Friday, December 4, 2009

Heart problem postponed chemo

This is freaking unbelievable...I mean, really, if there's a Murphy's Law just for breast cancer patients then clearly it is working overtime on me.

Went to have the port installed yesterday morning -- surgically all went well. Felt fine afterwards, no nausea, no real pain. The surgical center is about 1/2 hour away from hosptical where oncologist is. We got to the oncology office and ran into the chemo nurse, Eileen, in the hall. I like her very much, she is funny, smart and sweet. We stood there joking around for a few moments and then I went into the waiting room to hang out until they were ready for me. I was in good spirits. But suddenly my heart started racing. At first I thought maybe it was nerves coming on, tho I truly didn't feel anxious emotionally at all. But within a minute or two I realized this was not anxiety, something was very wrong. I told Michael to get someone and then all hell broke loose.

The nurses and doctors all looked worried (never a good sign) and they called the EMT's. Mind you, the hospital is across the parking lot and these people are medical professionals. To make a VERY, VERY long story short my heart rate reached 215 (normal is 60-100). I thought it would pound right through my ribs and out my chest like that scene in Alien. But emotionally I was calm...you know, other than being worried about what was happening. It was very strange. Eventually they were able to bring it down with some magical injection to just above 100 where it has stayed (hopefully) since then. I spent the rest of the day in the ER having tons of tests. I am now at home waiting for a cardiology consult and more tests. No chemo until they figure out what this is.

Chemo delayed AGAIN.

My feeling right now is that somehow this port has done something...it is placed in a vein in my chest, clearly this is what caused the onset of the symptoms. But no one knows anything. They are all scratching their heads.

I have a previous condition, Mitral Valve Prolapse -- but have had no symptoms in about 8 years. I used to smoke 2 packs a day and weight 300 lbs, no big surprise I had heart flutters back then. But this was more than flutters. I think this port placement aggravated something, triggered some sort of reaction. But no one seems sure if this is what it is.

Either way, I'm not anxious, not scared, I'm just getting totally fed up. The greatest risk of cancer recurrence is in the first five years. Getting treatment clearly reduces that risk. I NEED TREATMENT!!! It has been over 8 months since I found the stupid lumps.

Yet here I sit, waiting. Again.

7 comments:

~Tessa~Scoffs said...

Old Testament Job has got nuthin' on you.

The Small Fabric Of My Life said...

Oh so sorry to hear about this. I agree Murphy's Law must be working overtime with you. But remember waht doens't kill you make syous tronger. Keep faith.

Jean said...

Unbelievable. I'm so sorry K, so sorry. How are you now? Thinking of you xxx

Teri S. said...

OMG! 215! I'm soooo glad they responded as quickly as they did!

I understand how frustrated you are, you just want to get on with things now. I hope they figure it out soon, so you can do just that.

Big hugs!

whatsablog.com said...

wow, keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Brenda said...

What a scary thing to happen! I hope you get it resolved quickly. Bummer about postponing the chemo. . .

Mervat said...

I am so sorry to hear of this. I hope all is well since you posted this. This is really not good enough!

After consulting my cardiologist hubby he can only offer the following:

A simple explanation: People with mitral valve prolapse can get tachyarrythmias hence palpitations.

Less simple: If what you had was sinus tachycardia then the doctors should be looking for clots (which can form within the port and can sometimes become pulmonary emboli). The other thing they should exclude is infection.

If I did not know you as the information seeking, knowledgeable person you are, I would not have even consulted him.

I wish all the very best.
xo