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Chelee · 12-09-2006, 04:12 PM

Donna, Thank you so much for explaining the difference between MUGA & ECHO. I for one appreciate it. I have always gotten ECHO's. I have really questioned my latest one? That day the lady that did my ECHO had a brand new machine to learn. So someone was teaching her how to use it while doing my ECHO. Right in the middle of my ECHO a total power outage! Then they had back-up generators kick on. They mentioned losing SOME of my results during the blackout. (Again, NEW machine.)

So they finished up and when I recieved my last ECHO it states my EF rate at 70%. Thats exactly what my FIRST ECHO was BEFORE the start of chemo/herceptin. (I also over heard the two women saying that the parameters had NOT been set for this machine yet and they were going to have to WAIT till the doctors did that, and agreed on what they would be.)
I'm hoping the doctors got this right because I really find it hard to believe my EF is exactly the same as the day I started herceptin 10 months ago? But if it is...sounds great to me.

But it sounds like a MUGA might be more accurate although its more invasive due to the radioactive dye. I might ask if I could have at least one MUGA to compare to my EHCO's.

Chelee

12-09-2006, 04:12 PM	#23
Chelee Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southern, CA Posts: 2,511	Donna, Thank you so much for explaining the difference between MUGA & ECHO. I for one appreciate it. I have always gotten ECHO's. I have really questioned my latest one? That day the lady that did my ECHO had a brand new machine to learn. So someone was teaching her how to use it while doing my ECHO. Right in the middle of my ECHO a total power outage! Then they had back-up generators kick on. They mentioned losing SOME of my results during the blackout. (Again, NEW machine.) So they finished up and when I recieved my last ECHO it states my EF rate at 70%. Thats exactly what my FIRST ECHO was BEFORE the start of chemo/herceptin. (I also over heard the two women saying that the parameters had NOT been set for this machine yet and they were going to have to WAIT till the doctors did that, and agreed on what they would be.) I'm hoping the doctors got this right because I really find it hard to believe my EF is exactly the same as the day I started herceptin 10 months ago? But if it is...sounds great to me. But it sounds like a MUGA might be more accurate although its more invasive due to the radioactive dye. I might ask if I could have at least one MUGA to compare to my EHCO's. Chelee __________________ DX: 12-20-05 - Stage IIIA, Her2/Neu, 3+++,Er & Pr weakly positive, 5 of 16 pos nodes. Rt. MRM on 1-3-06 -- No Rads due to compromised lungs. Chemo started 2-7-06 -- TCH - - Finished 6-12-06 Finished yr of wkly herceptin 3-19-07 3-15-07 Lt side prophylactic simple mastectomy. -- Ooph 4-05-07 9-21-09 PET/CT "Recurrence" to Rt. axllia, Rt. femur, ilium. Possible Sacrum & liver? Now stage IV. 9-28-09 Loading dose of Herceptin & started Zometa 9-29-09 Power Port Placement 10-24-09 Mass 6.4 x 4.7 cm on Rt. femur head. 11-19-09 RT. Femur surgery - Rod placed 12-7-09 Navelbine added to Herceptin/Zometa. 3-23-10 Ten days of rads to RT femur. Completed. 4-05-10 Quit Navelbine--Herceptin/Zometa alone. 5-4-10 Appt. with Dr. Slamon to see what is next? Waiting on FISH results from femur biopsy. Results to FISH was unsuccessful--this happens less then 2% of the time. 7-7-10 Recurrence to RT axilla again. Back to UCLA for options.