Hi all,

As a chef in high-end restaurants for 25 years, I have endured years of mental and physical pressure, resulting in long standing high blood pressure. Additionally, I have drank way too much over the years (mainly beer/wine) to cope with the demands of the job amongst other things.  I have been recently (in May, 2017) been diagnosed with "dilated cardiomyopathy", "Left Bundle Branch Block", and "heart failure", with an ejection fraction (E/F) of 20%.  I am 47 years old and the cardiologist was perplexed why I why was in his office at such a "young" age.  Back in May I experienced shortness of breath (only when laying down, and upon too much physical exertion), and gained about 20 pounds (swelling in legs + ankles).  That was what prompted my visit to the doctor's office. I immediately completely cut off all drinking.

Within a couple weeks, with the help of "lasix" medication, the weight dropped back to normal, so I stopped the lasix. Since then, I have been feeling back to normal and have no problem with weight workouts and 5 mile walks.  I altered my diet to low salt and low fat, and watch the portion amount. I have managed to lose another 17 "honest" pounds (without the lasix), so I am down to 164 pounds, and I'm 5'7".

I had another echocardiogram about a month ago and my E/F went up to 25%. Yesterday, I had a CTA (coronary tomography angiogram) scan done, but won't have the results till this Monday to see if there is any heart artery blockage or calcium buildup.

Basically the doctor that I saw indicated that after the first onset of symptoms, if there is no improvement within 90 days, you're most likely done...you probably have 3 to 5 years to live.  I don't know how they come up with a window of 90 days? I am thinking that if a person has been drinking for 20 years, maybe it takes a little longer and a slower progression back toward normal than what the "book" says??

I have scoured the internet for stories that match my situation, at least partially, and have trouble finding any.  I am also eager, after reading so much negative and depressing stuff, to hear about some success stories of people who had this medical issue (or something close to it) due to drinking.

Are there any stories of anyone in my similar situation who has permanently quit drinking and had their cardiomyopathy/heart failure improve significantly or go back to normal (ejection fraction, heart size, etc) after any certain amount of time???

Thank you for reading and I look forward to any reply you may have.

Best wishes to all!