[RobinP]

Becky and Jen I too think that too much information is not a good thing when it doesn't really help in treatment choices and only agonizes your mind more. I only researched pTEN late last year to help me make an informed decision about whether or not to do late adjuvant Herceptin. I choose a very self directed aggressive approach to dealing with my treatment decisions and choices after having been misdiagnosed multiple times over 17 months by a very experienced, outstanding breast surgeon, a bright, experienced pathologist and one seasoned radiologist, all of them diagnosing incorrectly that I had benign cystic breast condition that ultimately turned out to be breast cancer. Then once my cancer was diagnosed, 2 experienced seasoned pathologists, one from a major cancer institute, diagnosed my cancer as only a very large DCIS, pre cancer, with a micromets to the first node. I had only CMF treatment based on that diagnosis which was considered very aggressive treatment. However, about year later, I had my lumpectomy/mastectomy cancer slides checked again, after learning about my original fine needle aspirate biopsy pathology misdiagnosis, only to learn that that not only did I have DCIS with a micromets to the first lymph node but also a small invasive Her2 cancer that probably warranted AC treatment rather than the CMF treatment that I had received.

After my misdiagnoses, I feel that I must keep on top of things as my own best advocate, never again assuming that my physicians are doing that for me. Perhaps that is why I log onto her2support, it encourage me to stay vigilant and "abreast"(...smile) on her2 while also helping others too, I hope.