I had my MUGA scan today (pronounced MUG-u as in rootbeer), which was a Multi-Gated Acquisition scan of my heart. The test was basically to see how much volume my heart is currently pumping and to make sure it is at a certain level before they give me any chemo that can weaken my heart.
They drew a vial of blood, added radioactive isotopes to it and then re-injected the blood into my arm. So much for using my port for things like this, but I think it was too close to my heart or something of that nature to put the radioactivity there. I've grown fairly accustomed to discomfort and pain, but this "little" stick and flushing with saline did not feel good, and I had to whine about it to the guy who stuck me, and of course, to Barry.
With the glowing blood coursing through my veins, they put me under a scanner that basically made a movie my heart, with views of it pumping from different angles. The results were being faxed over to the oncology clinic this afternoon, and tomorrow morning I'll find out if my heart is strong enough to endure four treatments of Ardriamycin.
Frankly, I don't think they should give people medication that can hurt other parts of the body like that. Just sayin'.
Although the doctor said the radioactivity in my body would not interact adversely with a chemo treatment, I've been having flashbacks to the movie, Patriot Games, where they are able to detect people's bodies with infrared guns. I'm wondering if there is a satellite in space even as I type this that is detecting a radioactive being a/k/a "alien" sitting at a computer in Marion, Arkansas, glowing in both light and dark?
The technician said the radioactivity would be completely out of my system in 60 hours and even faster if I drink a lot. He didn't tell me what to drink, but I guess I'll stick with water!
I am still anxious about my chemo with new drugs because there could be a whole new set of side effects. I did really well with Taxol, and even though I hated it, I knew what it would do to me. I was so disappointed last week not to get the treatment behind me when I was all psyched up for it, but it was actually nice to have a week where I felt very good.
Just for the record and as if I haven't whined enough today, I still dislike my port very, very much, and it's so easy to make it tender and sore. I guarantee it will be coming out very soon after my last chemo. I still have numb spots under my arm from my surgery, and I don't like having my lymph nodes gone from that part of my body. I haven't had any noticeable swelling in my arm, but I often feel a tightness in my upper arm similar to what it would feel like if I were wearing a too-tight sleeve. I have odd pains in my breast where they removed the tumor, and I know they are healing pains, but they are uncomfortable nonetheless. My liver is tender from my treatments, and I know it's okay because they test my liver enzymes before each treatment, but it bothers me that yet another part of my body is affected. I still have very little hair, but it has grown back about an inch--it will probably all fall out in the next few weeks with these new drugs. Let's see, is that all that bothers me? I'd better stop here or I might start feeling sorry for myself.
It's crazy to think that we all go through life feeling pretty good, doing our jobs and very honestly, taking things for granted. I never knew how good I felt in the past until they started treating me for breast cancer. I am soooo looking forward to feeling really good again.
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