Cardiologist

shortmarge
shortmarge Member Posts: 291
edited March 2014 in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1
I made a cardiologist appointment. My blood pressure is running 95/56 and my pulse gets down to 44 and my heart is in and out of rhythm. It's starting to make me nuts and tired! I read that chemo can damage the heart and it can take months for it to show up. The receptionist didn't hestitate when I had told her what was happening and she got me in as quickly as she could. I read to drink coffee if the blood pressure gets to low so I have been doing this and it helps. Not only does cancer suck but so does the treatment!!!! Oh well, I guess it's my next bump in the road...

Hope all are doing well and growing hair!

Oh, I truely believe that deep tissue massage therapy helps neuropathy!

MIND, BODY AND SOUL!!!

Hugs.
«1

Comments

  • lindaprocopio
    lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980
    ((((Marge))))) When do you see the cardiologist?
    I have always had low blood pressure, so along with the lifelong anemia (and the CANCER, of course!), looks like that is something else we share. Does your low blood presure make it hard for you to come out of anesthesia? I always blamed my extra-long stay in operating recovery rooms on my low blood pressure, since my temperature always drops down to zombie level after surgery. I will be worried about you until you report back, so please let us know what the cardiologist says. I keep telling myself I came out of chemo with no lasting side effects, but I guess I may be celebrating too soon if things show up months later.

    As for hair, at 2 months since final chemo, mine is coming in VERY thin, some very white and some quite dark. About half my new hair is 1/4" long, and the rest is about 1/8" long, and the 1/4" pieces look like they are curling (or maybe that's just "hat head".) So I am still a long way before I need a comb! But my eyebrows and lashes are starting to lengthen a little and are halfway to normal now. As soon as I have enough hair that it would show up in a photo, I'll post a new photo.
  • deanna14
    deanna14 Member Posts: 732
    Keep us posted.
    Marge, I sure hope everything turns out okay at the cardiologist. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Please let us know what you find out.

    I would love to try out the massage therapy if I can ever get through this last chemo. If I went now, they would probably leave bruises... LOL. I'm glad that it is helping you through the neuropathy.

    Hugs,
    Deanna
  • shortmarge
    shortmarge Member Posts: 291
    deanna14 said:

    Keep us posted.
    Marge, I sure hope everything turns out okay at the cardiologist. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Please let us know what you find out.

    I would love to try out the massage therapy if I can ever get through this last chemo. If I went now, they would probably leave bruises... LOL. I'm glad that it is helping you through the neuropathy.

    Hugs,
    Deanna

    hair
    My white hair came in first, I thought I was going to be completely grey but then came the black. Now my white hair is sticking up and it's real curly so I have to use gel. Wash, towel dry a little gel and I'm out the door. I wanted to keep it short but my daughter says no. It reminds her that I had cancer, she said I can cut it after it gets long. God bless her and all she has had to see me go through.

    Deanna, my massage therapist says she has another client that had been through chemo and says the same thing. If you are still going through treatment she told me you have to have a note from your doctor saying it is okay to have a massage.

    You are all in my prayers.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL.

    Hugs.
  • shortmarge
    shortmarge Member Posts: 291

    hair
    My white hair came in first, I thought I was going to be completely grey but then came the black. Now my white hair is sticking up and it's real curly so I have to use gel. Wash, towel dry a little gel and I'm out the door. I wanted to keep it short but my daughter says no. It reminds her that I had cancer, she said I can cut it after it gets long. God bless her and all she has had to see me go through.

    Deanna, my massage therapist says she has another client that had been through chemo and says the same thing. If you are still going through treatment she told me you have to have a note from your doctor saying it is okay to have a massage.

    You are all in my prayers.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL.

    Hugs.

    More tests...
    My heart cooperated today and was out of beat for the doctor. He did an EKG and I am wearing a monitor for 24 hours. He says it's my lower chamber which is common and may not be harmful. But....... because I had chemo recently (and the type of chemo) and the fact that my heart seems to be out of beat all the time instead of occasionally he is going to do an Echo test to make sure the chemo did not damage the heart. Plus I get to do the fabulous treadmill test, YAY! He was surprised that I had made this appointment on my own and that the Oncologist didn't recommend it after treatment was complete. hmmmmmmmm, once again we have to follow our own instincts! He said that he was glad that I am taking the precautions and getting everything checked out.

    I used to avoid doctors like the plague, now it seems it's just a way of life.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL!

    Hugs.
  • livenow09
    livenow09 Member Posts: 60
    heart problems post chemo
    Aloha Marge, sorry to hear you're having cardiac problems; have read on the Susan Komen site some of our breast cancer sisters are experiencing congestive heart failure most likely due to chemo; sorry I didn't pay more attention but Taxol was one of the agents; it's unfortunate, but few of us really knew the full extent of the effects of chemo; nothing like informed consent (how did we give consent if we didn't know the full story...my favorite pet peeve)the medical community is so focused on just keeping us alive, they don't looked beyond the short term; so many are now "surviving", but it will take some time before the regimen is refined so they fix the cancer part without breaking something else; my therapist gave me a nugget to chew yesterday... we really don't know what is the normal aging part pushed forward by the cancer treatment eg would this have happened eventually??? but much later??? there are many bumps in the sidewalk of life....
    stay strong
    Marie
    PS my B/P went up since chemo...go figure (LOL)
  • deanna14
    deanna14 Member Posts: 732

    More tests...
    My heart cooperated today and was out of beat for the doctor. He did an EKG and I am wearing a monitor for 24 hours. He says it's my lower chamber which is common and may not be harmful. But....... because I had chemo recently (and the type of chemo) and the fact that my heart seems to be out of beat all the time instead of occasionally he is going to do an Echo test to make sure the chemo did not damage the heart. Plus I get to do the fabulous treadmill test, YAY! He was surprised that I had made this appointment on my own and that the Oncologist didn't recommend it after treatment was complete. hmmmmmmmm, once again we have to follow our own instincts! He said that he was glad that I am taking the precautions and getting everything checked out.

    I used to avoid doctors like the plague, now it seems it's just a way of life.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL!

    Hugs.

    Praying for you
    Marge, I hope that all of your test results are good and that the irregular heart rate is just a benign symptom. I am glad you are following up with your symptoms and know that having answers will give you greater peace of mind.

    Praying for you as always.

    Hugs,
    Deanna
  • Ro10
    Ro10 Member Posts: 1,561 Member

    More tests...
    My heart cooperated today and was out of beat for the doctor. He did an EKG and I am wearing a monitor for 24 hours. He says it's my lower chamber which is common and may not be harmful. But....... because I had chemo recently (and the type of chemo) and the fact that my heart seems to be out of beat all the time instead of occasionally he is going to do an Echo test to make sure the chemo did not damage the heart. Plus I get to do the fabulous treadmill test, YAY! He was surprised that I had made this appointment on my own and that the Oncologist didn't recommend it after treatment was complete. hmmmmmmmm, once again we have to follow our own instincts! He said that he was glad that I am taking the precautions and getting everything checked out.

    I used to avoid doctors like the plague, now it seems it's just a way of life.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL!

    Hugs.

    Marge glad you are getting more tests
    Glad to hear they are doing the Echocardiogram on you. I too hope that your irregular heart beat is just a temporary thing for you. From an article I read, Taxol was not one that effected the heart. But I know everyone is different and reacts differently to the drugs. Hope you have your tests scheduled soon, so you can get some answers. HUGS to you.
  • shortmarge
    shortmarge Member Posts: 291

    hair
    My white hair came in first, I thought I was going to be completely grey but then came the black. Now my white hair is sticking up and it's real curly so I have to use gel. Wash, towel dry a little gel and I'm out the door. I wanted to keep it short but my daughter says no. It reminds her that I had cancer, she said I can cut it after it gets long. God bless her and all she has had to see me go through.

    Deanna, my massage therapist says she has another client that had been through chemo and says the same thing. If you are still going through treatment she told me you have to have a note from your doctor saying it is okay to have a massage.

    You are all in my prayers.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL.

    Hugs.


  • shortmarge
    shortmarge Member Posts: 291
    livenow09 said:

    heart problems post chemo
    Aloha Marge, sorry to hear you're having cardiac problems; have read on the Susan Komen site some of our breast cancer sisters are experiencing congestive heart failure most likely due to chemo; sorry I didn't pay more attention but Taxol was one of the agents; it's unfortunate, but few of us really knew the full extent of the effects of chemo; nothing like informed consent (how did we give consent if we didn't know the full story...my favorite pet peeve)the medical community is so focused on just keeping us alive, they don't looked beyond the short term; so many are now "surviving", but it will take some time before the regimen is refined so they fix the cancer part without breaking something else; my therapist gave me a nugget to chew yesterday... we really don't know what is the normal aging part pushed forward by the cancer treatment eg would this have happened eventually??? but much later??? there are many bumps in the sidewalk of life....
    stay strong
    Marie
    PS my B/P went up since chemo...go figure (LOL)

    Thanks Marie, I Found This Info
    Paclitaxel combined with cisplatin or carboplatin is a favored regimen for treating epithelial cell ovarian cancer. It produces complete disease regression in about a quarter of patients with Stage III disease.

    Possible side effects of taxanes include:

    Life-threatening allergic reactions
    Heart damage
    Bone marrow damage
    Nerve damage
    Nausea
    Vomiting
    :: Diarrhea
    Unusual infections

    Cisplatin and Carboplatin

    Common names include:

    Platinol-AQ (Cisplatin)
    Paraplatin (Carboplatin)

    Cisplatin is used alone for certain ovarian cancers and in combination with either cyclophosphamide or paclitaxel to treat advanced disease. Cisplatin is also a member of the standard BEP regimen for germ cell cancers (with bleomycin and etoposide). Due to its lower toxicity, carboplatin is being tested as a substitute for cisplatin in this combination.

    Possible side effects of platinum coordination complexes include:

    Life-threatening allergic reactions
    Kidney damage
    :: Hearing loss
    Bone marrow damage
    Liver damage
    Nerve damage
    Blood vessel damage


    GIVES YOU A WARM FUZZY FEELING....

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL!

    Hugs.
  • deanna14
    deanna14 Member Posts: 732

    Thanks Marie, I Found This Info
    Paclitaxel combined with cisplatin or carboplatin is a favored regimen for treating epithelial cell ovarian cancer. It produces complete disease regression in about a quarter of patients with Stage III disease.

    Possible side effects of taxanes include:

    Life-threatening allergic reactions
    Heart damage
    Bone marrow damage
    Nerve damage
    Nausea
    Vomiting
    :: Diarrhea
    Unusual infections

    Cisplatin and Carboplatin

    Common names include:

    Platinol-AQ (Cisplatin)
    Paraplatin (Carboplatin)

    Cisplatin is used alone for certain ovarian cancers and in combination with either cyclophosphamide or paclitaxel to treat advanced disease. Cisplatin is also a member of the standard BEP regimen for germ cell cancers (with bleomycin and etoposide). Due to its lower toxicity, carboplatin is being tested as a substitute for cisplatin in this combination.

    Possible side effects of platinum coordination complexes include:

    Life-threatening allergic reactions
    Kidney damage
    :: Hearing loss
    Bone marrow damage
    Liver damage
    Nerve damage
    Blood vessel damage


    GIVES YOU A WARM FUZZY FEELING....

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL!

    Hugs.

    Wonderful!
    I guess what doesn't kill us makes us stronger?
  • daisy366
    daisy366 Member Posts: 1,458 Member
    deanna14 said:

    Wonderful!
    I guess what doesn't kill us makes us stronger?

    treatment - how much is enough?
    And that is a big challenge for us, isn't it. How much is enough?? At first I was concerned (and I still am to some extent) that I wasn't ordered radiation but I am also grateful because EVERYTHING has side effects - every medicine and treatment.

    Mary Ann
  • shortmarge
    shortmarge Member Posts: 291
    daisy366 said:

    treatment - how much is enough?
    And that is a big challenge for us, isn't it. How much is enough?? At first I was concerned (and I still am to some extent) that I wasn't ordered radiation but I am also grateful because EVERYTHING has side effects - every medicine and treatment.

    Mary Ann

    The Phone Call
    I got a phone call from the cardologist's office, he has reviewed the tape from the heart monitor and would like for me to come in and discuss it. Oooooh, I don't like those phone calls, always means somethings not right. Last time it was the cancer phone call. To fresh in the mind! Well, I guess that's why I went in the first place cause I felt something wasn't right.

    I go for my echo and treadmill test tomorrow and then on Friday sit down and talk with the doctor about all the tests.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL!

    Hugs.

    P.S. Catch my new picture with my daughter; HAIR!
  • kkstef
    kkstef Member Posts: 688 Member

    The Phone Call
    I got a phone call from the cardologist's office, he has reviewed the tape from the heart monitor and would like for me to come in and discuss it. Oooooh, I don't like those phone calls, always means somethings not right. Last time it was the cancer phone call. To fresh in the mind! Well, I guess that's why I went in the first place cause I felt something wasn't right.

    I go for my echo and treadmill test tomorrow and then on Friday sit down and talk with the doctor about all the tests.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL!

    Hugs.

    P.S. Catch my new picture with my daughter; HAIR!

    GREAT photo!!

    Marge, I can understand your concern....your previous experience leaves you with a sense of anxiety! You are such a strong woman, and I know you will handle any new challenge that comes your way the same way you have in the past!

    Praying that the cardiologist's visit won't be as scarey as you may be thinking!!

    Love the new photo...LOTS of hair! Hang in there.....Karen
  • deanna14
    deanna14 Member Posts: 732

    The Phone Call
    I got a phone call from the cardologist's office, he has reviewed the tape from the heart monitor and would like for me to come in and discuss it. Oooooh, I don't like those phone calls, always means somethings not right. Last time it was the cancer phone call. To fresh in the mind! Well, I guess that's why I went in the first place cause I felt something wasn't right.

    I go for my echo and treadmill test tomorrow and then on Friday sit down and talk with the doctor about all the tests.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL!

    Hugs.

    P.S. Catch my new picture with my daughter; HAIR!

    Praying
    I will be praying for you. I know how scary those phone calls are. You are so strong and can handle any challenge that comes along. I'm sure it will all be fine, if it was too serious, they would not have waited until Friday to talk to you.
  • Ro10
    Ro10 Member Posts: 1,561 Member

    The Phone Call
    I got a phone call from the cardologist's office, he has reviewed the tape from the heart monitor and would like for me to come in and discuss it. Oooooh, I don't like those phone calls, always means somethings not right. Last time it was the cancer phone call. To fresh in the mind! Well, I guess that's why I went in the first place cause I felt something wasn't right.

    I go for my echo and treadmill test tomorrow and then on Friday sit down and talk with the doctor about all the tests.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL!

    Hugs.

    P.S. Catch my new picture with my daughter; HAIR!

    Love the new photo
    You look great and your daughter is beautiful. I can't believe how long your hair is already. Can't wait for someday mine to be that long. But unfortunately I will get a nice shiny head again after I get my chemo on Wednesday.

    Hope all goes well with your echo and treadmill. Hope you do okay with it. I know you must be anxious about the phone call you got. At least the doctor will have all the results for you on Friday. I hope the problem can be treated with medication, and you will be feeling better. You remain in my prayers.
  • Teresa 61
    Teresa 61 Member Posts: 84 Member
    Ro10 said:

    Love the new photo
    You look great and your daughter is beautiful. I can't believe how long your hair is already. Can't wait for someday mine to be that long. But unfortunately I will get a nice shiny head again after I get my chemo on Wednesday.

    Hope all goes well with your echo and treadmill. Hope you do okay with it. I know you must be anxious about the phone call you got. At least the doctor will have all the results for you on Friday. I hope the problem can be treated with medication, and you will be feeling better. You remain in my prayers.

    Marge
    Hope all goes well Friday. Your in my prayers...... Teresa
  • deanna14
    deanna14 Member Posts: 732
    Teresa 61 said:

    Marge
    Hope all goes well Friday. Your in my prayers...... Teresa

    Thinking about Marge!
    Hoping that your tests are going well today. Saying a special prayer for you!
  • daisy366
    daisy366 Member Posts: 1,458 Member
    deanna14 said:

    Thinking about Marge!
    Hoping that your tests are going well today. Saying a special prayer for you!

    saying prayers for you, Marge
    Good luck with your results. Hang in there - try not to let your mind take you down one of those worry roads. You are in my prayers,

    PS. I like your new pix - my hair is growing too. I need to get a pix on here someday!!

    Mary Ann
  • shortmarge
    shortmarge Member Posts: 291
    daisy366 said:

    saying prayers for you, Marge
    Good luck with your results. Hang in there - try not to let your mind take you down one of those worry roads. You are in my prayers,

    PS. I like your new pix - my hair is growing too. I need to get a pix on here someday!!

    Mary Ann

    Benign Arrhythmia
    The cardologist says I have benign arrhythmia and a minor leaky valve. My heart monitor showed that my heart skipped 22,000 times in a 24 hour period. He said that it's not life threatening but since it skips so much (every third beat) he put me on a calcium blocker and if that doesn't work he will try a beta blocker. Since I already have low blood pressure he can only put me on a very low dosage. I asked if he felt the chemo contributed to this, he said there are no blood tests to confirm that it was the chemo and that there would be other doctors that would say absolutely not but he said as my cardologist, "yes". STUPID CANCER!

    Oh well, at least it's not life threatening and hope the meds will help.

    God Bless to all.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL!

    Hugs.
  • kkstef
    kkstef Member Posts: 688 Member

    Benign Arrhythmia
    The cardologist says I have benign arrhythmia and a minor leaky valve. My heart monitor showed that my heart skipped 22,000 times in a 24 hour period. He said that it's not life threatening but since it skips so much (every third beat) he put me on a calcium blocker and if that doesn't work he will try a beta blocker. Since I already have low blood pressure he can only put me on a very low dosage. I asked if he felt the chemo contributed to this, he said there are no blood tests to confirm that it was the chemo and that there would be other doctors that would say absolutely not but he said as my cardologist, "yes". STUPID CANCER!

    Oh well, at least it's not life threatening and hope the meds will help.

    God Bless to all.

    MIND, BODY AND SOUL!

    Hugs.

    22,000 times....
    Marge....that sounds like a LOT of skips....but your cardiologist is the expert (I know NOTHING about cardiac issues!!).... In any case, it must be a huge relief to know that it is not life threatening. Do you have sypmtoms??

    I am hoping that the new drug will take care of the problem! Best wishes and prayers!