Update

MJo · 01-02-2007, 08:37 AM

I go back on Jan 10 for another muga. My muga score dropped 16 points in one year so the onc stopped Herceptin. I had 9 months of it Herceptin, and I will discuss with the doctor -- depending on muga score -- whether to finish the year. But frankly my feeling today is that I'm finished. I don't know if I want to shock my heart again, even if its' only 3 more times. Good luck and God bless to all my BC sisters who had cardio reactions to Herceptin. I have a feeling it's more like 30% of us instead of 5%. MJO

Susan · 01-02-2007, 09:12 AM

Good Luck with your muga test! I know I have a good feeling about mine tomorrow!

Hopeful · 01-03-2007, 09:06 AM

I had my follow-up MUGA this morning, and the LVEF has dropped again, from 64 to 60. I have had 7 Herceptin treatments and it has dropped a total of 14 points altogether; I seem to be dropping 2 points per treatment, like clockwork. Don't know what the onc will do; he told me last appointment all he needed was a "normal" result from this test to keep going, but I am beginning to wonder.

I will post longer about the test I wrote about earlier in the thread when I get a little more time.

Hopeful

mts · 01-03-2007, 09:42 AM

Mu MUGA's were in the low 60's and even at 60 for most of my treatments the first 6 months or so... interestingly, my MUGA's went up to the low 70's towards the end of my treatments. My onc said the MUGA's could have been lower the first 6 months of treatment due to just finishing chemo (Taxol). As my body "healed" from the chemo, the MUGA's got better.
My last MUGA was at 79. (My pre-Herceptin baseline was 84)

Maria (MTS)

Hopeful · 01-03-2007, 11:00 AM

Maria,

What your doctor said makes sense. Did you have radiation treatments? I am concerned with my scores going down because I have never had chemo - there is no other cardiotoxic treatment I have had, unless it would be radiation. The tech who did my scan this morning said she didn't see changes in MUGA scores due to the effects of radiation, so I am left thinking it is just another thing my metabolism won't accept.

Hopeful

mts · 01-03-2007, 01:45 PM

I had rads (on the right breast)... did you have rads on the left breast?

As for your MUGA's going down- well, it's expected- I don't know if changing the frequency of your infusions would help or not. I went from every three weeks to weekly because of weird side-effects and HBP...
How often do you receive your infusions?

Hang in there!

Maria (MTS)

Hopeful · 01-03-2007, 08:34 PM

Maria,

Yes, I had radiation on the left side. When I was interviewing radiation oncologists, I had one astute doctor that pointed out to me I shouldn't be concerned about the cumulative cardiotoxicity of Herceptin and radiation, as the Herceptin would weaken the muscle while the radiation would affect the blood vessels. It took me three appointments to find a facility that could assure me they could keep my heart out of the radiation field.

Just by luck, I was able to talk to my internal medicine doctor this afternoon. He is board certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine, so, while not a cancer specialist, he is treating a lot of patients that have cancer and extensive comorbidities. I told him to expect the Muga results and asked his opinion on the LVEF decrease. He said he thought the baseline reading of 74 was more suspect than the follow-up scores (the tech who performed the test this morning agreed with that - she told me they don't pay particular attention to the baseline Muga's, because they expect everyone to be within normal range.) He told me that my latest score of 60 was in the high normal range for a person my age (53). He said I shouldn't worry about it. I have a lot of confidence in this doctor, and he made me feel a lot better. He is also the doctor who referred me to my onc.

Thanks for your support, I appreciate it.

Hopeful