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trying to cope
Lien,
I'm sorry you've had to go through so much! Life just is not fair, for sure. I forgot to mention that I had both ovaries removed just 9 months ago for a benign cyst. Three surgeries in two years is a bit much. Also, my mom died 8 weeks after I had the brain surgery which was a double wallop.
I hear what you're saying about survivors. I know they are out there and I think it would be terrific if some of them would communicate with people who are just starting out on this journey. This is a scary breast cancer and sometimes just hearing from women who have come out the other end of this ordeal intact can be so heartening.
The first onc gave me about 70% because he hadn't figured in Herceptin. They use Adjuvant also but I guess it helps if they know HOW to use it!
My current oncologist - the second one I spoke to, gave me 80% of no recurrence in 10 years. She's a fantastic woman (google Karen Gelmon in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada). She writes the protocols that other oncs use here & has co-authored quite a few books about breast cancer. She is quite ticked that the onc - or the oncs chemo nurse who administered the treatment screwed up so she is admitting me to hosp so she can do it herself.
It seems to me, and I won't name names here, that there are several women on this forum who had negative nodes and unfortunately had a recurrence anyway. If the researchers don't quite know what triggers her2 how can they cure us?
Also, I know that Herceptin works 'in about 50% of cases'. How do I know if it is working?
As you see, I am a sceptic! I like to know facts and her2 is still such an unknown.
If you don't mind my asking - how did you feel generally in between treatments? Just wondering what the TCH will do to me. Did you have treatments every 3 weeks?
Diannes
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