Between a rock and a hard place
Today was Herceptin infusion day, an every three week social occasion for me since I've felt well for a very long time. But today I also learned that my heart is weakening from all that fun I'm having during those visits.
What I mean is, in 2005 I ended up in the emergency room in heart failure with an ejection fraction of 32%. (Normal is 50-something, I forget.) The cause of the problem was not the usual culprits, diet and exercise; the cause was being "poisoned" by the very concoctions that were keeping me alive. A medication regimen was started and, a year later, my ejection fraction was in normal range and I never went off Herceptin.
But today I learned that eight years of Herceptin has taken its toll and my ejection fraction is now down to 48% -- not horrific, but low. I'm not symptomatic and I still walk one mile most days, but still....
What to do, what to do? I could go off Herceptin and risk the cancer come roaring back. Or I could stay on the Herceptin and risk additional heart damage. I could possibly have the heart medication adjusted. Or I could take a few months off Herceptin, cross my fingers while my heart strengthens and then return to treatment.
That is so much to think about that I think I'm just going to enjoy Belle as she invites herself to dinner.
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