Patients and Caregivers Forums

Planning on flying from Milwaukee to Orlando in February. Any tips or suggestions on how to manage the LVAD equipment?

My husband has had his Heartmate 3 for almost a year now. He has days where he gets a stinging pain at the drive line site. We have not been able to get an explanation for this. Has anyone else experienced this, know what causes this, or how to eliminate it?

Hi I have had my heartmate 3 since November 2019. And spent 2 months in hospital, since i have been home. I have had driveline pain since they cut out my stitches at the site, in February of this year. I have had CHF with an injection fraction rate of 15 to 20% off and on for 17 1/2 years before i...

New Monday Code New Link for Monday LVAD Support webinar: 7pm ET, 6pm CT, 5pm MT, 4pm PT https://meet.google.com/ppo-kqqw-mnd

I am schedule to have my Lvad surgery on 11/30/2021, looking for words of Encouragement. I am a 26 year old female with 2 young children.

I am trying to get info about the defective Medtronic vad. My brothers lvad is one of them recalled and they no longer use them. He was having clots and had a stroke and then brain bleed. So they kept him in hospital on warfarin til he got a heart. Just wondering if anyone else has gone through this...

Hi Everyone, I thought you might be interested in an upcoming sale by VAD Wear Vests. From this Friday 11/05 to 11/12 they are offering 20% OFF on any orders over $100. Use code: SHOPEARLY20. https://www.VADWearVests.com

I must strongly disagree with those who say that sleeping with batteries is “stupid and dangerous” It is no such thing. I have had an LVAD for almost 2 years and I often nap with batteries if I am expecting someone and need to get up quickly. For a year and a half I slept with batteries every night...

Anybody have an idea if Abbott might make a battery charger that is smaller then the 4 battery monster they give you? I have to travel for work and that big thing is problematic.

Hi everybody, I'm hope one of you all have or had this problem. I am having trouble getting my doppler to get to 80 to 85 and I'm having trouble to get the right blood pressure meds. I will get some that doesn't work,or I get one that I' m have an allergy to..... that is the problem I am having. My...

My husband has an LVAD Thoratec HeartMate GoGear Shower Bag. Never opened - still in the box. His doctor won't let him shower so if anybody needs it please let me know. All I ask is that you pay shipping. Thanks and have an amazing day.

My husband got a Heartmate 3 in October. December was our first month at home. Our electric bill was about $150. higher than normal for the same period in past years. The only new appliance or new usage is our Heartmate 3 chargers. I'm a bit shocked. Is that the experience of others?

So I have been advised that I need to have an LVAD unit. I have HOCM and have been fighting this heart desease head on since 2014 when I had a Septal Myectomy and Transapical midventricular myectomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochestor MD. These surgeries were very major but really did not improve my...

Hi Everyone, Would like to ask people here about their experiences with an LVAD and what sort of improvements it had made to your life after it was installed. My Dad has congestive heart failure after a MI and part of his heart has died. He suffers from edema in the legs, feet and stomach and BP is...

I am a new LVAD recipient about to leave the hospital after implant. I'm concerned about my shirts getting caught on my driveline. Any tips or suggestions on how to avoid this or how to best wear my tshirts

Hello everyone you helped us soo much with vaccine information so I wanted to reach out to you again. We just made one year with his LVAD! I’m very proud.. it’s been very tough, especially with Covid. What kind of activities do you recommend! Right now my husband walks with a cane. We are looking...

My Uncle has been living with his LVad for many years. He has recently been having complications. He's been in hospital over a week with a GI bleed they can't seem to find. He's had two colonoscopy and swallowed a pill that had a camera in it. They went in today and cauterized three spots that could...

My Dad had LVAD surgery 4 years ago, now it's time to replace battery. Has anyone experienced battery replacement and how was the outcome?

My dad has lived with his LVad for about 4 years successfully. In recent months he developed an infection and was treated for same in the hospital and now takes a medication to keep the infection at bay. Of course he has other medications related to his device as well. The infection was caught in...

Hello All, Quick background, I am 37 and got my LVAD put in when I was 36. I had blood clots in my widow maker artery, it resulted in 2 massive heart attacks and subsequentially, heart failure. I flatlined and came back 6 times within a 2 week period. I was in a coma for almost a month.I had some...