|
I think he's right, although he may have said it in a way that didn't upset you. But the way he did was simply straight talk. Remember that more women die of heart failure than of breast cancer so it's a legitimate concern.
I'm in the same boat as you. My heart was weakened from A/C 3 /2 years ago. My MUGA was borderline so my oncologist is letting me do Herceptin with Taxotere and Cytoxin but with careful heart monitoring.
I've been taking a course in alternative medicine this quarter and have been doing a lot of research. There are alternative things to do to "beef up" your heart to mitigate the effects of the toxicity of Herceptin (plus the others). Many of them are dietary changes combined with supplements and exercise. Just google "alternative medicine" (or "CAM") "women," and "heart" and related terms and stuff should turn up.
Personally, I think that's the way to go rather than altogether foregoing Herceptin. Also, I think there are some heart medications that may help prevent damage but I haven't investigated that much yet.
I'm writing a paper on CAM medicine and breast cancer and if I run across the info I saw before, will let you know.
|