Her2+ symptoms

Hi , was diagnosed April 2009,prior to this, I had a feeling in my left chest for about 18 months as though there were a whole lot of rubber bands pulling across my chest every now and then. mine is grade 3, her2 positive, started 1st chemo 7 Aug 09, by now you would have been through everything, wondering how you aere going? best wishes

Jan

I actually was gaining weight, had a cold that wouldn't go away 1 1/2 months sick, tired, and felt like I had milk letting down every once and a while. 

Waterlady did you do Herceptin when diagnosed or surgery or are you just waiting for the trials?
There is a great lady on the boards who did the vaccine and she states the trial team say it is very promising.

Hi Waterlady,

My mum had no symtoms prior to getting orginal dx with ER/PR -, HER2 + which was picked up early in a mamogram. With mets its totally different, mum had mets to lungs so felt like the flu - out of breath etc and she felt tired, off colour, is the only way to put it for about 6 months and lost a little weight with mets dx. Looking back it should have been more obviousy. After the original chemo / herceptin 5 years ago she had lots of weird and wonderful side effects, we are not sure if they were from the drugs, we just blamed it on them anyhow Night sweats, certain foods went straight though, fatigue! etc But i really think herceptin is fantastic and these new herceptin drugs & vacines seem really promising!! Goodluck to you all Mel

Hey mmm5, no problems, mum dx in Sept 2004, finished chemo late dec 2004, about? late 2005 early 2006 our onc informed us of mums her 2 status, and about herceptin which was available to early stage in Oz but you had to pay for it, our family and my mums work raised the money which was about $3000 per treatment, it ended up coming on the free list 1/2 through her treatment. At the time herceptin was new and the stats were promising we didnt want to risk not having it. She had a full years worth and no other treatment afterwards.

Hi,

I had no symptoms prior to finding the lump in my breast. I was scheduled for mammos every 2 yrs and had missed one so it had been 4 yrs since last one. The weekend prior to finding the lump, I had felt nothng unusual and had been doing self exams approximately every 3-4 mths.  The weekend that I found the lump, it was approximately the size of an orange or large lemon. I was a very healthy active woman prior to diagnosis. I had no illnesses other than my asthma which I have suffered due to allergies for over a decade.

I have had neoadjuvant A/C chemo, 2 surgeries (mastectomy and then TE replacement), adjuvant Taxol and Herceptin chemo, 7 weeks of radiation, and stopped Herceptin due to heart failure after 4 mths of infusions. I am due to have surgery this next month for recon. I am considering the DIEP.  I suffer from SEs of the chemo still, but as I said had no symptoms prior to the lump. 

C

I didn't have any symptoms prior to finding the lump in early May, butI know for a fact I had no palpable lump in April, so it grew fast.  In that time I've developed a cough and am exhausted all the time.  I had a chest x-ray, which was clear, so hopefully the cough is just irritation due to the cancer being close to the chest wall.  I also have lots of burning pain and aching in the affected breast, and the lump has gotten bigger.

I've had no treatment yet - meet with the PS on Monday and should be scheduled for surgery shortly after.

I don't know what my chemo regimin will be but certainly willl do herceptin.  

I had absolutely no symptoms prior to my dx. I had just lost a bunch of weight (about 35 lbs over a year) and I believe the smaller breast size helped me to find the lump.  But I felt healthier and stronger than I had in years. Absolutely no symptoms at all, which made it all the more shocking.

But I also believe that my high state of wellness helped me get through chemo and rads more easily than if I had gone into them in a weakened condition. 

I had insomnia, which I'd never suffered from, a few months before diagnosis. I also felt tired.

Waterlady, don't wanna worry you, but I agree with swimangel, Her2 is very aggressive.  I would not want to 'wait' for trials.

Chemo is especially good for 'fast' growing cells.  Her2 is very fast growing.  I had a clear mammogram and then 5 months later I found the lump in the shower 5 months later, and I was not even looking for lumps.

May I ask why you have turned down Herceptin?

I didn't have any symptoms.  I felt great.  Clear mammo and sonogram.  Just a lump that appeared one day and seemed to get larger by the day.

I felt great, had no symptoms & no family history of bc at diagnosis at age 48.  I was multi-focal, triple positive, stage 3 with 5+ nodes and a kindergartner.  I wanted my docs to throw everything possible at the cancer, and was so grateful to get herceptin, as being her2+ scared the pants off me & I wasn't feeling particularly lucky. 

my best to you, p~

Hi Carcharm,

I too experienced what I would call a heated "chemical" hot flashes to my upper chest, immediately after my FNA biopsy and mammogram (same day). It would occur it seems every 30 seconds for about a week or so. It really scared me!!! I would explain this sensation to my Family doctor and to the surgeon. They chalked it up as hormones as I was pregnant and lost the baby at 9.5 weeks during the time this was all happening. Guess I will never know.

Frankie

I lost about 40# within less than a year before I was diagnosed. I was happy that I was loosing that weight so easily just by what I thought was watching what I ate.  I remember talking with a friend and she was saying how it was strange that I was able to lose so much without a dieting/exercising program and I jokingly said " well, I probably have cancer and don't know it". shortly after that my hubby found my lump. thank god for boob loving guys