New here... need info on Supplements, Lifestyle...whatEVER :)

• By grace5
• Posted June 18, 2009 at 4:17 pm
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Hi Ellen and welcome! Goodness, you've had some serious stuff to deal with and I'm so pleased you've done so well so far! I wish I could add something, anything, but I think you could probably teach me a thing or two. Your diet and what you're doing and taking sounds perfect for heart problems, with your spirit and your determination I bet you'll put this new problem firmly in it's place and show it who's boss. ;-)
There are girls here with far more experience then I have, you'll hear from them soon I'm sure.
Hugs,
Lidia xx

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• By drawing3d
• Posted June 18, 2009 at 4:27 pm
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Thanks for the reply Lidia... Sad to say, but I never once gave my heart a 2nd thought until it started going out on me. We take our body and health so for granted until it is gone :(
I guess to some extent I am still in denial about this new event. I have been reading so many posts on this board and can see I have a real education ahead of me... stents, caths, medicines and tests I never heard of before, my head is swimming. And just the way I FEEL seems to be changing so quickly -
I am glad to know people on this board know it ALL!
God bless,
Ellen

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• By arizona1
• Posted June 19, 2009 at 7:10 am
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Ellen, welcome. Life is tough isn't it!!!! But you have the perfect attitude that Jesus can do anything.... even heal. I have yet to have a miracle healing, but I believe that anything is possible.
I am sorry to hear that complications arose from the radiation. That is a story that is all too common with radiation. I don't know what your life was like before, but you seem to be doing all the right things now.
Cleveland Clinic will be an interesting experience. I was told by a Chronic Fatigue doctor that I would be frustrated if I went there. While they are very good, they tend to be more traditional in their thinking is what he explained to me. (Meaning they might not understand the use of supplements etc etc) I don't know this to be true, but will be interested in how it works out for you. Please let me know how your experience goes with that thought in mind. Personally, I found the D-Ribose not to agree with me.
I took it for a year and quit. I felt better off it than on it.It tended to make me a bit hyper ( something that happens to some people on it)
That is my experience, but we are all different. I like the ubiquinol form of CoQ10. It is a more absorbable form for the body.

Hugs,
Kathi

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• By drawing3d
• Posted June 19, 2009 at 7:31 am
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Good morning Kathi and thanks for replying -
Interesting you should mention that the Cleveland Clinic is traditional vs naturopathic... I felt they must of course be, but in my rush for real diagnosis, I thought they would be the best to at least tell me what I am dealing with.
Is Congestive Heart Failure the common complaint from radiation??
I am almost opposed to conventional therapies having battled my way through Stage IV Cancer with the unmistakable help from supplements and life style overhaul...but I have so much to learn in the heart failure/heart disease arena I almost don't know where to start...
I had already read your post and comments concerning CoQ10 - in fact I checked my bottle to make sure I was taking the right one :)
Please tell me how D-Ribose affected you? I have been taking it for only a couple of days... I am not sure how I feel on it, but I have noticed that I do NOT have "more energy".
I have also been trying to juice natural diuretic foods like dandelion, which I have been eating for months anyway just b/c it is good for the blood.
ANY help anyone can give me on the "natural" front, I am especially very interested in. I have so many questions...
God bless us all -
Ellen

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• By lvfrogs
• Posted June 19, 2009 at 10:51 am
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Hi Ellen,
I can't really offer you much advice but wanted to welcome you. I am new here too, just recently diagnosed with cardiac spasms. This forum is a blessing. The women on here are so knowledgeable, wonderful and caring. You will be glad you found this place.
I am sorry for everything you have gone through, congrats on beating the lung cancer! and I think what you are doing is great for your heart, eating all the right things and taking the supplements too. I also took D-Ribose for my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but didn't really find that it helped me, so stopped taking it. It was expensive.

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• By drawing3d
• Posted June 19, 2009 at 11:20 am
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Hi lvfrogs, thanks for replying!

I drastically changed my lifestyle from constant coffee-breaks with low fat creamer (my idea of "healthy" back then), a mad grab at fast food for lunch and microwave dinners (if I had the energy) after I was diagnosed with a lung tumor the size of a lemon.
I truly feel the Lord gave me a word of knowledge early regarding taking care of my body with what goes in my mouth - in the nick of time! (Just as He promises, by the way:)
Yes, I believe my food saved me from the more severe ravages from cancer...and I always, always walked every day, even if I had to drag myself up on the treadmill, exhausted and in pain from chemo and radiation. Had I not done that, I am sure I would have found my heart was "dysfunctional" a LOT sooner.
I have so much to learn about heart health now, but ONE thing that living with a 12 month prognosis to live has taught me is NEVER, ever lose hope - in God, in yourself and our body's amazing ability to rally.
God bless you!
Ellen

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• By lvfrogs
• Posted June 19, 2009 at 12:56 pm
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Ellen,
You have the best outlook on life. It makes me happy to read what you write and I will make note of it in my own life. I have been going through health issues for about 3 years now, and often, I let it get me down, but I know that a positive attitude is so helpful, and eating right, exercising, so important to getting and stayer better. You are an inspiration. Let us know what happens when you go to the Cleveland Clinic on Monday. They are supposed to be really good.
Take care,
Colleen

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• By Hany
• Posted June 19, 2009 at 4:57 pm
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Hi Ellen

Gosh you have had a terrible time. Well done for having the faith and love to hang in there and fight it. I am amazed you beat the cancer that is remarkable. Fingers crossed it stays away. So sorry to hear about the heart failue. People have recovered from that too , didnt Martha ?
Anyway I am sure your food choices had a large part to play. All that living nutrition is so essential for the cells and tissues and blood. And it is great for lowering cholesterol , high blood preassure ect but I am just wondering what it does for the heart muscle or heart failure.?
I was on raw foods aswell for about 5 years and I felt really good , clean, clear. But also very cold and hungry. I think I feel better in some ways now (although my illness has got worse) that I eat whole grains , rice, rye, wheat occasionally, and potatoes ,sweet potatoes ect.. also feel my body needs the minimal amount of protien I eat ,fish, prawns ,eggs ocassionally. My diet isnt perfect but I feel better the cleaner it is , I just dont enjoy processed"treats" anymore.
So I dont know I am just wondering here, because I have read stuff on chinese medicine ,macrobiotics and they talk about yin and yang . Like watermelon or ice cream would be very yin and roasted sweet potato or salmon yang and brown rice nuetral. I am sure many people will laugh at the idea but its an age old tradition that makes some sense to me. I think they talk about the quality of food rather than the nutritional content. Like ginger is warming and good for circulation. Wheat being a heart tonic. Sweet potato balancing internal organs and fluids or something, and porrige good for everything probably.
They talk about heart disease connected to yin or yang deficiency . I really dont know because I allways crave raw foods, and I eat alot of it. Sometimes thats all I want .Maybe I will just eat that for awhile .Whether thats "right " or "wrong" I dont know better than cakes and biscuits thats for sure. But in winter I definately like warm foods. I reckon there is truth in both approaches .
I just saw a book on amazon called Diet for a Strong Heart by Michio Kushi ,but you cant look inside. I wonder what it has to say.
Anyway I was just wondering if you ever tried any chinese medicinal herbs . I know you have to be very cautious and find out how they react to medicines you are taking and maybe better to do only one or the other . I found it quite a boost when I drank the tea before.
Anyway thats great you are taking L-carnitine ,magnesium ect.. Whats L-carnitine like?Sorry for babbling ,just thinking out loud.
Its so nice to hear your positive approach. Good luck with the doctor.

Hana

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• By drawing3d
• Posted June 19, 2009 at 6:10 pm
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Hana, what a wonderful reply. Thank you so much!

As for cancer, ALL of us battle cancer at least 6 times in our lifetimes... most folks don't know that. When "we get cancer" it really means that circumstances were ripe for DNA damage and our immune system didn't do it's job. And most cancer is very slooow growing - up to 10 years before detection. So rather than focusing on it not coming back, which is unrealistic, I focus on slowing it down enough that I can live a very long life in spite of it. At least that's the plan :)
As for herbs, YES, I take a gazillion each day specifically to slow down cancer - making my body a very inhospitable terrain for it to grow. Now my concern will be, if they want to put me on heart meds, what conflict - if any - is KNOWN about my healthy anti-cancer supplements. At some point I will have to make a choice I know. Weighing cancer against heart. Hopefully when I am seen in Cleveland next week, I will have a better grip on things. Right now, I am the one babbling because I know NOTHING about any of this dealing with the heart first hand. You guys are the experts!!
And I so agree with you on the foods. I do eat oatmeal, poached salmon or cod, sprouted grain bread (I eat a raw garlic "sandwich" each day :), low fat yoghurt with flax seed oil, etc. I guess I should say, I eat MOSTLY raw, right?
Good for you with your diet. I truly believe that all healing starts within (not from chemicals) ... God (Jesus) is the supreme healer, who made our bodies and the earth from which to nourish them. I don't think MacDonald burgers are mentioned anywhere in the bible :)
God bless you Hana!
Ellen

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• By Hany
• Posted June 20, 2009 at 1:11 pm
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Hi Ellen

Sorry if I sounded preachy ,know it all ,judgemental. I really hate the seemingly endless battle of what is the "right" or " wrong" thing to eat. It seperates people. Just today I went out and bought some vegetables and the shop keeper said "oh youre eating healthily" in a condisending tone ,and then promptly declared she was going out to buy flapjack. Well good for her but one mans meat is another mans poison . High sugar cakes just dont agree with me and I dont want them. Around here if you eat healthily its judged as being a hideous crime. And there I was sounding like I was telling you what to eat myself, what a hypocrite. But I think I was just making round about suggestions or ideas, and about my own experience with raw food (which consisted of about 80% fruit and bananas). What you eat sounds fantastic and I am amazed you cleared of cancer for the moment. I am sure the food did have something to do with it. I know a guy with lung cancer that lives on pot noodle and is not doing so well. I dont quite understand it when you say we all have cancer about 6 times in our lives. Anyway wish you all the best .

Hana

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• By drawing3d
• Posted June 20, 2009 at 1:19 pm
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Dear Hana;

You didn't sound preachy at all! You sounded kind and caring.
My battle with cancer will continue the rest of my life... You are so right - we all "march to a different drum" and one size never fits all :)

God bless you,
Ellen

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• By Bellafia
• Posted June 20, 2009 at 2:02 pm
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Hi Ellen, Yup Chemo & Radiation are the culprits to CHF. I had adrymiacin & radiation for breast cancer in 2000. Yup, I have CHF and have an ICD implanted in my chest, the combination of both chemo & radiation can cause damage to the heart. I stay close to 500-900 mg of sodium daily, I read every label and I adjust my recipes to a very low sodium one. I've been told to restrict fluid intake also. I was also told to urinate 1st thing in morning upon waking then weigh myself naked, if I weigh more than 2lbs than the day before then I'm retaining fluid which puts me at a risk for a CHF event=hospital more than 5lbs in a week is risky also. I'm believing Jesus for my healing from cancer too, He is what keeps me keeping on with all these chronic disease I have. Keep on keeping on Ellen.
Ps 95:2,6
(O) a big hug for you.
Bella

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• By Bellafia
• Posted June 20, 2009 at 2:05 pm
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OOPS Ellen, forgot to tell you that you will be given a diuretic, possible Coreg and maybe some other meds. If you sleep with one pillow try 2 it works for me.
Bella

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• By Hany
• Posted June 20, 2009 at 2:05 pm
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Here is a book I would like to read , about the science behind live nutrients and stuffwww.amazon.com/Jubbs-Cell-Rejuvenation

Also some funny Dr talking about detoxification
http://www.cleanrevolution.tv/

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• By drawing3d
• Posted June 20, 2009 at 4:29 pm
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Hi Bellafia;

Well, the good news is that we are HERE, right? :)

I am leaving today for a 19 hour drive to the Cleveland Clinic to get my first diagnosis. After I know more, I will feel better. There's power in knowledge. Right now, I am watching for every "little" thing or change.
I eat only fresh foods but I cut out celery b/c it is high in sodium. I need to get a book on sodium in foods so I can count. I imagine it adds up fast.
I guess I am afraid of the medicine more than anything. I LIVE for my diet and will not react well to major changes like cutting out green veggies, etc.
As for the pillows... I sleep almost sitting up. I wish I could lie flat...
God bless you! Thanks for your input. It helps knowing there are others -
Ellen

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• By Lilpnkbnny
• Posted June 21, 2009 at 11:09 pm
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Hello Ellen, I felt the need to reply to you because i know what you are going through. I haven't had cancer but CHF took my life by storm in Dec 2006. I couldn't breath, I couldn't lay down, I was coughing up the most hideous stuff you've ever seen. It really had me scared and i was literally drowning in my own fluid. I drove myself to the ER and they saw that my heart had DOUBLED in size. (I have had a pacemaker since i was 7 with unrelated issues,but it has never interfered with my life in any way and i never really gave it any thought.) Well long story short, i had CHF and was given a 6% chance of recovery without a transplant. Well, Its 2 and a half years later and I am doing SPECTACULAR! My heart has gone back down to its normal size and i am getting better all the time. You will probably be put on Lasix for awhile (I lost 30 pounds in a week) and your breathing will drastically improve. My key to success is to stay positive. It's such a scary time and at first i was terrified to move. I felt i would drop dead at any second but what saved me is getting out and living. I started by going to my sons playoff games and slowly entered the land of the living again. I said enough of this and refused to live like i was sick (even though my mother wanted me to get handicap signs and stay in bed..lol) My son graduated this year and for his last basketball game...I was in the mascot suit. That shows how far i have come since that season two years ago. Eating healthy is what you are doing and it sounds like you are doing it well. CHF doesn't have to be a death sentence. My best advice is that if you are going to do research...Look for the positive stories because most of what you find is going to be negative and there are so many success stories out there. Sometimes you just need a little help to get back on the road to recovery. I am down to 2 pills a day when i started it was about 15. I am still trying to phase them all out and i watch my diet closely but i don't let it consume my life. Most of the supplements you listed are what i usually hear except I also hear about Hawthorn (not the berry) I hope to hear more about how you are doing and if you need any encouragement let me know. I could write volumes more about my experience but staying positive is my main theme in all of them. Good luck to you!

Bright Blessings
Stacey

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• By martzj
• Posted June 22, 2009 at 8:32 pm
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Hi Ellen,

"Yes, I believe my food saved me from the more severe ravages from cancer...and I always, always walked every day, even if I had to drag myself up on the treadmill, exhausted and in pain from chemo and radiation. Had I not done that, I am sure I would have found my heart was "dysfunctional" a LOT sooner."

Very strong will you continue to nurture. I believe that is very important too.....I call it Fierce Grace, that place I go deeply into to pull whatever strength reserves I need to stay moving (in a lap lane) and eating simply from fresh food stocks.

Yes, chemo and radiation can impact heart muscle functions. You are doing everything right.

Glad you came here.......you can learn an enormous amount, on so many fronts from these very experienced, kind women.

take good care,
Jaynie

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• By drawing3d
• Posted June 24, 2009 at 7:30 am
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I arrived at the Cleveland clinic day before yesterday after an 18 hour drive. They put me through their intensive testing and found NOTHING.
Don't know why all my symptoms but they said it was not heart , coronary or pulmonary disease. That puts me back to square one but I am scratching heart disease off the list.
God bless ALL of you who were so kind to write me and share your stories, giving me positive hope.
Living through cancer, I have come to realize that no matter "what" our disease is, we are all hurting and caring people.
God bless us all -
Ellen

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• By Lilpnkbnny
• Posted June 24, 2009 at 12:47 pm
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Great News, Its good to hear that your heart is healthy.

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• By angSVT
• Posted June 24, 2009 at 9:47 pm
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I just wanted to write you and say i am sorry to hear about your health but my prayers are with you. Stay strong and have faith. Keep doing what you are doing because it seems to be working.

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