My Health

Scarlet Fever at age 5 left me with a serious heart murmer. I had no idea what numbers like EF were and really didn't care at the time. The doctors put me on a rigid activity list though, and I was never able to participate in sports or strenous activity. I reverted to books, especially the Bible, and sought knowledge and wisdom. I think I even got a little somehow.
     Throughout my early life I experienced numb little fingers, arms, the back of my neck being cold and chronic fatigue with exertion. Then in 1956 things changed dramatically. My father got me a job at Pepsi Cola. My first job was putting empty cases on a conveyor belt at the rate of 20 per minute. It was great though, because every ½ hour I moved to the front of the machine and watched the bottle come out of the washer for ½ hour. So it was work hard ½ hour and sit down ½ hour. After the frist week, in which I thought I would die, things started getting better and I started feeling much better. Over the next 5 years or so, while going to college, the jobs got harder and harder until at the end I was stacking full cases for a few hours a night. They weighed 55lbs and were coming to me at the rate of 40+ per minute. I was even able to do this in 1972 for one summer.
     After this, the doctors began to tell me I no longer had a murmer. Many even said my heart had grown so strong and since my blood was thin, I would never have a heart attack or stroke. Praise His holy name! My health was excellent until about 15 years ago when I bought a lighting business and moved to the central coast of California. I also wasn't paying much attention to my health and completely stopped exercising and started eating all the wrong things; I love those pastrami sandwiches. About 10 years ago, the sweating and fatigue started. Being fearful of diabetes, which several members of my family have, I kept going to doctors. The diagnosis varied from anxiety attacks to bronchitis or emphasema. They completely ignored my swollen ankles, fatigue, night sweats and waking up gasping for breath. Things continued to worsen and they kept giving me inhalers and tried to give me tranquilizers, which I refused. My blood pressure then began to go up and up, but all the meds they gave me affected me mentally from horrible paranoia to schizophrenia.
     Then about May of 1998, my boss suggested I try Dr. Atkins' low carbohydrate diet to lose weight. He told me I could eat bacon, sausage, eggs and such as long as I kept the carbs down. I not only didn't lose weight but my stomach ballooned and my sweating became profuse. Again, the same diagnosis. Finally I lost my job because of fatigue and sweating. At the end of August, 1988, I couldn't even lay down without gasping for breath. I took 2 towels to bed and one when I sat down, and still the same diagnosis. Finally on August 6, 1998, I told my doctor I was dying and I probably was. He finally decided to take a chest x-ray and said, "Hey, what do you know? You have Congestive Heart Failure and pulmonary edema." He sent me to a cardiologist who couldn't see me for a week but he did prescribe a diuretic. Lo and behold, I lost 15 pounds in 3 days and all my gasping and sweating stopped.
     Since then I have gone through all the standard tests, including echo and angiogram. Praise God, I have no blockage. I sure don't know why, but my heart is still doing pretty poorly; poor enough the cardiologist put me on 100% permanent disability. He wrote a note saying I would never be able to work again. I don't know if he is right or not. I currently feel almost as good as I ever have except for dizziness when I turn my head too fast, bend over, pick up anything over 20lbs or eat wrong. If I pick up anything heavy or get the wrong foods, I sometimes have to go to bed for anywhere from 15 minutes to all day. Because of the doctor's strong note, I instantly received State Disability and got SSD within 6 months. I am receiving close to maximum because of a strong work history.

My Life

My whole family received Christ at a Billy Graham Crusade in the late 1940s in Los Angeles, probably one of his first. I was born again 15 years later; no, not the same as being saved but that's another story. I sincerely believe everything that has happened to me was for God's reasons. I don't pretend to understand them all but when I look back on it all, it all fits together. Right now I feel as good as I've felt in years and because of the disability income I can finally pay my bills, which I couldn't for quite some time. Because of Jon and you people, I think I have finally discovered a major problem: the 100% humidity which is in this area 99% of the time. Jan and I are planning on moving to an area just south of Tahoe where the humidity is only about 20%. I have to stay in California for Medical. I have witnessed some very dramatic miracles in my life and would be happy to share them if anyone is interested. Just e-mail me.

My Meds

Update Update Update Update

March 17, 2000 - I did finally move to the Eastern Sierras and my health has improved dramatically.

Joe -- July 7, 1999

All information on this site is opinion only. All concepts, explanations, trials, and studies have been re-written in plain English and may contain errors. No one here is a doctor. No information on this page should be used by any person to affect their medical, legal, educational, social, or psychological treatment in any way. This web site and all its pages copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Jon C.