ER-, PR-, Her2+ Roll call
Comments
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VLH, I am doing fills with adjuvant HP, it's not a problem.
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Thank you, Maya.
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VLH, I went through treatment 8 years ago, so the protocol may have changed (I know treatment protocol has!), but I had fills and exchange surgery while doing chemo and then Herceptin-only infusions.
Wishing you all the best!
Sue
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Thanks, Sue. :-)
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VLH - if you get Herceptin and Perjeta, there's a benefit with Genentech that your doc can sign you up for so that you're only needing to pay up to $20 per treatment (I think H alone is 10k each). This may help with those out of pocket expenses? We've hit our minimums and everything already, but will be using this when the new year starts because I'm on Herceptin until June. Not sure how the timing of my surgeries will go since I'd likely start early or mid November and that will bump into all the holidays, so may have to carry into the new year and new out of pockets
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Thank you, ladies. I ended up going with a lumpectomy and now await the sentinel node results and findings on whether the surgeon got clean margins. I know there are some pharmaceutical co-pay programs, but suspect the cost of oncology services would still rapidly climb to my maximum out-of-pocket in early 2017.
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HI All
I'm new to this board, because I was recently dx with breast cancer. It is estrogen+. The radiologist and surgeon felt that it was easy peasy and I left feeling great about the prognosis. Until my HER2+ came back a few days later. Now I'm not so pleased.
I'm going to see an Oncologist specialist from UCLA that was trained under Dr Slamon. Not much to report yet. Just starting the EKG, blood work and chest xray process.
And yes,,, I'm a guy. screen name is NfrnoDave (Inferno Dave) Spent a few decades as a firefighter.
Dave
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Dave - sorry to hear you'll have to join us but welcome. There's at least one other guy in who posts regularly - TravelText in Australia.. Please feel free to rant as needed.
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Dave: in fact there are several guys posting. Here's a thread about the differences between male & female BC.
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/51/topics...
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Hi Dave, I'm sorry you're here with us, but there is great support here. When my HER2 came back positive, my oncologist said, "I see this as a good thing". Herceptin and Perjeta are wonder drugs. Good luck to you!
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Hello all,
I hope this thread is still active. I'll be staying on TCHP on December 15th. I'm praying for a PCR and minimum side effects.
Thanks
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I still have this thread in my favorites & I expect others do also. Below is a link with lots of collected tips for chemo in the header. I would also recommend you join a current chemo thread - like December 2016 Chemo or Winter 2016 chemo. It really helped to share with others who were going through the same things. I'm guessing this is Neo-Adjuvant chemo? And then maybe surgery? Sorry you have to be here, but welcome. I'll keep my fingers crossed for pCR.
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...
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Yes. I'll be doing Neo-Adjuvant chemo for 6 rounds and then will have surgery scheduled. Thank you so much for the link I'll check it out. I've also joined the Dec 2016 Chemo thread.
~Dee
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Dee - please do check back. I no longer follow the active chemo threads, but we do care
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Hi I'm a new breast cancer suffererer. Now 2 months post mastectomy and 2 weeks after my first round of chemotherapy and Herceptin.
So pleased to have found other ER-/PR-/HER2+ patients on this site. My next chemo & Herceptin round is next week so at least I'll feel reasonable for Christmas Day. Off for a clinic day today to discuss how the chemo is going.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas
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Hey all,
I'm hanging in there after my first treatment. My digestive system is doing a real number on me. My MO thinks its because I'm taking Prednisone in addition to all of the chemo drugs. Thankfully I've been put on a taper from the Prednisone which should help alleviate some of the stomach upset. Taste buds have been completely out of whack these past few days, but today I noticed a little bit of taste. I mentioned it to my MO and she said not to get used to it in a joking manner. I've been eating as much as I can even with little appetite and taste buds. Somehow I've lost 4lbs in a week. I want to avoid losing that kind of weight during my treatment. I found out that peanut butter still tastes good so I'll be having a PB each day to help keep weight on and to provide some much needed protein. I'm so hoping that I can taste Christmas dinner as my family is going all out to entice me with my favorites. Can you say cake, cake and more cake
I'm wishing everyone who is still reading this thread a very Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year!
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hi dcdrogers
I too had terrible tummy problems. Distended belly from day 1 and frequent bowel motions which turned into diarrhoea from day 3 and lasted a week . In the end the only thing that stopped it all was regular Imodium (2 every 4 hours) codeine 15mg 4 times daily, simethicone for trapped gas discomfort and the BRAT DIET (bananas, rice, apple sauce and toast). I lost 3kg in a week. Appetite still isn't great (now day 17 since first round) but better than it was. My next round is in 6 days. Hope this info helps you t
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Suck on ice cubes during the taxotere infusion. It's not easy but your taste buds will thank you. I missed doing that once (I was chatting to my Mom too much) I couldn't enjoy Thanksgiving dinner
Honestly it really helps.0 -
To those who have already had Herceptin alone after chemotherapy completion, how did you find it? Did it still knock you around much? I have round 3 out of 4 of my chemo + Herceptin sessions this coming Wednesday and I'm just trying to plan ahead. Currently I'm having week 1 off work then working full time for week 2 & 3 of each cycle. I'm fast running out of annual leave and also have radiotherapy to go through once chemo is complete. Would love to hear how others felt and about how many days after their Herceptin cycle they felt rotten if any
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When I was on chemo/Herceptin, everyone kept saying that I would be back to my normal self when I was on Herceptin alone and this is true for some women. I had a lot of trouble with continuing fatigue but did have surgery and radiation while on H and that may have contributed to it. Still, I worked full-time as a speech/language pathologist at a large elementary school and only took off half a day every three weeks for infusion. Not many other side effects just continued drippy nose and slow hair growth. Hope this will all go well for you
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Hi Shell72,
I have only had two Herceptin treatments on their own, and have felt fatigued for a couple of days after each one. When I return to work, I think I will switch my treatments to Fridays so that I can rest up on the weekend.
Congrats on nearly finishing chemo. Hope you plan to celebrate this milestone in some way.
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I have 5 Herceptin treatments left. At first they gave it to me over half an hour and I would get a headache so now it is done over 45 minutes. I am fine after except my back is giving me problems at work. Not sure I feel it Herceptin related or just from being off work for 9 months. It's all muscular and it would be nice if it went away. I stand all day in Steele toes so it doesn't help. Other than that i am fine with the treatments. Never feel ill or anything. I have even worked after a treatment but not usually
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I have been on Herceptin since Sept 2015. We added Perjeta end of November. I have found that when I was on a chemo, side effects like GI issues diarrhea etc were worse for me. Some of that due to steroid premeds when I was having chemo as well, some of that due to the Taxol. Taxotere was the same result as well. Once the chemo was finished during 2015 and dropped when readded in 2016, I dropped the taxol with MO permission since we were not giving chemo to reduce mets in the body. it took only a couple of weeks to notice improvement in my appetite, no diarrhea in 2 cycles of H&P. I am still tired but figure that is just part of being in active treatment for over 18 months. I have no real side effects from the H&P other than being really dry the first few days. Have to have extra water during this time and keep my lips covered by lipstick or vaseline. Nose is a little runnier since adding Perjeta this past November.
These drugs are great since I am still without mets from the neck down. Very little side effects. Since I am going to be treated on them as long as they are working, I can live with this. The brain met came about since the cancer cells had already migrated to the brain, probably before my first dx in 2015. Unfortunately, these drugs don't cross into the brain, hence why I am stage 4. I will always have echoes of my heart as well, making sure no damage.
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Mara,
I just read a post by JoJoTo that said:
"and there are new treatments on the way for brain mets starting with a clinical trial where they will administer herceptin across the blood brain barrier coming up soon at Sunnybrook here in Toronto".
Maybe this is something to ask your m.o.about?
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steph - Can you site that reference. It's my understanding that Herceptin does NOT cross the blood brain barrier - so if there is a new procedure lots of us would be interested.
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MinusTwo,
See JoJoTO's post in this thread:
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topics/...
Maybe pm JoJo and ask her for more details about the study?
I just did a google search and found this article on the Sunnybrook Hospital website that says researchers there found a way to deliver chemo across the blood brain barrier: http://sunnybrook.ca/media/item.asp?i=1351
Sunnybrook is a large research hospital in Toronto.
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hi again:
Just found this trial for Her2+ brain mets at Duke:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02598427
"Intrathecal administration of pertuzumab and trastuzumab will occur via lumbar puncture (spinal tap) under fluoroscopic guidance by interventional radiology at Duke University Medical Center. The spinal needle will be inserted into the spinal column and 7 mL of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) will be collected. Once the CSF is removed, the intrathecal pertuzumab and trastuzumab will be administered using aseptic technique. At certain time points the CSF will be analyzed for free cell DNA. If subjects consent, the CSF fluid will also be stored for additional future research.
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Congratulations. I just had my last Herceptin on December 1st. Had a mammogram in September and everything is fine. Love hearing from survivors. I see my oncologist in March.
Love to each and every one of us!!!
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To SHELL72
I finished my last Herceptin treatment on December 1st. When I had the Herceptin alone, I did not have any side effects. Nothing major. I would get a drippy nose. I also would get a very, very slight bloody nose, but the oncologist didn't think it had anything to do with the Herceptin. It did affect my magnesium levels a couple times where I had to get a magnesium drip, so to speak. I now take a magnesium supplement. My last chemo was May 5th, 2016 and my last radiation (25 sessions) was July 13th, 2016. After the chemo, I started feeling a lot better. The radiation was a piece of cake for me. Although, I'm pretty good about blocking out the unpleasant parts of this journey, I can say that the Herceptin alone was also a piece of cake.
Love to everyone on this site and keep praying for an end to cancer!!!!!
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Thanks Steph. I look forwardd to reading the links.
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