Profile picture for user Christine_Scordino
Christine S. Caregiver

heart received

Fri, 07/13/2012 - 11:11PM

My hubby received a new heart on July 11th. His recovery is so great the doctors are amazed. An 8-10 hr procedure took 5 hrs. He was off the ventilator 5 hours after the surgery...sitting up 24 hours after...Prayers were and are still being answered, and the VAD was a big part of this. 15 months ago, His body prior to the VAD was dieing, after the VAD, his body was being fed life giving blood so his organs and body were in tip top shape for surgery. Keep the faith...the vad does its job and may you all be blessed with what you need.

7122 reads
Profile picture for user Jimmaui
James H.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 1:50PM

Aloha to you all, I'm about to get a LVAD and was wondering, about how long would you expect to be on the LAVD before you receive a transplant. I will have to move to Los Angeles to have the procedure and have been assured that the LVAD is a bridge to transplant. Any help would be great. I also have a ICD implanted. Do those get taken out if you get a LVAD?

Profile picture for user Christine_Scordino
Christine S.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 4:29PM

Each person is different in how long they wait for a transplant. My husband kept his ICD and it turned out to be his lifesaver...it went off many times towards the end which was a key to the team that his heart was "over the cliff". He was raised on the list and had a heart in 10 days. The ICD is still necessary. The LVAD is only the pump, not a replacement for your heart. It assists.

Hope: thank you for your good wishes. We are doing well. Continue to be encouraged. As one of the team members said...everyone gets the new heart that is right for them. We do believe this and our hope was in God and His Handy work. Blessings to you Jimmaui & Hope. Of course, I am here to share if it helps you.