Pacemaker & Radiation Therapy

Hi Everyone,
I am wondering if anyone out there has had any experience with receiving radiation therapy while having a pacemaker. I have esophagual cancer and the radiation treatment will be on my esophagus near where it connects to the stomach and will be close to my heart. I will have the treatment 5 days a week for 5 weeks starting Monday. Also having cemo once a week. I am 100% dependent on the pacemaker.
All the doctors are corrdinating things and there will be a Medtronic Tech monitoring my heart and pacemaker during the first treatment. Then a plan will be deveolped for the rest of the treatments.
I also sent a email to Medtronic today about this.
Just wanted to see if anyone else has had any simular experiences. I will post next week after my first couple of treatments.
Surgery is a whole other issue.

Tom

3 Comments

Sounds like it is being handled well

by ElectricFrank - 2011-02-24 03:02:48

You seem to have all the right people making decisions for you. This is a case of interactions between various hi tech systems where the information is a bit over our head.

frank

hi tom

by Hot Heart - 2011-02-24 07:02:31

Thank you for posting this as it is something I would never have thought about asking. I'm having some problems in the throat area, tumour in the thyroid and parathyroid. Do you mind if I ask, did you get cancer since you got your pm? I know my blood tests in 2007 show that my parathyroid was working perfectly, and now I have a large tumour. Until it is removed I dont know if I will need further treatment, they cannot evaluate this until it is removed. I do hope that things go well for you, I will remember you in my prayers.

HH

Answer for Hot Heart

by tomh140 - 2011-02-24 08:02:44

I have had my pacemaker since April 2003 and my symtoms just started right before Christmas. It appears that I have had Barrets Esophagus for over a year, maybe 2 and did not pay enough attention to the reflux I was getting to worry about it. Barrets can turn into cancer and in my case it. So please everyone - don't ignore what your body is telling you. I start radiation and cemo next week to kill the cancer and shrink to tumor and barrets before any surgery is considered. I will let you know how it goes next week

Tom

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