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Hi, me again. I had to attend to some home business so my first post was somewhat abrupt...
I KNOW how frightening this all can be, so I just want you to know you and Roben are not alone here.
The trials can be pretty restrictive because of low blood counts, so that would seem to me to be the first order, to get blood counts up and stabilized; growth factors can be your friends here.
A tactic that my onc uses (maybe not news to you but offer it anyway) is to reduce the chemo dose when my counts are borderline so that I stay on schedule and keep hitting the cancer cells even if not quite as hard.
I'm sure some of the others will have suggestions, so hang in there. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
<3 Lolly
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Sept.'99 - Dx.Stage IIIB, IDC ER/PR-, HER2+++ by IHC, confirmed '04 by FISH. Left MRM, AC x's 4, Taxol x's 4, 33 Rads, finishing Tx May 2000. Jan.'01 - local/regional recurrence, Stage IV. Herceptin/Navelbine weekly till NED August 2001, then maintenance Herceptin. Right Mast. April 2002. Local/Regional recurrence April '04, Herceptin plus/minus chemo until May '07. Gemzar added from Feb.'07-April '07; Tykerb/Abraxane until August '07, back on Herceptin plus Taxotere and Xeloda Sept. '07. Stopped T/X Nov. '07, stopped Herceptin Dec. '07, started Avastin/Taxol/Carboplatin Dec. '07. Progression in chest skin, stopped TAC March '03, started radiation.
Herceptin has served as the "Backbone" of my treatment strategy for over 6 years, giving me great quality of life. In 2005, I was privileged to participate in the University of Washington/Seattle HER2 Vaccine Trial.
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