I have mentioned in previous posts that I'm a breast cancer survivor and I also survived a spontaneous coronary artery dissection. I had no indication of heart disease prior to my cardiac event, my arteries were/are clear and my numbers were/are good.
Because of the type of breast cancer I had, my treatment went on for a year, and had the potential to damage my heart. I had to have echocardiograms at regular intervals during that year to make sure my heart was not enlarged or otherwise damaged. That didn't seem to be an issue for me but what other damage might the treatment have done to my cardiovascular system? I don't know.
Some might suggest that I should be grateful that I am alive and presumably cancer free. I am very grateful for that and for the good health I am currently blessed with...but at what cost? Did the treatment cause unintended consequences? Maybe there is something I don't know about going on in my body. I never dwell on the 'what ifs'. I try to live my life without obsessing over the possibilities attached to the health events I've had in my life, but every so often I come across some information that makes me wonder. And such is the case with this article.
As far as I know, I'm not living with any sort of life threatening or life altering cardiac issue beyond the one I experienced in 2017. But who's to say that I won't develop something as I age? According to the American Heart Association, women, especially those over 65 who were previously treated for breast cancer, are more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than breast cancer.
The treatment I had because my tumor was HER-2+ can cause heart failure. HER-2+ tumors are very aggressive and without the medication in question, the chance of recurrence, I'm told, is 85%. With the drug, however, that number drops to 15%. That sounds a lot better to me.
In addition to the drugs I was given, the radiation I received can cause arterial damage and the development of coronary artery disease, including blockage. Some breast cancer drugs that cause heart spasms, abnormal heart rhythms, and damage to heart cells.
There are many risk factors that overlap breast cancer and heart disease, some of which are within our control. The American Heart Association has identified Life's Simple 7...a list of heart healthy behaviors that also help to mitigate breast cancer risk.
- Manage blood pressure
- Control cholesterol
- Reduce blood sugar
- Get active
- Eat better
- Lose weight
- Stop smoking
Because of all the attention that breast cancer gets, people think it is the number one killer of women. In fact, more people die of heart disease than all cancers combined. Why not take steps to mitigate your own risk now or improve your chances of recovery if you are already impacted by either disease? Anyone can benefit from small incremental changes to their lifestyle. If you need help, I'm available to chat right here.
Are you dreading the holidays, knowing that you won't be able to wear the same clothes on New
Years that you wore at the beginning of the feeding frenzy we call the holiday season? Are you worried that you might undo all the good you have done recently for your health? Do you think you might go off the rails with your food choices? Do the holidays get really stressful and cause you to make food choices that may not be very healthy?
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