Thanks for coming in on the PCE yesterday. I saw all those pink feathers surrounding my Doc and felt your presence as he told me that I need an Angiogram on Monday morning at 8am.
There was not near the snow in Bismarck as we have so feel fortunate about that. With our weather today it is melting fast.
Am kind of nervous about the Angiogram, but trying to keep positive thoughts. Dr Rahmen told me that he feels the problems with my heart are all the result of Adriamycin. He said he did a paper on that in his graduate study, the affects of Adria on the heart and it is significant. So maybe I will be his proof positive. He is a very nice (and quite young) Dr. Made me feel quite at ease.
Again, thanks for stopping by. If you feel like flying in again on Monday, it would be great. You could all surround the team of Drs as they scope out my heart. I love you all.
Kitty, my doctor says chemo has no effect on the heart and brain and I had adriamycin.Please let us know what the results are.Your results could open a whole new can of worms for doctors to think about....Tammy
Well, Tammy, that's what makes horse races. I also have heart damage caused by chemo. therapy drugs. I don't know anything about the brain but there are quite a number of BC survivors whose heart problems have been directly linked to drugs used during chemo.
The issue, I think, is not so much that there is damage. Rather, it's that there is something that can be done. In my case, I take a heart drug every day and will probably have to do so for the rest of my life. In other cases there are surgeries which can ameliorate the problems.
Either way, we have to look at it this way. Having BC is WAR and we have no choice but to keep fighting whichever way best accomplishes the goal to stay alive. Hugs, Luci
In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me lay an invincible summer. Albert Camus
Lucy,how soon after chemo did you start having heart problems?I finished my chemo in july and what symptons should i look for if it effected my heart...Tammy
I was told re: heart problems with Adriamycin and had an echo before hand. I, too, would like to know howsoon symptoms started. I know about SOB, etc. Any other symptoms? As for chemo brain, I believe mine started about two weeks ago. I can't seem to remember anything and I have had no chemo since JUne.
I actually think most of mine started over 2 years ago. When I had such a terrible cough I could not get rid of. It was attributed to exercise induced asthma at first, then that was ruled out, and we moved onto reflux. Now with what I have leard the past few weeks, I think it has been the heart trying to tell me something.
I had Mugga Scan before and 2 following chemo - at the time it was determined a 15% reduction in ejection refractory. Which put me at 50% - now I am at 20%.
I am on 4 different meds now - to help strengthen the heart and reverse the damage. I take Lasix, Potassium, Zestoril and Coreg. Luci - what are you taking?