ER-, PR-, Her2+ Roll call
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Hi everyone,
When you are looking for something to be positive about, it is good to read what you ladies have posted. Such great support! Start chemo next week and will be checking in frequently...
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Viji - Glad you found this thread. As you can see, many of us find that chemo is far more "doable" than we ever imagined before starting treatment. Taxotere/Carbo/Herceptin is another great thread for support. Wishing you all the best -
Sue
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Thank you Sue! Will look at the thread you mentioned...
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Hi all,
I am new to this thread. I start chemo next week, before surery, A/C for four weeks then taxol/herceptin for twelve weeks. If the tumor shrinks enough then a lumpectomy, preferred. I was worried about the herceptin and everything else, but it sounds like it is manageable. I was also worried that I could not exercise or do anything during chemo, but it sounds like I can stay active - or at least try. Please keep posting all this valuable info and helpful hints. They are so appreciated.
Murphy0 -
Hi Murphy,
I start chemo next week too, and you are absolutely right-this site gives me answers to so many questions and the strength to face the uncertain future. All the best to you.
Viji
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Hi Murphy, best of luck as you start your chemo. I am having the exact treatment as you and go in or my 3rd round of AC this week. We will get through ths!!
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Hello my sisters.... Had chemo surgery and then radiation... Hang in there... I did good with chemo no side affects ...just take your meds soon as you finish your treatments ... Don't wait for side affects to kick in ... I would take my nauseous meds right after treatment... Hydrate and rest.... I usually get my treatments on Fridays ... I slept all day then by Saturday I was ready to go any where ....... Or just clean clean clean... Felt like a was the bunny from energizer!!! 😍 Hang in there my sisters
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Hope everyone is feeling good..,
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I am two weeks pfc and just started my Herceptin (once every three weeks for nine months). Chemo brain is maybe starting to clear, energy is better... for some odd reason general anxiety is much higher. Don't know if it is the transition or what.
Hair is growing back! Enough that scarves feel hot, and comando is too cold... such is life. I started retaining water, and so am now on Lasix (three days on, and 3 days off). Don't know if it is due to circulatory issues or because I have fibromyalgia. The good news is that I've lost 9 pounds in the past 8 days... waist hasn't shrunk yet though!
Glad to be getting energy back. Still waiting to see if my MO was correct... "getting herceptin is like running water through your veins"
Thankspatriciahurtado for encouraging a check-in.
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I love what your doctor said about Herceptin. It gives me more hope that things will get better. Can't wait to get to that phase of my chemo...still in AC
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Going for second chemo session in a few days. The first one was bearable/manageable. The bone pain from the immune booster knocked me down, but once the pain meds kicked in I felt so much better. My mental state has been holding up; I think that has been the best and most beneficial part. Hugs and prayers to everyone!
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TFPMurphy - I did find that bone pain was pretty bad from the Neulasta shot also. But taking claritin before and for several days after seemed to help (check with your doc if you aren't already doing it). I found that if I also took Aleve prior to and 12 hrs post both the AC and the Neulasta it helped a lot with SE's. (But thank God for pain meds too!) I drove myself to all my chemos and found that nausea on the trip home was a bit of a problem, so took one of the Rx nausea pills prior to going for treatment. That seemed to take care of the post-infusion nausea -- for whatever reason the nausea meds they gave me weren't enough.
GirlStrong - from your signature, it looks like you should be just about done with AC. When is your last one... What is next?
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Hey everyone. I haven't looked at this thread in awhile, but wanted to offer some hope and encouragement to those going through chemo right now, especially A-C! I had a very difficult time with that when I started 4 rounds of it last March. I was on 5 different anti-nause medications, still couldn't get out of bed or eat much for two weeks after, and was on home hydration for 1-2 weeks after each A-C round. I have an underlying bowel disease (ulcerative colitis), so we all knew AC would hit me hard. Then I had 4 rounds of Taxotere (adding in Herceptin on the 2nd round of Taxotere) and it had its own challenges. (serious bone pain, for starters!) But I finished the 8 rounds in my chemo regimen about 6 weeks ago, and am now 10 days out from double mastectomy with axillary dissections on both sides. (I had matted palpable cancerous lymph nodes in both armpits before I started treatment). I will start radiation in about 3 weeks. I remember being where you are now and thinking the chemo road was endless, and wondering how I would get through. But I'm 2/3rds of the way now on this "medical triathlon" and I can see the finish line. Even better, I got my pathology results from surgery a few days ago and I had a complete pathologic response (sometimes called a pathologic complete response.) I could not believe what I was hearing...I have been hoping for that for 8 months, but just couldn't bring myself to believe it would really happen. The neo-adjuvant chemo really did its job...and there were NO ACTIVE IDC CELLS LEFT in my right breast (which had grown a solid 5cm tumour with micro tumours and had broken through the skin in a matter of of weeks last winter) or in any of the affected lymph nodes. The news is still sinking in, but when I am in less pain from the surgery, we will be having a celebration. Do what you can you keep yourselves sane, and to support your body and spirit through these hard first phases of treatment...things will get better. I came on this board often all through the winter and spring and summer to get that message from others who had been through it, and now I know what is possible. Keep the faith. I'm rooting for you all.
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StacieRae - Yippee, Yea!!! And thank you for the gift of encouragement!!
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StacieRae: what a beautiful post. I am sooooooooo happy for you about your response! I am praying for that too. You give me hope about this "triathlon". It is intense and I am in training every single day. Can't wait yo get to the finish line!
6cats: I finished my third AC on sept 18th. My fourth and final is scheduled for October 10th. I seriously cannot wait. The I guess the do a MUGA before they start TH. The way I see it, this first part of treatment may be the hardest and then will get gradually easier. You haven't lived until you've been through chemo and if we girls can get through this, surgery,rads etc is seriously an easier rode.
Thank you so much for the support. We are in his together girls. Let's stick to it and kick some A$&!!!!
Prayers and love going your way wherever you may be today
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Hi girls; had anyone received or will receive sub q Herceptin versus infusion? I understand this is already an approved mode of delivery in Europe. Not sure about here but need to ask.
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I been get herceptin for a almost a year now and will continue until this 24 of October ... It was my security blanket ... No hormonal treatment ... Exersice and eat healthy ... That's all I can do
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Hi,
I always considered myself part of this club since I am ER- and PR faintly +. Originally my onc at MGH said no Tamoxifen since they believed at the time my case was brought to the tumor board, that it would not help me. Now, they have changed their minds and want me to take it. I am wondering if anyone else can relate to this and what you decided/your experience was.
Also, I have been having a lot of foot pain/soreness on both the top and bottoms of my feet. They are hard to flex and hurt when I am waking or standing for long periods of time. Is this a lingering side effect of regular treatment (I finished Herceptin in July) or could it be a side effect of the Denosumab trial I am a part of? I'm not sure if I am getting the actual drug or placebo.
I rarely post but check in with the boards and this thread quite often.
Thank you,
Sarah0 -
Girlstrong: Thanks for the kind words. I am a little further along in the "triathlon" - but we are all in this together. You are almost done with AC, and I did find it the most difficult part. None of it is easy, but you are doing it...one day at a time.
I don't think Herceptin injections are available here in Canada yet. I get it by infusion every 3 weeks. I started Herceptin on my 6th round of chemo (with Taxotere), after I had one Taxotere treatment on its own. My oncologist does it that way so that if you have a reaction to Taxotere, you know it's from the Taxotere and not from the Herceptin. "One new thing at a time."
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Sarah,
I am ER- and 5%PR+ as well as HER2+. I just started Tamoxifin 2 weeks ago. My Onc wants me to try it but he said that if I have too many side effects (I'm premenopausal, age 35), he would have no problems discontinuing it. He said I may get some benefit from it but since I'm only weakly PR positive, we can't be sure. He also said he'd like me to get through a year or two on it and we can discuss, but that the full 5 years may not be necessary. I'm happy to take it just to give myself something else mentally to make me feel like I'm doing something (especially when the Herceptin ends). From my research, the trend seems to be to give ER-/PR+ women hormonals...of course they haven't done much research on it because it's such a rare profile.
Why did your doctor change his mind?
Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss this more as I'm in the exact same boat!
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It sounds like we are in the exact same boat--I am 36 and premenopausal. I guess the oncs are divided at MGH so it depends who is weighing in. My onc wanted to offer it to me since it came up again recently for another patient and the board decided she should take it. I don't want to pass on it but worried about side effects and being premenopausal. Ty for responding!
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sometime i wish they have pill or injection for us er/pr- too...to keep our cancer cells at bay just like er/per+ ladies...sigh....0 -
GirlStrong -- Good luck tomorrow on your last AC -- I am a little further along on this journey and will receive my second Herceptin only tomorrow also. What is your therapy after the A/C?
I was so glad to finish each phase, each feels like a huge milestone. Am now on the long haul (9 months of Herceptin only). I had ECHO's prior to my AC, after A/C (9% drop in EF but still in normal range), then because of the change, eight weeks into the TH (no EF change); my next ECHO is scheduled for 12 weeks after my last one. Things I've learned about Ejection Fractions... they are not absolute numbers, but can vary by up to 10%. My cardiologist also believes in having the same technician do the ECHO to reduce the risk of variation.0 -
saw my doc today and I'm headed in the right direction. My 4th and final AC is tomorrow(yeah!!). I get the flu shot tomorrow, and I continue with my antibiotic for a chest infection. Wow!! Crazy what the body can take. I am scheduled for my MUGA scan in 2 weeks and then start my next "phase". The plan is for TH and now my doc is questioning adding perjeta into the mix. She is nervous about the cardio toxicity of everything. We are supposed yo talk about it further in the next couple of days to make a Final decision. In the meantime I am onto scheduling appointments with plastic surgeons to see who I like and I just learned that they are going to discuss my case at tumor board (wish I could be a fly on the wall for that riveting meeting) to see if they should do an ALND and if so how much; I guess I am making them think outside of the box because I am doing neoadjuvant chemo. Wish me luck in all this and the same back to you all lovely gals
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Girlstrong, what cause your chest infection? I hope everything work out as planned.Good luck with everything!0 -
HI Soriya: no worries about my infection. It is a mild case of bronchitis. I called into the doctor right when I started couging and feeling a little sick and so they put me on a z-pack. They are quick to address any sickness when were on chemo.0
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Girlstrong, glad to hear it minor. I kno this is sick season. Both of kids had a cold,last month thank goodness i didnt get from them....knock on wood.0 -
Hey there,
I'm just about to start the "third event" in my year-long triathlon of treatment. I've done the chemo leg (6 months/8 rounds that started last March), and the surgery leg (bmx and axillary dissections on both sides) and have just been mapped for radiation, which is supposed to start in a week. The bad news is that I had a very aggressive cancer that spread to palpable nodes under both of my armpits by the time I started treatment (they consider the spread from my right breast tumour to my left armpit a met). The good news is that the pathology came back from my surgery and showed I had a complete pathologic response to chemo. They saw no active IDC cells in any of my breast tissue or in the 25 nodes they removed from under my arms - just a small piece of DCIS they did not seem too worried about. My question is: Has anyone here had a complete response to chemo and then had radiation? My treatment plan is the same, even though I had cps/pcr. It will be 5 weeks of radiation to my chest and lymph areas above my clavicle/half way up my neck. I'm always looking for others who have had a similar experience and these boards are the most helpful resource there is! Hope everyone is doing well.0 -
Today I go for my six-month mammogram -- six months since my lumpectomy, hard to believe. I'm nervous as all get out. I'll report back later today.0 -
I am just starting the journey - my first chemo treatment is tomorrow.
6cats - best wishes today at your 6 month check in - I am thinking positive thoughts for you.
StacieRae - I am following a similar path, ie. Chemo first followed by surgery then radiation. I hope I can stay as strong as you are0
