Three years ago, I entered into the dark realm of chemotherapy. We went big, going with a tough combination of drugs for 20 weeks followed by a year of targeted treatments. All of this could take a toll on my heart and I knew that going in, and it scared me. The effects on my heart could begin while in treatment, soon after or many years down the road. Cardiotoxicity is a fear of many cancer patients, certainly mine, even though I have no history of heart disease nor risk factors.
Watching the first doses of Adriamycin and Cytoxan enter my port was overwhelming since I had no idea what to expect. Aside from my port being accessed, it felt like nothing, yet seeing the oncology nurse in full hazmat gear gave me pause. A week after my first infusion was Thanksgiving and I was blessed with an emergency overnight stay due to a small lesion on my shoulder. The lesion is not what kept me there, it was my heart. My pulse was through the roof. My resting heart rate was in the 120’s. The would not let me leave. Here we go, I thought, here goes my heart. I was discharged almost 24 hours later with instructions to see my cardiologist for a full workup.
Electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and stress test came back perfect but that was the beginning of more tests throughout treatment. Every three months, I was back to be checked. The main thing that was checked was the percentage of blood leaving the heart each time it pumped. Mine never wavered from a constant 65%, and that is good. Still, I will be checked for the rest of my life as shit can happen down the road.
After each infusion, I made it a goal to walk a mile. That was three times around the circle I lived on in NJ. Those four Red Devil infusions had me winded but determined. I was told there really isn’t anything I could do to prevent heart damage but in my head, I wanted to keep my heart strong. The twelve rounds of Taxol were a tiny bit easier and then I was left with Herceptin and Perjeta, which can take a toll on the heart. I had joined a gym and was starting to push myself more and more. My heart rate remained high. I was worried.
When the pandemic hit, I was running outdoors with my sons and noticed it was starting to get easier, my pulse wasn’t so erratic and high. When we moved, I bought a treadmill so that I could still run when the weather wasn’t agreeable. And I ran. Daily.
Now, my resting heart rate hovers around 58 while my pressure is 96/60ish. My goal is to be as healthy as I can and in tune with myself. I easily log in about 5-6 miles per morning when I run, which is every single day. Sometimes I go further. I monitor my pulse when I run and keep myself in an athletic training zone as much as I can. If something were to be off, I am hopeful that I could notice a difference and see the appropriate specialist.
I am determined to give myself every chance at a long and heathy life, one heart beat at a time
