questions about echo

[pattyd]

My onc took me off my herceptin because my exho showed an ejection fraction of ony 40-45%. my last one was 60- the rest of the report seemed ok-said the ventricles were ok and no hypertrphy but LV systolic function midly reduced.All other valves normal What does this all mean. He said I may or may not be able to resume herceptin xxometime but did not say for sure, Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

[Lolly]

Patty,
Herceptin has been known to cause damage to the left ventricle of the heart, they're not quite sure why this happens. The result is that not all the blood gets pumped out each time, so the heart tries to compensate by enlarging and pumping harder. Some have had their heart return to normal after going off Herceptin for a while, and then are able to go back on it, so that's what your onc is hopeing. If you click on the search box above and enter heart damage, you'll get a whole lot of posts about this, it's been a hot topic! Hope this helps,
hugs,
Lolly

[Mary - Tierrasanta in San Diego]

Are you taking CoQ10?

[pattyd]

no I am not- what is that for? The only med I am on is femara.

[Mary - Tierrasanta in San Diego]

Full name is Coenzyme Q10 and it is marketed as a potent cardiovascular antioxidant. Read about it in a book and heard about it on this site. My first Muga prior to treatment was 57%. Was not taking any supplements. Later one of my scans was 50% and I got nervous. Starting taking CoQ10 and my last scan was 62%. Coincidence? I will definitely keep taking it as long as I am on Herceptin. Best price I found was at Costco. Good Luck!