Breast cancer HER2+

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janetteeaves
janetteeaves Member Posts: 2
in Breast Cancer #1
I have infiltrating ductal carcinoma / er/pr negative her2+ positive
had lumpectomy 3/15/2011 with clear margins & sentinel lymph node clear
Have 1st apt with oncologist tomorrow but was told by my surgeon will I will need chemo/rad/herceptin. All I have read about herceptin scares me and everything I see on this site was posted almost 10 years ago. Would love to hear some current news! Jan

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  • Gabe N Abby Mom
    Gabe N Abby Mom Member Posts: 2,413
    #2
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    Hi Jan,
    In my case the
    Hi Jan,

    In my case the cancer is triple negative, so I can't help you with the herceptin question. I'm sure others will chime in and share their experiences.

    I do want to say welcome, and you will find this group amazing! So many strong, thoughtful, caring people willing to help and answer questions. Please come back and let us know how you're doing.

    Hugs,

    Linda
  • Jean 0609
    Jean 0609 Member Posts: 2,462
    #3
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    Hi Jan,
    Welcome. This is a great place to ask questions, cry, scream, vent, just read, or whatever else you need. I had 4 rounds of chemo last summer, which was completely doable. Not knowing what to expect was the hardest part. I had some minor side effects. At the same time I had Herceptin. This I have to do for one year. I had my 14th treatment this past Tuesday and have 4 more to go!!!! For me, Herceptin was a piece of cake. No side effects so to speak. Good luck and keep us posted on what your oncologist says.

    xoxo,
    Jean
  • BlownAway60
    BlownAway60 Member Posts: 851
    #4
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    I finished my year of
    I finished my year of Herceptin in Nov. 2010. I had no problems with it. I did have MUGA scans to check my heart every three months while taking it.

    Hugs

    Donna

    ER/PR+ HER2+
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    #5
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    Hi Jan
    I am I have infiltrating ductal carcinoma/er/pr pos her2 pos I also had lumpectomy June 3 09 clear margines 2 nodes pos. I did 4 rounds AC 12 rounds Taxol 35 Rads 1 year herceptin.Currently I am on Tamoxifen. The herceptin for me was nothing, they do keep tabs on you all the way through the treatment. My understanding is herceptin is a lifesaver for us and we are very lucky to have it. There is a movie on this and maybe our other sisters will help me with this and name the movie. Hope this is helpful to you.
    Kathy ~
  • Cat64
    Cat64 Member Posts: 1,192
    #6
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    Kat11 said:

    Hi Jan
    I am I have infiltrating ductal carcinoma/er/pr pos her2 pos I also had lumpectomy June 3 09 clear margines 2 nodes pos. I did 4 rounds AC 12 rounds Taxol 35 Rads 1 year herceptin.Currently I am on Tamoxifen. The herceptin for me was nothing, they do keep tabs on you all the way through the treatment. My understanding is herceptin is a lifesaver for us and we are very lucky to have it. There is a movie on this and maybe our other sisters will help me with this and name the movie. Hope this is helpful to you.
    Kathy ~

    Living Proof
    is the name of the movie. It is a must see for anyone Her2+.
    Hello Jan & Welcome! Though so sorry for the reason you are here. I had Invasive DC, 6 doses of Taxotere & Carboplatin along with 1 yr. of Herceptin then Rads. It terrified me too at first, but they do monitor your ♥ like the other Sisters mentioned every 3 months. For a couple of treatments I had to have Benadryl before the infusion because I was breaking out in hives. That was just me, everyone reacts differently. By the end of treatment, I was fine w/o it. Will you be getting a port?
    Prayers & Hugz,
    Cat
  • csr771
    csr771 Member Posts: 117
    #7
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    Invasive Ductal Carcenoma - Hormone Receptive - Oncotype DX
    My tumor was 9cm no lymph node involvement and hormone receptive. I had thee Oncotype DX test. I am not doing chemo therapy. I am on arimidex.
  • Mothercrone
    Mothercrone Member Posts: 28
    #8
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    Welcome Jan!
    I am Stage II her2. Just finished my 5th round of taxotere and Carboplatin plus Herceptin. I also do Herceptin every week and then, after my chemo ends, I will be doing Herceptin every three weeks for at least six months.

    I have had absolutely no side effects with Herceptin and like the others, I am so thankful for this drug.

    Please feel free to ask any of us questions. We are a very positive, upligting group of folks here.

    Good Luck ♥

    *****
    @Cat64...where can I get the LIVING PROOF film to view? Thanks!
  • Cat64
    Cat64 Member Posts: 1,192
    #9
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    Mothercrone said:

    Welcome Jan!
    I am Stage II her2. Just finished my 5th round of taxotere and Carboplatin plus Herceptin. I also do Herceptin every week and then, after my chemo ends, I will be doing Herceptin every three weeks for at least six months.

    I have had absolutely no side effects with Herceptin and like the others, I am so thankful for this drug.

    Please feel free to ask any of us questions. We are a very positive, upligting group of folks here.

    Good Luck ♥

    *****
    @Cat64...where can I get the LIVING PROOF film to view? Thanks!

    MotherC
    I just went to Lifetime.com to see if it will be airing soon, but nothing for 6 weeks. It was made in 2008, it's a true story about Oncologist Dr. Dennis Slamon, the inventor of Herceptin. (Harry Connick Jr & Bernadette Peters star in it). If you have a Blockbuster Video in your area, you could try there.
    ♥Cat
  • aysemari
    aysemari Member Posts: 1,596 Member
    #10
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    A warm welcome to the boards Jan
    As teena (tgf) once put it, we are the most wonderful club that no one wants
    to belong to. But here we are and we supporting each other and making the
    best of it.

    I had the same diagnosis as you. I had two lumpectomies, no clear margins
    the first time around, I did 5 rounds of Taxotere and Carbo, along with Herceptin.
    Then I decided to have a mastectomy to avoid radiation and finished Herceptin
    for a year's worth of treatment. I just got done 1/25/11. Herceptin by itself really
    isn't that bad. For me it caused fatigue and some brain - fog, but the side effects
    were nowhere near like taxotere and carbo.

    Feel free to send me a private message if you have any questions, sounds like
    we have the same diagnosis.

    Hugs,
    Ayse
  • Mitzi333
    Mitzi333 Member Posts: 511 Member
    #11
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    aysemari said:

    A warm welcome to the boards Jan
    As teena (tgf) once put it, we are the most wonderful club that no one wants
    to belong to. But here we are and we supporting each other and making the
    best of it.

    I had the same diagnosis as you. I had two lumpectomies, no clear margins
    the first time around, I did 5 rounds of Taxotere and Carbo, along with Herceptin.
    Then I decided to have a mastectomy to avoid radiation and finished Herceptin
    for a year's worth of treatment. I just got done 1/25/11. Herceptin by itself really
    isn't that bad. For me it caused fatigue and some brain - fog, but the side effects
    were nowhere near like taxotere and carbo.

    Feel free to send me a private message if you have any questions, sounds like
    we have the same diagnosis.

    Hugs,
    Ayse

    Living Proof...
    Living Proof is also available on a DVD through Netflix. Based on your comments and reviews I'm going to request it now.

    Thanks for all of the info!!!

    Hugs~
    Mitzi ;0)
  • DebbieSWorley
    DebbieSWorley Member Posts: 5
    #12
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    Gabe N Abby Mom said:

    Hi Jan,
    In my case the
    Hi Jan,

    In my case the cancer is triple negative, so I can't help you with the herceptin question. I'm sure others will chime in and share their experiences.

    I do want to say welcome, and you will find this group amazing! So many strong, thoughtful, caring people willing to help and answer questions. Please come back and let us know how you're doing.

    Hugs,

    Linda

    triple negative
    Linda, I, too, am triple negative. I was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of unknown origin, Dec. 20, 2010. I have had 5 Taxol treatments with 7 to go, then 4 FAC treatments over 12 weeks, sugery, and finally, 6 weeks of radiation. I'd love to hear from you!
    Debbie
  • janetteeaves
    janetteeaves Member Posts: 2
    #13
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    Mitzi333 said:

    Living Proof...
    Living Proof is also available on a DVD through Netflix. Based on your comments and reviews I'm going to request it now.

    Thanks for all of the info!!!

    Hugs~
    Mitzi ;0)

    Her2+
    Thank you all for the positive responses. I am going to get the movie. Jan
  • tgf
    tgf Member Posts: 950 Member
    #14
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    janetteeaves said:

    Her2+
    Thank you all for the positive responses. I am going to get the movie. Jan

    triple positive
    I'm triple positive ... which means Her2+ ... which meant herceptin for a year. I had absolutely NO side effects or problems with it. When you're on it ... they keep a close eye on your heart ... but I had absolutely no problems ... Very smooth sailing for me.

    You'll do fine.

    hugs.
    teena
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #15
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    tgf said:

    triple positive
    I'm triple positive ... which means Her2+ ... which meant herceptin for a year. I had absolutely NO side effects or problems with it. When you're on it ... they keep a close eye on your heart ... but I had absolutely no problems ... Very smooth sailing for me.

    You'll do fine.

    hugs.
    teena

    bumping up
    ...
  • chekmark
    chekmark Member Posts: 3
    #16
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    I am new here and have been
    I am new here and have been reading alot about her2 recurrences. I am stage 1 grade 3 er+,pr+ her2+. Just finished chemo last week and will finish the year with herceptin. I hate to dwell on figures but I do. My oncologist first told me that I was curable and now tells me that I have a 25% chance of recurrence. I know there are no guarnetees in life but I thought that with herceptin that it was alot lower than that. Any input! Darlene
  • chekmark
    chekmark Member Posts: 3
    #17
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    I just finished chemo a week
    I just finished chemo a week ago and will continue the year with herceptin and seem to be doing fine. I will not lie chemo is rough but doable. My mugo was good and so was my echo. You will be monitored pretty closely so do not worry.
  • sunshine0406
    sunshine0406 Member Posts: 65
    #18
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    No problems for me
    Hi I am new to this site. I have been on Herceptin for about 8 months and no problems. I took it with 2 other chemo drugs at first but I have been on it alone for about 2 months and I am a bit tired after but nothing like I was after my three chemo cocktail. I do have an echo every so often to make sure everything is good and so far so good (knock on wood). My Dr. said it is a life saver for people with her2+ tumors like us. She also said that they use to give it with another drug (I am sorry I don't remember the name right now) and the other drug was the one that caused the heart problems but they still make the Dr. do all the heart echos any way, If you are having a problem deciding talk more with your oncologist, mine is always willing to help me through treatment options (remember no question is is stupid one if it is about your health and piece of mind) because if you are fighting with the decision in your head I feel it will make a difference in your outcome. I know it is hard when you read all the paperwork they give you. I had a hard time with all of this too I am not a person who likes to take medication. I have to believe that this is going to help me to get better. Remember you are your best heath advocate. I also believe that once you decide (what ever you decide) just own it and believe that this is the best thing for you.
  • chekmark
    chekmark Member Posts: 3
    #19
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    sunshine0406 said:

    No problems for me
    Hi I am new to this site. I have been on Herceptin for about 8 months and no problems. I took it with 2 other chemo drugs at first but I have been on it alone for about 2 months and I am a bit tired after but nothing like I was after my three chemo cocktail. I do have an echo every so often to make sure everything is good and so far so good (knock on wood). My Dr. said it is a life saver for people with her2+ tumors like us. She also said that they use to give it with another drug (I am sorry I don't remember the name right now) and the other drug was the one that caused the heart problems but they still make the Dr. do all the heart echos any way, If you are having a problem deciding talk more with your oncologist, mine is always willing to help me through treatment options (remember no question is is stupid one if it is about your health and piece of mind) because if you are fighting with the decision in your head I feel it will make a difference in your outcome. I know it is hard when you read all the paperwork they give you. I had a hard time with all of this too I am not a person who likes to take medication. I have to believe that this is going to help me to get better. Remember you are your best heath advocate. I also believe that once you decide (what ever you decide) just own it and believe that this is the best thing for you.

    Thank you for your replies.
    Thank you for your replies. I am definitely doing the herceptin there was never even a second thought about it. My concerns are the 25% recur rate. I think that just sounds so high. I had taxotere with my herceptin and it was not pleasant but you do what you got to do.I had no problems that I know of so far with the herceptin.

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