A change in my day!

Well I made a decision a couple of days ago to start doing cardio in the morning (on most days-I won’t commit to 6 with a day off). The biggest reason is if I don’t have a reason to get up, I don’t! I will usually watch news and then “The View” until about 10:30 and then get started. I always feel guilty, but I also know I do require more sleep than I used to. I think another part of it is just the ritual in getting up. One thing that few people know is that I do have a charging unit for my LVAD (left ventricular assist device) that I connect/disconnect from. I hook up to a power cable (tether if you will) in order to go to bed and not be inconvenienced by the 2 lap top sized batteries (and possible discharging in the middle of the night and having to be swapped out). So I guess you could say that is my ultimate place of safety, just directly hooked up to the power charger. Hence I tend to stay in my cozy bed until I have to get up for something. I am not afraid of being on the batteries; it is just the ritual of connecting and then putting on a harness to hold them (or what ever else I have dreamed up as an alternative to the harness.)
Many of you may not know what an LVAD is particularly. In general terms it performs about 80% of my hearts normal function. It pulls oxygenated blood from left ventricle and pushes it into my aorta through a pump mechanism about the size of a small omelet pan. It is inserted just below my heart in the abdomen and sits beside the stomach. (And to think, I get the benefit of feeling like my stomach has been stapled as a free benefit! i.e. I cannot eat big meals). The LVAD has an exit tube that comes through my skin that provides venting for the pump and connects to the controller. The controller is connected to two laptop sized batteries for power and the controller instructs the pump on what rate/pace it should operate.
My particular model LVAD (Thoratec Heartmate XVE LVAD) can pace at 50 strokes(or beats) per minute or automatic response based on heart demand (how fast the heart is beating to try and meet the body’s demand for blood). In spite of some of the inconveniences, it is why I am still alive. Some of the drawbacks are it does make some noise as the pump vents. There is a dressing change I must do every day for the exit tube. Exposure to water is “verboten”(forbidden), so no swimming, diving, hot tubs, traditional showers, etc. There is a shower kit you can use, but it still must be done with a hand held and must be sure the dressing doesn’t get wet. For more information about my particular LVAD, check out one of the following links for more information about LVAD’s and life with LVAD.

http://www.thoratec.com/medical-professionals/vad-product-information/heartmate-xve-lvad.aspx

http://www.thoratec.com/patients-caregivers/living-with-vad/index.aspx

I think I have managed to challenge the limits of the device and of myself. I hit the gym 5-6 times a week doing combinations of cardio and resistance training. I can do 60 minutes of moderate cardio. For resistance training I don’t know what my 1 rep max’s are, but I can bench sets of 10-12 working up to 160 #’s, shoulder press 100 #’s, and leg press 410 #’s. I have managed to do full sit-ups, crunches, and pushups. I never thought I would be able to do those again, but I can! So if I can, there will be others who will be able to also.

Well getting back to what I started talking about, “getting started for the day”. I have decided to take my partner to school and go do cardio every day to get me started earlier in the day. I did it yesterday and today. I am doing OK so far, and it does give me more time in my day.

Hope you are managing to have the time you need!

Josh