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Dear Susan,
Although you had a bad reaction to Herceptin in the past, it only makes sense that being HER2+++ you should add herceptin to your treatment regime. Perhaps if you started by combining it with a more side-effect friendly chemo such as Navelbine, the Herceptin may be more tolerable. I would also ask your onc if pre-treating the herceptin infusion (anti-histamines, etc??) would help. That was the politically correct answer.
However, if it were me or my wife, given the complexity of the medical history, the seriousness of the current condition and the documented success of Herceptin in HER2+, I wouldn't trust my life in the hands of just one doctor. Seek a second opinion OR add key experts to your medical team such as an allergy specialist, an auto-immune specialist, a pharmacological expert etc. Phone the Cancer Institute and ask them if they have documented cases similar to your own (a previous success story), and oncologists with expertise in cases like yours.
One year from now your oncologist will still be having supper with his family. Make sure you are too. Ask questions, and more questions and don't take NO for an answer. If you hurt his (or her) feelings, throw them a box of kleenex and keep moving forward. At minimum, you have to be at least as aggressive as your disease.
All the best,
Al
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