← Return to Heart Disease: Let’s Talk About the Emotional Side

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@karukgirl

Oh my goodness @anna419! What a double whammy you just got hit with! I truly cannot imagine what you must be feeling and how scared you must be. I had open heart surgery for Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM) at the Mayo in Rochester over two years ago. I can tell you the anxiety and fear are real. Anyone would be anxious! I am so glad to hear you are going forward with a positive attitude. That will make such a difference for your mental health as well as physical health. How interesting that they found the Myxoma incidentally, because you had breast cancer. I have a friend who fell off her horse and had a concussion. When they did the CT scan, they found a brain tumor. If she had not fallen, who knows what may have happened? I'd like to introduce you to @auntieoakley. She is a breast cancer warrior and champion Mentor who may be able to answer your breast cancer questions or hold your hand going through this.
If I can help answer any questions you may have about open heart surgery, please reach out. For instance, a good tip: Get a lounge bra that you can step into. Way easier than trying to hook an uncomfortable underwire on. There's more if you're interested. As for the open heart surgery...when are you scheduled? Myxomas are not very common from what I know, is your surgeon familiar with them?

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Replies to "Oh my goodness @anna419! What a double whammy you just got hit with! I truly cannot..."

Sorry to be so late to the party here. Wow, @anna419 you certainly have a platter full right now. I know this has all got to be really overwhelming. I don’t really know anything about the heart issue you are facing, but I am experienced in breast cancer and chemo.
When so much is being thrown at you at once it can really be frightening. I am going to say the folks in our breast cancer support pages are just the best! Chemotherapy was most frightening to me before the first treatment. After that I at least knew what to expect and could cope with it, the unknown is always the worst.
The port is in so I assume you are moving forward with Chemo, do you know which drug regimen you are starting?