The change...

This is my first attempt at "Blogging". I felt it best that I attempt to share my expierences. I feel that maybe, just maybe, if I share...maybe some one will read this blog and improve their personal health situation. I guess I will start from the begining, back when I was first diagnosed. I sent out a mass text to friends and family explaining my situation. It took a lot for me to do this because I had to face the fact that I was sick and I was scared, very scared. The following was my first correspondence...(the edited version)

A month ago I took Cathy (my girl) to Philly for a getaway, we had a great time. We ate at awesome Restaurants and hung out at awesome lounges. On Sunday before we left, we decided to have a cheese steak from "Campo's"...it was delicious! The following week, I felt horrible. I went to my dr, he said I was fine, I told him that I know my body and I'm not fine so, I went to an urgent care. The dr there did an EKG and told me I have something going on with my heart. He made me go straight to the ER. When I got there, I was out of breath and could barely walk. It was determined that I was going thruogh Congestive Heart Failure. If I had not come in that day, I would've had a massive heart attack the next day. I was diagnosed with Non Compaction Cardiomyopathy, aka Spoongy heart. Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis died from it. The cheese steak was so high in sodium that my body could no longer compensate and sent me in to CHF. I was in hospital for 4 1/2 days and urinated out 7 to 8 liters of fluid. I feel a lot better, out side of the side affects of all these meds which they say I will be taking for the rest of my life. This heart disease is very rare...they refer to it as "the new heart disease". It usually occurs in infants. 1 out of 2000 adults may have it. They want to put an ICD in me (defribullator) but I said no, not yet. So my Philly docs have me wearing a "life vest". This vest will shock me if my heart falls out of rhythm or if it stops. I'm wht they call "sudden death syndrome" because my heart can stop at any time but I do feel pretty good! I feel like all I need to do is hit the gym and get my strength up and I will be all good. They don't want me lifting, stressing or running. It works in 3rds...1/3 get better 1/3 get worse and 1/3 stay the same. If I get worse, I will need a heart transplant...there is a good chance I can get better because the rest of my body is in awesome shape they say. My EF is 20-24%...the normal person is 50-70%...EF means ejection fracture...this is the rate tht your heart pushes the blood through your body...mine, is very weak. I need to get it up to 35% to not be considered "sudden death syndrome." I haven't told many folks yet. I'm still deciding how I want to word things and how I want to approach it all. Im working on a foundation of sorts...it has always been therapeutic for me when I'm doing something to help others. So, that cheese steak kinda saved my life by making me so sick that I had to respond. I will do whatever it takes to live. Any positive vibes you all can send my way, would be much appreciated.