|
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
|