[VirginiaGirl]

Julie, I just went for a 2nd opinion to a breast cancer specialist at Johns Hopkins, and your question was a main reason I sought that other opinion. My onc and the JH onc (even more so) are both of the opinion to hold off on any chemo as much as possible, treat as minimally as possible, to maintain quality of life and to minimize cumulative damage that occurs to bone marrow each time we do chemo. The JH onc told me that at my present point (my signature isn't current. I had about 6 spots of bone mets recur earlier this year and in June completed 12 weekly Taxol/Herceptin leaving only 3 spots in my bones; still no history of mets to organs), that I don't need to "hit a mosquito with a bazooka," and if it were her she would hold off on "the big guns" until I really needed it. Since I am only 43, also strong and healthy except for cancer, work full time and have a 10-year-old daughter, I'm trying to find a balance between treatment that's aggressive enough to keep me close to NED but allows me to live my present life without being sick all the time. It's a tough decision, and as both these oncs told me, if you ask 5 different oncs you'll get 5 different treatment recommendations. Waiting for scan results is hard, but will help you make your decision. Good luck!
Peace and Blessings,
Liz