Bad MUGA Scan

I am sorry to hear of your stuggles. One good thing is they watch you so closely that they are ontop of it. Just wanted you to know I am thinking of you. You have given so much of yourself and I am so grateful.
Keeping close at heart,
Tara

Hi Carrie:

I'm so sorry to hear about your muga scan result but also thankful that the result was
realized in time to stop your treatment. You really do have a guardian angel in your corner!

I don't know a lot about the effects of treatment on the heart aside from understanding that Adriamycin, in particular,
can damage the heart muscle, leading to congestive heart failure (CHF), with symtoms of shortness of breath, cough, etc.. I am not taking Herceptin but understand that it can damage the heart also but don't know if it typicaly causes the same type of problems that the Adria. causes.

Was this your first MUGA scan ever? If so, maybe it's just be a congenital thing that has perhaps always been there, undiscovered until now? The doctor's watch everything so
closely with us and I don't think it's unusual for pre-existing things to be found in the course of our treatment. In my own case, my pre-op testing showed an abnormal EKG, and the surgery couldn't proceed until it was checked out completely. I saw a cardiologist and she ordered a Thallium Exercise Stress Test, which was a rather long
ordeal, due to the injections and waiting times, etc.. Already stressed with the bc
news, I was quite a wreck that day! I kept thinking that I would surely faint on the treadmill or have a heart attack or something, thinking the worst must be wrong with my heart. I also thought that I may have some blocked arteries...I didn't know what to think at all! We had to wait several days to get the results and the outcome was that everything looked great...no blocked anything, nothing unusual found and my EKG was ruled a false positive by the cardiologist and the team at the facility who reviewed the result. With a letter from her, my surgery proceeded. The cardiologist called me and we conferenced by phone, after, and her conclusion was that perhaps my heart muscle was weakened a bit by some heavy hitting meds. I had taken for Lyme Disease for almost a full year, back in 1993 and she said that it certainly wasn't anything to worry about. Said EKG's can just change slightly, with time, for no reason and that's just going to be what our EKG looks like forever more.

I WAS worried though, after all was said and done and chemo was recommended as part of my treatment. When I learned that Adria. can cause heart problems, I was a bit afraid of that fact. Still, I made the choice to have the chemo because I was strongly Her-2/neu and wanted to go after any renegade cells which may be hanging out in my body, just waiting for the opportunity to set up housekeeping again. Once I made the choice though, I was determined not to look back or
second guess myself. I'm about 2 and 1/2 months out of chemo and just finished the radiation (which also gets to the heart and
even more so for the left breast) and I'm still here. I fully understand that there are potential "late effects" from chemo as well as radiation, some showing up as late as
20 years after treatment. I refuse to live
every day, afraid of those things or giving them much thought at all. If I allow my energy to flow in that direction, I can't really live with joy and appreciate today. We take the risks of treatment so that we may do just that...live with joy for as many days as we possibly can. We can be thankful that we have so many more options and choices than our sisters of even just 20 years ago.

Having had a "heart" scare, I wanted to share my experience with you. I do understand how it feels. We travel a diverse road through bc, filled with difficult choices...some of them, we think no one should ever be called upon to make, even once in a lifetime, yet we manage to make many, often in a short period of time.
We manage to get one base covered and find that another one needs covering too. It's such a roller coaster of challenges and emotions. So, go ahead and cry if you feel the need...moan and get it all out and pick yourself back up, as you've done so many times before, and get yourself ready to do battle with whatever comes next! We're allowed to get down, but we can't ever consider staying down as an option. You're unquestionably strong, you're young, have two beautiful children, a guardian angel and all of us here who care so much! I truly admire you. Your ability to feel blessed
as you face yet another challenge is so amazing!

I hope that your enlarged left ventricle, whatever the cause, can surely be addressed
and managed well. So much exists today, in technology, as well as new breakthroughs, that I just know you're going to be o:k:.

Please keep us all posted. Here's a big hug filled with love for you and two little kisses for your two little sweeties.

Love, light and laughter,
Inkblot