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Maryellen F. Caregiver

LVAD Equipment to give away

Mon, 05/06/2019 - 11:46AM

Hi. I have some LVAD equipment I would love to give away to anyone who needs it.

Thoratec Heart Mate Go Gear Battery Holster, 2 Shower Bags, one consolidated bag, right, Battery Holster, power module cable,

2 stabilization belts, white.  Please let me know and I will ship to you.  thanks

Maryellen

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Faye C.

Thu, 05/09/2019 - 1:01PM

Hello Miss Maryellen!

My father just came home from rehab with his new LVAD 2 days ago and we're interested in purchasing your equipment. My only question is whether they are compatible with the Heartmate 3. 

Thank you for your kindness.

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Maryellen F.

Mon, 05/13/2019 - 5:08PM

Hi Faye.    I would not charge you for any of these.  I am thankful that they will be used.  I just could not throw away knowing how valuable they are.   So let me know and we can talk about getting them to you.  I am in Florida.

Thanks.   Maryellen

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gail p.

Tue, 06/18/2019 - 11:23PM

Hi Maryellen,

If things do not work out I would like to have the items, that is so kind of you to ship. I am in California and would love to have them

Thank you. My email address I gailpalmer1222@outlook.com

 

Gail Palmer/Caregiver

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Joshua C.

Thu, 05/09/2019 - 7:59PM

My grandfather is getting the LVAD Monday and we would have an interest in this equipment please contact me with details. Thank you 

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Maryellen F.

Mon, 05/13/2019 - 5:09PM

Hi Joshua:   Thanks for your inquiry and if the first lady who contacted me does not want I will get back in touch with you.  I am in Florida. 

Thanks Maryellen

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Jillian F.

Mon, 05/13/2019 - 12:04PM

Morning all, 

Just wanted to post, as a VAD coordinator. It's great to give away gear that you wear, HM II and III have the same wearable equipment. As far as the patient cable goes, and really all equipment, that is single patient use only and is only good with the power modules (not mobile power unit) and actually gets changed out every year. Good luck to everyone! 

 

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Maryellen F.

Mon, 05/13/2019 - 5:07PM

Hi Ms. Fitzgerald!  Thanks sooo much for your information.   I was not sure how to answer because I did not find much out googling for this!!  Not a common thing I know though...... Thanks and I will talk to the people who answered.

Thanks again!   Maryellen

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Janice L.

Tue, 05/14/2019 - 8:40PM

Hi

My 20 year old daughter has a LVAD.  I would love for her to have an extra shower bag

Janice

Janice_lewis90@yahoo.com

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Janice L.

Thu, 05/16/2019 - 5:43PM

Hi

My 20 year old daughter has a LVAD.  I would love for her to have an extra shower bag

Janice

Janice_lewis90@yahoo.com

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Maryellen F.

Mon, 06/17/2019 - 9:52AM

Hi Janice.  Just wondering if you still need a shower bag?  I would be happy to ship to you.

Thanks

Maryellen

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Janice L.

Mon, 07/01/2019 - 11:36AM

Yes

I'm still in need of a shower bag if you still have it.  My address is

7392 Chad's Circle

Jonesboro GA 30236

Thanks

I'll pay for shipping

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Sue M.

Mon, 05/20/2019 - 6:36PM

My husband just started this process of getting ok'd for a LVAD.  I keep reading about a shower bag...So what is it?  And you can only shower once a week?  

Like I said....we're newbies...if he gets the go ahead...soon we'll be oldies!

Sue...Jim's hunnybunny.

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Mike A.

Mon, 05/27/2019 - 11:00AM

Just celebrated my third year with my LVAD. I take showers every other day with my shower bag. After the shower my wife and extraordinary caretaker changed my dressings. You will get used to it but you have to wait until your incision heals. That will be months. The shower bag gives you some freedom. I would consider purchasing a shower chair. Reply with any questions.

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Brian D.

Mon, 06/03/2019 - 10:41AM

Hello. I have had my lvad for about 1 yrs now. Approaching one this month, I have only showed a few times. I've  been in and out of the hospital more than I have been home over the past year. I am so worried about driveline infections that I only wash up in the sink. The few times that I did shower was the best! However it resulted with my driveline getting wet and becoming infected. Besides the infections I have had several GI bleeds. Looking for any advice that might help me with my new journey as a LVAD patient. 

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Vanette J.

Fri, 12/13/2019 - 11:23PM

Wow I shower everyday 

But I did have a drive.line infection not because of the shower because the wire was getting caught on things

But I don't have to take medication anymore the infection is gone thank God 

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Tom M.

Mon, 05/27/2019 - 11:53AM

Shower Bag is simply a sturdy waterproof bag that the batteries and contoller fit neatly in and also had a shoulder & belt strap to secure close to body.

I shower every three days coinciding with changing my dressing. You can use a 4"X5" shower proof bandage over the dressing to keep it pretty dry.

Good luck - I've had mine a little over a year now.

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RoseAnn D.

Tue, 07/09/2019 - 9:52PM

We use the tagaderms as part of the normal dressing, but when my husband showers, as an extra safety measure against getting the driveline wet, we wrap Glad Press'n Seal around his dressing and driveline. This has worked really well. We change the dressing every time he showers, as we were instructed. We are not taking any chances.  My husband always feels so much better after a shower and feeling good in my opinion is  key element of healing and progress.

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Matthew A.

Mon, 06/10/2019 - 3:26PM

A shower bag hold all your equipment in a water proof bag. I find that I get steam moisture in the bag when showing so I add a thin towel inside then use that to cover the equipment. But that is not the problem, it's keeping the dressing dry. I have an LVAD for 3 years and find showering to be a chore and my dressing always gets wet. I use Tagaderm with a water proof tape and it still fails every time. No matter how I prep my skin. But before your can shower your doctor has to clear you first which I think is like 6 months before you can shower. Anyway I bath at the kitchen sink. Been doing this for 3 years, I feel like it's safer than a driveline infection.  Good luck and if you figure out how to safely shower without getting wet let me know. 

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Joanne W.

Mon, 05/27/2019 - 10:17PM

Shower bag will be used in a few weeks as he heals.  It will protect your controller and batteries as you shower. We have added a hand held shower to our shower unit so it can be lowered or hand held it will help you a lot unless you are lucky to already have one built into your shower. A shower chair will also help because you cannot HANG YOUR BAG on anything incase you slip and fall it would pull your cords. This will all be explained to you in detail you will find our own tricks as time goes by.

My son has a Heartmate 3 he uses gun concealment shirts for his batteries one on each side.  I remove a little stitching and it works well for us. They are compression shirts with pockets and fit close to his body,  LVAD shirts are Quite pricey! Everyone has their favorites.You will receive all the equipment you need to get started before you leave the hospital. Harness and Straps and Shower bag, batteries, carry bag, and chargers.  it is a little over whelming but you will get there and can add the extras as you like.   August will be 4 yrs for us. A new life style but doing fine.

 

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Larry B.

Mon, 06/03/2019 - 10:42AM

Janice, just ask your team. Shouldn’t be a problem. I take a shower every morning. If I play golf I take another one when I get home. I have two bags that I alternate between showers. I was cleared to shower when I was discharged after getting my HM3, which was 10 days after implant. I cover my wound with tegaderm in such a way that it very rarely gets wet so I still only change my dressing weekly unless it does get wet. Been almost three years doing it this way with no problems at all.

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Joanne W.

Tue, 07/02/2019 - 7:19AM

Heartmate #2 and Heartmate # 3... We have a heartmate # 3  …..  I do NOT believe most of the equipment is compatible.

Possible that the holsters and shower bags. Bandages.  We were told by our team that there is a difference on the batteries and we cannot use certain items.  Check with your LVAD team first. They will not service any other persons equipment either. We were lucky to get extra batteries from an gentleman that had a transplant and he just received new equipment. When they become old our team will not exchange them or reprogram any other parts.

Such a sad reason but hospitals are there to make money also. This day and age recycling should be considered a good thing and used to full capacity . 

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gail p.

Sat, 07/06/2019 - 3:46PM

Good Morning,

I really only need the vest if it is a medium or large. I have eight batteries and rotate them daily. I know that the cables cannot be shared. Thank you for the information. My LVAD team here is very good and does ongoing education with us once a year. 

 

Gail

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Maryellen F.

Tue, 08/11/2020 - 2:47PM

Hi Brenda:  I do have 2 shower bags and I believe that according to what I could tell, these 2 which

are the same, will work.  PLease let me know if you would like them.  Thanks Maryellen