Sharing My Story
Hello everyone,I am in a serious fight to keep myself eating right, staying fit and healthy. I was diagnosed with CHF heart disease in 2005 (Undiscovered in childhood from Rheumatic Fever and later in difficult emergency c-section due to alarming heart rates during pregnancy/labor 1995 and Diabetes found later in 2016. Medications and changes and illness back and forth has had my weight yo-yo-ing all over the place. But I took back my life with reading much literature posted online by Go Red and The American Heart Association which helped both considering they often coincide. I eat progressively much better now , My heart and diabetes status is in great control today.
I am sticking to the meditteranean diet and including bittermelon gourd in my smoothies, I eat only a fist size portion for meals and drink mostly water. Avoid Salt and Sugar and/or substitutes as much as possible. I lost my Big Brother to Heart Disease this past year Jan 24th 2016 and he was only 55, the same age my father passed in 1985 from the same thing CHF and now my eldest sister in Las Vegas Nevada has a Pacemaker like myself and Diabetes and CHF as well.
My family & close friends, clergy members are my greatest supporters and motivators and have also changed their eating/exercising habits! I feel great and am exercising and the weight is coming off. I have a pacemaker and the dr says my heart ejection fraction is now up to 50% where as it was only 25% working good in 2005. I stay active as an advocate, singer and tv show host, Leading Lady 2010 Central Mass and again in 2016 Western MA and Your The Cure Advocate since 2009. I Thank God everyday for leading me to the American Heart Association, even as a former nurse before becoming ill, I was always aware the heart is a complex organ and there is always room to learn more and how to better care for yourself. When first diagnosed I was given a year to live by my first Dr. and I'm still here fighting the good fight everyday. So Please Stay positive and Never Give Up and Take advantage and get involved with the American Heart Association. Do it for yourself and your Loved Ones, Love Theresa TC Eckstein ( Vocalese).
