[KellyA]

Hi Belinda,

I am not very far out from diagnosis, but I do have a very similar one. I am a stage 2b also- er/pr-, her2 +, grade 3 +++, 2 tumors 2.2 cm and 0.6 cm, 3/5+ nodes. I think that I worry alot also- I am almost as worried about being er/pr- as I am about Her2.

This is what my onc. (who is wonderful) said on my very first visit:

If I did nothing else after my surgery (no chemo, etc) I would have a 62% chance of the cancer returning elsewhere.

With chemo (standard, "old school chemo"), I had a 38% chance of the cancer returning.

With "new chemo" (newer drugs, newer methods of giving it) I had a 32% chance of the cancer returning.

With the addition of Herceptin, my chances of the cancer returning were about 20% over the next 10 years.

He also phrased things in a very optimistic light, and acted like we just needed to "clean house really good" and that my prognosis was a very good one. It is definitely very scary thinking of the what-if's and I do more of that than I should, but the fact of the matter is that we have alot on our side and are very blessed to have the treatments that are available to us today.
I pray alot and read a quote regularly that my radiation onc. (who is also wonderful) told me to focus on

Matthew6:25-34 (Do not worry)

I love how it ends- "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own"

ISN'T THAT THE TRUTH! :-)

Love, Kelly