A Stem Cell Journal – HEART

Journal Owner: Noel Zuniga

For: Utah Stem Cell Joint Treatment and Wellness Center

Friday, April 19, 2019

The entry is to document pre-symptoms prior to stem cell treatment at the Utah Stem Cell Center.

1. Lightheadedness approximately 1 to 2 days a week which lasts anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours, less often throughout the day.  This is a common symptom.
2. When exercising (aerobic activity), slight pain in left hand – scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most severe, pain is about a 6. This is common.
3. Bloating feeling – this is a common symptom
4. Extreme fatigue which occurs approximately 1 to 2 days a week
5. Blood pressure – systolic number is low (between 90 – 100) which indicates weakening of the heart muscle and not enough blood pressure is being delivered by the heart muscle
6. Abnormal / irregular heartbeats or heart rhythm (these are uncommon symptoms)
7. All exams taken in August of 2018 at Johns Hopkins was provided to Utah Stem Cell Center as a baseline.

I received 4 cc’s of MSC from the umbilical cord blood and tissue on the 16th of April, 2019.

22 April 2019 – significant reporting – headed to the gym and conducted aerobic training; 15 minutes on the stair climber at a level 5 to 6 and an additional 7 minutes on the stationary bike (Lifefitness Bike – Level 17).  Experienced normal aerobic fatigue and slight pain to my left hand. No other issues to report during aerobic exercise. Then conducted the following:

3 sets of seated lat rows – 125 lbs each side x 12 reps

3 sets of leg curls – 110 lbs x 12 reps

Bicep curl – 3 sets x 12 -15 reps – 40 lbs dumbbells

No other symptoms throughout the day

 

24 April 2019  – Significant reporting. Important to note that I received 2 cc’s of Umbilical Cord MSC Stem Cells back in August 2018 in Rockwall, Texas, administered by a Cardiologist.  The stem cells came from the same manufacturer Utah Stem Cells receives their stem cells from, the Utah Stem Cell Bank.

Today I had a great workout. The following is a synopsis of my workout routine:

1. Warmed up on the stairclimber – 15 minutes no rest at level 4 – 5
2. Stretched
3. Bent-over dumbbell rows – 90 lbs dumbbells x 15 reps x 2 sets (2 minute rest between sets)
4. Lateral pull-down – 3 sets x 12 reps – 220lbs (2 minute rest between sets)
5. Leg curls – 120 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets (3 minute rest between sets)
6. Leg extensions – 140 lbs x 15 reps x 4 sets (3 minute rest between sets)
7. Bicep curls on a Optima Series Life Fitness Bicep Curl machine – 110 lbs – 15 reps x 4 sets (3 minute rest between sets)

**No fatigue, not out of breath, a lot of energy

Throughout the day – high energy, no cardiomyopathy symptoms – full day’s work.

 

07 May 2019

It has been 13 days since my last entry.

There has been little improvement in my overall health.  I continue to exercise regularly (approximately 3 to 4 days a week) and continue to have the same symptoms as detailed in my first paragraph.

I will report that there have been, what seems to be, noticeable changes regarding my heart.  I report the following:

1. Strong palpitations commenced approximately 2 weeks after treatment.  Palpitations occur 2 to 3 days a week and lasts roughly 3 to 6 hours at any given time.
2. Sensation of feeling cold (lasts for about 3 to 6 hours – 2 to 3 days a week).
3. Sense of dehydration – dry mouth and sometimes heavy yellow urine even though I am drinking plenty of water throughout the day.
4. Sensation of, what seems like, short bursts of muscle spasms in my chest (no pain).

 

12 May 2019

This week I experienced extreme fatigue and muscle weakness / dizziness.  The symptoms lasted most of the day on Friday and ½ of the day on Saturday.  These were the same symptoms I experienced after Umbilical Cord stem cell therapy back in August, approximately 1 month after IV infusion.  These symptoms were sporadic.

This morning I am feeling full of energy and will likely go to the gym…

…Just got back from the gym and had a good workout.  Performed 25 minutes of cardio, some weight lifting – spent about an hour in the gym.

 

13 May 2019

I am reporting today I had a good day.  Full of energy and was able to make it to the gym and perform 25 minutes of cardio on the Stair Climber.  In addition I was able to lift weights at an intense level for about an hour.

I had an unusually big appetite today.

No adverse side effects to report today.

 

17 May 2019

I need to report today that I had one of the best days of my life.  I was full of energy and full of life. Today I came to work and my team and I had a meeting at the U.S. Pentagon.  We parked at the Pentagon Mall, which is about ¾ of a mile away and walked to the meeting room. Never out of breath, full of energy and felt “alive!”   We proceeded to walk back and grabbed lunch. I think I had more energy coming from the meeting than I did going to it. I was walking so fast, that I left my team behind.

Later in the afternoon I went to the gym and probably had one of the best workouts I’ve had in a very long time.   I will not go into every set and rep I performed but I will say that the highlight of my workout was the warm up. I normally warm 5  to 7 minutes on one of the aerobic machines prior my routine. I proceeded to warming up and before I knew it, I hit the 16 minute mark.  I broke into a heavy sweat and finished up about 1 ½ hours later. Just an awesome day!!!

Noel Sends!

 

27 May 2019

It’s been ten days since my last journal entry.  I have to say that over the past ten days, I’ve noticed positive changes in my overall health.  Small changes, nonetheless, positive ones. I find that I am able to go longer and faster on cardio machines in the gym (see above for baseline workout routine).

In 2015 I had tracheal resection surgery to repair my trachea after being diagnosed with subglottic stenosis.  Subsequent to my surgery, I suffered severe nerve damage to supporting my left vocal cord. This ultimately resulted in a weaker voice.   Since stem cell therapy, I have noticed significant improvement to my overall voice projection.

In my next entry, I will report an update to any symptoms I may still have or not have.

 

04 June 2019

I wanted to wait a bit longer for my next post since I realize stem cells take time to heal however, I felt compelled to write a small blurb on what I felt today  at the gym.

I only performed cardio on both the stair climber and the recumbent bike (about 30 minutes).  First, I am breathing great, no breathing issues whatsoever. Secondly, I was a bit low in energy today and during my cardio routine, I felt a very cold sensation throughout my body.  Something I have felt before, about a month after my previous stem cell treatment. Although I was sweating during my routine, I felt as if I was in a freezer. This adverse effect is very unusual.

 

23 June 2019

I arrived in the Middle East about a week ago and slowly getting over a major case of jet lag.  I would like to wait just a bit longer to report on any changes. I feel my body has gone through some positive changes however, I would like to give the stem cells more time to work for my to report back.  I will attempt to report in my journal in about two weeks time.

 

30 June 2019

Getting settled into my new home in Bahrain but still a little jet lagged.  I’ll provide a full report circa July 10th on my overall health. So far, so good.  It is hard to determine the days I’m not feeling well if they are contributed to the jet lag or my heart ~ I think it is the former since I’ve never felt these symptoms before.  It is hot out here (around 120 degrees with the heat index.) More to follow…

** One more thing I wanted to mention ~ looking ahead, my plan is to travel back to Virginia next summer and make an appointment with my cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital.  I would like to retake the exams I took pre-stem cell as a baseline. **

 

14 July 2019

It’s been about two weeks since my last posting.  I am happy to report that I have noticed some very positive changes.  One that stands out immediately is my ability to perform cardio at a medium to high intensity level for a sustainable amount of time ~ between 20 to 30 minutes.  I am then able to perform an additional 30 to 40 minutes of weight lifting at a moderate to high level.

I believe I am over my jet lag ~ and I didn’t want to report during this time because of the confusion the adverse effects of jet lag and heart failure present.

One thing is clear, I do know these stem cells are working however, it is a very, very slow progression.  There are up days and, there are down days. But the line on the graph keeps going up, like a stock during a bull run in the stock market ~ there are up days and down days, but at the end of the year, there are positive gains.

I will keep monitoring my progression and likely report every two to three weeks vice everyday or every other day, since the progression is slow.    I feel I will have more substance to provide in 6 months rather than in 6 days.

 

24 JUL 2019

Today I report that, although I have been feeling good and routinely going to the gym 5 times a week, I had irregular heart beats and severe palpitations for about 6 hours.  This is an adverse effect which I had experienced before after receiving stem cell therapy.

25 JUL 2019

Different story today.  Full of energy ~ felt 120% better.  Headed to the gym and had one of the best workouts of my life ~ 2 hours of cardio and weightlifting.

I have noticed that when my heart goes through some adverse effects (palpitations / irregular heartbeats) for a couple of days ~ afterwards, my health improves dramatically.  My theory has always been that as my heart’s health improves through stem cell therapy, and as the stem cells regenerate NEW heart muscle, that change causes the irregularity of the rhythm of my heart.  I truly believe it is part of the HEALING process.

I keep saying this ~ since my very first umbilical cord stem cell treatment in late August 2018 (2 ccs) , my health has improved dramatically ~ and I really mean dramatically!

There are ebbs and flows but as I explained previously, if you’d draw a chart of the stock market during a great year ~ there are ups and downs but at the end, the chart ends up having a bullish year.

 

05 AUG 2019

Been feeling great! Regularly going to the gym and truly pushing myself.  Since early July, I’ve lost about 6 pounds and going strong. I recall from my last stem cell treatment that going into the 4th month post stem cell treatment was when my heart greatly improved.  So, I am looking forward to the next few months. I will provide an update to my symptoms in late September to early October. That would be 5 to 6 months after treatment. But so far, I have noticed a significant difference in my health.

 

10 Aug 2019

Had a great cardio workout on the stair climber…went for about 25 minutes and did a type of training called high intensity interval training.  Warm up for 5 minutes – then for 30 seconds, run as fast as I could up the stairs (max heart rate) – then rest and fully recover. Once recovered, I did it all over again.

 

11 Aug 2019

Did not feel great today.   Irregular heartbeats, lightheadedness… days like these are few and far between.  But I will continue to document and monitor these types of days. I plan on seeing my cardiologist when I travel back to the states in October to get a full physical.

 

26 AUG 2019

Bottom line up front:  Overall, I have noticed an overall improvement in my health.  I have lost 10 pounds thus far since partaking in a rigorous training routine.  This 4 pounds more than what I reported about 3 weeks ago. I have to say that I have been experiencing some irregular heartbeats and lightheadedness however even with these symptoms, when I get on the treadmill and run for 30 minutes, and I feel great.  Can’t explain that one. In doing some research, certainly appears to be typical symptoms of irregular heartbeats.

 

03 SEP 2019

The following are the symptoms which I posted on day one of my journal entry:

1. Lightheadedness approximately 1 to 2 days a week which lasts anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours, less often throughout the day.  This is a common symptom.
2. Lightheaded symptoms I experience are about 3 to 5 days a MONTH.  Less often.
3. When exercising (aerobic activity), slight pain in left hand – scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most severe, pain is about a 6. This is common.
4. Bloating feeling – this is a common symptom
5. Extreme fatigue which occurs approximately 1 to 2 days a week
6. I experience fatigue on average of 2 to 3 days a MONTH now.
7. Blood pressure – systolic number is low (between 90 – 100) which indicates weakening of the heart muscle and not enough blood pressure is being delivered by the heart muscle
8. Abnormal / irregular heartbeats or heart rhythm (these are uncommon symptoms)
9. All exams taken in August of 2018 at Johns Hopkins was provided to Utah Stem Cell Center as a baseline.

Above, I have crossed out any symptoms that I have not experienced in 3 months.

My capacity to exercise has increased exponentially as I have lost about 10 to 15 pounds since mid-June 2019.

***Planning my trip to Utah for additional stem cell treatment and follow up with the medical professional staff.

 

07 Sep 2019

Found out what was making me feel so bad…it was the 20mg of lipitor I was taking daily.  I am in the process of speaking with my doctor to stay off of these drugs. With my plant-based diet and 20 mg of lipitor, I have managed to keep my total cholesterol levels at around 95 mg/dL  total. Probably too low.

Since being off of Lipitor, I have noticed a tremendous improvement in my health.  No lightheadedness, no dizziness, no “foggy memory,” no slight confusion, and I can breathe 1000 times better!

I will be on travel for the next 2 weeks, but will ensure an entry is made upon my return.

 

13 Sep 2019

Thought I should write a quick note before going on a week long business trip, that I have felt great this entire week.  Great workout this morning and to report, prior to starting my current physical fitness program, I weighed in at 243 lbs.  My weight as of today is 233 lbs.

30 Sep 2019

Wanted to report today that my current weight is 228 lbs and dropping.  Been doing high intensity training 5 days a week, for 30 minute sessions.  I am able to work harder and go longer…adverse effects have been almost non-existent this week.

This is typically the time (around month 5) that the stem cells have a positive effect on my heart – and for the next 7 months…

Feeling great and able to perform at high intensity in the gym…

THANK YOU UTAH STEM CELLs!

I will be traveling back to Virginia from the Middle East next week for about 3 ½ weeks.

08 Oct 2019

I’m on travel back to the U.S. and will return to the Middle East on the 27th.  Planning on getting a few days rest and then back to the gym. I’ll report next week on my progress.

I almost forgot,  I have an appointment to see my Cardiologist on Monday at Johns Hopkins and will report his findings.

I’m feeling more and more incredible the more time passes.