I don't have all the answers to all this either, in regards to Mike. I will say, and in fairness to him, he did say multiple times he would not compete if it meant dying. OTH, he seems a little too optimistic in thinking he can compete again, at a high level, if his EF improved to 55% or above. I know there is some debate going on here about this, but there is no way in heck I would ever suggest he compete again. He can still get in great shape and use low dose trt (or lower), but his days of competing as a pro should be over, and I don't mean that as him not being able to do it mentally and physically, but his heart is now a weak link, and it will always be a weak link due to what maldorf state....at some point he had a healthy heart, he abused AAS/slin/HGH (not saying bad like some, but way above average or safe doses) to get where he was at, and he will not be able to do that anymore. That part that got him where he is at cannot be followed. I think he may be able to get more from less...ie Dusty Hanshaw and others (not saying I know what they take either), but who knows. It's still to be seen if whether or not he will even be able to continue training as hard as he has been, which the doctor is unaware of. I'm not saying he can't, I believe John Meadows is back to training hard now, but each case can be different, and it's an unknown until hopefully approved by a qualified physician/specialist, imo. There is no way he should try to gain weight/mass at this point, it would be counter-productive to his heart health, he needs to downsize for better health and longevity. If he cannot continue to gain size, which was his weak link against other pros, he will not be productive at those ranks. Furthermore, more drugs are needed during prep than off-season, to off-set catabolism. If he can't do either (gain size and use more during prep), he needs to wake-up and be responsible for his health, rather than a statistic for the grave. He can be a positive influence still at this point, be on hopefully some dose of trt, and still look great.
He seems like a good guy, and it sounds like he has a good family. There is so much more to life than bodybuilding, even if it was your full-time job. Not saying anything else will give him that "high" feeling of being on that stage and looking like a freak, so he will need to find that part to help fulfill himself.
I think he blames Milos, and i'm just guessing here so take it with a grain of salt, by how he felt. I think he was eating so much and gained weight and would be out of breath breathing harder, kind of like everybody else who is going for size and breaths hard or trying to tie their shoes and shit, etc.....and feels that is when things went wrong. Whether that is the case, following Milos's protocols, or not, he is just guessing based on how he feels. I think it's kind of weird he goes after Milos 2 years later though. He also had the heart problem in Feb of 2020, yet waits to come out until April of 2021 to say anything....just seems fishy to me. There are too many variables involved to say exactly what caused him to develop cardiomyopathy.
Was it the heavy AAS use from prior years? The quick weight gain with slin? His elevated BP...how long was it high before he was scripted meds? Did he already have some underlying issue putting him more at risk? I don't have that answer....but maybe, like I stated initially, it was a combo of multiple issues...dunno.
Also, and maybe some of you guys who have a stronger cardiology background can give your thoughts? What would be the chances that his allergic reaction to the GHRP-2 caused the cardiomyopathy? There was a member I knew at AFBoard years back, 2008-10, I think his name was bikercoz, who had an allergic reaction to a medication and it effected his heart and he ended up with cardiomyopathy and a low ejection fraction. I can't remember the specifics at this point, he mentioned that the cardiologists involved stated he was fine until the allergic reaction, and noted it as the cause. That board is no longer up, and I haven't seen that member around in a long time, but remember him discussing the issue. Thoughts??? This question will probably be lost in all m y jibberish above it, lol....maybe i'll repost this part of my post/question if it gets no replies