Red devil

Thankfully my onc took me seriously and told me straight up that these drugs can be cardio toxic. When we start chemo with everything functioning perfectly and then parts of our body go haywire we know the cause. 

Like @ddon and @tinks my resting heart rate went up for a while following AC and during Paclitaxel. It was running high eighties and low nineties which was very disconcerting.
The oncologist told me it was unrelated but I knew it was. That's so interesting to hear others had the same.
I found a reference online that said it was a common symptom of Pac chemo.
Then one day it stopped. Phew. I was having gated heart pool scans because I am on Herceptin. They didn't change so my heart was okay. But it was anxiety causing and scary. Having a fast heart rate makes you anxious even without worrying. 
@2mc My advice to everyone is to walk every day of chemo. I did and had limited side effects and it was good for the brain too!

I had Epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide called EC very similar to AC. I had a heart echo beforehand as a baseline and I shall be having one as a follow up (my request ). 

ddon
thanks for sharing I too overthink and am very anxious and hyper sensitive about my health (health anxiety) it has worked in my favour though responding quickly when I found my lump certainly has increased my chances early stage is a happier outcome.

I too have eaten healthy and exercised regularly so hoping this will still work in my favour, as I’m sure it has benefited you

sending lots of positive vibes your way 

Afraser

Thanks again for responding
I had a my heart scan today (Agated blood pool scan) I’m pretty sure I was supposed to have had it before I started Chemotherapy 
I was having so much anxiety about A/C
and it’s side affects so I spoke to a nurse at the cancer centre who assured me severe reactions can happen but low risks so I guess I’ll stop googling 
I have had irregular heart Palpitations before and had scans that showed they were benign so I’ll just trust the benefit will out way the risks
thanks for sharing your story with me and congratulations on your 7years May you have many many many more

I found the monitoring during treatment really good - I got Atrial Fibrillation (AF) during Taxol but almost certainly not caused by Taxol, probably a mixture of things - my age (smack in AF territory irrespective of cancer), surgery, A/C chemo maybe, bit of high blood pressure. I was also virtually asymptomatic - without the good monitoring, I would probably not have known for months. Long story short, I take beta blockers which are very effective at stopping any tachycardia (haven’t had any in years) and blood thinners to guard against any clotting. My heart rate remains normal, my blood pressure is normal, my irregularity is now very close to the ‘regular irregularity’ I had for decades before cancer. Blood thinners are also really good for DVT protection on long overseas air travel (if we ever get to do that again!). I live a normal life and am now seven years NED.  I don’t know how much I owe to my treatment and how much to good luck, but a few pills seem a very low price for the years I might never have had. Never regret your good care for yourself, it sets a pattern that is even more useful now. Best wishes. 

The thing I noticed with my heart was day 4-5 after each AC I would have multiple extra beats that just felt so uncomfortable. And then my heart rate, which was always so slow at rest because I was quite fit, just went up 20 bpm and stayed there. My ECGs before treatment would be normal then off it would go again. I had one night in hospital on a monitor to check the rhythm, saw a cardiologist and had an echo. I was a nurse and specialised in coronary care so I was very conscious of what was going on, and because I exercise a lot I was scared of losing that.  

Thanks ddon
sorry to hear about the changes to your body. was there a reason you were worried about you heart?
my scans 2 years ago came back good and the heart specialist told me I had a heart of a 17yo
so I put it all down to anxiety.
im worried because I do drink alcohol cut back when I was diagnosed with cancer and I know this can be a factor in heart health 
wishing you all the best with your recovery x

Hi Shellshocked2018

Thank you for your response I found it very positive and insightful 
yes I should definitely stop googling it’s been hard the last few weeks with Covid-19 forcing me to self isolate and only having company 2 hours a day when my husband gets home from work.
this has been my first reach out since finding out I had breast cancer
thanks for your offer of support 
mans congratulations on your first year clear xx

I am 47 also. Diagnosed in Nov 2019. I had my dose dense AC first and just had my 10 th taxol today. AC for some of us - me for sure - is tougher than the taxol but it’s over quicker and there are down days followed by really good days. The good days reassured me I would get through and be ok. Try not to read up too much because what you read might not apply to you. I was most afraid for my heart function also, and while it has affected me in a minor way (hopefully not forever) I still jog 4 times a week and a very small dose of medication has taken care of the problem. I will have regular echocardiogram for heart function which has so far been normal.