Pain at drive line site
Tue, 02/25/2020 - 7:30PMMy 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?
Drive Line stinging
Mon, 03/02/2020 - 7:41PMI only feel stinging sometimes during dressing change. Probably due to cleaning entry area.
The same pain.
Mon, 03/09/2020 - 4:59PMI'm going trough the same as your husband. My wife took a picture of my site and we notice a blister. We're not sure if it's the rubbing of the line or the cleaning agent. I was allergic to chlorohexidine, so now I can only tolerate betadine. Hopefully I'm not getting a reaction from the betadine now. I recommend taking a photo so that you can look a little closer to see if there's any irritation or blistering. Right now the only solution for us is to reposition the driveling off of the irritated area.
In reply to The same pain. by Todd J.
Derrick W.Hey Todd be careful with…
Tue, 03/17/2020 - 10:34AMHey Todd be careful with that i for the first time had the same pain and i could not figure it out. All the while it was a driveline infection. Went to the infectious disease doctor and it was all cleared up but i remember the pain and the blister all to well
In reply to Hey Todd be careful with… by Derrick W.
Todd J.Derrick, was the blister…
Mon, 03/23/2020 - 2:15PMDerrick, was the blister near the site entrance or further out? Mine was was about an inch from the site entrance. Since we moved the line the blister has went away. Besides the blistering were you experiencing any other systems pertaining to drive line infections? Also was antibiotics the remedy? I'm lucky, my wife's a nurse. I don't mean to interrogate you. I just want to relay the information you give me to the wife so that we can make a decision on how to proceed.
In reply to Derrick, was the blister… by Todd J.
Derrick W.Hey Todd I am SO SORRY for…
Sun, 04/12/2020 - 12:17AMIn reply to Hey Todd I am SO SORRY for… by Derrick W.
Todd J.Derrick, Thanks for getting…
Mon, 04/13/2020 - 12:21PMDerrick,
Thanks for getting back to me. I'm doing fine now. I had the team look at my sight and they didn't see anything they thought could be an infection. However, they felt my line was being pulled, so they sent a waist band of sorts to further secure it. Once again thanks for responding and good luck on your journey.
My dad has a similar issue…
Thu, 04/09/2020 - 3:38PMMy dad has a similar issue. He has a near constant itching/stinging even though his dressing site looks perfectly clean. We have tried so many remedies and talked with the doctor numerous times about the issue and have come up with nothing that solves it so far.
I have the same
Sat, 04/11/2020 - 6:59PMI have the same issue, and i felt like i was going crazy. I would explain it to my doctors, and they were like they didnt see anything wrong with the site. Has anyone found a way to fight this?
In reply to I have the same by Tonya E.
John L.We actually just spoke with…
Tue, 04/14/2020 - 6:58PMWe actually just spoke with our doctor about it yesterday and he finally determined that it is nerve damage from the initial procedure and will eventually go away. He prescribed a medication called Gabapentin and for the first time in months my dad was able to get a full night's sleep. The drug is used to treat seizures and nerve disorders.
In reply to We actually just spoke with… by John L.
Jodi R.Drive line pain
Tue, 04/14/2020 - 7:13PMMy husband is also on gabapentin and Tylenol. It is making it ‘tolerable’
John- how long ago was your dad’s LVad put in? My husband is at the 1 year mark and still dealing with this. He does have a mild staph infection in that area which is on the skin only. Not sure if that is part of the problem.
In reply to Drive line pain by Jodi R.
Tonya E.Driveline pain
Sun, 04/26/2020 - 10:37PMHi Jodi,
I am also on gabapentin and tylenol . And it's still not tolerable. I had my lvad surgery Nov. Of last year. Honestly the only time it truly hurts is when i bend over or sit down. Does your husband have the same problem?
My mom has been having pain…
Sun, 04/26/2020 - 8:21PMMy mom has been having pain as well, implanted December 3, 2019..... Last month, while doing her dressing change I noticed feeling something hard at the site. She has a Heartware. Called the VAD Emergency team, they said it was probably a piece of the line (some white piece), which I remember being taught about, but you don't see anything. They don't believe it's infection. I'm not totally convinced of anything.
Hi I'm Lvad 4/1/2016... if…
Tue, 04/28/2020 - 1:08PMHi
I'm Lvad 4/1/2016... if your husband doesn't have any abnormalities around the site, theres a chance that you need to flush with sterile water instead of the wand in your lvad dressing kits. I've been experiencing pain from the line rubbing on the surrounding area. I alternate the chloraprep wand and sterile water syringe. Hope this helps✌🐝safe
Site Entrance?
Fri, 12/03/2021 - 7:21PMIs this at the site entrance or along the whole driveline. I have pain that wakes me up at night. The driveline is arched up under my skin. It is very painful.
Burning when I move or sore some time.
Sat, 12/24/2022 - 9:40PMI have it 13 mouths. It's was great till about 2 mouth ago. I have a rash. It's not inf it's was red where the patch was. The I took my shirt of. I stay inside. It's clear up to air hit it. (. With the banged ON ) it's clear up. The the other day. It's was good. Look like skin the next day it's inches and sore and burning my wife change it. It's red again. There was a very very small blood like a pin head. The Dr said it good.
Intermittent Drive Exit Stinging
Fri, 03/15/2024 - 1:46PMI had a Heartmate 3 implanted 1.5 years ago. I am happy and glad to be alive. I fought thru the weakness and depression over the first 6 months. My principal problem is driveline management. In particular the best way to anchor the driveline. My LVAD driveline is mounted on my left side directly under my heart (Cleveland Clinic). I change my dressing myself, standing up, every day, using Hibiclens (slightly diluted per instructions) and Tagaderm. I am fortunate to be normal weight and active (golf, gym,). I initially positioned my Foley Anchor directly below the Exit point but found that when I bent over, it pushed on the exit point and once caused very slight bleeding below the skin (slight discoloration) and periodic stinging so I stopped that. I next positioned the Foley horizontally from the exit site but found it annoyed my exit when I twisted my body. so now I mount the foley diagonally from the exit site and this seems best. When I'm not active for a month, the discoloration and stinging goes away but when I get active again, the irritation is reintroduced. The issue in my mind is how taut should the cable to the driveline exit site be? Too taut causing pulling and stinging, too loose and the cable pushed on the exit site and causing stinging and occasional blood seep below the surface. These episodes will cause a little drainage for a day or two but quickly stops. I know this has been a long narrative so I'll get to the point. What is the best point for mounting the Foley anchor and how taut should the cable be. The exit sees extremely sensitive to the wrong level of tautness. Thanks for listening and any help you can send me would be greatly appreciated. Mike Dugan