How long does it take the LVEF to recover

[Christine Walas]

How long does it take the LVEF to recover after herceptin?
My LVEF is currently at 47%. When I started Hercptin last year, it was at 56.6%.
I am under the impression that heart damage related to herceptin is reversible, is there anything I can do help push it along?

Will I need to postpone my reconstructive surgery?

In His love,
Tina

[shelli]

I finished my Herceptin in end of Jan. 2007. I started at 65. LVEF was last at 49. My docs. said don't worry about it & that it may never recover. The lowest it went while on Herceptin was 41 & Herceptin was never stopped throughout.
I took it for 52 weeks continuously. I was wondering about it as well & if I
should trust my docs who told me not to be concerned!

[Georgia girl]

My LVEF got down to 19% in February. Stopped herceptin and went to heart failure specialist, who put me on two meds to help improve heart function. Last MUGA scan in September was back up to 56%!!! My cardiologists was ecstatic - she doesn't usually see such dramatic results, but once the herceptin is stopped and the right meds prescribed, it can improve drastically. Also was put on a very low sodium diet and not allowed to exercise at all to avoid further damage (not that I could have exercised if I wanted to!) Good luck - you will improve and feel much better. I started Tykerb in May, and it has not stopped my improvement.

[Christine Walas]

Hi Georgia Girl,

Thank you for the responding to my post. I am happy that your heart recovered.
LVEF at 19% must of had you on edge.

Do you know what medications you were taking for the the low LVEF?

In His love,
Tina

[Georgia girl]

I am still taking lisinopril and coreg - high doses. My doc doesn't want to reduce them because she is concerned about Tykerb having a similar effect, but so far LVEF is improving on Tykerb.

[Aangelnxtc]

Hello been on Herceptin since 4/20/07. w/ 4 x CEF and 12 x Taxol. I take omega 3 fish oil 4 times a day every day and I think that has helped mine maintain.
4 tests so far
67% 65% 66% 60% in that order.

Hope that info helps.

God Speed Angela

[dede10]

Mine is down to 36% as of today....and I see my onc tomorrow.
I imagine he will stop the herceptin at this point.... I have been on it continuously every 3 weeks since Aug '03

[Verna]

I had my reconstruction while I was on Herceptin.

[trixkit]

My wifes LVEF went down to 35 from 60 in June after 10 weeks on herceptin, when tested last week it was back up to 55. So, it took about 5 months for hers to recover. Nows she's back on herceptin, thanks god!

John

[Joan M]

My LVEF went down more than 10 percentage points between scans, so my onc took me off Herceptin. She said that's the guideline, but from what I've read on the message boards here, not every onc seems to go by that.

I'm hopeful that my LVEF will bounce back.

I took Herceptin for one year every week when I had early stage bc and never had a problem. My scans were always in the low-to-mid 60% range. But when I started taking Herceptin again after becoming stage IV, the percentage dropped from 70% to 57% after five treatments given every three weeks (or the equivalent of 15 treatments given once a week).

I'm due to have another muga scan in December, and if the percentage has increased, my onc said we'll try it again once a week. Perhaps the infusions every three weeks, which are three times stronger than once a week, are too strong for my heart.

My only concern is that I had my port removed after three years, which was just five months before my bc returned. So, I'm concerned about my arm veins, which hadn't been a problem when I was getting treatment every three weeks.

As for your reconstruction surgery, a plastic surgeon will give you a good idea whether he or she thinks you can undergo the surgery.