Picking a new combo or solo???Where to begin?

[jml]

Hi my friends~
What an amazing blessing to have all of you so close by.
Especially this weekend when I was feeling lost & discouraged from news of NED's no show on my last scans.
Here's a little backstory - I just finished Gemzar+Herceptin again, for chest nodes ~5 weeks ago(last dose was #105!). This is my 2nd time on GH, previously for 4 mos -Oct'07-Feb'08- for supraclav nodes, that resolved but popped back up 6 mos later -Aug'08. 7 weeks of rads & now NED there
But then chest nodes popped up a few weeks after rads so back on GH-Oct'08-Mar'09. It seems the GH worked for a bit, but sometime since my last scan in January, it stopped working. Now chest nodes looking active again.
So, now what?
Is it time to jump ship on Herceptin & just go with Tykerb? Or Tykerb/Xeloda? Or Tykerb/Herceptin?
Why do I feel so nervous about dropping Herceptin?
Taxol/Herceptin had worked well for me in the past, brought me longer intervals of NED. Herceptin solo seems to slow the disease but doesn't lure NED back alone.
Is it foolish to try Tykerb &/or Xeloda, rather than going with tried & true? All because I don't want to lose my hair again-wigs in the summer in Atlanta are dreadful-(actually, the prospect of being bald, for the 3rd time is really what's dreadful).
Your guidance is invaluable - it makes meeting with my onc much more productive & efficient when we have solid options to explore.
First things first, as I've learned from all of you, is to find out how much of Tykerb &/or Xeloda is covered by my insurance & prescription coverage so not to be completely shocked when I go to the pharmacy for the drug & they try to run a $2000 charge and it gets declined...Oh the horror!
Thanks again in advance everyone.
Your experiences light the way for all of us who walk this path with you.

Jessica

[BarbM]

I am not sure what you should do as I only have experience with Herceptin and never NED in the last 2 years....Herceptin plus Taxotere, Herceptin plus Gemzar, Herceptin plus Abraxane and now Herceptin plus Doxil.....my doctor is reluctant to stop Herceptin. Maybe he is right and if I didn't get it, the cancer would spread like wild fire. Seems like I have 2 types of BC as I've had a very mixed response..I think I would like to try Tykerb. It's such a game we play. I pray that one day this will all get figured out and we'll be able to zero in on exactly what will work. I hate lost time.