Patients and Caregivers Forums

Hi. I am new the this forum. My husband had his LVAD implant in late August 2021. He is still experiencing heavy drainage from the driveline. We are changing his daily dressings every 2-3 days. The site itself looks really good and is not the concern. Our LVAD team has recently suggested taking...

Just got this from a company out of Florida that my MCMS team was working with. Continuum They can supply all of your patches, foley anchors, silver foam etc. It is billed diretly to Medicare which is a god send, since I was pushing $450 per month, now I can save what I didn't have to begin with...

I just received my LVAD on 6-24–19. I am now allowed to shower. I was just wondering what you cover driveline dressing with?

I was disappointed to hear from my doctor that right now I'm not a candidate for an LVAD. I didn't know until my doctor informed us that your heart has to be enlarged and you have to have a certain Ejection fraction in order to get an LVAD. Right now my heart isn't the size and my ejection fraction...

Hello all, My 73 year-old husband Terry recently passed away, of complications related to a rare type of pneumonia. He received his Heartmate 3 VAD on August 5, 2019 and yes, we went through all the highs and some of the lows post implant. I want to tell everyone to embrace each day; we had SO MANY...

Hi. I had my L-VAD implanted almost 4 months ago. They can't get my blood pressure stabilized. I'm trying to find a vascular Doppler here in Canada so I can check at home, no luck. Any suggestions or help would be appreciated, many thanks!

Hello everyone! My husband is getting the LVAD this Friday. We knew about his heart failure but getting the VAD this early was a surprise, his condition has declined quickly. I'm nervous about a lot of things but would love advice from younger couples/families (older couples too if you have advice!)...

Since my LVAD 33 months ago, I have been on a slow and steady decline. My condition at present is no better than the heart failure condition I experienced prior to my surgery. With any physical exertion I can only last a minute or two before requiring about 5 minutes of rest before another minute or...

Got test strips 444 for my coaguchek but lost the code chip and am wondering if anyone can help. Ivan McCarthy lealdasolutions@gmail.com

My Husband had LVAD surgery on Friday 1/8/2021. About 10 pm that night they had to put a tube down his throat to see what was going wrong. By 1:00am Saturday Morning I had to consent again for them to go back in him because the right side of the heart wasn't strong enough. Well Sunday the nurse told...

My husband received his LVAD in August 2021. He has an iron deficiency and has to go for iron infusions. He also got an infection in his sternum. Has anyone dealt with these issues. Pat

I find the easiest way to wear my external equipment is a fanny pack, or certain hiking/outdoor bags that clip around my waist. This leaves me hands free all day long. A Maxtop brand fanny pack from Amazon (xl) will hold the batteries and a front zipper is convenient for cards or cash etc. With this...

I’ve had congestive heart failure since 2015 and had a heart attack 2015 at the age of 35. I received an ICD also in 2015. I had an lvad put in on August 13, 2021. For a year prior to getting my VAD I was in and out of the hospital. Around Christmas 2020 I was in the hospital with a heart rate of...

I received a HeartMate III LVAD on 1/25/19. I have been home from the hospital for 5 days and I am using a Thoratec vest that was given to me at the hospital.I am ready to order mens clothing to accommodate my LVAD and would appreciate some advice. The batteries are now hanging on my side and the...

I am 26, in fair condition, well enough to exercise and want to add jumping to my exercise program but the controller and two batteries aren't held stable well enough with anything I have. Does anyone have suggestions? Thanks

My wife no longer needs anything to do with her heartmate II equipment. I've been asked to see if any of it can be sold. Does anyone here know if such is possible? I've not been told amounts to ask. I suppose any offers will be considered. As far as I know, it's all that is needed for such devices...

My husband has a lvad and his dementia is getting worse. Has anyone gone through this?

Hey good evening have a question....whats the protocol for being on wall power when its thundering and lightning? I know we cant be plugged into a surge protector , we are suppose to be plugged directly into the wall ? Right? I can't seem to find the answer. If anyone has the answer or suggestions i...

Can we ride roller coasters?

Hi friends! my father has had an lvad for about a year now, and he has some hopes of traveling. In particular, in Central America. The hospital at one point mentioned if he’d be traveling, it’d be a good idea to have an lvad clinic nearby in whatever place he was venturing, if anything were to...