[Gina]

Michelle and Jen..thanks for continuing to humor me on the Rh- and rhogam info...I saved your data from our last go round with this but I am very appreciative that you responded to the poll as that will give us all a way to study some of these....uh...ideas of mine more empirically. Karen, you get the prize..thanks for mentioning the gamma globulin shot for overseas trips--after I put the poll up I did a bit more research and seems there are a lot of reasons that folks OUR age may have received gamma globulin injections...not sure of the connection if any, but as I mentioned...one of my good her-2 pals brought it up to me and I thought it was worth looking into as both the gamma globulin and the rhogam could alter immunity...which is something that does seem to be at the core of this problem...we need to answer the question: Why do Her-2 folks immune systems not "see" the cancer infected cells UNTIL they are tagged with the Herceptin?? Fortunately for most of us..once the Herceptin does its thing, our immune systems do seem to kick right back in and clean up that ol' tumor debris...all of us are prime examples... Plus, many of us PRIOR to on-set of her-2 neu mediated disease, all report BEING VERY HEALTHLY..and many of us right here...exceptionally so...hmmmmm.....I smell a rat...oops...pardon the chinese rat protein pun...hee hee hee.

Barbara H...good to be in touch with you again and thanks for mentioning the gamma globulin for hepatitis...I, too, had ONE classmate come down with that in 1975 or 76--but I don't remember getting any shot...only remember her being quorantined in her home for 8 weeks.... And Becky, Yes sireeee!!! Boy, did I have the HONG KONG flu..yes, I remember it ...oh, what a horrible memory...my whole family came down with it...my dad, my two baby sisters, then me and finally my mom...we all just laid around in a big heap...feeling like we were dying. I can not remember if I got any shot, but being in the rural area where I grew up...most likely, in THEM THERE HILLS...we got vaccinated the OLD FASHIONED WAY..uh, by actually catching the disease and "if you lived till morning"...smile..you were "vaccinated" hee hee hee...but yes, I did contract that horrible flu the first go round in 1968. And not to worry, Barbara, I am not so young you know...I will be 42 on February 21st...just around the corner....but so HAPPY to have made it this far!!!! This month marks my 8th year of survival since mastectomy back on Nov. 17, 1997....a day I would NOT care to re-live for any reason...please lord..don't give me this past life in a future one..smile... And ditto Becky, I have been keeping my eye on the new avian flu as well...sure hope we don't find ourselves up against a Pandemic like that Spanish flu that killed so many...I think they are now saying that too was related to an avian strain...gee, go figure..

OK, girls...we will let this poll run till the end of the year and see what we get back. If any of you think of OTHER her-2 commonalities...let's post them, poll them and throw them out. I think it is time we all put in our 2 cents worth toward getting at the core of this problem. Like my OLD basketball coach used to say...(IN A BIG MEAN VOICE, I might add>>>> smile)?>>>"Good things MAY come to those who wait, but NOT BASKETBALLS--so get out there and REBOUND!!!!!" Smile...Godspeed to us all, Gina L. Popp