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Randy's Heart Failure Journey
At 54, pastor and family man Randy Addison has gone through nearly every heart failure treatment there is. Here, he shares his experience as a longtime patient of Carolinas HealthCare System's Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute.
How long have you had heart trouble?
Half my life. When I was 27, I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. I knew back then that my condition went hand in hand with heart failure. I've been on this road a long time.
Doctors put you on medication.
I started on a few different medications, including ACE inhibitors. Before taking them, I was winded all the time. Within six months, I felt so much better. The medicine made me a new person, and for a good 10 years, I was going strong.
Then things got worse again?
Yes. Eventually I started on a downward spiral, and I ended up feeling terrible.
Doctors at Sanger did an EKG and found my heart rate was in the 30s. I got a pacemaker and did fine for a few years. But they were worried my abnormal heart rhythms might send me into cardiac arrest — so then I got a combination pacemaker and ICD. It's implanted in your chest, and if it detects a dangerous heart rhythm, it shocks your heart back to normal.
Did you ever get shocked? What does that feel like?
Oh, yeah. It feels like you stuck your hand in a 200-volt socket while standing in a puddle of water. Or like someone hit you in the chest with a sledgehammer. The pain only lasts about two seconds — and it's worth it — but it's not a feeling you ever forget.
Any advice for people considering getting a pacemaker or an ICD?
There's nothing to fear. It's a simple procedure to get it implanted or to get the batteries replaced. At Sanger, it's an outpatient procedure, and they even play music to keep you relaxed.
I could still do pretty much anything I wanted to do with the device in. I could go swimming with it. And I slept a lot better at night — it was comforting knowing I had backup when I needed it and that Sanger was monitoring my device 24/7.
Eventually, you were told you needed an LVAD — but you didn't want to get one.
My heart was getting weaker, and I learned I needed an LVAD — that's a left ventricular assist device. It basically replaces the biggest chamber of your heart with a mechanical pump.
At first, I was resistant. I'd heard so many negative things about it. Ultimately, I got it because it was the only choice I had to live. My youngest daughter was about to get married, and I was determined to perform her ceremony and walk her down the aisle.
And was it so bad?
Honestly, it wasn't. I'm not going to say I loved it, but I got used to it very quickly.
I had open heart surgery to have it placed. Before I ever left the hospital, the Sanger staff was really serious about making sure my wife and I knew exactly how to work it. We had to pass tests about how to operate it and how to change the dressing from the stomach cable. I appreciated how meticulous they were — I think that's part of why they have such good outcomes for LVADs and transplants.
I'd say it took me about a month to adapt to it. At first, the strap would get in the way or the cable would get caught on things as I passed by — but soon I learned how to maneuver and it became second nature. For most of the time I had it, I had a great quality of life. I mowed my yard with it, I preached with it. I did almost everything I'd normally do. After a while, I didn't even think about it.
Any other LVAD advice or tips?
I was paranoid that something was going to go wrong mechanically with it, but it's a very well-proven machine. And it's more user friendly than I expected.
Also, attitude is everything. If you need an LVAD, just embrace it instead of resisting it. For me, that made all the difference.
For you, the LVAD was meant to help you live long enough to get a heart transplant.
A transplant was the ultimate goal. I had the LVAD for almost a year before I got the transplant. The day I found out they had a heart for me was life-changing.
When it was time, they removed my ICD and my LVAD, and they put in my new heart. I started feeling much better about a month later. So far there are no signs of rejection, and I'm getting excellent follow-up care. Looking back, I'm really grateful Sanger could offer me every option — the ICD, the LVAD and finally, the transplant.
What would you tell others considering transplant?
Go into it knowing everything you can. Do your research — but don't watch the surgery on YouTube!
Do everything your care team tells you to do. You want to make sure you have the best outcome possible.
It can be scary. But it's so worth it.
How are you feeling now?
I feel amazing. It hit me the other day — I'm not sick any more. I'd had a bad heart for half my life, and now I'm healthy.
Learn more about heart failure care from the specialists at Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute.
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