probwhite wrote: I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure caused by Restrictive Cardiomyopathy with an ejection fraction of 15! I've done the research and understand what I'm facing. My cardiologist has prescribed a plethora of meds and a bleak future.
Back in 2009 I was diagnosed with Takotsubo Syndrome - stress cardiomyopathy, a rare disorder that was just discovered about 20 or so years before in Japan. During the cardiac cath I was told by the doc my arteries were as clear as a 10 year old's, so I had the McDougall food plan to thank for that. He said it would help recovery tremendously having a good blood supply going to the heart, just as a good blood supply to a broken bones helps it heal faster. When I started cardiac rehab a few days later, the nurses had no idea what to do for me, since I didn't have a traditional "heart attack" and my labs and vital signs were fine, just that my left ventricle was ballooned out and my EF was low on the cath (around 20, I was told). I did my 12 weeks, or however long it was, but by the second week I was already doing to maximum amount of exercises. My 4 month echocardiogram showed my EF was up into the 80's, and the doc said that may be the best it gets, that although the ventricle wall is no longer ballooning, there's massive permanent damage. It's been over 10 years since I had my attack, and doctors worldwide are still discovering new things about this type of cardiomyopathy, things they thought were temporary but are permanent problems. I belong to a group on Facebook devoted to this disorder and have learned a lot from them. It makes me feel less alone, especially when my own cardiologist says I'm still the one and only case he ever saw of it.
I just checked up online to see what specific kind of cardiomyopathy you had, and I see it's a very different abnormality in the walls of the ventricles. And unfortunately, yes, what you have is much more serious than what mine was. And ever rarer. The origin of mine was thought to be from a combination of medications for my asthma, possibly also my thyroid med at the time, but mostly stress (physical and mental) that came with caring for a relative with Alzheimer's, that caused a sort of adrenaline storm that affected the heart walls. Your type has a few different origins, so I assume your doctor will have you going for a number of tests to find its cause, which will help decide what further treatments to prescribe you.
My question is this, what sort of improvements can I expect in my condition if I was to finally stick to the McDougall program? Is my condition truly not reversible as my cardiologist seems to believe?
Stick to a strict McDougall food plan, preferable the MWLP that eliminates all processed foods. Get your body in the best condition is can be for what lies ahead. As Dr. Esselstyn (or is it Dr. Greger?) says - every bite can either help or harm. Right now, you certainly don't want to harm your body any further!
Read all you can on your condition. Make up a list of questions to ask your cardiologist - I'm sure he has you coming in fairly frequently after this diagnosis. Ask him to explain your plan of care in detail, what he sees happening for you. Will there be surgery, and if so, how soon will you need it? What are you allowed to do while you wait for it to happen? What specialists will you need to see?
Take any medications you're given, like beta blockers or ACE inhibitors - they'll help ease the amount of work your heart has to do and make breathing easier. Follow any instructions he gives you. He may say no lifting weights over a certain number of pounds. I know it'll feel like you're heart's breaking (figuratively) the first time your child wants to be picked up and hugged but you can't do it, lest you risk "breaking" it literally.
When/if he orders cardiac rehab, go! You'll be hooked up to an EKG monitor and given exercises to do and the nurses will monitor your heart and vital signs. This helps the doctor to know how your heart is handling physical stress. When I went through mine, a few times someone came, lasted just a few days, and had to discontinue because their hearts weren't strong enough yet. Remember, your life is now completely different and you can't do things you used to do without effort before. It sucks, but you may need to plan naps for yourself during the day, so you'll have to find someone to help watch your son during those times, especially if he's doing school from home to start off the school year. You'll need help with housework, cooking, shopping, as you recover. Ask your family, friends, church or other organizations for all the assistance you may need.
If you do wind up needing something like surgery in the future and someone else will be doing the cooking before and after, or even
now to help you out, make sure they know your dietary restrictions, especially the
NO ADDED SALT factor. Even if you weren't following McDougall, this is the most important factor for your heart right now. Make sure they know to use no salt added canned beans, tomato, broth, etc.and stress no oil, too. This is no time for them to share their own family's secret recipes or comfort foods. For you now, food is medicine - carefully prescribed! Maybe gather up a group of your family's favorite
McDougall meals and print out a few copies to give to all who may be cooking. Now is not the time to play nice and not "rock the boat" by accepting everything they want to give you, especially if it's a bacon laden casserole made with full fat cream of chicken soup! Your life depends on what you eat more than ever now! Stress that fact to your husband, too. He's most likely as afraid and overwhelmed as you are right now. Lean on each other now more than ever.
Yes, you probably have a tough road ahead, but you're young, so that helps. By fueling your body with the best foods possible, that'll help in your recovery just as much if not more so.
