Herceptin when you are sick ?

[BonnieT]

Does anyone know if you can take hercpetin when you are sick.
I have pnemonia, I will be calling my Oncologist but I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else??
Thanks
BonnieT

[Sheila]

Bonnie
I have taken it with a bad cold....not pneumonia...if you are really sick with fever etc they will probably postpone it a week or so...they want to protect you & the other patients getting treatment.
Hugs
Sheila

[StephN]

Dear Bonnie -

I missed one time because I had a flu and was too sick to get out of bed. I got my treatment two days later because that is the leeway you have.

My clinic has several small glassed in rooms for isolating the weakest or possibly sick patients. I have been put in those when I had a cold or even suspected I may have a bug developing.

I don't think the pneumonia or meds for that interfere with Herceptin. My med onc calls it "pretty benign stuff" compared to what else we have been given!

[Gina]

I would use the pneumonia as a GREAT excuse to beg for the 5-day z-pak and then take the Herceptin after completing the z-pak and you might be shocked at what happens to your serum her-2 numbers..smile...Just a thought. Also, letting the pneumonia work up a good fever in you would be beneficial. Stay wrapped up warm, too. Keep an eye on kidney function and drink plenty of fluids. Hot echinacea tea with honey is especially soothing and immune boosting. Horsetail tincture may help with the coughing. Try 15 to 20 drops under the tongue first thing in the morning for a week or so. Also, think Zinc!!

The old Appalachian rememdy we used to use was to dissolve horehound candy in pure MOONSHINE..oops...I meant to type "whiskey" ..hee hee... and heat it up and drink it down. If you lived through morning, the local folk doctor would pronounce you "cured"...of pneumonia that is...however, you would have one mighty painful hangover..ehee hee hee...especially if you were not used to drinking it..the moonshine, I mean..smile smile...HUMOR is good.

Hope you feel better soon.

Gina

[al from Canada]

Hi Gina,
What is a Z-pack...I've never heard of this before.
Thanks,
Al

[Becky]

Al


A Z pak is zithromyacin - It is a 6 pill antibiotic pak. You take it for 5 days (2 pills the first day and one pill for the next 4 days). It has a long half life so it lasts 10 days in the body. It is easier to take since you only take it 5 days instead of the usual 10 for most antibiotics. Little kids get it for ear infections and I have used it for sinusitis and my daughter for bronchitis.

Gina suggests it due to theoretical ideas that the Her2 overexpression can be due to bacterial or viral infection that the body cannot get rid of (much to the same thought process that cervical cancer is caused by HPV and stomach ulcers by a certain bacteria (can't remember the name of that one)).

Warm regards

Becky

[Merridith]

Hi Bonnie:

Have you thought about getting a pneumonia vaccine when you get better to help reduce the chances of this happening again? There are two types of pneumonia vaccine that you can take (for different stains). But one shot is good for your entire lifetime.

In Canada you can get this shot for free if you are a cancer patient. I took advantage of it just before I started my chemo. There are several types of pneumonia, so one shot is only good for one stain. But at least your chances of getting sick are reduced.

Regards,
Merridith