Yesterday we did the muga test.
The short version is all went well.
I'm understanding that the test is designed to assess how much blood actually flows with each beat of the heart. Apparently, some kinds of chemo affect your heart, so this is something they need to do beforehand. We did it last time as well.
The basic procedure is that they draw some blood, mix something radioactive with it, and then inject it back into the patient and observe what happens. As usual, we're assured that the radioactivity is no risk and as usual we fret away.
We started out the day optimistically, hoping the test could be done quickly and we'd be able to get other things done as well. So, after stressing through the early morning, I dragged DKO off to her favorite breakfast place: Robert's. Really yummy as usual, but definitely a bridge too far.
We next went off to the muga at UMC. We'd hoped they'd be able to use the newly "installed" port, but they decided to go for a vein instead, and that occasioned the usual difficulties. The procedure went fine but took much longer than we'd originally estimated and we didn't get home until way late in the day, exhausted.
One interesting development is that DKO has this recurring event where she feels like her heart is beating really really fast. She's seen a doctor, done bunches of tests, but they've never been able to figure it out. It hasn't happened in a while, but it actually happened during the muga while she was wired up. We're hoping that the muga may actually tell us something about the heart thing.
Chemo on tuesday...the calm before the storm.
5 comments:
ooooooog.... I'm glad everything w/ the port & the muga went ok - but it still totally sux to hear DKO's going thru all this pain!!
Sending Dohala megabig virtual hugs from the middle of the Pacific,
Patep
Muga doesn't sound like a name for a medical procedure. It sounds like a character from a disney movie, or maybe a seuss book.
Thinking of both of you with much much love, even in the midst of one of our big W. Texas dust storms!
I had to wear one of those heart strap thingamajiggys for 24 hours once to check high heart rate I have at times. They averaged the high numbers with the low throughout the day and said I was normal. This from a UCLA cardiologist. Then there is the thyroid thing too. I hope it's nothing; just a well deserved case of the jitters.
heart stuff sounds like anxiety?--which to me feels natural due to the intense daily stuff diane has to go through before beginning chemo--another anxiety-producing roller coaster...thoughts, prayers, calming energy being sent your way. jc
We're both wishing you the best tomorrow. We're sending LOTS of hugs and good thoughts!
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