Totally flummoxed!

[Lottie8]

Following treatment with Herceptin for breast cancer which damaged my heart I have just got the results of a recent appointment with a Cardiologist.

Apparently my ejection rate fell to 30-35%. I have sinus rhythm at 75bpm and a QRS duration of 160ms. BP ok.

I have no idea what this means. Is there a clever person out there who could help perhaps ?

I have a ‘good chance ‘of recovering cardiac function with medication apparently.

Am I on the scrap heap ? Everything was fine before chemo and Herceptin.

Thank you so much.

[NorthantsSteve]

Hi Lottie8. By no means are you on the scrap heap 😄. I’m sure there are lots of people on this forum who are living great lives with numbers that are lower/higher than yours. I strongly suggest you have a chat with your doctor to put your mind at rest.

The ejection rate refers to the amount of blood that the heart pumps around your body each cycle. It’s usually between 50% and 75% although most of us here are on the lower end of that. So 35% isn’t that far off. Especially if you’ve yet to start on your meds. The same with your heart rate at 75bpm (which is within the normal 60-100 bpm). Although that might come down too with meds to give your heart less work. Sinus just means that your heart beat is normal. QRS refers to the different points on your ECG graph and the QRS duration ranges from 80 to 110ms.

I’m not an expert or a medical person but if your cardiologist says you’ll be OK with meds then I’m sure you will be. Good luck Lottie8.

[Lottie8 in reply to NorthantsSteve]

Thank you Steve. I should add that I am 76 !

[NorthantsSteve in reply to Lottie8]

😄

[Handel in reply to Lottie8]

Hi Lottie8. 76 is just a number!! You'll be OK xxx

[Hidden]

Hi Lottie

I was 47 when I got stage 3 bc, 100% positive for her2+ and 40% positive for oestrogen. I had 3 tumours, 2 in the breast and 1 in the lymph nodes. I had 8 cycles of chemo, the final 4 were a taxane with herceptin and perjeta. My LVEF fell from 74% to 45%. I had surgery and started on 10 mg of ivabradine and 5mg ramipril to slow my heart rate, allowing the muscle to rest. I had a 2 month break from herceptin and during this time my LVEF went back up to between 60-65 and I was able to complete treatment. I developed heart arrhythmia, very low blood pressure and got quite breathless for several months. I finally finished in June 2017. I've stayed on the meds, no side effects other than much milder dizziness. My LVEF is now back at 74 so you are by no means on the scrap heap! It has taken me a long time. Hoping to get off the meds I saw my cardiologist recently and was given a more specific test which was a bit of a shock, I learned I have a shortened longitudinal muscle so although the pump element is fixed, deeper analysis has revealed permanent damage. I feel fine, in fact really well ( I'm just coming up to 51) but technically I'm at risk of heart failure. A bit of a shock, but we are all different and I think you should see your cardiologist to ask for this test which is considered the new gold standard for herceptin damage. My mum is also 76 and purely through bad luck rather than genetics she has just finished treatment for her2+/oestrogen+ cancer aswell. It is definitely not an age to be written off - more and more of us are surviving but ( at the risk of sounding like an American princess!), we should be relaxed about asking for the best tests and treatment available rather than feel we are "bothering" the experts. I have been so lucky with my care in Spain and the positive attitude they have in making clear we should not feel afraid to ask for help, or put up with debilitating side effects. Not everything can be fixed, but sometimes understanding limitations - if there are any - or reasons why certain meds are given to one person and not another, make it all easier to deal with. Good luck, I'm sure things will improve, I realise now that getting over cancer treatment is more than hair growing back. It takes longer but like my mum I'm sure you have plenty of living left to do! Best wishes.