To: Pauletta

bdean

Hi!
I am sorry I didn't see your message to me on my letter about Herceptin a few pages back.
I have to have a heart scan every 3 months while I have been on the Herceptin. That is the downside of Herceptin - in some people it can do heart damage. I have been lucky so far that no damage has occurred. I know the feeling about not knowing what to do. You feel like you are stuck between a rock and a hard place (if you have ever heard that saying, very common in the South).
I have a good friend who took the Herceptin for a year after her chemo ended and she didn't have any mets. She was just her2neu positive. I have found out recently that only 30% of the patients taking Herceptin react favorably. It does work great when it does work. If doctors could just understand why it helps some and doesn't help everyone who is positive; it would help so many people.
Have you had your heart checked out yet? I would want that done before starting, and then make sure it is continued every 3 months. My onc. always asks me if I am having any shortness of breath - that is the main symptom they look out for.
I do wish you the best - you will be in my thoughts and prayers. Welcome to this site - it really helps a lot to be able to ask someone questions who have experienced something already.
Hugs from Brenda