Heart problems after Radiation

Susanne123

Hi, I am new here... I hope I am doing this right. I breezed through my Rad. 4 weeks... and then in the last week I felt heart pain when they targeted the beam. I told them, I told the Dr. They all just said " that is unusual". A month later - still with chest pains- I had a regular appt with my Dr. She tested me and found I had a ( new ) heart murmur! ( tests 3 years ago - stress tests/ echo/ ECG all normal)

So I was sent to a cardiologist. This took weeks of waiting ... and eventually I had the echogram and the diagnosis of Mitral Valve Prolapse and Regurg! I was told it was mild. And all my symptoms of fatigue, chest pain, tachycardia, palpatations, sudden high BP must be something else. Cardio Dr said " see you in 5 years". I can barely breath and I have had 12 weeks of chest pain now since Radiation finished and I am wondering if anyone else has had this happen ? The five Specialists I have seen since are all saying I am just anxious. Believe me - the only anxiety I get is when I am around bad drs!! And it was LHS breast, and I also have no Thymus as that was removed 3 years ago during another unrelated surgery. A 6cm fatty tissue/ thymus benign parathyroid cyst was removed. Would this not make the Radiation more likely to affect me ? I am being made to feel like I am a zebra in the room re this !!

Moderators

Dear Susanne,

We are sorry that you haven't received any feedback from members. We are hoping that others will offer their experiences. Here is a link to information on our website about Radiation effects on heart health. It may or may not be pertinent to your particular situation. Having symptoms that do not have easy answers can be very stressful. It sounds like you are doing all of the right things to take care of yourself. Perhaps your oncologist or family doctor can weigh in with some thoughts? Keep us posted. The Mods

Beachbum1023

Hi Susanne, sorry for all that anxiety and heart issues. I made it through rads, but I have permanent heart damage from Adriamycin. I have low blood pressure, shortness of breath, and a dry cough. I have a new ECHO every 3 months to watch what is going on. Thank you chemo. My friend had serious issues from rads, but they weren't too worried until she landed in the hospital with all of the damage and side effects.

Keep pushing to get the care you need, it is all very real. No wonder we are "anxious". Good Luck! Cheryl

Deblc

Susanne , one year after chemo/ rads and still experiencing shortness of breath and increasing pain in chest. I don't now if it's from chemo or rads. This whole thing sucks so much !

CAMommy

hi,

I've had mvp my whole life. There is a clinical link between mvp and anxiety. They don't know why but it's there. Handling the anxiety can make mvp less symptomatic. Getting anxious about it definitely makes it worse. I get heart palps, low Bp, chest pain, etc. celexa has made it go away almost completely. And not getting dehydrated.

Hth

Spookiesmom

I've had MVP for years. It's fairly mild. I take 2 bp meds to help with the palpitations. I also take an antibiotic before a routine dental appointment.

lifelover

HI Susanne123,

I just found your post. I had radiation 20 years ago for Hodgkin's Lymphoma and now am having some heart issues. My GP and his practice nurses blame everything on anxiety and also my oesophageal and larynx/pharynx reflux. I wonder if you've had reflux issues or been tested for them?

I've had tachycardia for several years and my GP finally put me on beta blockers to control it. My echocardiogram showed a thickening of my aortic valve (which is bicuspid instead of tricuspid making me more at risk for valve problems). I also have MVP and mild regurgitation. I had a CT angiogram on Monday and am waiting for the results.

I'll let you know what happens.

I've been asking for a referral to a late effects clinic so that I can speak to an expert about radiation damage to my heart. I wonder if you should perhaps seek a referral from the same type of specialist? Someone who's an expert in heart damage from cancer treatment?

How have you been feeling the past couple of months?

Astarte

I noticed on my echocardiogram report that my valves are regurgitating too. I asked about it and they told me it's nothing. This is before radiation even started (starts in 3 hours).