Just dropped 23 points on my MUGA Scan

[djofunky]

I had dropped 15 2 weeks ago and did another scan Thur and it was down again. Was 71 and now 48. My ong is researching what to do. I am not to do my weekly herceptin for now. Anyone else have this problem. Does my heart go back up by itself?

Dina
Hudson, WI

[Annemarie]

Yes. I have had similar muga results. Anything under 50 they d/c. It does reverse itself in about a month.

[Lolly]

Yes, reversal is the norm, and some have been able to restart Herceptin when all is well.

<3 Lolly

[charlotte]

Hi: my test was a 2 d echo and it droped 10 points in 4 weeks... I am now at 25 % ... I don't know if I ever will be able to take herceptin again??? I am now on 2 blood pressure meds ( never took a blood pressure med in my life before this) and am taking coq 10.... the DR. said it was ok to do so to try and pull it up..... in the mean time.... no more herceptin..... I don't know exactly how much coq10 I am supposed to be taking......maybe someone out there can give me the amount..... I forgot to ask my Dr. and I won't see him again until the 29th. of this month.....

take care..... if you wish to email me , thats' ok....... thanks Charlotte

[jhandley]

The Q10 should help...build up to 200 mg a day but dont take it 3 days before chemo and 2 days after so it doesnt interfere. It is fat soluble so take it with food. there is a lot of evidence to suuport Q10's effect on MUGA.
Best of luck!
Jackie

[djofunky]

Have you always had the MUGA scan with the iv in hand or has anyone done it in their port?

[janet11]

I was told by the nuclear med tech that while they COULD use a port to GET the blood (but don't because they're not trained to use it), they couldn't use it for the blood return because it was too close to the heart for the 'all at once' dose of irradiated blood. So even if they could use it, they wouldn't.

I was sure disappointed to find they wouldn't use my port for this. I thought I wouldn't get ANY other sticks when I got my port. Oh well.

[MJo]

I went down from 70 to 54 after nine months of Herceptin and the oncologist stopped the treatment. We waited six weeks and retested. Up to 55. That wasn't a big enough jump in his opinion, and I felt comfortable finishing Herc. treatment at 9 months, since I was a Stage 1 small tumor. Always took fish oil capsules, but recently started taking Coq 10. I feel pretty good. Walk five miles a week. (Wimpy compared to some of the Amazons here, but I'm working my way up slowly.)

[djofunky]

Hi Janet11, They did do it through my port once. ER accessed my port and the Tech just push the blood back in. They contacted an ong to make sure it would be ok. I talked to my Ong after and she also said they could do it. Anyone else have any more info on this. I am not scheduled for another MUGA til April 5th. Help!!!

[janet11]

Gad, I sure wish they'd do the MUGAs through my port. One time I even went for the MUGA with my port already accessed (my chemo nurse did it), and they STILL refused to use it. Oh well...

[Bev]

Based on my reading here, I requested an echo (ultrasound) in lieu of MUGA. Onc looked at me funny and said fine. That's what I have been doing lately. No one has come back arguing that MUGA's are more accurate. ECHO's (no blood or nuclear meds) are so much easier, cheaper, etc. I haven't heard any reason to do otherwise. My initial thought was if you have had recent surgery, that pressure from the transducer might be painfull from the echo. I know nothing about these tests, but I think if you're relatively healthy MUGA's are overkill. Why would someone want nuclear meds injected if the same results could be realized from ultrasound? Unless someone tells me otherwise, I think docs get caught up in the latest and greatest technology and don't think through the side effects vs efficacy. It's not a big deal to them that you're on your 100th poke. BB

[janet11]

MOST interesting. Thanks Bev. I'm going to talk to my onc about this too. My next MUGA is already scheduled -- it would be nice if that's my last.

[Grace]

I agree with Bev about doing an echo instead. My last echo showed a problem in the right ventricle but nothing definitive as I gather a MUGA is designed only to look at left ventricle. So next week today I'm having an echo, as the echo can examine all the muscles. And it was easy to order, as my insurance company didn't have to approve it. From here on in, I'm insisting on an echo.

[djofunky]

Thank you so much for the replies. I have started to write down questions for the cardiologist appt I have tomorrow.

Dina