Paris
01-18-2008, 12:34 PM
Hi,
Some of you may have read my other thread about herceptin cardiac effects besides ejection fraction. I had a stress echo today because I had been having heart palpitations and shortness of breath when running. Everything looked great when I was resting but when they got me on the treadmill and started stressing my heart everything changed. My heart is throwing in alot of extra beats and the front wall of my heart on the lower left side is not moving (contracting) well. I could even see the difference looking at the ultrasound. I now have to go in for a heart catheterization and although the cardiologist thinks it's no big deal I do. The thought of having a catheter placed upto my heart has me nervous. The cardiologist doesn't think there are any blockages (I'm in great health otherwise), but wants to rule that out before I go for my next herceptin. He can't say for sure that it is the herceptin and by the way my LVEF is 67% but that is while I'm resting-don't know what it would be if I were running. I also asked whether a thyroid condition could cause the palpitations which he said was possible but then I remembered I was tested last summer and was fine. He also, I think, said the extra beats could be affecting the heart wall.
I am to say the least confused. I spoke to my onc. who said that I don't have a typical heart side effect but if there were any doubts then he would take me off herceptin.
I don't know whether to get a second opinion on this and I actually don't have time because they are doing the heart catherization on Tuesday.
Has anyone experienced this?
Need your help ladies! Thank god for zoloft!
Jamie
Some of you may have read my other thread about herceptin cardiac effects besides ejection fraction. I had a stress echo today because I had been having heart palpitations and shortness of breath when running. Everything looked great when I was resting but when they got me on the treadmill and started stressing my heart everything changed. My heart is throwing in alot of extra beats and the front wall of my heart on the lower left side is not moving (contracting) well. I could even see the difference looking at the ultrasound. I now have to go in for a heart catheterization and although the cardiologist thinks it's no big deal I do. The thought of having a catheter placed upto my heart has me nervous. The cardiologist doesn't think there are any blockages (I'm in great health otherwise), but wants to rule that out before I go for my next herceptin. He can't say for sure that it is the herceptin and by the way my LVEF is 67% but that is while I'm resting-don't know what it would be if I were running. I also asked whether a thyroid condition could cause the palpitations which he said was possible but then I remembered I was tested last summer and was fine. He also, I think, said the extra beats could be affecting the heart wall.
I am to say the least confused. I spoke to my onc. who said that I don't have a typical heart side effect but if there were any doubts then he would take me off herceptin.
I don't know whether to get a second opinion on this and I actually don't have time because they are doing the heart catherization on Tuesday.
Has anyone experienced this?
Need your help ladies! Thank god for zoloft!
Jamie