New diagnosis viral cardiomyopathy 35% extraction::bad prognosis?

[malkeh]

I read here that heart muscle can be regenerated. I've eaten healthy for years. Suddenly I have a profoundly serious heart condition at age 54...I smoked cigs for less than one year, this past year. I drink moderately, mostly wine. I had a heart attack in January from which I thought I recovered ok, but now I find out there is dead muscle. I suspect the viral infection stemmed from a severe tooth/gum infection that took three months to heal four + years ago...what is my prognosis in your mind. I weight 165 am 5'6" and high stress levels from teaching six classes a day of elementary school art. I have taken depakote 1500 mg daily for 15 years for BPD, and on Cymbalta 120 mg a day for depression secondary to BPD. I have just been placed on a cardiac medicine to slow my heart which was working overtime to compensate for a 35 percent extraction rate. Also abdominal bruit....???  HELP! I'm scared.

[gmachris518]

I don't understand why the mega doses of so many supplements, as drbob is taking.  However, I do believe in COQ10.  I take 100mg a day and have noticed a big improvement in my energy level.

Also, I use it instead of a Statin drug, as per my doctor's instructions, and my cholesterol level has dropped to 149 in less than a year.  Of course I follow a strict cardio diet, along with a renal diet, as I am in stage 5 renal failure and stage 4 heart failure, so who knows whether it diet, the supplement, or both.

[drbob777]

CoQ10..I don't care what anyone says, after I started taking 400 to 500 mg per day, within 1 week I noticed increased appitite, and increased energy.  I have hot seen any increase in my ejection fraction (EF) with CoQ10, but after 1 year of taking it I tried stopping, didn't take too long and I was back in the dulldrums, restarted and once again noticed I felt better. I take 400mg of CoQ10, 1000mg of L-Carnitine, 3000Mmg of D-Ribose, 3000 units of Vitamin D, 100mg of Niacin, 100mg of Potassium, and will soon be starting on fish oil, all these amounts per day have given me a noticeable improvement.  Prescription medications are taken as well, but as science improves they are finding things like 'Statins' and the need for certain other heart drugs to be reduced and on occasion discontinued with using the more natural products.  I've seen too many people spiral down the pharmicutical toilet bowel.  Be careful, do your research, and remember..your best healthcare advocate is YOU!

[Dr J Singh]

Hi,
Previously, the outcome of CHF used to be quite poor but nowadays with the availability of several medications which take care of the EF & also ensure preventing the development of dangerous arrhythmias have helped in improving the prognosis. There’s also implantable cardioverters-defibrillators to take car of the same and also artificial pacemakers. The aim of the medication therapy is to prevent the remodeling of the heart. In remodeling, the walls of the heart become thinned out and the heart tends to become globular in shape & this is prevented by the medications. Although, the role of Co-enzyme Q10 is doubtful but some physicians do use it improving the prognosis. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care.