Not what I wanted to hear
Well,, I had my oncologist appointment today and the news was not what I wanted to here. After five years of fighting advanced breast cancer with hormone therapy, I will now have to fight it with ch...
Forum Discussion
Hi Tracey
This is Kathy from the BCNA Policy Team. I have been reading your blog and can understand your anxiety about chemotherapy. I am pleased you have had so much good advice and support from other women in the network. It is how we hoped this onlne network would work when we set it up.
I wanted to respond to your query about heart monitoring tests. There are two types of test you can have - an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of your heart, or a MUGA scan (multi gated acquisition scan). The MUGA involves an injection of a radioactive substance into your bloodstream and then you lie under a special camera and images are taken of your heart. Some women prefer the echocardiogram because it doesn't involve an injection. When you are talking to your medical oncogolist about Herceptin and heart monitoring tests, you might like to ask about both options and let him or her know if you have a preference for one over the other.
Feel free to email me if you have any queries.
All the best, Kathy