i had mastectomy 2 months ago, all nodes and margins clear -3cm tumour. I am on tamoxifen, and Her2 finally came back mildly +. I have been told by oncologist that Herceptin could help a bit, but that chemo will be really toxic for me due to diabetes and weight issues. He had no recommendations either way. am i being a wimp if I say no to herceptin and chemo?
happy to have helped :) glad hear all is good with you and I am also doing well.
cheers Bardoe
in Sept 2011 you shared information with me on your treatment following Positive Her 2 result. I hope this email finds you well. i wanted to share with you that i chose not to have the Herceptin and all that involved. i am secure in my choice and am almost 2 years post surgery and cancer is part of my past. I thank you for taking the time to shafre with me back then - it helped a lot in making my decision
warm regards G
Julie, I had AC chemo 4x first before the part 2 which was the 4x taxotere,
AC was a breeze compared.
If your working check your superannuation if it includes Income protection, some do and it will cover you during time off work.
cheers B
Hi Bardoe
Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. This is very valuable information, the sort that i need to help me make the decision that is right for me.
the oncologist said he would put me on AC chemo (?????) Dont know if this includes Taxol?????
I have been saving sick leave and holiday leave in case I need to have chemo, but it doesnt look like it will buy me enough time.
What I need to do, I think, is get a clearer picture of the risks (statistical) of people in my situation. Before the 'Mildly Her 2 + " result I was told that tamoxifen would reduce my risk of cancer returning to 6% and chemo will buy me another 2.5%.
all I know since the Her 2 result is that i have a slightly higher risk of cancer returning and Her 2 and chemo would give slightly better results. aaaaagh!!! Not enough info for me to base a decision on.....
Best of luck to you Bardoe
Julie
hiya,
I had a 3cm tumour, but it had spread to lymph nodes, and being HER+++, I knew i wanted the Herceptin treatment. But the Herception is financially linked to also taking a Taxol chemotherapy by the Govt, you can not have Herception without the chemo, and the Taxols are really tough on you.
I was unable to do anything much during that 3 months while taking Taxotere, but the drs also dont mention that Taxols, can have "after" effects of upto 6 months before you get back to "Normal".
After the official 3 months, in the following 2 months I then had 3kgs of fluid retention, muscle aches, joint aches everyday which did not happen in the prior months.
Personally I might not take a Taxol chemo if any secondaries appear, I would prefer to be energetic and active and if you have to take Neutropenia for Low white blood cells, that is completely debilating for 5 days each cycle, where you cant get out of bed.
ps apart from the BC, i was healthy prior to surgery, chemo and radiotherapy so have found this year tough and have only worked 2 days per 3 week cycle.
Also everyone is different and have diff responses, but the general theme on the forum is Taxols are "Nasty" & "rough"
hope this helps, B
hiya,
I had a 3cm tumour, but it had spread to lymph nodes, and being HER+++, I knew i wanted the Herceptin treatment. But the Herception is financially linked to also taking a Taxol chemotherapy by the Govt, you can not have Herception without the chemo, and the Taxols are really tough on you.
I was unable to do anything much during that 3 months while taking Taxotere, but the drs also dont mention that Taxols, can have "after" effects of upto 6 months before you get back to "Normal".
After the official 3 months, in the following 2 months I then had 3kgs of fluid retention, muscle aches, joint aches everyday which did not happen in the prior months.
Personally I might not take a Taxol chemo if any secondaries appear, I would prefer to be energetic and active and if you have to take Neutropenia for Low white blood cells, that is completely debilating for 5 days each cycle, where you cant get out of bed.
ps apart from the BC, i was healthy prior to surgery, chemo and radiotherapy so have found this year tough and have only worked 2 days per 3 week cycle.
Also everyone is different and have diff responses, but the general theme on the forum is Taxols are "Nasty" & "rough"
hope this helps, B
