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05-18-2021, 06:25 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 206
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Anyone Else for Heart Arrhythmias?
I am just dusting myself off after three-day hospital visit that began with tachycardia at 150 heartbeats a minute that had not slowed after half an hour. Rang hospital, asked if I should come in, did so. My troponine levels(measure of damaged heart muscle) went from 41 to 184, and my heart rate slowly settled to about 110, then cycled between about 80 and 110. They did CT of pulmonary arteries, CT of coronary arteries, a angiocardiogram, put me on betablockers, bloodthinners and statins. My arteries are perfectly clear, my heart had a little myopericarditis fluid, but nothing it cannot heal from. The heart specialist thinks I had Atrial flutter, and I now have a Fitbit Sense Smart watch which can take an ECG whenever I want and send it straight to the specialist. I am off all those horrible drugs.
The thing is that I had a similar episode seven years ago, the month after my last herceptin treatment. A period of tachycardia that lasted up to an hour, then gradually settled during a brief hospital stay. Traponine levels of 51ish. Different tests done all showing healthy heart and arteries. Monitored for a year or so, no further problems.
My specialist said the tachycardia was part of an arrhythmia, a short-circuiting of the electrical system of the heart, and that it could be related to the herceptin treatment or the chemo treatment since both can affect the heart.
So, ladies, I wondered if anyone else has had arrhythmias like this?
__________________
1997-2004 many cysts, many MG & U/S: polycystic breasts.
Sept 2013 found lump,Cyst?? forgot lump.
Dec 2013 GP check, Referred for U/S, MG,FNA.
7 Jan 2014 Radiology: Radiologist turned screen away from me. When asked she said "Not a cyst, very suspicious.See your GP asa results avail."
Cancelled my psych clients for the week.
8 Jan 14 GP: 2.2cm IDC in 6cm DCIS field. FNA=malignant cells. Referred to Surgeon.
Cancelled my psych clients for the month.
13 Jan 14 Surgeon said L mastectomy not lumpectomy, offered neoadjunctive trial, agreed adjunctive chemo after surgery a good choice for me. Booked Body scan and bone scan for staging (both fine) Surgery for16 Jan,
16 Jan 14 Surgeon also agreed in preop meeting to also remove 6cm fatty cyst in job lot. Good job done.
19 Jan 14 discharged home with 1 drain.
22 Jan 14 drain partly pulled out overnight, serious seroma (600 ml reducing removed every 2 days for a month) Serious staph infection because nurse said wait 3 days for yr surgeon appointment.
26Jan 14 pathology: 2.2cm Grade 3(3,3,2)ER-, PgR-, HER2+2 so to be confirmed by Sish test. Node negative. No vascular or lymphatic involvement. No metastases in scans.
30 Jan 14 HER2+ high amplification, 13 gene copies per cell.
21st Feb 14 Began 3wkly TCH adjuvant treatment at The Mount Hospital Perth, with 3monthly MUGA heart tests +Oncologist or Surgeon full physical check-up.
Cancelled my psych clients for 6 months.
Feb 14 First MUGA test: 71%,
First C15.3 test: 20
7th March 14 began Neulasta self-applied injections 24hrs after each TCH treatment. Bonepain helped by spa, heatpacks and Claritin, reflux/indigestion helped by Somac.
July 14 completed docetaxol and carboplatin, ongoing herceptin to 12 months. Severe cognitive deficit/fatigue after 1pm daily.
Sept 14 Second MUGA test: 69%
Cancelled my psych clients for 2014
Dec 14 Third MUGA test: 70%
Second C15.3 test : 20
Cognitive fatigue delays return to work.
March 2015 Tachycardia pulse 168, night in hospital. Cardiologist says no heart disease, ALIVE ECG attachment for my mobile phone now regular monitoring.
July 2015 Worktrial, up to 8hrs per wk. Fatigue ongoing
Aug 2015 Heart good, no evidence of cancer, just Fatigue.
May 2019 Melanoma 1.5cm Stage 1 by right collarbone(was present as large freckle in 2014 and cut through by breast surgeon to remove fatty cyst at same time as mastectomy.) Melanoma removed leaving scar from shoulder to breastbone. In hospital twice for IV antibiotics. Told catagorically this could not be BC mets.
Dec 2019 Still NED, still fatigue in late afternoon, but have my brain back in the early mornings. So most days I watch the sunrise and hear the birds morning chorus in my bush backyard and am glad to be alive and to be me still.
Last edited by JessicaV; 05-18-2021 at 06:27 AM..
Reason: left out a bit.
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05-30-2021, 06:00 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 528
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Re: Anyone Else for Heart Arrhythmias?
Hello Jessica,
You must have had trastuzumab and/or tykerb? If so you might want to read the below articles.
The incidence of atrial fibrillation with trastuzumab treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30372591/
Long-term cardiac outcomes of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer treated in the adjuvant lapatinib and/or trastuzumab Treatment Optimization Trial
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-020-0786-x
Cardiologist follows the science to a new conclusion on fish oil supplements l Expert Opinion
https://www.inquirer.com/health/expe...-20210525.html
Nguyen
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06-23-2021, 12:41 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 206
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Re: Anyone Else for Heart Arrhythmias?
Thanks. Yes, I was on herceptin/trastuzumab in 2014. Had the first spell of tachycardia/atrial flutter a month after I finished trastuzumab. No reduction in ventrical fraction.
__________________
1997-2004 many cysts, many MG & U/S: polycystic breasts.
Sept 2013 found lump,Cyst?? forgot lump.
Dec 2013 GP check, Referred for U/S, MG,FNA.
7 Jan 2014 Radiology: Radiologist turned screen away from me. When asked she said "Not a cyst, very suspicious.See your GP asa results avail."
Cancelled my psych clients for the week.
8 Jan 14 GP: 2.2cm IDC in 6cm DCIS field. FNA=malignant cells. Referred to Surgeon.
Cancelled my psych clients for the month.
13 Jan 14 Surgeon said L mastectomy not lumpectomy, offered neoadjunctive trial, agreed adjunctive chemo after surgery a good choice for me. Booked Body scan and bone scan for staging (both fine) Surgery for16 Jan,
16 Jan 14 Surgeon also agreed in preop meeting to also remove 6cm fatty cyst in job lot. Good job done.
19 Jan 14 discharged home with 1 drain.
22 Jan 14 drain partly pulled out overnight, serious seroma (600 ml reducing removed every 2 days for a month) Serious staph infection because nurse said wait 3 days for yr surgeon appointment.
26Jan 14 pathology: 2.2cm Grade 3(3,3,2)ER-, PgR-, HER2+2 so to be confirmed by Sish test. Node negative. No vascular or lymphatic involvement. No metastases in scans.
30 Jan 14 HER2+ high amplification, 13 gene copies per cell.
21st Feb 14 Began 3wkly TCH adjuvant treatment at The Mount Hospital Perth, with 3monthly MUGA heart tests +Oncologist or Surgeon full physical check-up.
Cancelled my psych clients for 6 months.
Feb 14 First MUGA test: 71%,
First C15.3 test: 20
7th March 14 began Neulasta self-applied injections 24hrs after each TCH treatment. Bonepain helped by spa, heatpacks and Claritin, reflux/indigestion helped by Somac.
July 14 completed docetaxol and carboplatin, ongoing herceptin to 12 months. Severe cognitive deficit/fatigue after 1pm daily.
Sept 14 Second MUGA test: 69%
Cancelled my psych clients for 2014
Dec 14 Third MUGA test: 70%
Second C15.3 test : 20
Cognitive fatigue delays return to work.
March 2015 Tachycardia pulse 168, night in hospital. Cardiologist says no heart disease, ALIVE ECG attachment for my mobile phone now regular monitoring.
July 2015 Worktrial, up to 8hrs per wk. Fatigue ongoing
Aug 2015 Heart good, no evidence of cancer, just Fatigue.
May 2019 Melanoma 1.5cm Stage 1 by right collarbone(was present as large freckle in 2014 and cut through by breast surgeon to remove fatty cyst at same time as mastectomy.) Melanoma removed leaving scar from shoulder to breastbone. In hospital twice for IV antibiotics. Told catagorically this could not be BC mets.
Dec 2019 Still NED, still fatigue in late afternoon, but have my brain back in the early mornings. So most days I watch the sunrise and hear the birds morning chorus in my bush backyard and am glad to be alive and to be me still.
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07-19-2021, 06:37 PM
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#4
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 20
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Re: Anyone Else for Heart Arrhythmias?
I have not been on this board in years, but just happened by today. I was HER-2+ in 2013. Treated with radiation, chemo & Herceptin. Was under the care of a cardiologist for a year after treatment due to low ejection fraction.
Throughout 2020 I would notice a high heart rate periodically, and in January 2021 was hospitalized with a kidney infection. A-Fib was also diagnosed. I am now on heart meds and aspirin. So, yes... it hadn't crossed my mind that it could be related to Herceptin.
__________________
Lynn
3/14/13 - Mammo & Dx Biopsy, Rt Breast
3/15/13 - Path results -- Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, ER-/PR-, HER2++
3/29/13 - Lumpectomy & sentinal lymph node bx with balloon placement for MammoSite radiation
4/10/13 - Hemorrhage from MammoSite location, but completed last radiation treatment
4/12/13 - Final Path, Stage 1c, Lymph node negative, Grade 2 with focal DCIS, 2 tumors, 1.8cm & 6mm
4/12/13 - Treatment Plan determined DD AC w/D2 Newlasta -> TH -> H - Yipes 62 weeks total!
4/23/13 - PortaCath Placement
4/25/13 - Began AC w/ D2 Neulasta
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07-20-2021, 05:33 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 474
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Re: Anyone Else for Heart Arrhythmias?
Last night I purchased a book on Naturopathic medicine. I hope it comes
today as this type of medicine interests me. It was expensive but I had Amazon Gift cards.
I think they talk about this very subject. I saw a portion of the google
book and Coenzyme Q-10 and Hawthorn were mentioned as remedies or perhaps as preventions. When the book arrives Ill put any possible useful
info on the board. Some may be interested.
Paul
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07-21-2021, 04:04 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 474
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Re: Anyone Else for Heart Arrhythmias?
Well the naturopathic medicine book arrived last night
and I looked up Herceptin heart toxicity vs herbal medicine. The book
gives the caution about ignoring the regular drugs such as Ace Inhibitors etc bur Hawthoen (Craetagus) and Coenzyme Q10 are mentioned as useful in treating herceptin heart problems particularly the Hawthorm. A combination of
Hawthorn with Panax Ginseng say 200mg of Ginsent twice daily is mentioned as useful for heart failure in general.
The dosage recommendation for Q10 is 200-400mg daily. I would recommend 200mg capsules twice daily for breast cancer patients due to the 1993 never mentioned study done in Denmark where about 2 patients taking 390mg of Coenzyme 10 daily had their organ mets disappear. This may have been a fluke in fact quite likely but it still is fascinating to me. Anyone can look this study up.
I cant give you a dosage of Hawthorn yet. There are different forms ie fluid extracts, capsules of the leaf vs berries etc. I use a berry extract. Ill have to research for a recommended dose. What really interested me was the long duration of action of Hawthorn when used chronically. It seems it lasts weeks after discontinuation. Please forgive any misspellings as typing is not my forte and some of the letters on the keyboard are somewhat eroded. I try to correct what I can
Paul
a co
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07-23-2021, 05:27 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 474
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Re: Anyone Else for Heart Arrhythmias?
I dont know exactly what to say about the Hawthorne. I take
the Swanson Hawthorne Berry extract for blood pressure, i capsule 3 times a day. I think the recommended dosage is twice daily but T I D has not hurt me.
It may interact with Digoxin il hve to look. My 12 year old Springer Spaniel gets one capsule twice daily as he has a heart murmer (Spelling?) My wife and I love him and want to keep him with us as long as possible. He also gets Vitamin E and Melatonin. Hope this may be useful
Paul
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