Make your side effects known

Thanks you all who take time to comment. I understand every one of us is different in how we tackle the side effects since the stages, levels, and types of our BC are also difference.

The reasons why I think it good to have official record of side effects is because the acknowledgement from the specialist (cancer researcher, oncologist?) to the lay person.While damage to the heart is a well know herceptin’s side effect, joint pain is not.

Other side effects from other chemo drugs such as Taxotera, such as nausea and neutropenia now can be manage with other drugs, one days so will joints pain…although not anytime soon…first it must not be deny that joints pain is one of the debilitating side effect (that effect 20% or 50% or 98% of herceptin users???-hereTGA play a part), enough to do something about it.

There are those who herceptin is a life saver and there are those who like me, it is an adjuvant/prevention. I am BC free, meaning my BC can no longer be detected after surgery. In my case the risks and benefits is not so clear. I accepted there is no certainty in the reoccurrence of my BC or the benefit of the treatment to stop the reoccurrence. However, with me my joints pain and ageing (osteoporosis) is certain. 

http://www.drugs.com/news/herceptin-positive-results-tempered-concern-1713.html

Within one year, women who received Herceptin showed unusually high positive results-the recurrence rate of breast cancer was reduced 46%. CONSEQUENTLY, TWO YEARS AFTER TREATMENT BEGAN, 8% MORE WOMEN WERE FREE OF BREAST CANCER.

http://www.healthy.net/Health/Essay/Herceptin_more_hype_than_hope/873/2

However, let's look at the figures more closely. The three-year, disease-f ree survival rate was found to be 75.4 per cent for those on conventional treatment, and 87.1 per cent for those on Herceptin. If you subtract these numbers from 100, you get 24.6 per cent versus 12.9 per cent-which is where the 50 per cent improvement in recurrence figure comes from. But another way of looking at it is that ONLY 12 PER CENT OF HERCEPTIN USERS MAY BE HELPED BY THE DRUG TO REMAIN DISEASE-FREE AFTER THREE YEARS.