Too Many Oncs !!!!

geraldine · 08-19-2006, 05:44 AM

I have been on Herceptin for 2yrs 8mths and my oncs dont know what to do!

One said I should finish the drug and I would be monitored regularly. If the cancer came back, I would be put back on to the treatment asap. He gave me 3 mths to get checks done. I went back 3 mths later expecting to be told, no more Herceptin, but ended up with a different onc.

This onc,Dr Kelly, doesn't think I should come off Herceptin unless my muga results dictate I should. She says I am quite unique i.e they haven't dealt with anyone who has been on the drug continuously for this length of time (here in the UK) and that there is no easy answer. She also said my cancer could come back even though I was on Herceptin!!!

I told her about this web site and she was quite interested. I will find out at my next appointment if she logged on..That is, unless I get another onc !!!!

Since first getting cancer, back in 2001, I have seen so many different oncs that I forget half of their names and therefore, my biggest problem is, there is no consistency in treatment and I am left wondering from one appointment to another. Don't get me wrong, I am Here because of them and am eternally grateful for that, but it would be nice to stick to one, long enough, to remember his/her name.

God Bless you all
Geraldine x

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Dx 2001... grade 3, L breast 3cmm , 22/24 node pos, mastectomy
FEC then 8xTaxotere + 30rads
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2003 Secondary..chest wall, L side Her2+++ 6mnths x Vinoralbine/Herceptin
Immediate superb result.. Herceptin only 3 wkly to date. All tests clear!!
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chrisy · 08-19-2006, 10:16 AM

Geraldine,
I know what you mean about "too many oncs"! I have my local onc, and my 2nd opinion "guru" onc. When my local onc, whom I dearly loved, died suddenly from a heart attack a year ago (at 42!) I went through a period where I was shuffled among the other oncs in his practice and various "fill in" docs for several months. I felt like a foster child - lots of smart doctors caring for me but I didn't really belong to any of them!
It is disconcerting to have differing opinions - my doctors joke about how if you ask 2 doctors, you'll get at least 3 answers! The important thing is to find one (or more!) whom you trust and who is in the fight with you!
I don't have "the answer" as to whether you should continue on Herceptin or not - with chest wall involvement but no "distant" metastasis you could probably go either way. There are certainly no guarantees but it sounds like you have done well so far with Herceptin...maybe your doctor wants to keep you on that winning horse!

Good luck

geraldine · 08-19-2006, 04:03 PM

Cheers Chrissy for the reply. It is disconcerting at times at times but I am here and that's what counts. On a lighter note..The second last onc I saw, said when he read my notes, " My god, you've went through the docs, maybe this is an omen and I will be next" Have'nt seen him since.!!!!! Mmmm, hope he's OK...I am !!

Best wishes and Keep Well