I had an abnormal stress echo today- Can anyone help me with this?

Paris · 01-18-2008, 12:34 PM

Hi,
Some of you may have read my other thread about herceptin cardiac effects besides ejection fraction. I had a stress echo today because I had been having heart palpitations and shortness of breath when running. Everything looked great when I was resting but when they got me on the treadmill and started stressing my heart everything changed. My heart is throwing in alot of extra beats and the front wall of my heart on the lower left side is not moving (contracting) well. I could even see the difference looking at the ultrasound. I now have to go in for a heart catheterization and although the cardiologist thinks it's no big deal I do. The thought of having a catheter placed upto my heart has me nervous. The cardiologist doesn't think there are any blockages (I'm in great health otherwise), but wants to rule that out before I go for my next herceptin. He can't say for sure that it is the herceptin and by the way my LVEF is 67% but that is while I'm resting-don't know what it would be if I were running. I also asked whether a thyroid condition could cause the palpitations which he said was possible but then I remembered I was tested last summer and was fine. He also, I think, said the extra beats could be affecting the heart wall.

I am to say the least confused. I spoke to my onc. who said that I don't have a typical heart side effect but if there were any doubts then he would take me off herceptin.

I don't know whether to get a second opinion on this and I actually don't have time because they are doing the heart catherization on Tuesday.

Has anyone experienced this?

Need your help ladies! Thank god for zoloft!

Jamie

Becky · 01-18-2008, 08:15 PM

I don't have experience with exactly this but I was diagnosed with a mitral septal aneurysm (the value doesn't completely close right). I would have (and will) live my whole life without incident and would have never known if I hadn't ever gotten cancer. All the tests we get and find out all these other things - its unnerving.

You need to get to the bottom of this so that your onc and cardio guys can confer (and make sure your onc confers with Genentech - manufacturer of Herceptin - on what to do and not abitrarily pull you off the drug if you don't need to be).

Many of us have things wrong with us that we had before bc or got while being treated or afterwards. Unfortunately, having bc does not immune us to getting other diseases or problems. This is probably one of those things or maybe a rare side effect. None the less, I am sure you are anxious so I have my arms wrapped around you. Hugs to you from far away.

Sheila · 01-19-2008, 08:34 AM

Paris
Repost this on the Her2Group site and I am sure you will get lots of replies.

Paris · 01-19-2008, 12:50 PM

Thanks Becky. I sometimes feel like I've opened a pandora's box! I do need to get to the bottom of this. I don't want to be arbitrarily pulled off herceptin either. I will certainly make sure my onc. speaks to Genentech. In the meantime I'm a couch potato until they figure out what's going on. I really enjoy my runs so it's not going to be easy!

Thanks for your support and encouragement!

Jamie

Jackie07 · 01-19-2008, 06:10 PM

Paris,

Sounded like your doctor just wanted to give you an angiogram. Both my husband and I have had the procedure done. I had the test done before my brain tumor surgery - that's way before I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My husband had his done for his angina (chest pain) which was revealed also with the stress test (treadmill). It turned out he did have some blockages in his heart(90%, 85%, and 70%.) They did angioplasty to put 2 stents in his cardiovessels to hold the artery open. He also takes blood thinner and some other prescriptions. He's perfectly fine
now and the procedure evidently has saved him from a massive heart attack.
I remember the whole process was not too bad at all. When they put in the thin thread into my blood vessel in the groin area, I just felt a little bit warm-hot down there. You can't really feel it when the tiny thread travels to the blood vessel in your heart. If you are sensitive to pain, tell the medical staff ahead of time. Otherwise, you should be able to tolerate it. Good luck to you.