Statistics and herceptin

Hey Estepp......Good luck tomorrow with your treatments, you'll be fine...Just think of each treatment as one step closer to the 80 yrs you want to see.....I didn't start counting down until I hit the half way mark, which comes around quicker than you think.

Bluewillow, Congrats on being almost done, 3 more yahoooooooo, my doctor and the office staff gave me a huge bunch of wildflowers and roses when I finished my trial, I was so happy I don't know if I was crying for the flowers or being done, but the tears kept coming lol...

Take care ladies  Hugs Klynn 

Hi all , I survived yesterday! Wahoooo.. I am such a baby..lol...So far I cannot tell I have any chemo yesterday..  but it might take a while to kick in.

I did get red face last night but that is less today. I did eat my house out... which,.. is weird for me. I hope that stops! I guess the steroids. Today.. I am not craving food yet. I ate for two yesterday..LOL

I hope this finds all of you well!

Laura

Same here--after this whole brain radition thing is over --its onto tykerb an xeloda

They have to pin point this stupid thing!  I feel like we are just on the verge--Jerseymaria and I are going to hang in there-herceptin may not have done it for us--but maybe tykerb-or this new vaccine are going to be it!

Like they said on the stand up to cancer show--you can smell the cure in the air--just like you smell the rain before it comes......

Amy 

Woo - hoo, Laura! You made it through #1 - congratulations. May they all go so well.

Sue

klynn, i'd love to know the name of your onc if you don't mind. but of course the location matters.  i'm in the brick, toms river area.  i'm trying to check into moving back to central jersey....don't like it down here. there's an onc up there i'd love to go to...he's a doll but its too far for me as long as i live here. i'm on my second onc so part of me would hate to change but she's going to need to be understanding and flexible and not acting like i'm stupid and it's all in my head.  my problem with the xeloda is that tykerb works much better with it and since herceptin didn't help i don't know what other drugs could stop the her2 cells.  if i can't take it then am i screwed?

Hey Maria,

I'll pm you tomorrow, I am VERY close to you, close enough for you to consider my doc....He is a doll, and has been treating me for over 8 yrs, He was also my mothers doc for over 12 yrs..I don't know  one patient that doesn't love him or his staff.....Talk to you tomorrw, good night , sweet dreams...Klynn 

Hope it all went well Estepp.  I finished 6 rounds of tax/carbo and herceptin march 27 and it was very doable for me as well. I am still getting the herceptin only until December.   I bounced back quickly and 5 months later have hair and feel so good.  Enjoying every stinking day!  Herceptin vaccine is what I am interested in as well.  My dr said I would be a candidate.  Not sure what expression of her2 i had though as I am missing that path report for some reason.  My biopsy pathology got bounced from hospital to hospital as I was choosing doctors and the hospitals were in the midsts of buyouts too.  I should ask about that today.  I have my herceptin infusion this morning and maybe my nurses could look it up in my file.  hmmmm

I was supposed to have the Herceptine because I was Her2nue+ but when they did the heart scan they said no I can not have it because my heart was pumping a little slowly then normal. Has anyone on here had that happen to them as I am wondering how that will affect things. I have been told that it can really affect your heart that is why every so often you have to have a heart scan if you are taking it.  Sure wish I could take it as it really bothers me that I am her1nue+.

Bonnie

Hi everyone!

I'm new and scheduled to begin chemo on October 3 - doing mammosite rads starting on Tuesday.  For the chemo, I'm only getting 4 cycles 3 weeks apart of TCH - then H for a year.  Is that enough?  My IDC was 8 mm with extensive DCIS surrounding it.  They took more than 10 cm of tissue all the way around and I had two surgeries to get clear margins...

Praying for courage and good health for all of us,

Teena

Hi,

The only thing I got different was the A in TCH. I had 4 AC.. then TC.. I also had some node involvement... I am still in chemo and am doing the TH part weekly and then the H for yr. I am doinf chemo first, then surgery... then I AM SURE they will want me to do rads which, for reconstruction purposes I wish I don't have to do.. but what ever I need, I will do.

Maybe this is why you two are not getting a A... no node involvement. I really am not sure though.. as your onco.

We are all so different.. Gods Love and Blessings !

Laura

Mitch - I think those are GREAT statistics!!! I love getting real life info like that.  Gives me a lot of hope for all of us.  BTW... check out the research and news board near the bottom... it has a link to a story about ther HER 2 vaccine.  Sounds like they are getting close to having it ready for widespread use.

Lisa 

I was told by my Onco that the Evista I had been taking for over 12 years is helpful in preventing bc... NOT so with me..   But it could have helped it be an early detection with the lump I found myself.   Then she added that most cancers are there for a few years before they get diagnosed.  

I will have Taxol/Herceptin # 8 on Thursday and my tumor continues to shrink - almost cannot feel it at all, like a pin head size, but that could be the marker they put in.   I love the statistics that were given to me:   12-20% better cure rate with the dose dense A/C and tax/her treatments before surgery as opposed to surgery first.   

I had a second muga scan to check my heart function after the 4 dose dense A/C and my heart function was unchanged.  The words  " no co morbidity" were used - meaning no other things going on in my body.   However, I was told that radiation on the left side, where the heart is, WILL have at least an 8-10% affect on the heart...   I need to gather all my questions for the surgical consult coming up.   The onco says a lumpectomy will do the trick and I could care less about recon if a mast is better.   And as far as everyone can tell, I have no node involvement.  

By the way (BTW) I am getting Paclitaxel -  

Hi Everyone

I asked my oncologist about the Herceptin and he said it was my choice but being that I have finished chemo he said that the Herceptin would have little affect if any, as it is he said that the Herceptin has very little help if any, has not been proved that it works very good.  I had one mega scan that was bad then they did another when I finished chemo and it was ok, so he figures I am borderline on the heart in other-wards good this time bad next time. He said I would be taking a risk possibly on my heart by taking the Herceptin also.  The choice was mine and I opted to not take it.  What does everyone think?

Bonnie