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Hi
It has been my impression that HER2+++ patients at Stage I & Stage II can receive "dose dense" chemo. Basically the same recipe you have now, but every 2 weeks instead of every 3. Especially with possible lymphatic invasion. Don't get me wrong, your current regimen isn't "chemo lite". But bigger guns are available for more aggressive cancers (like HER2+++). I was on dose dense - I tolerated it well- AC gave me some puky days, the Taxol was a breeze. I dozed off with radiation!
As for family history. At this point, it makes no difference if your insurance company finds out- (since they already know you have BC), but you can get the BRCA test (blood sample) sent off to see if you are a genetic carrier of BC. If so, it might help you make decisions regarding your future treatment and especially for your daughters (if you have any).
You will likely have your MUGA right before you get the Herceptin. You will have approx 2 weeks between chemo and rads to get scans. There is ample time there to get anything else for "baselines". Perhaps your onc can give you a "schedule" of follow-ups and scans. You should see your radiation oncology person soon to get acquainted and see what he/she will need for radiation treatments. I had whole body bone scan, PET of abdominal area, breast MRI (one tumor was visible on ultrasound and the other two tumors were only visible via breast MRI, --------mammos did not show a thing------ I have dense breast tissue, do you?
Anyway, sounds like you are in charge of your treatments, write down your questions as the day goes on and you will have plenty to talk about when you see your doc.
Best of luck to you!
maria
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