Walk or die!

Two years ago, I was going through absolute hell with heart arrhythmias.

I had them constantly, I guess... just non-stop.

Everything from frequent extrasystoles—like 540 an hour—to ventricular tachycardia and even atrial fibrillation...

The arrhythmias would spike my blood pressure to 200/130 in seconds.

I saw top-tier specialists, guys who did all their training in the USA and Europe...

I spent way too much time in the ER getting defibrillated.

I was on heavy-duty antiarrhythmics like TRANGOREX and RYTMONORM, which supposedly fix things but honestly probably just wreck your liver and kidneys..

It cost me a fortune, seriously..

And it barely helped at all...
.................................................. ..................................

Then I went to see this old Cuban cardiologist. He checked me out and told me: "You HAVE to WALK! That’s your medicine. Cut out SALT, SUGAR, BREAD, RED MEAT, FAT... Get rid of all those antiarrhythmics and just take INDERAL (propanolol, a b-blocker) 40mg in the morning and 40mg at night... For the first month, walk briskly EVERY MORNING for 20 minutes. Next month, cut the INDERAL in half (20mg morning and 20mg night) but increase your walk to thirty minutes. Third month, drop the INDERAL to 10mg morning and 10mg night, and bump the walk up to 45 minutes. By the fourth month, stop taking INDERAL entirely; just have some valerian tea in the morning and go for a vigorous one-hour walk!"

I agreed with everything, but I guess I just didn't feel like walking in the mornings... I asked him if I could skip the brisk part, and he just said, "Walk or die."

I took him seriously, I guess. I started his regimen. Since that day, I've been walking briskly for an hour EVERY SINGLE MORNING.

After a few months, the arrhythmias just completely vanished.

I actually had a follow-up recently with a famous cardiologist. They ran everything—heart volume, echocardiograms, blood work, strength tests..

In the end, the doctor told me: "Your heart looks like it belongs to a 20-year-old! You might die a thousand different ways, but it won't be because of your heart...!"

So, does that mean your arrhythmias were just triggered by stress, even though your heart itself was actually healthy?

stormylynx4 said:So does that mean your arrhythmias were just caused by stress, even if your heart was actually healthy?

For the most part—yeah!

A ton of arrhythmias start out being psychological, and then they turn into serious heart issues later on if you don't catch them early and get the right treatment.

Even with a pretty damaged heart muscle, I guess it's possible to manage things successfully if you follow the right steps and stay on top of your meds.

I totally get where you're coming from... I went through something pretty similar myself. The only difference was that I couldn't find anyone to talk to who actually understood, so I ended up having to figure things out on my own. Anyway, I'm on beta-blockers now.

Me too... I guess I'm doing a little better now, or at least the total panic isn't hitting me quite as hard, but everything still just gets under my skin. I've been dealing with this constant back pain, especially on my left side, and my brain immediately jumps straight to "oh no, it's my heart." It’s honestly awful how much your head can mess with you.

Well, congratulations on the recovery,
but regarding the explanation they gave you about the arrhythmia—did you undergo an electrophysiology study? Was there any angina present, or any issues with your coronary arteries? Also, what is your blood pressure reading now, and how are you managing it if necessary?