[Jean]

I am sorry that you have fit into the 1% group. As with any medication there are always side affects to consider and some are very serious. Chemo does /and/could have serious side affects.

I remember back in 2005 when I was dx. I read many articles that stated herceptin increased the risk of heart disease and it was very discouraging when considering treatment. It did not state that heart disease associated with treatment is relatively rare and typically occurs only with certain types of chemotherarpy and never mentioned the toll also of radiation therapy. It was rather a dooms day report.
So much so, that friends and family were upset that I was considering herceptin treatment, thinking (based on what they read) that I would have a heart attack soon after treatment.

If the area of your body receiving radiation includes your heart, you have an increased risk of cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease and heart attack. The combinaton of radiation and chemotherapy can further increase your risk of heart damage.

I believe this report is showing it is not as severe as first reported.
But - we should also keep in mind that chemo/and/herceptin is only one culprit. Other factors play a role, too, chest radiation, weight gain (ugh) that plagues many of us survivors, physical inactivity during
during treatment, stress (we all know stress is another killer).

My grandmother used to say "The mind will heal the body" and as a young child I did not fully understand what this meant.

Therefore, it is a combination of events that can create another health issue. Of course the future will tell us more as we age along with our treatments. I for one, will be happy to deal with my heart 20 or 30 yrs. from now....I pray to the good Lord that should be my issue.

Remember we didn't EARN the label survivor easily!

Kind Regards,
Jean