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

[nothuman]

My EGFR went up 6 points this month, it’s a lot of work but you can fix or repair major organ issues if you really prioritize it, glad you’re healed and staying with it, not complacent and no reason to drop meds with no sides

I’ve had a eGFR go up 9 points in just a few hours doing two lab draws one day (long story). It’s not that meaningful of a test unless it’s really low.

 

[pickapeck]

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!

How old are you LK3? IIRC you are in early 50s?

 

[LK3]

How old are you LK3? IIRC you are in early 50s?

46

 

[SouthernMuscle]

46

Damn I thought you were older too lol
Whoops

 

[Pheedno]

I’ve had a eGFR go up 9 points in just a few hours doing two lab draws one day (long story). It’s not that meaningful of a test unless it’s really low.

I've had eGFR around 77-84 for years. I took an electrolyte packet the morning of my last draw and the Cystatin C came back at .73 with an eGFR at 117.
Can't make sense of that one. I have another draw next week right at the 6 month mark

 

[nothuman]

I've had eGFR around 77-84 for years. I took an electrolyte packet the morning of my last draw and the Cystatin C came back at .73 with an eGFR at 117.
Can't make sense of that one. I have another draw next week right at the 6 month mark

I’ve had a similar dramatic variation in eGFR as well, and not entirely sure why. Obviously, your kidneys are in excellent shape with that Cystatin C number.

Are you taking any SGLT2 like Empagliflozin by any chance? I’m thinking that’s why my eGFR tends to be much higher these days.

 

[Pheedno]

I’ve had a similar dramatic variation in eGFR as well, and not entirely sure why. Obviously, your kidneys are in excellent shape with that Cystatin C number.

Are you taking any SGLT2 like Empagliflozin by any chance? I’m thinking that’s why my eGFR tends to be much higher these days.

No. No supplementation. I was just wondering if acute increases in any one electrolyte might be able to skew the Cystatin C. I'm going to run a blood test 2 days in a row this time. With and without the hydration supplementation but same fluid intake.

 

[nothuman]

No. No supplementation. I was just wondering if acute increases in any one electrolyte might be able to skew the Cystatin C. I'm going to run a blood test 2 days in a row this time. With and without the hydration supplementation but same fluid intake.

If you do, try to update us here if you remember.

 

[LK3]

Damn I thought you were older too lol
Whoops

really i have squeezed a lot into a short time. lol

 

[SouthernMuscle]

really i have squeezed a lot into a short time. lol

Shit I’m not far behind you

 

[jackedsanta]

Welcome back brother

 

[stackdizzy]

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.

I have had chf myself which turned to open heart surgery to replace a Mitral Valve, then a paracardial window, several trips to the ER for afib,, and really low bp. Well surprise I am still alive. They told me if I gained four lbs during the day to go to the ER. Which I never did. I got the ok for test 100mg week at 6 months. After a year I felt normal and upped the dose a bit, quit the low sodium diet as I sweat a lot. I didn't take gh for about 2 years. Its hard for one to say wether GH would be safe. Like the answer Is its fine unless it isn't. If you aren't able to train heavily I personally would not do it as it might make your heart beat faster and put undo strain on your heart causing another episode. I'd hold off on juice as well as why? I'd wait until you can push yourself to up dose/gh personally. Your a young guy I had my heart done at 42 iirc. I am 46 and feel great. I would wait. I know how hard it is, so I won't judge regardless of which you choose. I know it sucks but you'll make it through. Wish you well

 

[nidnoy]

It is hard for us to understand but we are far more than just our physique. It is definitely a part of us and who we are but it is a part of a whole.

To those to whom we matter most, how we look is far less important than who we are and that we are. This can be a tough truth to swallow but also a very freeing one. To believe that my worth is far beyond my physique can take a lot of pressure off of us and allow for some less risky decisions.

 

[TODouble2]

I have had chf myself which turned to open heart surgery to replace a Mitral Valve, then a paracardial window, several trips to the ER for afib,, and really low bp. Well surprise I am still alive. They told me if I gained four lbs during the day to go to the ER. Which I never did. I got the ok for test 100mg week at 6 months. After a year I felt normal and upped the dose a bit, quit the low sodium diet as I sweat a lot. I didn't take gh for about 2 years. It’s hard for one to say whether GH would be safe. Like the answer Is its fine unless it isn't. If you aren't able to train heavily I personally would not do it as it might make your heart beat faster and put undo strain on your heart causing another episode. I'd hold off on juice as well as why? I'd wait until you can push yourself to up dose/gh personally. You’re a young guy I had my heart done at 42 iirc. I am 46 and feel great. I would wait. I know how hard it is, so I won't judge regardless of which you choose. I know it sucks but you'll make it through. Wish you well

Wow great you’re doing OK as well. Sounds like you had more going on than I did for sure though.. my arteries are clear, no other
Issues at all. I really think it was much more the high blood pressure for years than the gear honestly…

And as far as the training I can def push myself, I’ve just been holding myself back just because I think it’s what I’m supposed to be doing. But I just saw the cardiologist again and he doesn’t even need to see me for a year. I’ll still see the HF specialist here and there also though. He didn’t say much as far as restrictions at all. I figure if those meds got me back to normal from where I was at in just 3 months, how could I go backwards on the meds? It’s pretty amazing what they can do.

 

[stackdizzy]

Wow great you’re doing OK as well. Sounds like you had more going on than I did for sure though.. my arteries are clear, no other
Issues at all. I really think it was much more the high blood pressure for years than the gear honestly…

And as far as the training I can def push myself, I’ve just been holding myself back just because I think it’s what I’m supposed to be doing. But I just saw the cardiologist again and he doesn’t even need to see me for a year. I’ll still see the HF specialist here and there also though. He didn’t say much as far as restrictions at all. I figure if those meds got me back to normal from where I was at in just 3 months, how could I go backwards on the meds? It’s pretty amazing what they can do.

Oh dude ok I gotcha yea you know it kinda one of those things you just got to feel man. No one knows your body like you do. If your not seeing him for a year I would think your good to go. That's me just thinking though I mean upside/downside sounds like you want to hear its ok, yea dude I have ran over 1000mgs plus so CD surgery. The day I started back lifting it was 200mg test/deca each. After eight weeks I doubled it and so on. I have ran 10ius growth but I got to do eod as ed makes me so frigging tired. I am 46 the BB dream is long gone....well no it isnt. I really like training man. Sounds like you know what to do. I have no kids or dependents I die in the gym. Well I won't care ill be dead. Hahha

 

[TODouble2]

Oh dude ok I gotcha yea you know it kinda one of those things you just got to feel man. No one knows your body like you do. If you’re not seeing him for a year I would think you’re good to go. That's me just thinking though I mean upside/downside sounds like you want to hear its ok, yea dude I have ran over 1000mgs plus so CD surgery. The day I started back lifting it was 200mg test/deca each. After eight weeks I doubled it and so on. I have ran 10ius growth but I got to do eod as ed makes me so frigging tired. I am 46 the BB dream is long gone....well no it isnt. I really like training man. Sounds like you know what to do. I have no kids or dependents I die in the gym. Well I won't care I’ll be dead. Hahha

Of course I want to hear it’s OK lol

You took that after your heart issues came to light???

I know I don’t need much to look like myself again, I’d be content with something like 300 test, 2-300npp, and few IU of growth.. for 8 weeks or so. Than if I could cruise on 150 test and keep the growth in most of the year I’d be myself again. I notice a big difference just being on 100mg test with no GH.

 

[Dave Perez]

I had a quadruple bypass and a new mitral valve 2 years ago...I. too ignored symptoms. My lvef was 15... I was in intensive care for 3 weeks after the surgery...I'm now 65 and feel it...my ef is up to 35...I still train 3x a week...

 

[marssel]

I’ve had a eGFR go up 9 points in just a few hours doing two lab draws one day (long story). It’s not that meaningful of a test unless it’s really low.

Yea it was 28 for 4 months then it go up to 34 now 36, also the tests are taken same time of day same amount of hydration etc. Yes in someone with undamaged kidneys 8 points is nothing but for me it’s a big deal. I’ve lost over 50lbs so far bc health trumps how big I am. Yes I coukd get dehydrated and it drop but this was a big deal for myself and my doc.

 

[aHarness]

Yea it was 28 for 4 months then it go up to 34 now 36, also the tests are taken same time of day same amount of hydration etc. Yes in someone with undamaged kidneys 8 points is nothing but for me it’s a big deal. I’ve lost over 50lbs so far bc health trumps how big I am. Yes I coukd get dehydrated and it drop but this was a big deal for myself and my doc.

Are you on any pharmaceuticals?

 

[marssel]

Are you on any pharmaceuticals?

Amplodimine 1.25 mg
Diazepam 10mg