ER-, PR-, Her2+ Roll call
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Hello,
My mom is currently on her 3 weekly subcut herceptin. She has completed neoadjuvant chemo, surgery and radiotherapy. She is getting numbness over her right fingers and pain over her shoulder blades. Could this be a side effect of herceptin?
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Sammi - you haven't listed the rest of her treatments. When you get a chance, go to 'my profile' and let us know more details so we might answer your question.
If it's CIPN (chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy) - probably caused by an early chemo - What did she have? taxotere or carboplatin?
If it's lymphadema, did they take serial node biopsies? did she double mastectomy (BMX) or a single on the right side? LE has many caused, from surgery to radiation. Is there swelling?
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Hi ladies!
I’m new here and my mom was recently diagnosed and she has just started chemo. I’m just wondering how well do er-/pr- her+ Large tumors respond to AC+ T chemo?
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Hi Kk. I didn't get AC so I can't comment, but for stage 3 HER2 positive breast cancer your Mom should definitely be receiving Herceptin, Perjeta or both as well as a taxane (paclitaxel or taxotere).
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Hi Kk. I didn't get AC so I can't comment, but for stage 3 HER2 positive breast cancer your Mom should definitely be receiving Herceptin, Perjeta or both as well as a taxane (paclitaxel or taxotere).
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I was just roaming in an off-limits area, and found this https://www.scripps.edu/news-and-events/press-room... For those of us who moan about infusion-delivered therapies, others want more options.
And what if it comes back as 3x-? Just change it back to HER2+.
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Kk - I had 6 rounds of TCHP first (Taxotere, Carboplatin, Herceptin & Perjeta). I didn't have pCR (the tumor did not completely disappear) so after surgery & had 4 rounds of Adriamycin & Cytoxin (but could only do 3). Then radiation. Then Herceptin for the rest of the year. I had already lost 60 lbs so my choice was not to continue with Perjeta.
Different doctors have different theories. Both Adriamycin and Herceptin are hard on the heart so they don't give those drugs together.
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I'm another ER-, PR-, Her2+ , diagnosed January 31, 2019.
I started neoadjuvant chemo last week (March 19).
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I found this on my FB feed this morning. Normally I don't appreciate their advertisements. https://www.facebook.com/NERLYNX/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARCcdP_PykUUY_j_paP9a3GCKxi-5Phn65_25vy-tctekNe7tN8FQNfux7nvzipf-GPrL1OYZOY33inZ
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Welcome Flyer, even though you'd probably prefer not to be here. Traztuzumab is often extremely effective against hormone negative HER2 and you are getting the added benefit of pertuzumab. There's great information on this site, and I found the HER2 topics useful, especially during treatment. If you have questions, fears, concerns and you post them here, you'll almost always get some answers. Hang in there and cut yourself a lot of slack.
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Time for my yearly update. I was diagnosed in November 2006, finished 4 AC in February 2007, and one year of herceptin in February 2008.
I just had my annual visit with my oncologist and I am good to go for another year.
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sassa- so glad to hear everything's going well with you. Congrats to another great year.
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Thanks for the kind words.
In many respects, I'm living every woman's worst nightmare - a big aggressive tumor not visible on her mammogram.
I first notice changes in my left breast in December, and my doctor, not wishing to alarm me, sent me off for a screening mammogram. That showed a couple of small areas of microcalcification. Byt the time of the diagnostic mammogram three weeks later I had also found a palpable lump. Two weeks later the biopsy came back positive for cancer, two sites with DCIS, the other IDC. Three weeks after that, the breast MRI showed an 8 cm mass....
The trastuzumab and pertuzumab are really kicking butt.
Even though I'm only ten days out from my first chemo session, I've already noticed changes in the breast. In the week leading up to the first chemo session, the breast was big and swollen, almost like a zit about to burst. That impression is gone.
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Flyer,
I am rejoicing with you over the fact that you're seeing such improvement so quickly! When my tumor was growing out of control before I started chemo, I found this site and particularly this thread with so many stories of success (very large tumors that melted away) and was encouraged. My tumor never melted away and within six weeks of surgery was still showing up in imaging but had obviously been affected by the chemo/HP. My pathology report after surgery showed evidence of a tumor bed and the clip placed at biopsy--but no identifiable cancer cells in the breast or sentinel node. I learned this six weeks ago and I am still amazed. That is the benefit for us HER2 positive gals: while our tumors are aggressive, growing like mad, they also generally respond.
I have two more weeks of radiation and am looking forward to living life going forward. In late August, I wasn't sure I'd be saying that in late March! Hang in there!
ps If you're not icing your hands and feet during Taxotere--30 minutes before, during and 30 minutes after--I'd recommend it. I did, because of this site, and have no neuropathy. It's not fun but worth it. Actually, that describes all of treatment: not fun but worth it!
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I did ice and unfortunately still have CIPN (chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy). Talk to your MO if you start to feel numbness in feet or fingers. They might be able to reduce the dose or to do fewer infusions. However the icing saved my nails. Only my two big toe nails detached, and even those never dropped off.
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We are so different. No icing for me. Minimal neuropathy toes both feet. Never had nails detached. Nails are constanty breaking 9 mos. Post chemo and 2 mos post H@P. Biotin never helped. My hair grew back very quickly and I now have a full head of hair. I try to look at the positives. Full head of hair but broken tails.
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jo - my nails are finally getting better with continued Biotin 5000mcg. I hate to keep taking pills but my podiatrist told me nails - particularly toenails - take more than a year to grow out. 3 years after my last treatments I started seeing stability and nails that don't break & crack & split lengthwise.
But boy - you should see the length of the hair on my arms - LOL
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minustwo- I need to increase my dosage of biotin. So I have three years of nail breakage to look forward to !. I can live with it. The hair on my arms and legs are peach fuzz. Even though the hair on my head is full it's crazy silverish gray chemo curls. I wanted my hair to grow slightly longer before styling it and going back to being a "natural blonde". Even though I haven't been a natural blonde since my 30s. How does hair respond to dyes after it grows back from chemo?
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jo - I've always had very fine wavy hair, but really thick and I'm back to that now. Sorry I don't have a hair color answer. I started out treatment with lots of grey before I lost my hair. By the time my hair grew back, it was dark with almost NO grey. Who can figure. Hopefully someone else know more about coloring.
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Jo, I started coloring my hair when I had a millimeter of hair after chemo. I used Naturtint "natural" hair color, available at Whole Foods but I bought on Amazon. I've seen no bad effects from coloring.
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MinusTwo, I feel like I know you because I ran into one of your posts early on after my diagnosis, noting you're from Houston and I loved your "name" and your sense of humor. Nice to meet "formally." This thread, above all, was an encouragement to me when things were looking so bleak. I didn't contribute at all early on, but wow, did this group help me--you included. I have a great support system, but this forum provides support and education!
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Beesy- I'm going on Amazon now to check out naturtint. My hair is 1 1/2 inches in length. Is it best to dye my hair first and then have it cut and styled?
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Jo,
I'm not licensed but I have cut hair (during college, easily averaging 20 cuts a week and have continued, but not at that pace). I have highlighted my own hair and my daughter's, forever. I'm not as knowledgeable about dark hair coloring as I am lightening, but I would say yes--dye first and then go for a cut. For me, coloring/getting back to blonde was as important as anything to my shedding my wig. I use gel to stick it down--5 seconds to beauty. The funniest thing: I have always been afraid to go short because I didn't think I had the face for it, but the number of times a week I get stopped is alarming--I even had a young lady in my grocery store stop me cold yesterday wanting to tell me how great my hair was. Told her this was not by choice--growing back from cancer treatment. She admitted that she figured that, but said my face handled the short hair (maybe ½") better than anyone she'd ever seen. I've fought with my thin hair for years. I doubt if if I'll ever grow it back to the lengths I've had it. Gotta look for the good things, in my book!
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Hi, Flyer99. I will have my first neo-adjuvant chemo tomorrow. I hope I do as well as you have!!
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Hello Elderberry and Ladies
Just wanted to say that I was sitting where some of you are sitting seven years ago. Doing well and trying to do good.
Good luck to all of you.
Alice x
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beesy-Thanks. I'm going to have my hair colored tomorrow and then styled the following week. Thanks a million.
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Hi everyone,
I used to live on on these boards but haven't been on here in many years. I just wanted to pop by to provide a positive story in case you need encouragement. I was very anxious at diagnosis and needed lots of reassurance (therefore my constant stalking of these boards;) but now that I'm further out, cancer doesn't define me anymore. I'm a little over 6 years cancer free....I had double mastectomy and TCH. No radiation. I've been on Tamoxifen for 5 years too (I'm ER-, 5% PR+, HER+++). I'm now having some implant issues and will need more surgery but, hey, it's not cancer so I'm not complaining!
Herceptin is the game changer for us ladies. There aren't many hormone negative, her 2+ people on this board actively but I like to think that's because we are out living our lives thanks to Herceptin.
Hang in there ladies!!
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Thank you. Still doing Herceptin. Have an appointment to get this water balloon off my chest. Breast surgeon teased me yesterday about my fear of losing my ability to twitch righty with my pectoral muscle. Didn't want her to do any damage to it. It is intact, and I can still twitch the water balloon.
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MonkeyMom - thanks for posting. We all need positive feedback. I am hormone negative and HER2+ and 6-1/2 years out.
McBaker - good luck with your exchange.
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MinusTwo, I remember you very well from my initial diagnosis! Always the voice of reason!:)
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