Need information

I am new to the site and I am searching for information for my friend Cathy who was diagnosed with HER2Nu in May, 2004. Her tumor grew very rapidly and she received 6 treatments with Navilbene and Taxitere followed by 4 treatments with Adriamycin and Cytoxan. Then she had a mastectomy which found a 5cm tumor and 9 of 11 positive nodes. She began radiation and was 7 treatments from completion when she developed shortness of breath(SOB) and was found to have fluid buildup compressing her lungs. She is now in the hospital (for past 2 weeks) with chest tubes and has received "talc" to help prevent the build up of fluid and SOB.
Her oncologist is recommending Herceptin plus 2 other chemo drugs (she couldn't remember the names, I will get them from the onc tomorrow) but she is developing ascites and can't seem to get her onc to tell her if he thinks the Herceptin, etc. will give her significant improvement and good quality time, or if it is likely to be just prolonging the miserable time she is having now. She wants quality of life.
Any one have any experience with a similar situation that has had good results? Thanks so much.
Nancy for Cathy

I was originally diagnosed with Stage IV Inflammatory BC in January of 2000. I had a Modified Radical Mastectomy with 24 lymph nodes removed and 5 were positve. I am Her2+. I had four treatments with Adriomycin & Cytoxin, then four treatments of Taxol. Then came 32 Radiation treatments, and then I had Tamoxifen until I was diagnosed with Stage IV Mets to lung/liver/nodes this past October. I had a pleural effusion (fluid build up in the lungs) and had to be drained. The fluid came back so I had
video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS) surgery w/pleurodesis (drained, biopsied, photographed and sealed with talc like your friend). I now get
Herceptin weekly. I also get Taxatiere and Carboplaten three weeks out of the month, Femera daily and Lupron (shuts the ovaries down) once every three months. Now, I get a lot of crap injected in to me, and I don't know what is working and what is not, but I have had a great response. The cancer in the lungs is gone, as is the cancer in the lymph nodes. There is one spot on my liver and that has shrunk in half. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right combination and it is frustrating, but maybe it is time to get a second opinion as to options available. Get copies of all Cathy's reports and films (chest x-rays, CAT, PET, bone scans, MRI's) if she doesn't have them yet. She will also need the original slides of the biopsy. Her oncologist will know where that. See if you can make an appointment with one of the larger centers in your area - (Sloane, MD Anderson etc..) Just so you know, in September, I could not walk from my bed to the bathroom without stoping to catch my breath. Last month, I painted my daughter's bedroom by myself, and I have been raking the yard (slowly but surely). She CAN turn it around and have a very long and wonderful life. Cathy is very lucky to have you as a friend. She is in my prayers.