Complete Pathological Response!

Thank you so much!  Yes Lena, I certainly never thought I'd meet him, lol!

Marianne if it would keep me NED forever I'd change my name in a heartbeat, lol!!!  I'd even embroider it on all my underwear.  

Thank you bkj!!  It went just fine - I'm having some skin neurological problems from the mx - burning, "bee stings" and such, but they'll pass.  I hope, hahah. 

Thanks Lily!  Best of luck to you as well.  With my specific dx it's likely to come back fast (but taking herceptin improves my chances), so I am planning on loving every day whether it has it's faults or not.   

Hi Leisa,

Right now I have to do my 6 1/2 weeks of rads and simultaneous Herceptin...I'm not sure what wil be after that!  

My Onc (and Lori!) told me this was the best possible response, and the best predictor of prognosis - in a good way.  I am very lucky so far.

I know there are answers and commonalities that could predict cancer and IBC in particular, but we just don't know about them yet.  And I think my response is in large part being Her2+++ (I didn't realize it til recently but I am off the freaking chart with Her2) chemo worked well and I could take Herceptin.

But if you're at all interested, as you saw my treatment seems to be like everyone else's, but I received my A/C every 3 weeks and then Taxol 3 weeks on, 1 week off, with Herceptin administered every week when Taxol started.  The other big difference was that I never received and Procrit or other blood-boosting shots, and I had a very easy time of chemo in general.  My TMI statement I always say is that I never threw up, but it does tell you that I was feeling pretty good.  The only reason I didn't throw up was from taking Emend, promethazine, zofran, and sometimes even ativan - *everything* seems to make me nauseated as I get older. I had a double mx with left side being prophylactically removed.

So, those are the only differences I saw in my treatment vs what I've read.  I'm sure not suggesting if someone's counts fall they should refuse treatment because I had a good result or anything similar, I sincerely doubt the differences had anything to do with it but who knows?  I'm just kind of recording for posterity's sake.

Thanks so much, Andrea!

I just went to the University cancer center and was assigned my oncologist (the head oncologist) because IBC is rare.  So in that case, IBC definitely worked for (rather than against) me.  I've never been anywhere for a second opinion, but if I have a recurrence I will seek a second opinion at Fox-Chase.   

Thank you so much, Kathy.  I hope you are in or soon will be NED also!