Randy O.

     Hi there- I received my heart mate 3 in May of this year. I am 64 years old. I had been on Amiodarone on and off for a few years due to Ventricular tachycardia and AFIB. I started running into some real problems with this drug. My cardiologist said that it is toxic -however for people that have advanced heart failure it was one of the only options for treatment of arrhythmia.  There is another drug called Sotolol which can also be used but it is a beta blocker and can also have nasty side effects. I was told that after my surgery I would have to be kept on the Amiodarone for at least six weeks. However I was starting to have serious Thyroid problems and lung issues. My pulmonologist talked to the cardiologists about my situation. He recommended that I be taken off the drug due to the horrible cough that I had. So I was taken off of it at 5 weeks post surgery. It is now September and I have no cough and my lungs are healthy. Honestly, I am very grateful to no longer be taking it! Now - I do still have some arrhythmia issues. Primarily frequent PVCS and possibly some AFIB. However my Doctors say that it is basically irrelevant because my pump is taking care of things. In my case - I have just simply learned to tolerate the irregular beats. Unless it gets too severe I plan on staying off of Amiodarone. I also had my ICD removed during surgery -so my LVAD is it for me. I am starting to finally feel better and get my life back . I was sick with Severe Heart Failure for three years and this is really a gift. I hope this helps!