[Louise O'Brien]

I thank you all so much. This information - and your support - has been so helpful. I have decided to go through with it but I am much more informed now than I was even a week ago. I will certainly ask about those other meds. Right now the oncologist is recommending a medium dose of A/C for the first four rounds, followed by Taxol & Herceptin for the final four with Herceptin continuing for a year. I will ask him about other combinations though.

So I'm prepared for the hair loss. I had it cut short just before surgery and once I get the chemo dates, I'll return to have it cut even shorter which I hope will make the loss a tad easier to take, if that's possible. I always joked with my hairdresser that I might be interested in going back to my original colour - whatever that might be. We talked about how it could be done - but I never bargained on this method. At least it's cheaper. I'll put the money I've saved in a travel account.

It's ironic - it wasn't until after I had my mastectomy and pathology report and started to do some research - that I realized how aggressive HER2 can be. I've learned a lot in one short week.