For Jo Jo

Every case is so specific. I have not met anyone on this message board that has exactly what I have. Yes we all have bc but different her2 status, different receptor status, different stages at diagnosis, different family histories, different ages at diagnosis, premeno vs. post meno, different pathologies of our specific cancers. That is why we all have such vast out comes and drs. really should aviod "guessing". And we should stop guessing and keep managing the disease and the information. this website i believe has saved me years on my life from being more educated. What happens to other people may have no bearing on my outcome both good and bad but with good information I can try to make the best discussions for myself. I can say this when I began this journey i just followed whatever my Drs. said because I was scared and confused. After educating myself I look back and there are so many things i would have done better with better information had I not been so young and frightened. nobody checked my her2 status before i found this web site and i was diagnosed in 5/2000 at the age of 31!

I don't know if you get aussie's "Home and Away" where you are but Belinda Emmet who plays Rebecca Fisher's daughter had a lump removed a couple of years back, about 26 years old I think, and had chemo and some radiation and was to have a full recovery, rumour among chemo nurses is she is in a pretty bad way, she keeps it all private but it is in her bones and now and again when you see her in public appearance she doesn't look the best, a bit like how Linda McCartney use to look, she bound the bone cancer after shooting a movie not so long ago, she went to the doctor with a back ache and it was put down to doing too much then follow ups showed the worst, she is marrying next year to our logie start Rove McManus, I don't think Olivia Newton John's was that seriuos, she had a partial removal with reconstruction done at the same time but she is a good embassador for BC. Not enough people know about the HER2 test, my onc has everyone tested for it but it seems we are an exclusive breed, he knows they can be retested but needs a new specimen and not always possible, mine was done on a skin biopsy and it was HER 3 the best result, not bad for the first test done at my hospital. Also out past Olympic star Raylene Boyle has breast cancer and she is another advocate for BC in Australia and has fund raisers so woman can get reconstructions done and she speaks at the Field of Women National days.

Love & Hugs Lyn

Analise, they were not checking her2neu status for the purpose of giving herceptin back then, if you were early stage then. Lots of things were checked on your pathology that had little or no bearing on your treatment plan. At the time of your diagnosis, her2neu status was pretty much irrelevant for purposes of your treatment plan if you were stage 1,2 or 3.

you are probably right. i just feel that in four years shouldn't they have checked since? it was only since meeting christine on line and finding this website. now i am thinking of getting the her2vaccine also!

on the theory of "if it aint broke don't fix it", i don't see why you would be tested for her2neu factor AFTER the fact if you were not having a recurrence. that would just make no sense at all. if you were to have a recurrence, then sure, they should test for it. but unless you had a recurrence, shouldn't they just leave well enough alone?

at the time of your diagnosis - i think you said 2000, if they were doing herceptin trials for EARLY stage, then i guess you SHOULD have been tested then. i was not aware that these trials had begun in 2000. i am still not sure that they were. i know that by 2002, it was STANDARD OF CARE to test for her2neu, and I was offered the trial for herceptin, declined it and was able to get off-label adjuvant herceptin. today, i think it is probably even easier to get off label adjuvant herceptin. and i wouldn't be altogether surprised if in two years, ALL her2neu patients just get herceptin, regardless of stage.