Patients and Caregivers Forums

Hi all, My father underwent LVAD implant surgery but unfortunately he passed away immediately after. Since he never left the hospital, all the external LVAD equipment and accessories are unused and left with us. I was hoping to list them here in case someone would be interested in buying as it would...

Hi - Unfortunately, my father passed away in November and was an LVAD patient. I have a couple of LVAD shirts and an LVAD vest that I would like to donate. Is there a place that I could send these to? The hospital did not take donations. Thank you -

Has anyone ever used a gas generator to power their charging doc or main power source? Some doctors don’t recommend using a generator for any of the charging/power needs.

Hi, my husband passed 10/8/20 he received his Vad 2/20. I have all his equipment extra batteries, wall unit,,bags, vest, book, battery charger, drive line bandages n ect. Would like it to go to someone that can use it. Thx

I've had a lvad since 1/16/2019. My issue is medicare keeps denying my lavd dressing kit costs. As of January 2020 (finally got out of hospital) I require a dressing change everyday because of drainage at the driveline site due to pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. I have been in and out of hospital...

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?

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!

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...

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...

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?

Hey! Just asking for my dad who newly has lvad. He used to enjoy acupuncture, does anyone know if he is still able to receive this support? He will have lvad for the rest of his life so we’re trying to find a way to do the things he’s done for health and body support. Thanks!