I decided to see a cardiologist this year. I saw a peer collapse after she had Adriamycin, a type of chemotherapy, twice and known to cause heart issues. I also had Herceptin which is a targeted therapy but can also cause heart problems. Finally I have family history of hypertension, cholesterol and diabetes. I actually put off seeing my cardiologist for a few months thinking she would dismiss me and think I am just paranoid. Luckily I either hit the jackpot with a great doctor my oncologist recommended and/or I plead a good case. I hope it is both. I told her my story and she said it was a good idea to get a baseline look at my heart post treatment. Besides my MUGGA scans from Herceptin I never had a post heart function. She never told me that she felt Adriamycin was dangerous or that is why it made my peer collapse but the look on her face was telling enough. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit that day because the nurse that saw me before I saw my cardiologist seemed quite fascinated about my ovarian ablation/suppression question and even asked to be in the room while I spoke to the doctor.
Besides my family history of heart disease and my past drug infusions, I wanted to discuss my future of possibility of ovarian suppression or ablation. There seems to be a connection that your hormones protect you from cardiovascular problems. My cardiologist did not know of clear studies verifying that. Besides eating right, exercising and taking omega 3, she recommended one or two servings of alcohol a week. Of course this made my eyes wide since too much alcohol can raise estrogen and have been known to have a higher incidence of breast cancer though moderation does not seem to be a factor. I think I'll stick to my one or two glasses a month and not feel guilty.
She wanted me to have an ECHO of my heart. I've linked it for you so you can read about it rather than me try to explain what it actually does besides an ultrasound that examines the heart. Anyway, I had it today and the EF normal range for my age is 50 to 70 and I'm at a 60%. Overall everything appeared normal for my age! The nurse that told me the news was excited as I was and we both knew that the Adriamycin was what worried us both. I now have a cholesterol test. If all goes well I go for a yearly or biyearly checkup. If it's high I go back in to see them.
This is fantastic news because both my parents have hypertension and high cholesterol. I also have two siblings that have hypertension. I've been on enough medication that I am looking forward to being healthy and drug free once I finish Tamoxifen this August. Yes, that is right, August! (Technically end of August but close enough)
So, I guess I need to have a toast to my green drinks, working out and overall healthy eating. I'm not out of the woods yet. I know genetically I am predisposed to heart disease but at least I know I'm at an equal playing ground with the average Joe event post treatment!
