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Kim in CA · 05-08-2016, 09:22 AM

Hi Benk,

Please do not despair. I know this is devastating news, and your lives will never be the same, but their is reason to have great hope.

Being her2 + is no longer the terrible diagnosis that it once was. We are now living longer with her2 BC because of the many targeted therapies available to us. Some of the ladies on this board have even achieved complete remission and are no longer on any treatments at all, even though their disease had metastisized.

I was diagnosed in 1997, before Herceptin was available. My cancer metastisized in 2001, and thanks to Herceptin and the other targeted drugs, I'm still here. I'm sure the others will chime in soon. There are lots of amazing metastatic "thrivers" on this board!

Still, I am so sorry that you've received this news. I remember all too well the various stages of grief/anger my family and I went through, but you will get through it. It's a lot for any one assimilate.......

Kim

05-08-2016, 09:22 AM	#2
Kim in CA Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: California's Gold Country Posts: 404	Re: Looking for hope Hi Benk, Please do not despair. I know this is devastating news, and your lives will never be the same, but their is reason to have great hope. Being her2 + is no longer the terrible diagnosis that it once was. We are now living longer with her2 BC because of the many targeted therapies available to us. Some of the ladies on this board have even achieved complete remission and are no longer on any treatments at all, even though their disease had metastisized. I was diagnosed in 1997, before Herceptin was available. My cancer metastisized in 2001, and thanks to Herceptin and the other targeted drugs, I'm still here. I'm sure the others will chime in soon. There are lots of amazing metastatic "thrivers" on this board! Still, I am so sorry that you've received this news. I remember all too well the various stages of grief/anger my family and I went through, but you will get through it. It's a lot for any one assimilate....... Kim __________________ Diag. Feb 1997 4.5cm IDC <10%ER+, PR-. 5 out of 36 nodes +. Mastectomy followed by 3 rounds Adriamycin/Cytoxin. 5/1997 Hi Dose Chemo w/ Stem cell rescue. Spent 4 weeks in isolation ward. Then 6 weeks radiation. 9/2001 widespread mets to liver. 8 mos Taxotere/Herceptin brought me almost to NED. Stop Taxotere & add Femara . 11/2002 liver resection to remove spot that turned out to be necrosis. Officially NED! 7/2003 Tumor markers rising add Xeloda Disastrous reaction, 8 days hospital, but tumor markers came back to normal! June -Dec 2004 UW Vaccine Trial. 7/2005 MRI single 11mm brain met 8/2005 Gamma Knife. Brain MRI @3 months NED! 2006-2011 brain/body still NED 8/04/11 Taking Herceptin break, will monitor with tumor markers. 6/20/12 Tumor markers begin to rise. CA15-3 is 31.3 and Her2 Serum is at 17.1 Decide to repeat in one month. 7/23/12 CA15-3 now 49.3 Her2 Serum 26.8 8/6/12 Back on Herceptin CA15-3 now 76 Her2 Serum now 49 11/7/12 Add weekly Taxotere for 4 cycles 2/2013 Stopped Taxotere added Perjeta. MRI shows approx. 50% reduction liver mets. CA15-3 still elevated @ 55. Will continue on just Herceptin & Perjeta. November 2014 Continuing on Herceptin, Perjeta, and Femara indefinitely. Guess I'm NED again, but watching those tumor markers carefully! Dec. 2015 PET scan reveals mass in perirectal area of abdomen.biopsy confirms. Still Her2+, but no longer ER+. Bye bye Femara Jan 2016 Begin Kadcyla March 2016 PET scan shows tumor now barely visible, still NED everywhere else. 2016/2017 continue Kadcyla November 2017 brain MRI reveals small focus of T2 hyperintensity with possible 4mm enhancing nodule. Short term follow up MRI suggested. Stay tuned...