It was now March 2018. My LVAD was implanted on September 11th, 2017. I was now back re-hospitalized because my LVAD was giving me mini-strokes. For an LVAD patient stroke might as well be death. Although we had cheated death in a way by the miracle that is VAD mechanical heart device we were not immortal, the risk of stroke was higher for us due to high dose blood thinning medication because now our blood was continuously pumped by a machine, we literally have no pulse. Does this mean we are real zombies in the flesh?; no pulse, no heartbeat but breathing. When us zombie LVAD’s get a stroke the game is over we lose the hope of possible heart transplant the LVAD becomes our life until we meet our true death, it is no longer the waiting room to a heart transplant we had hoped for. Here I was a first-time mother in the waiting room of life. I constantly now fear the risk of another stroke I had already experienced two, and although they were not permanent, the next one could be.
What were my choices?
After days and days of testings, my doctors came to me deliver the good and or bad news that would define my life.
On the one hand, these mini-strokes could be the warning signs of an imminent massive stroke or maybe not. Regardless of this possible reality, one thing stayed true; the chances of me receiving a heart transplant was 5%. For a number of reasons in addition to the fact that between August 20th 2017 and March 2018 I had received 5 blood transfusions, I had high number of antibodies, I had a rare blood type and to top it off I still had a high level of pregnancy hormones my system, so my chances of being match for new heart was 5%. What does one do when faced with such a reality?
The only other real options left were to either leave in the LVAD and hope another stroke doesn’t occur or to turn off the LVAD and hope that my heart is strong enough to function without support; what is the possibility of that?
Post to be continued in SCAD part V.
