ECHO cardiogram

Hi applecrumble 

They need to check your heart before chemo, particularly EC chemo. They also need to check it before an operation. It’s unlikely they would want to check it at other times unless you are having symptoms that require investigation. I think you can always ask for female staff only, and it’s always been my experience that there will be a female in the room if you are being examined or treated by a male. Obviously staffing levels may mean that having women only adds delays. 

You can definitely ask for the echocardiogram to be performed by a female member of the staff or for one to be present in the room! Don't hesitate to ask about that!

You will have the echocardiogram so that your medical team can be sure your heart pumps blood properly which is very important since some chemotherapy treatments sometimes cause cardio toxicity (like doxorubicin, for example!) as a side effect and your oncologist needs to know how well your heart will be able to kind of cope with that. I hope this helps! The very best of luck with your treatment!

Lana xx

Thankyou Coddfish & Lana65