What Happens now after one year of Herceptin plus Chemotherapy

EsterA

Hello everyone,

My mother was diagnosed with stage IV Her2 neu Positive, ER PR negative breast cancer. Her tumor was about 8cm so they started Chemo first. 8 rounds of Taxotere + Herceptin. After her surgery Doc decided to go with 8 more rounds of Navalbine. Her 52 treatments of weekly Herceptin just ended this last friday. I am very worried about mets. Everytime she holds a part of her body I ask if it hurts. What do I look out for. The other day she was complaining about lower back pain that she gets in the morning so I looked up mets to the spine. And than she said her leg hurts so I looked up mets to the bones. I'm driving myself crazy. The doctor said she wants to see her every three months. Wouldn't three months be too late?. Why don't doctors do tests more often??? Her last bone scan, brain scan was one year ago.Can you please let me know what i should look out for.  Ladies pleeeeeaaaasssseeee I know this is hard for you too, but I can't picture my life without my mom. This past year has been no fun for all of us but she suffered the most. I don't want her to hurt anymore.

BethNY

If your mother has stage four cancer, she would already have mets.  Are you sure you have her staging correct?  If she had stage four cancer, she would not be on herceptin for one year, she would be on it for life.

It is normal after treatment and herceptin ends to see your oncologist every three months for the first year.  Then you graduate to six months for the next two years, and then finally you graduate to once a year.

If she experiences a pain that persists in one area for longer then two weeks, and is a constant pain- then call the Dr.  Otherwise, take a breath, and start to reclaim your lives and move beyond cancer.

juniper

Has she had a PET scan?  You might pursue that as a way to give you piece of mind.  I know it's worrisome, thinking about mets.  I'm so sorry you have to deal with it.

Most people who are diagnosed with mets are asymptomatic, so try not to worry about every ache and pain.  Remember that as we age, bones, joints and muscles ache more.

poemturner

I was surprised to see they stopped the Herceptin.  I was told to cont. taking until it no longer worked.  So I have had weekly Herceptin for over eight years!  Why did they stop the Herceptin?    

 I agree with Juniper's suggestion of a PET Scan. I also believe in 2nd opinions.  Saved my life already the 2 times I did it.  Also, what about having blood work done in between visits to track the tumor markers?