[Gina]

Hi, thanks for bringing up another one of my PET peeve's about herceptin dosage...oncs who think that once the magic formula is set in stone...i.e. mg per kg, that they never need to bother about changing it...this has happened to me and many here on this board.

In practice, though, there are valid reasons to adjust your herceptin dosing...especially if you gain weight--I know NO ONC will agree, but Ithink even as little as 5 lbs weight gain can make a different in some cases where the her-2 is more active than others--with numbers going up as you note, I would worry that your case is becoming more active...so the first thing to have recalculated is your herceptin dosage based on your current weight...if your weight has gone up since that first time, by all means...start with this and give it a week or two and see how your numbers look. If you have lost weight, I would still take the dose prescribed unless you have lost more than 20 pounds as I really don't think a tad extra will hurt, but a tad under...might...that is all I am saying.

Again, no onc will agree, but sometimes, I can't really explain it...but sometimes..it just seems like we need a NEW re-loading dose..sort of like a booster for a vaccine...I have seen that help patients -- simply go in on your next scheduled herceptin and take the higher loading dose one time...and then, the following treatment return to your regular dosing level and schedule.... For me...I find it is important to take enough herceptin to STAY ahead of the serum her-2 creeping up, but even my own oncologist can not really "see" this and doesn't understand..plus, as I am on the 6mg/per kg schedule, she is highly reluctant to give me a re-loading dose of what would naturally be 8mg. However, in the past, she has readily regiven me the more typical loading dose of 4mg/kg for the weekly 2mg/kg regimen...so not wanting to give me 8mg as a booster makes no sense to me and is illogical, so I have to uh...use other means of tugging the her-2 numbers back down, but none are really quite as effective or as PROVEN to work as the herceptin...the other measures are hit and miss, at best....upping olive leaf is one and of course, hitting the z-pack is another..but that is something that should perhaps be "saved" until the numbers are really running away...there is NO research on this so I really can't be certain...just anecdotal evidence is all I have to go on and how it effects my own numbers...fyi.

Yes, I think there are valid reasons to drink green tea, though I usually do echinecea or rasberry leaf myself for the immunity benefits and female organ support...and it is interesting that you brought it up...one reason I don't do the green tea regularly is because I have fibroids and caffeine really does seem to make them get bigger and as I love chocolate...I tend to get my caffeine there as I am not much of a coffee drinker (except gourmet coffee after nice dinners), and I do not drink soda of any kind...although, another recent research tends to show that carbonated beverages, especially those with mineral water/club soda may be beneficial--but again, that could be just because of the extra magnesium and not the carbonation...there is a long discussion as to the pros and cons of carbonated beverages--especially sugar or diet sodas, but I will table that for another time and nothing is proven. I would say look at your over all caffeine intake and include the green tea if it fits in your program and makes you feel good as it really does not have that much caffeine and certainly a decaf version would have even less, though I have read that even decaf may still contain a very small amount..fyi.

Also, one more note on the Herceptin...check the time of day you are currently receiving the infusion...has it changed from say perhaps morning to late afternoon???...sometimes...merely going back to the early morning herceptin infusion will improve results as well...I know...as silly as it seems, but herceptin can decay over time, especially if it is kept unrefrigerated as it often is in busy chemo rooms where patients are herded in and out, even though I KNOW THE PACKAGE claims it will last 24 hours mixed...I wonder if the person who wrote that instruction had ever had ONE DROP OF HERCEPTIN in him??? hee hee hee....KEEP UP THE FIGHT...let me know how you are doing??? Take care, Gina