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08-08-2005, 09:17 PM

Hi Donna -

I am just coming up to my last herceptin treatment. Yea!!!! I was dx'd in April ' 04 - 1.4 cm, 1 micromet to the sentinal node, lumpectomy, 4 AC, then weekly herceptin with taxotere for the first 10 weeks (had taxotere every 3 weeks for a total of 4 treatments) and then herceptin treatments every 3 weeks for a year. I had a muga scan before AC, after AC and then every 3 months while taking the herceptin. Also did 35 rad treatments after the 4 taxotere were done.

There are some posts regarding taxotere vs. taxol. I went with taxotere because my onc felt more comfortable with it and thought there were less side effects. Although I have seen conflicting posts on that.

This approach was aggressive a year ago but now given the recent findings on herceptin I think this will definitely become the norm. I based my decision to pursue the herceptin in large part due to the number of women I had seen post on this website that were stage 1 and had recurred. This is a crappy card we are all dealt and I have seen how fleeting NED can be. I went at it with gusto and have a profound hope that it is behind me. However if I do recur I am hopeful that I will be able to hit it hard again as I have seen so many women on this website do so with unbelievable grace, intelligence and raw determination.

I do not have any family history but my onc wanted me to do the Brac testing before I finished chemo so that if I were positive I might want to have a double masectomy and ovaries removed and skip radiation. I opted not to pursue that route for several reasons - did not want permanent record of Brac status on file, felt it was expensive and not totally convinced of its accuracy in statistical outcomes, and after getting 3 opinions immediately at diagnosis and was told survival rates were the same between lumpectomy and masectomy by all 3, I just couldn't revisit the masectomy decision almost 5 months later.

Best of luck on your treatment and finding the right decisions for you. For me the AC was the worst. Taxotere was so much easier- not as foggy or nauseous and herceptin has been a piece of cake.

All the best,
Tami
(44)

08-08-2005, 09:17 PM	#4
_Tami_ Guest Posts: n/a	Hi Donna - I am just coming up to my last herceptin treatment. Yea!!!! I was dx'd in April ' 04 - 1.4 cm, 1 micromet to the sentinal node, lumpectomy, 4 AC, then weekly herceptin with taxotere for the first 10 weeks (had taxotere every 3 weeks for a total of 4 treatments) and then herceptin treatments every 3 weeks for a year. I had a muga scan before AC, after AC and then every 3 months while taking the herceptin. Also did 35 rad treatments after the 4 taxotere were done. There are some posts regarding taxotere vs. taxol. I went with taxotere because my onc felt more comfortable with it and thought there were less side effects. Although I have seen conflicting posts on that. This approach was aggressive a year ago but now given the recent findings on herceptin I think this will definitely become the norm. I based my decision to pursue the herceptin in large part due to the number of women I had seen post on this website that were stage 1 and had recurred. This is a crappy card we are all dealt and I have seen how fleeting NED can be. I went at it with gusto and have a profound hope that it is behind me. However if I do recur I am hopeful that I will be able to hit it hard again as I have seen so many women on this website do so with unbelievable grace, intelligence and raw determination. I do not have any family history but my onc wanted me to do the Brac testing before I finished chemo so that if I were positive I might want to have a double masectomy and ovaries removed and skip radiation. I opted not to pursue that route for several reasons - did not want permanent record of Brac status on file, felt it was expensive and not totally convinced of its accuracy in statistical outcomes, and after getting 3 opinions immediately at diagnosis and was told survival rates were the same between lumpectomy and masectomy by all 3, I just couldn't revisit the masectomy decision almost 5 months later. Best of luck on your treatment and finding the right decisions for you. For me the AC was the worst. Taxotere was so much easier- not as foggy or nauseous and herceptin has been a piece of cake. All the best, Tami (44)