1. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Aug 30, 2006, 6:15 pm PDT

this is a very important factor that i am concerned about. i need more info on radiation treatments. some times i have great stress from the radiation. heart flutters and head feeling tingly, like it is too strong, they need to cut down on the dose. give me feedbacck, please

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2. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Sep 01, 2006, 12:23 pm PDT

I am 39 yrs. old and was diagnosed in september 2004 with metastatic breast cancer/L-3 vertebrae. My oncologist put me on Herceptin before the mastectomy and before chemotherapy and suspended it once I started the chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was from nov 2004/april 2005. Once chemo was over I had radiation to the breast for 7 weeks but had no problem with the radiation to the breast. I had problems to the radiation to my back which now has given me Radiation Enteritis. Needless to say, the Herceptin was reintroduced once the chemo was over and during the radiation to the breast. I have tolerated the Herceptin well, though, I have begin to notice this year that I feel tired. I explained this to the oncologist. My MUGA in december 2005 showed my ejection fraction was 58%, normal EF is 65% or better. Six months later which is this June 2006 it came down to 54%. So I am concerned and thought perhaps the oncologist would discontinue the Herceptin but instead she will continue it and I will be having another MUGA scan next week. I hope I am good because I do not want congestive heart failure or a heart attack. I do not want to say "well, if cancer did not kill me the medication to prevent it did!!!". I asked also at what EF or at what point is this Herceptin suspended/discontinued but have not gotten answers. I presume I will get my answer once the results come back from the MUGA scan. Well, all my best to all of you and remember....Live..Laugh...and...Love!!!!

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3. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Sep 12, 2006, 6:14 am PDT

Good news , I had the MUGA scan and my EF came back up to 57% from a 54 % in June. I told my doctor that I am exercising more. I told her I do not want to die, specially from CHF. I told her, I do not want to be one of those people that say: If cancer did not kill me, CHF did".

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