any HER 2 pls help

I am a three year survivor, i had DD AC T and then a year of H.  Had chemo first and no cancer left at surgery.  Hang in there, my kids were 16, 10 and 7, i was 38 when diagnosed - and i had two, probably more pos nodes before chemo.

Laura

6 1/2 year Survivor.. AC/T dose dense,Herceptin 52X (weekly) 4 1/2 years A.I's

Stage 2B

Hi Celina,

I'm not a "long"term survivor, but wanted to offer some words of support.  One of my biggest struggles has been with that fear of the unknown.  My twins were 5 at the time of my diagnosis last April so I understand the fear that you are not going to be here for your little ones.  It was so overwhelming for me in the first year and I was so frustrated with not knowing whether I would live or die or what the timing would be, but in the past 6 months or so those feelings have eased some & I'm a lot more relaxed about "the unknown" these days--unless I have a new pain or lump, of course!   I'm hoping that it will ease in time for you, too. 

And as for treatments, my best advice is to just be honest with your doctors about your side effects because they can help you manage them--and to not be afraid to ask for help when you need it.  A & C are rough, but just try to take one day at a time and remind yourself that it's worth it because they will help you be here for your children in the long run.  I'm still getting weekly Herceptin and my worst side effect is edema in the legs and abdomen, but they say this is fairly uncommon.  I haven't met anyone else with this problem.  Overall, the Herceptin should be A LOT easier than the A & C or T.

Good luck with your treatments & I hope your recovery from surgery is going well...  Best wishes...

I think you are asking someone else about how to stop the constipation, but I would like to tell you what worked for me.  Raisin Bran cereal with milk.  I asked my friend and coworker who was stage iv and she told me she used raisin bran.  I had tried other high fiber cereal, but man, that raisin bran went to work on me in about 5 minutes!  I used to not have a bowel movement the first two days after chemo and then, for the next week and a half, I would go 3 times a day.  Onc said more than 3 times a day was considered diarrhea.  On another subject, one of the side effects I had was heartburn.  If I laid down to sleep I would get it real bad.  It took me a long time to find out that I could take prilosec daily.  I still have to take it, guess I will forever.  I buy it over the counter, it is too hard to get the insurance to pay for the prescription.  Also had hot flashes.  My friend got an extension cord with an on/off switch on the cord, and put a pedestal fan by my bed.  I still use it.  When I wake up with a hot flash, I reach the on switch, which I have hanging on my headboard.  When the flash is over and I get cold, I reach over and turn it back off.  No more getting out of bed to turn it on and off.  Oh yea, almost forgot to mention the embarrassment of odor in the private part.  I was too embarrased to tell the dr and I looked on the internet and found that chemo could cause that issue and itching.  Sorry for so much info.  When I finally realized what was wrong, I just asked the Dr. for a prescription for a yeast infection.  He didn't ask any questions and gave me the prescription with some refills.

Wishing you well, Celina...

I know this is a difficult journey...  Make sure you keep on top of the WBC thing--I got very sick in the beginning when my WBC dropped--I didn't want to do the injections and thought I'd be fine, but it happened so fast...  The neulasta injections, though a pain (literally!  ), really helped.  I think I would have spent a good chunk of time in the hospital without them...  If you don't want to use them, just make sure you get your counts checked really regularly.  

I don't know if you've tried Miralax for constipation, but I've used the generic--it's a tasteless powder you can stir in any drink--works much better for me than colace or any of the pills I've tried.  I agree w/ pscheer--raisin bran usually works for me, too!  :-)

Don't know if you'll experience this, too, but mouth sores were a big problem for me during A & C.  I suffered with them for a while & couldn't find anything that worked until I the nurses offered me some stuff that works like magic--it's called Oramagic.  I just thought I would mention this in case you have the same problem--I wish I had known about it sooner--it would have saved a lot of needless pain!  

Best wishes to you!

Yes, the itchy is the start of it, stinky will soon follow, maybe a discharge too.  I had scratched myself and torn skin, usually during the night when asleep or sleepy.  If you wear some gloves to bed you won't get a scratched spot.  It itches more when you scratch.  Just call the nurse or Dr. office and ask for a prescription for yeast infection.  They may prescribe it with refills.  I am sure they are used to this happening.  I live in Texas.  We'll be with you online:-) 

Celina, for constipation dry apricots worked wonders for me. Chemo is not easy but doable, so take heart. I am finished with 4 DD AC and 12 weekly Taxols and Herceptine and Rads,  and now only Herceptine until February and AI for as long as needed.

 I don't usually post here, but this board has been  my lifeline for the last year, keeping me informed and positive and  I hope it will help you too.  We are all with you.

Celina,

Here's the web site for OraMagic-- www.mpmmedicalinc.com and the phone number is 1-800-232-5512.  But I would check with your oncologist first to see if they have any on hand that they might be able to give you.

Take care & good night