rosevillemom

Hi Rosevillemom - my breast cancer is also Her2 +. I had Taxol/Perjeta/Herceptin. I'm in remission now but my onc tells me that if cancer returns, Kadcyla is my next chemo. I see that you've been given it. Can you share what your side effects were? Are you still on it? Thanks! I'm in Roseville also. I am with Kaiser. Are you also? Jennifer

Rosevillemom hi, good morning! did you get my email address?

Not good news, Im sorry you have to fight this off, but you not in it alone. Let me know if can help.

hi Terry
hope all is well with you. I'm doing ok in my 2nd week of radiation treatment...feeling tired. No I haven't taken any classes at the Wellness center, i still go to support group. Take care, Lynn

Rosevillemom,

I am very glad the surgery went for you. I had a chemo port placed in the same time as my mastectomy/ reconstruction, so my expanders are going to be with me until I complete the herceptin. I don't want an additional scar if I can avoid it. They are okay. I hardly notice them.
The treatment plan I was on was a new one that was approved but not published yet when I began treatment in december. My onc is very involved in clinical trials and new treatment options. I also work for a diagnostic company which makes herceptin so I have the opportunity to grill our medical team on questions about my treatment plan.
I did what is referred to as "chemo lite" meaning it was 12 weekly doses of taxol and herceptin. The lite part is that carboplatin was not used so my body did not need the extra time to recover between treatments. My nodes were negative so I would not have been a candidate for chemo because the risk of reoccurrence was less than the risk of complications from chemo. By doing the chemo lite, I was able to increase my odds of not having reoccurrence from 85% to 97%. That to me was worth the risk.

I did very well on the treatment with minimal side effects and I was able to work full time in the office. If I did have any side effects, I let the medical team know immediately so it could be addressed. They did have to lower my dosage after the second treatment.
Taxol is accumulative so I became easily fatigued towards the end. Exercise, water and eating natural foods helped a lot.

I am now doing herceptin every 3 weeks and I take tamoxifen daily. The treatments are very easy now and they still use my port to administer the herceptin. I will have herceptin for one full year and Genentech offers coupons to help with the cost. Register online for HER+ Information. They will begin sending you stuff.

I would absolutely choose the same treatment plan again knowing what I know now. Considering your age and stage, you should also be able to go the chemo lite route. If your oncologist does not agree, then make them answer why. There may be something about your pathology report. My onc is an MD Anderson certified oncologist and this is the new protocol for low risk, non- metastasized HER2+ bc patients.
I truly do wish you all the best as you meat with your oncologist. I also asked questions at every treatment. You don't know what you don't know until you come across it. Everybody is unique so never be afraid to be your best advocate. Always speak up! You will find They have a great sense of humor. Keep me updated on what you find out (and yes you can eat meat and fresh veggies and fruit while on chemo. Just wash thoroughly. No buffets or salad bars though).

Terry,

You have been quiet. How was your consult with the oncologist? Are you a candidate for the ATEMPT trial? Please know if you need someone to talk to, I am here to listen. Wishing you peace. Heather

Hi Terry! How did your oncologist consult go? Did you get the answers you needed? Keep me posted.

Thinking of you!

Heather

Welcome Roseville Mom., I'm an Auburn grandma. Was fortunate not to need chemo but went through 33 rounds of radiation last year. I have counted my blessings many times. I hope and pray that all goes well for you.

Welcome to the site. I am sure that you will find this a friendly place to come when you need someone to talk to. We are all in the same boat when it comes to emotions and feelings about our health. Just know that no question is to silly to ask and if you need to vent because you are having a bad day, we are here for you. I hope you find this site as helpful to you as it has been for me.

hi i doing very well, enjoying the nice weather. i had chemo on the 3rd March. i had a few side effects for about the 1st week. i slept alot. My friends checked on me. My next chemo cycle on the 24th of March. I will probably go to support group this Tuesday. how are you doing?

hi Terry
i did well with 1 chemo treatment yesterday, went very well..posted on my wall. Just wanted to let you know. There is a wellnesswithin.org at 609 Oak Street, Roseville, CA.
They offer meditation, healing movement, nutrition and cooking, expressive art, writing..classes.

hi Terry
I go to Sutter Roseville, and see an oncologist there too. I attend the support Gp at Sutter too. BC support group is 2nd/4th Tuesday every month at 6pm to 7:30pm. Sutter has several different support groups: A general support gp, Adult family members and Friends of cancer patients group. Children and teen support group. Nutrition Class, Look Good..Feel Better program, Wig Bank...
I start my first chemo treatment Monday 3rd. may not go to group Tuesday night depends how i feel. I'm doing ok, just preparing things at home. )
take care Linda aka Lynn. lol

welcome to WhatNext. I'm sorry you needed to find us, but now that you are here you will find the greatest bunch of supportive people whose combined knowledge is awesome. We can answer your questions, hear you vent and celebrate good news with you.

I see you have begun exploring our site and look forward to learning more about you and your journey

Welcome to the WhatNext family! The WhatNext family is made up of people like you who are looking for help or looking to help others. To help you along your journey the WhatNext family has put together a Beginner's Guide to Cancer that I highly recommend you check-out here: http://bit.ly/10BQKCi. Also, please do not hesitate to reach out to others or ask for help.

Wishing you the best.

David
Founder, WhatNexter