his help.. Just wanted to share my story since i had been reading some stuff on here about other guys in similar situations.. and it helped me through it. its great to have a community like this.. since its hard to find anyone with a similar mindframe to talk to about this stuff. anyway here it goes.,..

Currently 39 years old. i was diagnosed with severe heart failure back in February... Ejection Fraction 20-25. Severely dilated cardiomyopathy. All that good stuff. Ive come to realize i was walking around with very high blood pressure for many years. roughly 170/110 sometimes higher. Cadiac cath test showed pretty much no plaque in arteries so thats good.

i was put on meds of course.. i did a drastic lifestyle change and went back for another echo 3 months later and my heart was pretty much back to normal which is amazing. they couldn't believe how fast i recovered, so i thought id share what i did. EF was now at 55-60 and heart borderline normal size!

Steroids:
I wasn't going crazy with gear as of lately. but i cut out the growth and stopped the little bit of NPP i was on for joints.
Stayed on only 100mg Test cyp weekly split into two 50mg shots. Test showed my levels in the 700s 3 days after injection.

Meds:
Amlodipine 10mg
Carvedilol 12.5mg
Entresto gradually raised to the highest dose
Pravastatin (i forget the mgs)
Ezitimibe 10mg (this was added later after the recovery to help control LDL)

Supplements: (i'll only list the ones specifically for heart failure)
D Ribose 10g
Taurine 4g
Ubiquinol 400-800mg depending if i remember to take that much daily
Magnesium Taurate 400mg
Pycnogenol 100mg
Himalaya Arjuna 1 caplet
Fish oil


Diet/Lifestyle
Cardio every day with an occasional miss 30-45 min low to med intensity nothing crazy
Weights 15-20 reps stopping a rep or two before failure
Control sodium to an extent
Cut out sugars (this actually wasn't even recommended by doctors since they don't know shit about actually diet and health)
Generally ate healthier but did not limit red meat like they suggest. if i go to a restaurant, you can't tell me there's anything healthier than a nice steak with baked potatoes and vegetable.
Alcohol - i like to drink, i didn't quit completely, but i limited it to no more than one or two a few times a week. no getting drunk of course.

Also, took TB500. i believe it was 2.5mg twice a week. I read about TB and heart remodeling, and i wonder if it was a driving factor in my quick recovery but who knows.. i will say the cardiologists were very surprised at how fast i recovered.


After the echo showing improvement, i slowly began living a little more normal.. eating what i want a bit more, not watching sodium as much, if my friends go out i'll go also and not be afraid to eat and drink and enjoy myself, sometimes taking a day or two off the cardio.... i had another echo after months of this more lax lifestyle and it was consistent with the last one. normal size and function. EF 55-60...

So it seems the meds are working great and really keeping my heart where it needs to be, even when i let off the gas a little with the lifestyle and diet stuff.

So thats my story...

Also, i'd love to hear some opinions from people on whether or not i'm crazy for wanting to take a few ius of GH again. and occasionally taking a little something more than 100mg of test. (no crazy high doses at all.) I did lose a bit of size and don't feel like myself at all. And im pretty sure the overwhelming factor in this was the high blood pressure for years.

apologies if i missed it but what was the cause of the high BP

 

[bbxtreme]

Glad you’re back and healthy. Appreciate you sharing this as it shows just how resilient the body is when you make changes to your lifestyle.

Much respect as most people who got your diagnosis would not have done what you did and become a victim of circumstance.

 

[LK3]

Hey guys. good to be back on the board.. thanks to the mods for allowing me back.. and thanks to nothuman for his help.. Just wanted to share my story since i had been reading some stuff on here about other guys in similar situations.. and it helped me through it. its great to have a community like this.. since its hard to find anyone with a similar mindframe to talk to about this stuff. anyway here it goes.,..

Currently 39 years old. i was diagnosed with severe heart failure back in February... Ejection Fraction 20-25. Severely dilated cardiomyopathy. All that good stuff. Ive come to realize i was walking around with very high blood pressure for many years. roughly 170/110 sometimes higher. Cadiac cath test showed pretty much no plaque in arteries so thats good.

i was put on meds of course.. i did a drastic lifestyle change and went back for another echo 3 months later and my heart was pretty much back to normal which is amazing. they couldn't believe how fast i recovered, so i thought id share what i did. EF was now at 55-60 and heart borderline normal size!

Steroids:
I wasn't going crazy with gear as of lately. but i cut out the growth and stopped the little bit of NPP i was on for joints.
Stayed on only 100mg Test cyp weekly split into two 50mg shots. Test showed my levels in the 700s 3 days after injection.

Meds:
Amlodipine 10mg
Carvedilol 12.5mg
Entresto gradually raised to the highest dose
Pravastatin (i forget the mgs)
Ezitimibe 10mg (this was added later after the recovery to help control LDL)

Supplements: (i'll only list the ones specifically for heart failure)
D Ribose 10g
Taurine 4g
Ubiquinol 400-800mg depending if i remember to take that much daily
Magnesium Taurate 400mg
Pycnogenol 100mg
Himalaya Arjuna 1 caplet
Fish oil


Diet/Lifestyle
Cardio every day with an occasional miss 30-45 min low to med intensity nothing crazy
Weights 15-20 reps stopping a rep or two before failure
Control sodium to an extent
Cut out sugars (this actually wasn't even recommended by doctors since they don't know shit about actually diet and health)
Generally ate healthier but did not limit red meat like they suggest. if i go to a restaurant, you can't tell me there's anything healthier than a nice steak with baked potatoes and vegetable.
Alcohol - i like to drink, i didn't quit completely, but i limited it to no more than one or two a few times a week. no getting drunk of course.

Also, took TB500. i believe it was 2.5mg twice a week. I read about TB and heart remodeling, and i wonder if it was a driving factor in my quick recovery but who knows.. i will say the cardiologists were very surprised at how fast i recovered.


After the echo showing improvement, i slowly began living a little more normal.. eating what i want a bit more, not watching sodium as much, if my friends go out i'll go also and not be afraid to eat and drink and enjoy myself, sometimes taking a day or two off the cardio.... i had another echo after months of this more lax lifestyle and it was consistent with the last one. normal size and function. EF 55-60...

So it seems the meds are working great and really keeping my heart where it needs to be, even when i let off the gas a little with the lifestyle and diet stuff.

So thats my story...

Also, i'd love to hear some opinions from people on whether or not i'm crazy for wanting to take a few ius of GH again. and occasionally taking a little something more than 100mg of test. (no crazy high doses at all.) I did lose a bit of size and don't feel like myself at all. And im pretty sure the overwhelming factor in this was the high blood pressure for years.

hey bud,

i dont think you are crazy for wanting to add more. limiting and staying away form gear has been one of the hardest drug decisions that i have had to make. i feel like in this area on the board we have far more bad examples then good.

i had a heart attack a bit more then a year ago. 2 procedures 7 stents and i still have a blocked artery. mine were all clogged up. dropped 10-15kg fast and have been working at recomping at new lower weight sine. i do lots of cardio, i try for 4x wk am for an hr, i run 10km 2x week and gym 4x with half hr walking before and after. i need to do another eco but last i was almost in normal range and i have been working real hard since. lots of diet changes to lower cholesterol. i had been cutting way back on alcohol the previous years, this past was the least since i started drinking which as like age 13. drastically cut back all my other drug consumption too.


i have stayed between 70-140mg test since. kind of following emerics info on that minus humanofort. i noticed previously that when i crossed 180mg of test my cardio took a hit. docs felt my issues were mostly genetic and related to tobacco and drug use not so much aas but i know it came into play. im doing my best to not take anything more then 20mg t ed. i know for me small doses of peptides and gh add 10lbs fast to my weight so i have stayed and plan to stay away.

good luck with everything!

 

[jcc80]

hey bud,

i dont think you are crazy for wanting to add more. limiting and staying away form gear has been one of the hardest drug decisions that i have had to make. i feel like in this area on the board we have far more bad examples then good.

i had a heart attack a bit more then a year ago. 2 procedures 7 stents and i still have a blocked artery. mine were all clogged up. dropped 10-15kg fast and have been working at recomping at new lower weight sine. i do lots of cardio, i try for 4x wk am for an hr, i run 10km 2x week and gym 4x with half hr walking before and after. i need to do another eco but last i was almost in normal range and i have been working real hard since. lots of diet changes to lower cholesterol. i had been cutting way back on alcohol the previous years, this past was the least since i started drinking which as like age 13. drastically cut back all my other drug consumption too.


i have stayed between 70-140mg test since. kind of following emerics info on that minus humanofort. i noticed previously that when i crossed 180mg of test my cardio took a hit. docs felt my issues were mostly genetic and related to tobacco and drug use not so much aas but i know it came into play. im doing my best to not take anything more then 20mg t ed. i know for me small doses of peptides and gh add 10lbs fast to my weight so i have stayed and plan to stay away.

good luck with everything!

Did not know that about you. Hope you're OK.

 

[LK3]

Did not know that about you. Hope you're OK.

thanks bud!
im all good!
i never stopped moving after it happened. i had some other health issues in the past few years that put me on my back for a while so i learned form that no down time, or limit as much as possible.
didnt really say much about it as i wanted to figure things out first.
ive done tons of stupid shit, its all my fault. live n learn i just working on my personal evolution.
nice of you to say!

 

[Bio]

@TODouble2 What I'm about to say isn't to beat you up but it makes me sad when I hear guys having health issues due to high blood pressure. It's been discussed on the forum for many years now and it's one of the easiest things to monitor and control!

I hope this is a teachable moment for any of you out there that still aren't checking BP. Stop being stupid and/or lazy!! For those of you that may be unaware of this thread/sticky, here it is and number one on the list is BP!!

https://www.professionalmuscle.com/forums/index.php?threads/the-definitive-health-thread.168881/

TOD2 I'm glad to hear you're doing well and I hope your health remains a priority!

 

[TODouble2]

Welcome back. Great recovery.

As far as the gh, I’d just watch BP and RHR if you add it.

Curious was Ubiqionol brand as well as pycnogenol brand? Would be nice to hear the fish oil dose as well.

I use the Qunol brand as it seems to be the best priced legit ubiquinol. I forget the fish oil dose and brand honestly. It was an extremely high dose or anything. Just a few caps.

 

[bbxtreme]

Welcome back. Great recovery.

As far as the gh, I’d just watch BP and RHR if you add it.

Curious was Ubiqionol brand as well as pycnogenol brand? Would be nice to hear the fish oil dose as well.

Life Extension makes a good Pycnogenol.

Agreed with @TODouble2 on Qunol. And is great because it’s 200mg per softgel.

 

[TODouble2]

@TODouble2 What I'm about to say isn't to beat you up but it makes me sad when I hear guys having health issues due to high blood pressure. It's been discussed on the forum for many years now and it's one of the easiest things to monitor and control!

I hope this is a teachable moment for any of you out there that still aren't checking BP. Stop being stupid and/or lazy!! For those of you that may be unaware of this thread/sticky, here it is and number one on the list is BP!!

https://www.professionalmuscle.com/forums/index.php?threads/the-definitive-health-thread.168881/

TOD2 I'm glad to hear you're doing well and I hope your health remains a priority!

The issue with me was I had a primary doctor that always told me “ahh they aren’t using a large enough cuff on your arm; it’s not that high.” So I wrote it off. But every time I went to an urgent care or some other doctor, they told me my BP was high. My primary doc passed away a few years back, and I procrastinated on finding a new doctor I was comfortable with. So after a few years I finally did, and she sounded the alarm on this. Sent me immediately for an echo and referred me to a cardiologist. If I had waited much longer, I really think I would have dropped dead randomly one day at a young age. I’m very high-strung in general.

 

[danieltx]

@TODouble2 What I'm about to say isn't to beat you up but it makes me sad when I hear guys having health issues due to high blood pressure. It's been discussed on the forum for many years now and it's one of the easiest things to monitor and control!

I hope this is a teachable moment for any of you out there that still aren't checking BP. Stop being stupid and/or lazy!! For those of you that may be unaware of this thread/sticky, here it is and number one on the list is BP!!

https://www.professionalmuscle.com/forums/index.php?threads/the-definitive-health-thread.168881/

TOD2 I'm glad to hear you're doing well and I hope your health remains a priority!

Seconding this so more guys see it.

Prescription blood pressure medications are some of the cheapest pharmaceutical drugs out there - guys have no excuse for not taking one if needed.

Life Extension makes a good Pycnogenol.

Agreed with @TODouble2 on Qunol. And is great because it’s 200mg per softgel.

That's what I've used for years on @DOGGCRAPP's recommendation.

 

[TODouble2]

apologies if i missed it but what was the cause of the high BP

Not sure honestly. Maybe genetic - my father had high BP. We never got to the root of it, but all I know is if I forget to take my pills in the morning, my BP will be high up to 160/100 that day. Crazy just one miss and it shoots back up.

 

[TODouble2]

Life Extension makes a good Pycnogenol.

Agreed with @TODouble2 on Qunol. And is great because it’s 200mg per softgel.

Yes life extension is the brand I took.. one bottle of that and I think I got a bottle of source naturals next because it was on sale. But made sure it was legit and not just pine bark extract.. in case there’s a difference I wasn’t sure.

 

[TODouble2]

Another thing I’ll also add is this. I had weird symptoms for a long time that I would have never guessed were my heart. Shortness of breath and weakness in the legs.

I thought the short breath was anxiety, and the legs issue I thought I was developing knee problems. So I stopped training legs awhile ago because I knew something didn’t feel right. People said I was making excuses not to do legs. Moral of the story is trust your gut when something doesn’t feel right. I’ve ignored many things thinking it was somewhat normal when it was far from it.

 

[Reload]

TODouble2 your story is eerily familiar and your current meds are very similar to what I'm presently taking. In my case it's AFib that's driving my heart failure. 2 cardioversions so far and a catheter ablation scheduled in a few weeks. Like you I've had hypertension since 2013. Been on many different meds. Cardiologist pulled me off Amlodipine interestingly. Said it's a bad choice with heart failure. Currently on Entresto 49/51 2x/day along with Carvedilol 12.5mg 2x/day. On Eliquis 5mg twice daily and Amiodorone 200mg/daily for the AFib.
My EF was 20-25% about a week after my first cardioversion. Follow up ECHO after the second and about 3 weeks of being in sinus rhythm showed my EF had improved to 40-45%. Recently diagnosed with mod/severe OSA. I suspect I've had it for years. Actually love my new CPAP (shout out to danieltx!). Also had Covid about a month prior to this all starting?
I've just been walking/stairs for cardio 3-4x/wk. Lost about 15 lbs now. Less meat, no coffee, more veggies. A single beer 2-3x/wk No hormones at all in prep for this ablation. Doc wants me to stay away from Fish Oil for now due to the Eliquis. Only supps are Mag Glycinate and Qunol. Heart CT on the 18th. Labs on the 23rd. Ablation on New Years Eve 8:00am. Fingers crossed.

 

[aHarness]

@TODouble2 What I'm about to say isn't to beat you up but it makes me sad when I hear guys having health issues due to high blood pressure. It's been discussed on the forum for many years now and it's one of the easiest things to monitor and control!

I hope this is a teachable moment for any of you out there that still aren't checking BP. Stop being stupid and/or lazy!! For those of you that may be unaware of this thread/sticky, here it is and number one on the list is BP!!

https://www.professionalmuscle.com/forums/index.php?threads/the-definitive-health-thread.168881/

TOD2 I'm glad to hear you're doing well and I hope your health remains a priority!

I just want to echo this. It’s easy to check, and especially now a days it’s easy to control. No excuse.