joyce's Cancer Blog

June 30, 2010

THANK YOU, MY WONDERFUL FRIENDS, FOR YOUR PRAYERS.
Celeste asked if my leaky valve was caused by the chemo I had. I thought others might be interested in the details so here they are.
The chemo drug damaged my heart muscle in 1994. My ejection fraction was 40% for all these years. In May, 2009, my heart echo showed that it had improved to 52%. I was so happy and pleased. My cardiologist told me at that time that I had a valve that was leaking a little. I have had shortage of breath since 1994 but at times the shortage of breath would get much worse. Up to now it had always gone away after a little while. I had a heart echo on May 28, 2010. On June 1, 2010, my blood pressure went crazy and I was having EXTREME shortness of breath. My blood pressure went to 189/115 and wouldn’t come down. I went to the ER. They checked out my heart, gave me a lung x-ray but couldn’t find anything. I went to my cardiologist on June 16 but he didn’t do anything, I guess, because the ER didn’t find anything. For the next 9 days, everytime I would DO ANYTHING at all my blood pressure would shoot way up again and I would be gasping for breath. I went back to the cardiologist on June 25. He did another chest x-ray and told me I had fluid in my lungs. He doubled my fluid pills and gave me a new pill to take 1 hour before my regular fluid pills. He told me then that on June 16 when I saw him, that I was wheezing some. Why he didn’t do something then I don’t know. He said that my valve must leaking more at times than others. He said the echo would only show what was happening at the time it was taken. He told me the valve could be replaced. I wonder why he had never told me that before. I had chemo for the second time in 2006. I really don’t know if this second chemo caused the leaky valve or not.
Also, on June 15 when I woke up I could not hear out of my left ear. I went to the clinic here in town and they said I had fluid in my left ear and infection in my right ear. They said it was caused by sinus drainage. They gave me the antibotic, Septra, for 10 days. I still have the fluid in my left ear and I still cannot hear anything out of that ear. I guess I am going to have to go to a ear, nose and throat doctor and see what he says.
Take care and I will talk to you soon.
Love, hugs, prayers and blessings,
Joyce In NC

Posted on June 30, 2010 at 8:06:46 PM by Joyce ( DETAILS OF WHAT HAPPENED, 3 comments)

3 people threw a punch at your cancer. 

3 people sent you a prayer. 

Dear Joyce, I hope you are feeling better and I am sending wishes for good health and wonderful holiday weekend.

Posted on July 3, 2010 at 9:06:15 AM by momgemma

Wow, it sounds like you are really going through a lot. I hope and pray that you get some relief. Keep hanging in there.

God bless.
Paul and Lisa D

Posted on July 7, 2010 at 9:26:15 PM by pauldaigrepont

thank you very much for the info and may GOD Bless you and keep u healthy and an inspiration to others…celeste from ct.

Posted on July 21, 2010 at 7:36:58 AM by Anonymous