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Post by Summer Magic on Feb 6, 2007 19:50:28 GMT -5
I had a doctors appointment for October 4th to have blood drawn for a check on some meds I was taking for cholesterol. After taking my vitals the nurse went out of the room which I thought was strange.... The doctor came back in holding my chart and pointed to it. I didn't' understand what he was pointing at and said What?? he said your heart rate is 40 and it's supposed to be 70 to 75. Well he called a cardiologist and we set up an appointment for me to see this guy... I'm feeling fine all the time tho, no black outs no fainting and I'm thinking these guys are crazy. Well by October 10 my heart rate was 35 and I was in what they call full beta block. This means that the whole top half of my heart isn't' working and I could fall over dead from a heart attack any second. I was rushed to the heart center 70 miles away from home by ambulance and scheduled for a pacemaker to be inserted that day. My recovery has been uneventful though I am restricted from lifting over 20 pounds and can't raise my arm over my head anymore. I don't have any other restrictions and they say I'm as good as I am ever gonna get. No one can tell me why the nerves in the top half of my heart stopped working. It's a mystery to the doctors because the heart muscle is so strong and the blood flow is normal.... So we just thank God that I had to have a blood test on October 4th...... I'm doing fine and expect to continue to live my life as normally as possible.
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Post by sibemom on Feb 8, 2007 19:36:11 GMT -5
WOW how awful well I am glad you are doing better, how scary was that Do you think it was from the MEDS Well I am just glad they fixed you. Take care
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Post by willow on Feb 9, 2007 9:19:40 GMT -5
Hi Judy,
Sorry to hear what happened, and to add to what Sibemom said, I have recently learned that anyone on statins should be taking CoQ10, because the statins deplete CoQ10 in your body, which your heart needs for proper function. Without adequate levels you have a heart attack or heart failure.
Sadly, Dr's rarely take this into consideration when people experience heart problems and do not check for the underlying cause of the problem, but either insert a pace maker, as in your case, or prescribe more drugs, which just cause more problems.
If I were you, I would have an RBC (red blood cell) whole mineral panel done to see if you are low on potassium and/or magnesium, and/or any of the other minerals. Dr.'s usually routinely check for potassium, but rarely check magnesium or other mineral levels unless you ask.
Make sure they do a RBC or erythrocyte test. If the test results do not say RBC or erythrocyte, they have not done the right test, because they normally just do a serum test, which is too insensitive. Potassium and magnesium are not floating around aimlessly in the serum or plasma with nothing to do. Their higher and more important levels are inside the cell, so that is where you have to look for them to get an accurate level.
While you are at it, I would check to see if you are low on B vitamins (including B4), which are important for proper heart function, vit. D and iodine levels....which are also important, because people who live in the colder climates just do not get enough vit. D and we also rarely get enough iodine from our diets. Also, Dr.'s have acquired a "phobia" about iodine and sadly, as in thyroid problems, try to get iodine out of our bodies, instead of putting it in, which they should be doing!
Which reminds me...have you had your thyroid checked? Your thyroid also plays an important role in proper heart function, and contrary to what Dr.'s tell you...you need to treat both hyper-and hypo thyroidism with iodine.
I have had high blood pressure for years, which I have been taking a drug for, and I have also had a heart arrhythmia for just as long.
Recently, during a stressful period my bp went up, which alarmed me, so I immediately went to the Dr. and he wanted to give me more drugs, but instead, fortunately I had just read about the important role vitamins and minerals play in disease prevention/cure, so I am going that route and I am now on a higher protein, low (refined) carb, no sugar diet and a whole food phytonutrient protocol for high blood pressure, with great success.
To date, I have lost about 13#'s, feel better than I have in years with more energy etc., and the heart arrhythmia has steadily improved to now being almost non-existant.
When I told my Dr. what I had decided to do instead of going on more drugs, his response was: "I prefer my patients to treat their problems with lifestyle changes rather than drugs", but did he ever in all the years I have been taking the drug tell me that and suggest an alternative treatment? NO! Instead, the patient has to take an active role in their treatment and tell the Dr. how they want to be treated.
When I went back for my last bp check my bp had come down significantly, and the Dr. said, "Good. Come back in 6 months!" That's it.
Let me know if you decide to have the tests done and what the results are.
You may be able to find out the underlying cause and get it corrected and won't need the pace maker.
At the very least, you will know your problem is not caused by a vit./mineral deficiency, which is rare.
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Post by Summer Magic on Feb 9, 2007 17:53:57 GMT -5
Wow that gives me a lot of ammunition for questions for my heart doctor. I am currently taking a thyroid replacement medication and I don't know just what was ordered when I was in the doctors office (they took six tubes full) According to the doctors the nerves in my heart are not functioning. The muscle is strong and there is no blockages in the heart. No one can tell me why the nerves in my heart just stopped working but the fact is without the nerves the heart will not pump..... I've taken notes on what you have told me and I will indeed ask my cardiologist as well as my GP about them. Thanks a lot for the information.
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Post by willow on Feb 9, 2007 20:05:31 GMT -5
Oh, boy! I just read recently that Synthroid or thyroid-destructive therapies should never be taken without iodine therapy...something you will never hear from your endocrinologist. In addition to thyroid therapy, all thyroid patients should be on iodine therapy, with the goal to reach whole body iodine sufficiency. Among other things, adequate stores of iodine are necessary for a smooth heartbeat. I am taking a natural, organic Iodine (Prolamine) from Standard Process. In fact, the whole food vitamins/minerals I am taking are all from Standard Process, because they are all natural, whole food and organic and have nothing in common with the vitamins, supplements and so-called "natural" products sold at places like drug stores, Walmart, or Health Food Stores. The "store bought" varieties are more like prescription drugs than phytonutrients, because they are totally synthetic and are created in a factory, and go through a process called "fictionalization." (Oops! It is "fractionalization!) The manufacturers sometimes, but not always, start with a natural product, but they then divide or "fractionalize" the source material, for example, the plant, into its various components, discard the "inactive" ingredients, and recombine the "active" ingredients into the finished product. The problem is: No body really knows which components are "active" or "inactive", so by eliminating some of them, manufacturers end up with something that frequently provides few, (or none) of the benefits of the original plant. Who knew, as we "pop" all those vitamins/minerals that are supposed to help us! An easy test to see if you are low on Iodine (If you are not allergic to Iodine, and if you don't know if you are or not....you most likely are not!) get a bottle of tincture of Iodine...the red kind that stains, and paint a half dollar size circle on your stomach near your navel. If the spot is absorbed in less than 8 hours you desperately need Iodine. If it disappears in 24 hrs. you also need Iodine. If it is still there after 24 hrs. and then gradually fades in color, you have already reached iodine sufficiency. You do have to be careful with Iodine and start out really slow, so I would suggest you do the test and if it shows you are iodine deficient, go to your Dr. and insist on being treated! If you are taking Amiodarone, the Prolamine Iodine has to be taken in place of it, not along with it. Just a "heads up" so you can tell your Dr. that if you are taking Amiodarone. As I said before...it is a sad fact today, but you have to do research and diagnose your own problem, and then tell your Dr. what treatment you want, because Dr.'s don't have time to read all the latest information that is out there and rely only on the pharmaceutical Co.'s to tell them what to use for which disease! Please keep me posted and let me know if your Dr. listens to you etc.
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Post by Dom on Feb 12, 2007 9:13:38 GMT -5
Interesting info Willow. I am on synthroid after having a gland removed. I hadn't heard of the Iodine therapy. I will ask my doctor about it when I see her. The only other medication she has me on is chromagen. The only advice she gave me when taking the synthroid is to not take or eat anything for 2 hours after. Thanks for the heads up! I hope all the excellent info Willow gave out will give you and your doctor new options for your treatment.
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Post by willow on Feb 12, 2007 10:46:57 GMT -5
Interesting Dom, because studies have shown that even patients with complete thyroidectomy (removal of the whole gland), benefited from iodine therapy.
Chromagen is a vitamin/Iron supplement, right? Unless you are anemic and need the iron, I wonder why this was prescribed rather than iodine therapy?
Just a FYI, the Amiodarone I posted about earlier, actually is iodine, in a toxic, sustained release form and the problem with it is that the side effects are most often too great for patients to regain a smooth heartbeat, which is the goal of taking the Amiodarone.
It will help regulate the heartbeat when the body has accumulated about 1.5 grams (1500 mgs) of iodine. This is exactly the same amount of iodine retained by the human body when iodine sufficiency is achieved by natural iodine supplements, so it makes more sense to try to achieve iodine sufficiency with the natural form of iodine, than by taking a toxic form like Amiodarone.
I have a friend who has rheumatoid arthritis and who has been on prednisone for years. Recently her thyroid went beserk (probably from the prednisone and other drugs she is taking) so now the Dr. is trying to "kill" her thyroid with more drugs and by restricting (like no) salt whatsoever!
Oh, and btw...the only salt we should be consuming is whole natural sea salt, like the Celtic brand, because ordinary salt is refined and does not contain the minerals our bodies need, so it is useless and actually, like other refined foods, can be dangerous.
I was just thinking too, what a great site this is: It is a dog training site, yet we can discuss other subjects without getting kicked off. ;D
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