Coronary/Heart disease

mc2001
mc2001 Member Posts: 343
edited March 2014 in Long-Term Effects of Treatment #1
I am a somewhat healthy 36 year old male who is about three or four months past a quintuple coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The radiation used to save my life from leukemia had caused so much scar tissue in my arteries that when it was found, I was in the intermediate stages of a profound fatal heart attack! But, it had been about 15 years since my last treatment. Has anyone else heard of or experienced this phenomenon? I'd like to hear from you.

-Michael leukemia survivor

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  • bluerose
    bluerose Member Posts: 1,104
    #2
    Not quite the same but ...........
    I had a bone marrow transplant on recurrance of my NHL 21 years ago and after the first treatments a couple of years before I started to get palpitations I never had before. Flashforward to 15 years later and I had full blown atrial fibrulation that landed me in ambulances dozens of times. Oh ya I forgot - when I had my transplant I went into congestive heart failure - I think that is what set me up for the afib.

    So about 7 years or so ago I had to have an emergency pacemaker implanted that helped alot. They said the damage to my heart was no doubt due to the chemo drug adriamycin. I also had total body radiation with the bone marrow transplant so I'm sure that didn't help either.

    Today my afib has gotten better but about 2 months ago I start to get a different sensation in the heart, sort of a rolling feeling so that is now under investigation. I also apparently have a thin layer of fluid around my heart but they say it isn't causing any significant problems,

    I have many late effects of treatments and heart damage is one of them.

    Be vigilant with any changes in heart symptoms and see your cardiologist. You know your body the best. Today doctors are much more aware of late effects than when I was experiencing them and in the U.S. you guys have Late Effects clincs too which can talk to you about possible side effects of treatment long ago. A good one is at Dana farber but there are others.

    All the best.

    Blessings,

    Bluerose

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