Hi Mischa. Your story sounds familiar to me as I was diagnosed 15 months ago with a stage 2/3 HER 2 tumour and was recommended chemotherapy prior to then considering surgical options. My diagnosis was slightly different in that the tumour was also E 1+, so mild to moderately oestrogen sensitive and also, as indicated, possibly grade 3. I was quietly relieved to have the chemo offered ahead of surgery as I was so blown away by the shock of the whole diagnosis that I would really have struggled to cope had I been tracked immediately into surgery. Whilst the herceptin, perjeta and weekly taxol where probably the mainstay of my treatment, I was commenced on 3 weekly cycles of FEC, 4 in total, at the outset. FEC is a pretty hardhitting triple therapy that I called the 'scorched earth' treatment as it definitely hit me hard in the side effects and pretty much all of my hair (on head) was gone following the second treatment despite using the cold caps. A site on the internet called (I think?) Pink Sisters had a lovely range of affordable soft caps and scarves and I bought up in large supply to match pretty much every outfit. I can say that the Herceptin and Perjeta are fantastically effective treatments for HER2 tumours such that, in my case, my breast lump disappeared by the end of the chemo course and the surgery required was pretty minimal( :) . I hope that this may also be the case for you. I might add that I did get really into exercise as a treatment, particularly on the day of chemotherapy, so as to get your system and metabolism all very active and ready to soak up the chemo and flush it right through the body. I am convinced that this also made a big difference. So I do wish you all the very best as you set out on your long gruelling haul and I'll send you vibes to 'hang in there' because, as I find myself now looking to herceptin number 17 (and last) at the end of this week, you will eventually get through it all.
