HER 2

Congrats Rowdy.  What a big relief for you. What fantastic  news.  Thanks for your support. Airlie 

Hi Airlie welcome to the site, it is very overwhelming. In the beginning I was told lumpectomy, radiation and Medication. 2 years on I ended up with a mastectomy with reconstruction, chemo herceptin and medication. It was a tough trip not everything going to plan, but Friday I went to see my oncologist for results of scans to be told I'm cancer free, great feeling.  I know how scary it is at the start, ask questions and be kind to yourself, you will have good days and bad days, one day at a time take care

Hi Airlie,

Welcome to the Online Network. Ask as many questions as you need to as the members will be here to provide some answers and support for you.

Please let me know if I can help you in anyway.

~ Ann-Marie

Hi Alex,  Thanks for your reply.  I have 6 mths of chemo and see where i go from there.  Have had the Bone Scan, cardiograph and CT scan tomorrow.  Am very anxious.  They said the tumours had been there for a while. Airlie X

Hi Jane,  thanks so much.  So glad that you over all the treatment.  Good to hear from someone that has been through the mill.X Airlie

Thanks so much. I think it is the fear of the unknown.x

Hi Airlie, welcome and sorry to hear of your diagnosis, I hope you find the support you need here.

It's always scary to have the goalposts shifted on you during this ordeal, and unfortunately with BC that seems to happen quite a bit. I had mastectomy in April 2012 which uncovered 3 invasive tumours (lobular and ductal) and one of them was HER2+ alongside the hormone positive ones. That threw me initially, but I learnt that HER2 tumours respond really well to a treatment called Herceptin and I had that treatment for 12 months as well as chemo (Taxotere & Carboplatin) every 3 weeks over 5 months. I also had 5 weeks of radiotherapy.

Try not to get too worried about the long list of potential problems, you may not have too many issues at all but it is important that you let your oncologist and nurses know of anything you are experiencing as they can usually help you to manage the side effects. When you have Herceptin they also monitor your heart very closely (as reduced heart function can occasionally occur) so you will have a heart scan before treatment starts and regular ECG checks every few months. Most people seem to tolerate Herceptin really well with few side effects but again, if you do experience any issues let your doctor know asap. I finished treatment in July 2013 and have since had reconstruction. 

I hope all goes well with your treatment. Best wishes, Jane xx

Chemo treatment nurses have to inform you of every single possible side effect. Many times it doesn't happen or if it does its not in the huge severity list of things. They will do the first dose very slowly and watch you closely for any of the worst effects. I had none. Its nice not to be special and just go through with no drama. Over ensuing days and weeks you may get some side effects which are mostly just your old cells dying and hopefully a heap of any cancer ones as well. It doesn't happen all at once and you should be able to cope with each odd quirk  of a side effect. You can always contact your chemo dept or your breast nurse if you have any questions or need to be seen. I keep a thermometer and check my temp regularly so I know although I might be having some side effects, my temps not up and its nothing serious. It puts my mind at ease.

Hi Airlie

Welcome to this site. I think this whole process is VERY frightening. My diagnosis was not the same as yours but still scared the life out of me. What course of treatment has been recommended for you? I have undergone a double mastectomy, radiation, chemo, reconstruction and now tamoxifen. It's been quite overwhelming at times but I got through. The fear of the future is something that I've learnt to live with and not dwell on but sometimes it's just hard work. I see that chemo has been tagged in your post (nothing pleasant about that) but it's not forever and some of it is quite manageable.

Sending cyber hugs. Alex xx