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Suzanne,
Welcome! You have found the best place to get information and support. The women on this board are amazing!
Having breast cancer is a daunting experience but one that you learn to live with. It's like a roller coaster ride - you never know what's around the next corner.
If you have a mastectomy and have negative lymph nodes you probably would not have radiation. If you have a lumpectomy you will probably will have radiation. Being HER2+ you definitely will get Herceptin. Before starting Herceptin make sure that your oncologist orders a MUGA scan or echocardiogram to check your heart function (ejection factor). Herceptin can cause a reduction in heart function so it's very important to have a MUGA scan or echocardiogram done at the beginning and every 3 months while in treatment. The test you have will depend on wich one your doctor likes best. I get echocardiograms done.
As for chemo, that will depend largely on your Stage. So it's important to know exactly what stage you are. There are many options for chem
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Kate
Stage IIIC Diagnosed Oct 25, 2005 (age 58)
ER/PR-, HER2+++, grade 3, Ploidy/DNA index: Aneuploid/1.61, S-phase: 24.2%
Neoadjunct chemo: 4 A/C; 4 Taxatore
Bilateral mastectomy June 8, 2006
14 of 26 nodes positive
Herceptin June 22, 2006 - April 20, 2007
Radiation (X35) July 24-September 11, 2006
BRCA1/BRCA2 negative
Stage IV lung mets July 13, 2007 - TCH
Single brain met - August 6, 2007 -CyberKnife
Oct 2007 - clear brain MRI and lung mets shrinking.
March 2008 lung met progression, brain still clear - begin Tykerb/Xeloda/Ixempra
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