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I was diagnosed in July 2002, stage IIa, 10 of 16 lymph nodes were affected. The tumor itself was minute the first thing I noticed was the lump under my arm. I had a lumpectomy, three rounds of epirubicin and taxotere, radiation, and then three more rounds of epirubicin and taxotere. Three weeks after finishing chemo I fought my way into the HERA study (the hospital had failed to let me know it existed, I learned about it by chance from a fellow radiee), and was randomized into the one-year arm. I got Herceptin every three weeks until January 2004 and have - to my eternal gratitude - been NED ever since.
Of course, as I know in every fiber of my being, there are no guarantees about anything, let alone recurrence/metastases - but yes, it is possible to be HER2 and no have metastases as least for a while - which means (once the initial panic and fear have subsided - say after a year?) some very good years, whatever may lie ahead.
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