“My husband got to live five more years thanks to keto”

Siw wrote to us on Facebook to tell us about how a dietary change helped her husband live longer. Siw’s husband retained a lot of fluid and was in very bad shape when they went to the last resort – keto. Read more about what happened here:

I have a story to tell about how my husband got to live five more years thanks to keto. The first thing I noticed was that his feet started to swell. I didn’t pay much attention to it but noticed that he become increasingly tired. He has always been a large person and quite overweight for a long time, but he continued to swell regardless of what he ate. He tried all kinds of weight-loss methods, but always failed. Of course he suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure and took medication for it. He also had fibrillation.

I read everything I could find on the web about these diseases and came to Annika Dahlqvist’s site and got interested in what diet means for health.

My husband got more and more bloated and at last he could not stay in bed and sleep because he wasn’t able to breathe. He slept in an armchair at night. One morning when I woke up and looked at him, I saw a big puddle below his feet. I asked whether he had peed himself, but he hadn’t. I lifted his leg and got scared when I realized that his skin had ruptured so that sticky fluids hit the floor. He consequently developed major wounds on both of his legs. After instructions from healthcare professionals, I learned to take care of his wounds and did everything I could to make it as good for him as possible.

I remember that I had read somewhere that the first thing that leaves your body when you go on a ketogenic diet is excessive fluid. I thought that this was the last resort. We immediately started the diet and he really enjoyed it, even though he missed potatoes a lot. But I stood firm. The doctor dissuaded us from going on a keto diet, but I didn’t listen.

I continued to take care of the wounds and after a month they had healed. After three days he could, after being in contact with a doctor, reduce both his diabetes and blood-pressure medications. When they checked his weight three months later he had lost 30 kilos (66 lbs). My husband had become a new person. He could sleep in his bed like a normal person. All the excessive fluid disappeared, he felt great and lived for five more years even though he increased his carb intake. Otherwise I don’t think his heart would have managed the stress from all the excessive fluid in his body.

Later on he got a tumour in his pituitary gland which, because of treatment with waran medication, started bleeding and acute surgery was necessary. Early on he was moved to the regional hospital where the care was miserable and after a while he died from pneumonia.

What I want to highlight with this story is that this diet truly helps with excessive fluid. Think about what would happen if everyone who suffered from bloating and excessive fluid and leg wounds would try this dietary approach, there’s so much suffering that could be alleviated. What if all doctors prescribed this diet instead of diuretics, which are hard on the kidneys.

I need to add that I also lost weight, 9 kilos (20 lbs) in just three months. Thank you for letting me share my story.

Best regards,
Siw

Comment

Thank you for sharing your story, Siw!

Get started

Do you want to try what Siw and her husband have done? Sign up for our free 2-week keto low-carb challenge!

Alternatively, use our free keto low-carb guide, or for maximum simplicity try out our new low-carb meal planner service – it’s free to use for a month.

More

Keto for beginners

How to lose weight

How to reverse type 2 diabetes

Support

Do you want to support Diet Doctor and get access to bonus material? Check out our membership.

Share your story

Do you have a success story you want to share on this blog? Send it (photos appreciated) to success@dietdoctor.com, and please let me know if it’s OK to publish your photo and name or if you’d rather remain anonymous. It would also be greatly appreciated if you shared what you eat on a typical day, whether you fast etc. More information: