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YEAH!!! JULIE!!!
First of all, congratulations on taking a big step!!! I hope you did not have a difficult time procuring the Serum Her-2 but I am glad you did! I completely agree with Christine that these are excellent numbers and no need to worry. As you may recall, I've been dancing with these numbers for years now with very beneficial results, and try as I might, I have NEVER achieved the superb results you displayed here. But, of course, remember that I have had mets for a very long time and I have a very aggressive cancer, in general. That said, I think the actual test you got is one that may be from QUEST's lab, as it has a range of less than 12.8. The other more common serum her-2 test, the one with which I am most familiar, has a range of 0 to 15. What I tell most folks is to try to keep either serum her-2 marker under 12. It is perfectly normal for this number to fluctuate. Mine, for instance, goes from 12 to 17 then back then up and then back...blah, blah..but if it jumps into the 50 or 60 range and you will see it go like a line straight up from say, 12 to 17 to 24 to 58, etc...that is when you will KNOW that it is time either to return to Herceptin if you go off of it or to take a bit more or take it more frequently. Given your history, though, I think you should take the number with some regularity--at least once a month for now, maybe once every 3 months later on. Also keep in mind that it will vary if you take it near the herceptin so it is always best to have the blood drawn JUST prior to your herceptin infusion to get the highest possible range. Also, never have it drawn after just receiving the infusion as sometimes the test picks up herceptin as though it were her-2 and can lead to a truly SCARY false positive...smile...been there...done that...wink. Keep up the good work...please share what else you are doing to stay so healthy. Best regards, Gina
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