Welcome to a new LVAD Recipient

This is a post from a new LVAD recipient. MyLVAD would like to welcome you and we wish you continued success through your journey!

I have been struggling with Congestive Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy since October of 2008. The drs don't know what caused it or if it was a genetic defect that I have always had. My left side of my heart has steadily gotten worse and now I need the LVAD to pump for me. The right side was compensating, but now the fear is that if I don't get the pump sooner than later, the right side will give out before I get to a transplant. I am on continuous iv infusion therapy that is not working. The LVAD is my only hope.

On April 29th the pump was installed. I have recovered so quickly that I was able to get out of the hospital in 11 days and home home 2 weeks after surgery. I feel so great that my feet can barely keep up with my new found energy. I am so thankful for my mom. She has been so strong through all of this and continues to make my journey as smooth as she can. I know all of the dressing changes and wound maintenance is hard on her, but she does it every day with a smile. I love her so much!

The LVAD has completely changed my life. I was worried that this major surgery would be for nothing as all of the other treatments prior to my LVAD only helped marginally. My biggest fear was that I'd go through this and still not feel better, and then be stuck with all of this equipment installed permanently . Now that I have had the surgery, I feel silly that I worried at all. I feel so much better already. The incisions still are pesky, but there isn't the as much pain as I expected, and the overall energy level I have now outweighs any bad feelings.

I am a 33 year old, and I am finally starting to feel like me again. At about day 9 after surgery I started to feel as good as I felt before getting sick. I could hardly believe how much stronger I felt. There was color in my cheeks and I could walk without shortness of breath. Now 3 weeks out I am finding that even small things that used to wear me out to exhaustion no longer bother me. I can go shopping with out needing to rest and that is a big improvement. Not every day has been great, but the scale has tipped...and the good days now out weigh the bad.