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Dear Stacy and Sis; You are far from the end of the road, in my opinion.
There are many of us here who are Stage IV living great quality of life. Some have lung, bone, liver, and brain mets as you may know from the posts. Christine, our founder, is a 4 year survivor of brain mets, so don't throw in the towel yet!
The goal with Stage IV disease is to put it in remission or stabalize it, then the body will often acheive a balance and live in "harmony" with the disease for a period of time before needing more chemo to help quell recurrence. The key to this strategy for Her2+ is of course, Herceptin, which has changed the face of this disease for so many of us.
It's ok, in fact, essential to be hopeful and optimistic, while at the same time realizing the reality of the situation. That too is a balancing act, learning to live in harmony with this situation. As my husband and I like to say, "Hope for the best, but be prepared".
If she has to change drugs, Navelbine has a very good track record with lung mets, as does Xeloda. The two in combo with Herceptin is not unheard of. There are others, and I'm sure some who've had the same dx as Sis will post with some advice.
So, keep your spirits up, there's alot left to try.
<3,
Lolly
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