2012-2013 Journey Begins...
2014 ER, ER...
2015 Heart Dilemma..
2016 Make Some Changes...
2017 Chasing Cancer...

My Chemotheropy Time Line

2015 Year Four

I'm on three different chemos and struggling with a heart condition caused by one of my chemotherapies. Herceptin can cause left ventricular cardiac dysfunction, arrhythmias, hypertension, disabling cardiac failure, cardiomyopathy, and cardiac death. It’s as if someone was pressing me, or like an elephant standing on my chest. Every day I live as well as I can and work on answers to win in this volley between heart function and cancer destruction.

I have been through a lot of tests. Heart test, MRIs, pet and cat scan. I spent the year on Xeloda, Zometa, and Herceptin. The Herceptin has done a number on my heart function averaging at 45 to 50 percent. They like to see it at 60 but due to my condition the metastases cancer I take the Herceptin at 50 percent and no lower. This is chancy. If my heart crashes there isn't anything they can do I’m all done. But if I don't get the Herceptin I'm done. So it's a battle that I'm working on winning.

Earlier 2015 test showed an uptake in my back and lower stomach and groan areas. As the summer progressed I was having some uncomfortable backaches  So much pain, it was making it difficult to stand for even a short periods of time. They did a MRI and found growth in the L1 and L3. At this time I was on hold for the Herceptin. They had me discontinue the Xeloda and set me up for 2 weeks of daily radiation.  I was to feel relief but I still have not. So they ran cat and pet for the soft tissue areas. They found an uptake in many areas. Tests showed significant SUV numbers. One was 14.1. This indicates a rapid and significantly active growth.