You are very kind to have posted this older notice. You were not alone in believing that it could be GERD -- both my PCP and specialist agreed that was probably it. But I was disturbed by the close similarities between GERD-like symptoms and congestive heart failure.
One day shy of a month after I posted this, my PCP put me in for a stress test. The test never happened. An echocardiogram confirmed that my ejection fraction was a mere 15%, and I was near death. I had CHF for sure.
A cath scan done 24 hours later confirmed that I had no signs of heart disease. My new cardiologist was initially mystified. There were no deposits (except some insignificant calcium), no blockages, no valve issues, and nothing to stint or angioplast.
The CHF was caused, in its entirety, by an extremely severe case of SLEEP APNEA, the second worst case this cardiologist had seen.
And the apnea, in its entirety, was 90% due to a weight problem of about 75 pounds, before which there was no apnea. I am one of five individuals statistically who carries his fat mass INSIDE of his muscle mass. Two doctors had told me ten years ago: Lose the weight, lose the apnea. And it's still true.
The cardiologist's bad news was that had I had a problem he could have fixed with a stint, I would have gone home, gone on a diet and been fine. My long term prognosis is very bright -- the potential for an 80% to 100% full recovery -- but it's going to require 6 to 18 months of very hard work and strict care, starting with a CPAP machine used every night (to correct the oxygen deficiencies), a battery of cardio drugs (Coreg, Diovan, Isosorb, Florosemide), Coenzyme Q-10 (which I added, because it can reverse CHF by itself), Omega-3 supplements, and one baby aspirin (81 mg) per day, and a short time from now, a 12-week cardio training program to really ramp up my recovery process.
When I'm done, I will be back completely, and I will NEVER take my health for granted ever again. The CPAP will remain until a sleep study confirms that my apnea is arrested and the unit is no longer needed. I was a 5K runner/jogger in the 70s and 80s, and I will return to the fold again for my 50 age group.
My cardiologist saw a patient worse than me, but with the same blessing -- no underlying heart disease, just sleep apnea. He did what I'm doing, and today, the doctor says that he "does cartwheels" and "we can't tell that anything was ever wrong with him."
I WILL BE HIS NEXT SUCCESS STORY. And I will work to make people aware of the dangers of sleep apnea, and give something back for all of the help that I'm getting.
I may have already saved a life recently when a new friend admitted to having edema in his legs, and with a little more exploring, I learned of his intense snoring. I told him my story, and scared him into getting a check-up, explaining that a CPAP machine is a great alternative to a grave.
I'll be teaching that lesson again, I'm sure.
