Dragonfly92127

I have been on Herceptin for 9 months.  I get really winded and find it hard to breath when I exert myself.  It feels like what I wold imagine an asthma attack feels like.  I struggle so hard to breath that I sweat and cant talk.  It's worse the week after my treatment.

I have had all of the usual tests to prove I am in perfect heath except for the obvious. Heart and lungs look good to ONC says it's not related.

Any one else having this problem on Herceptin?

I had IMRT. RAD onc showed us the plan on his computer and there was nothing hitting my heart and only a a little hit the very top of my lung.  IMRT is only used for leftys. 

Good luck - I thought RADs were the scariest part of this entire process. I was scared of the unknown I guess.  What a relief when it was over.  It's 2 months behind me and the skin looks and feels great.  Used a lot of Emu oil.

Sue Ellen

I finished 28 rds of radiation on May 8^th. I was pretty burned from the bolus. The skin was dark purple, blistered and Vicodin was my best friend.  Two weeks later I was completely healed with some flakiness on the top of my breast.  As for the expander it held up like a champ.

So far ... no hardness to the expander, no shrinkage of the skin, and no pain. I felt heaviness and for about a week after RADs but that has gone away.  Now 3 weeks out we "deflated" the expander a bit (took out 180cc's) I look more balanced and have more mobility for golfing and kayaking. Will stay this way until exchange in December unless any problems arise.

I used Emu oil religiously.  It helped with the pain, swelling and seemed to really nourish the skin.  I would turn pretty pink when I first applied it but the pinkness subsided quickly. I also massaged the expander as much as I could. Also stretching was HUGE... don't stretch burnt skin...I had to hold off when the skin got bad.

I am so convinced that the Emu helped I will continue to use it daily until my exchange.

It is my greatest wish that I will be one more success story for implant recon with rad's.  I read that many PS advise against it but I think that the more positive stories that are out there the more confident woman will be to pursue it with their PS if it's what they truly want.

Will update later if there are changes...

Finally... I feel whole again...with chemo and RADs behind me it is wonderful to think of something other than breast cancer 24/7.  I have eye brows, eyelashes, enough hair to go topless and clear PET/CAT scans.  June 5^th marks the anniversary of my mammogram / ultrasound when I knew I had cancer.  This year on June 5^th I get my "yearly" mammogram cancer free then DH & I are taking a long weekend to Santa Fe NM to celebrate the end of a full year of hell. 

It has been a long road...Some of which I have blocked permanently from my mind. I pray that you are all soon right there with me.  They were right... there was light at the end of the tunnel.

Sue Ellen

Diana63

Wow...I felt the same way.  Compared to RADS, the anxiety I felt for chemo & surgery were nothing.  Today starts my last week and it gets no easier to lay on that table.  I think it is fear of the unknown.

Will they do IMRT for your left sided treatment?  My Dr finally had to show me the computer diagrams of the treatment and radiation counts affecting the areas. It did help and all I had to do was ask. I am having 79 beams of IMRT + regular rads on the superclav.  it takes anywhere from 30 min to 45 min depending on x-ray days.

Good luck to both of you!!

I knew I would need radiation and opted for the expander...I found more than a few who had good results.  I am close to finishing radiation 23/28.  The expander has shown no problems.

The pec muscle has been tight but I am stretching several times a day and is seems to work well.

Rad nurse said she couldn't stress enough how important stretching was.

Good luck!

Thank you for the support.  I really had a meltdown day.  I did see my rad onc and he assured me that I was getting what was needed.  He said I could quit any time but it was not in my best interest.  I just get SO overwhelmed at times. I have to keep thinking that any SE is better than cancer.

He really is a caring person...in the office, before I went into treatment, he prayed with me to have strength and healing.