Hello LVAD Brothers and Sisters!

My name is Kevin Smith

I suffered an MI after a lumbar injection on 12-15-09. My left ventricle was so damaged I had 10% ef and no signs the heart would improve. After placement of a balloon pump and an Impella device it was determined heart transplant was my only option. I was stabilized after 6 days and shipped to Methodist in Indy. They kept me alive with total renal failure, 10% ef and third spaced to nearly 300lbs when my entry weight was my prime 170lbs. With 24- 7 Dialysis I was removed from the vent at nearly 200 lbs almost a month later to see if I had brain function and I did! I was implanted with HM II on 01-11-10, went through rehab from then to release from Methodist on 02-18-2010 at 135lbs (Muscle atrophy). I went home unable to climb one stair or get out of a chair without assistance to use my walker. So I went from healthy (except an annular tear)to helpless, then improved to semi helpless which slowly progressed to self sufficient except my dressing changes. My HM II kept me alive until transplant on 07-23-10! Compared to the LVAD the transplant was a breeze to recover from. So glad to be alive, and hope I can provide positive input to this group. Without the help of others, my recovery and demeanor would have be much different than it was/is.