[Kavy]

Hi, Pam,
I'm so sorry to hear your brain met news, but I'm glad you have a treatment plan and that you've already started WBR. I pray that WBR will zap all the mets for good, and if you have any problems with the bigger mets, you can always zap them again with SRS, like Gamma Knife, Cyberknife, Xknife, Novalis, VMAT (not familiar), or surgery.
As you know, I almost had surgery to remove 2 brain mets, but it was cancelled when I was already at the hospital because of my lung mets. I ended up having Xknife for the 3 mets, similar to Gamma knife. I have/had a 2.8 cm left cerebelum met, and my main symptom was/is balance problem, I do not feel dizzy, and I almost never have headache. I'm still on decadron, now on 2 mg a day, 1/2 a pill, but I can't wait to stop it, then I will take Boswellia Serrata. I also take zantac before decadron to avoid stomach problems. Since the procedure, I'm taking keppra, anti-seizure medication. Even though I never had seizure, I will have to take it for 3 months. I will have a MRI in April to see how things are going, but I haven't seen too much improvement so far, and my radiation oncologist said that if my balance problem does not get better, I might have to have surgery anyway.
I was on Tykerb/Herceptin for a year when I was diagnosed with brain mets. My doctor kept me on the same regime because it has kept my lung mets stable for a year now. I will see him in April, after a CT scan of the chest, but I do not think he will change my treatment.
Pam, I'm sorry you are going through this. I know that brain mets diagnosis is very scary, but once you overcome the shocking news and do your treatments, brain mets will be like lung mets, liver mets, etc. Hang in there.
I hope and pray your oncologist will make the right decision treatment plan for you later on today. And if you cannot have Halaven while doing WBR, why not keep taking Herceptin or herceptin/Tykerb until you are done?
A big hug, and healing prayers your way.
KarlaV.