Side Effects

[horsegrl]

Hi All,

I am new to this site. I will be starting Herceptin, every 3 weeks, on July 5th. I

was wondering if any of you out there had side effects from it such as vomiting,

nausea etc. I also would like to know if there is anyone out there like me with

hode (neg), progestrone (neg), estrogen (neg), Her 2 (pos). I seem to be in the

minority.

Thanks Horsegrl

[Peggy]

Horsegrl,
Yes, Her2+++ and Er/Pr- is in the minority, and I join you there. I was also node neg which is the good thing. I split into another minority in that I had 3 seperate cancers and the other 2 were Her2- and Er/Pr+ so I have to look at adjuvant treatment for both signatures.
I am starting herceptin on July 14th, so I can't yet answer your other question but I uderstand that after the first megadose it is fairly easy.
Best of luck to you on the fifth.
Peggy

[joy]

Hi, I have been on herceptin for 3 years and have never had a single side-effect. It is not chemo and therefore really does not have the side effects associated with that. Good luck!
love, Joy

[janet]

Hi there, I am 38 yrs old, Her2+3, ER/PR - with the cancer being high grade. I have been getting Herceptin weekly for 14 weeks, with other chemo agents given every 3 weeks. I did get flu like symptoms and mild nausea at first but I began to look forward to my treatments when I just got the Herceptin. The Herceptin side effects weren't much compared to the Carboplatin/Taxotere combo. Good Luck! We are all in this together

[horsegrl]

Hi again,

Just so you all know. I am 38, diagnosed in Oct 04, 2 lumpectomies because of diry margins the first time, told 2.4 cm, Her2+++, lymphovascular invasion, ER/PR-, node-, AC 4 cycles, 33 rads finished in early June. I went to my Onc for a follow up June 27th and she told me about how they are now giving the Herceptin to the rest of us. I thought I was done with all treatments, it was a shock. I instantly thought of the "Chemo room."I have to get over the mental side of the chemo treatments so I can focus on this wonderful oportunity with Herceptin. I always felt very sick the first day of chemo treatment and was on the bed for atleast 5 days following.

Peggy,
Thank you for the reply. Will they be giving you all the meds at once for all three cancers? This must be a confusing time. I wish you well and good luck to you too on the 14th.

Joy,
Thank you for the info. It makes me feel much better. I looked at the Genentech website and read about the side effects and that is why I started to get worried eventhough my doc said it was a piece of cake.

Janet,
Thank you for you reply. Good luck to you too.

[Jamie]

Hi,
I am also in the minority - I am 43 years old - Node negative, ER and PR negative, Her2neu positive. I had a 2.1 cm. tumor - high grade - invasive ductal carcinoma.
I had a very cosmetically successful lumpectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy followed by 6 TAC chemotherapy treatments (every 3 weeks) followed by 33 radiation treatments. I knew all about how effective Herceptin could be for me when I was first diagnosed - but all 5 oncologists who I met with were unable to get Herceptin for me or put me in a clinical trial. We all agreed that Herceptin would be a good drug for my aggressive tumor but because of my early stage status, I could not get Herceptin.
I finished my chemo in late December and finished my radiation on March 1st. The day after the Herceptin trial results came in, I was on the phone with my oncologist and luckily was able to start my treatments 3 weeks ago. I have only had one treatment, but I must tell you that I had absolutely NO SIDE EFFECTS. Prior to the first treatment, I did lots of research and was expecting chills, nausea, stomach problems, etc. (especially for the first dose) - but NOTHING HAPPENED. My next treatment is tomorrow and I don't expect to have any problems. Also, I am not fearful about the "Heart Toxicity" issue because I have found that most heart problems with Herceptin are found in older women whose mugascans had a low percentage (mine was 68% which is very good).
My perspective on Herceptin treatment is that I feel so very lucky to be eligible and given the opportunity to take such a mild form of chemo that is specifically targeted to prevent my type of cancer from recurring. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - I know we don't have all of the answers yet but I want to be able to say that at this time in my life I did everything possible to prevent a recurrence. Good Luck!!!
Take care,
Jamie

[horsegrl]

Hi,

I had my Herceptin treatment yesterday and I did not have any side effects. WHEW!!!!! It was hard to be in that room again. But, I am going to buy a portable DVD player so I can watch a movie while I get my treatment.

Jamie,
Thank you for your info and encouragement. Good luck to you as well.

Horsegrl