A personal story: Reversing congestive heart failure

When the echocardiogram technician with a troubled look on her face said, "I can't find your heartbeat - it is so weak," I jokingly replied: "I know why, it is because I left my heart in San Francisco."

Nobody laughed.

In May, 2016, I was facing a diagnosis of acute idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (Stage 4 terminal congestive heart failure).

Luckily, this story has a happy ending due to a professional medical team working together in close partnership with a cooperative, diligent patient. It is possible to avoid the surgery and early death that can come with a diagnosis of congestive heart failure.

Just before surgical implant of a cardiac defibrillator, and following 155 days of exhaustive lifestyle changes - at the final hour - my heart responded with what is called a "miracle reversal and remodeling."

Surgery was no longer needed, the symptoms reversed and the heart restored to a normal status.

What was the formula and how did this miracle come to life?

Team work

Assembling a heart failure team was the key factor in successfully reversing my heart failure.

My team included from Northwest Community Hospital: cardiologists, nurses at the NCH Atherton Heart Failure clinic, my NCH exercise physiologist, nutrition counselor, peer mentors, and ultimately a cardiac surgeon. They all worked like a well-coached athletic team pursuing one goal: see if the heart disease could be arrested.

Northwest Community Hospital has a high-tech communication network called "My Chart." Using this feature, the entire team and myself were able to keep daily tabs on the treatment, assessments, medications, questions and education.

After four months of treatment, an unexpected discovery of the reversal of my condition came when cardiac surgeon and expert electrocardiac physiologist Dr. John Onufer prescribed a cardiac MRI. To the amazement of the entire team, the results of the assessment showed that the months of well-coordinated and cooperative teamwork had done the job.

My heart had recovered both in structure and function.

Congestive heart failure

According to the American Heart Association, "Congestive heart failure (CHF) represents one prominent kind of cardiovascular ailment which is a long-term, chronic, progressive disease that is not reversible."

The Heart Association goes further to explain that while it cannot be cured, strategic treatment often helps to alleviate symptoms.

As congestive heart failure advances, it is often treated with implantable devices, such as pacemakers and internal defibrillators.

Cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 cause of death globally, accounting annually for about 17 million deaths, or about one of every three deaths. Coronary heart disease itself is responsible for more than 7 million deaths annually.

My doctors explained that the years of hypertensive habits, lax diet and such, along with my notable family genetic history of heart disease had brought about a crisis.

The very good news was that I had somehow squeaked by, managing to live for nearly 70 years without a heart attack despite being significantly overweight.

The bad news was the doctors found via tests including surgical angiogram that my heart muscle was failing and quickly running out of gas. I was a cardiac catastrophe, but I had a second chance to try my best to work on what is called a rare heart failure "reversal."

How did I discover my heart failure?

Rigorous recreational climbing a volcano in the islands off the northern coast of Sicily produced some troublesome symptoms of severe leg cramps, congestion in the lungs, fatigue and a noticeable shortness of breath.

I made it home and unsuspectingly went off to see the family physician. At first, he considered that I might be anemic. After a few tests later, I became an official heart patient.

Lifestyle changes

After the angiogram, my cardiologist told me and my very scared wife in no uncertain terms that radical adjustments in lifestyle might not cure me.

Dr. Gibert Sita, my cardiologist and new best friend assured me that as partners he would work hard to give me a fighting chance to live a little while longer, but he said, "the heavy lifting ahead is all you."

So, in May 2016, I enrolled in the Atherton (Northwest Community Hospital) Heart Failure Clinic to get a crash course in cardiac diet, nutrition and weight loss. I became a full-time student in order to learn about surviving heart failure.

Also in May, I put on my sweat clothes and enrolled in the Northwest Community Hospital Cardiac Rehab program. At the NCH Rehab Center of the hospital, I was to learn about and participate in a 7 a.m. program guided by the staff for cardiac exercise and professionally supervised changes in my lifestyle habits closely monitored by the entire team.

I had to work hard with a disciplined focus on exercise and diet. Essentially, I had to give up salt and alcohol. I had to restrict my daily intake of fluids in order to reduce the strain on my heart muscle.

Dr Sita, my team quarterback mandated drastic weight loss.

A three-mile daily walk with my wife was highly recommended.

My whole life started each day by taking my prescribed dosages of potent heart medicines. I had to adjust attitude and motivation and deal with some depression and anger adjustments because of the stress connected with changing old, well-worn habits.

I bought into the need for an immediate shift to start leading a heart-healthy daily regimen. A daily nap helped manage the physical and mental strain.

My new "heart healthy goal" was to see if my team and I could manage to somehow miraculously reverse the symptoms, remodel the structure of an enlarged heart and a deal with a leaky mitral valve. Mainly, we needed to energize a sluggish left ventricle pump that barely moved the blood sent there.

At 68 years old, was it too late?

Looking back, the heartbreak of this kind of sudden diagnosis and need to drastically change was tough to take. But with encouragement from my wife and friends, I began to accept the new habits as my "new normal."

Weekly workouts at the cardiac rehab center with my personal trainer coach Christie made a big difference. I learned that exercise was not only good for me, but really improved my outlook on life, self-confidence and enjoying every minute of life as a new gift to be appreciated and enjoyed. My fellow patients at the Atherton Heart Failure Clinic and at Rehab really provided an amazing boost. More than new friends, they affirmed that we were all warriors and had to keep strong or face dire consequences.

Beating the odds

The odds are stacked against heart failure reversal. Reversal of the damage to the heart and standing up to genetics and taking the heart for granted for a long time suggested that 90+% of the time the heart does not become normal again.

After 122 days, there was no change for the better. Despite the all-out team effort, the echocardiogram test results were related by my cardiologist. The depression and fatigue coming from being so diligent was taken as a knockdown punch and I was deflated.

The next step was to see a surgeon and explore the possibility of implanting a defibrillator. Installing it was to prepare for the day when the eventual heart failure incident might occur, and the implant would send an electrical shock to coax the weak heart and keep it going.

But I had questions for the cardiac surgeon. Why did the program I was on fail to get results? What damage to the heart could not be reversed? He was puzzled too and decided to refer me to another medical center for a cardiac MRI.

After 2½ hours in that tube, including injecting dye, good news was on the way.

The MRI results meant there was no need for the surgical implant. The miracle happened for a whole lot of reasons - a combination of dynamics at play including removing toxic alcohol from the heart muscle, exercise, diet, extensive weight loss and just the right kind of care providing the heart an environment favorable so that it could do its job.

• Don Grossnickle lives in Arlington Heights with his wife, Kathy.

12 keys to unlocking congestive heart failure

Don Don Grossnickle found these things key to his recovery.

1. Prescribed heart medicine such as Beta Blockers, ACE inhibitors, Diuretics. Regular checkups.

2. Immediate withdrawal of toxic heart poisons like alcohol, limited salt.

3. Daily exercise of a 3-mile walk and regular participation in prescribed cardiac exercise program.

4. Diet and nutrition heart failure education program monitored by the Heart Failure Clinic staff, including daily checking of diagnostic vital signs shared by the communication network with all the team.

5. Weight loss program. (40 pounds' loss)

6. Cardiologist communication with all the team via hospital network

7. Stress reduction training, anger management, depression counseling. Daily one hour rest/naptime.

8. Spiritual counseling and encouragement, meditation, prayer.

9. Participation in two peer support networks connected with the heart failure clinic and cardiac rehab program.

10. Spouse, family, friend support and encouragement.

11. Close partnership of patient and cardiologist

12. Attitude, persistence, determination, motivation, moving toward goals including the desire to have a clear reason for living.