[VaMoonRise]

Dear Susan,

I am so sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with HER2 breast cancer, I know how scared you must be but you are actually lucky, as crazy as that sounds, to be HER2 positive as there are so many great treatments out there now to treat this type of cancer.

I too was diagnosed at an early stage, I was diagnosed as DCIS stage "0" with no node involvement in March of 2004. I underwent a lumpectomy and radiation. As frightening as that was at the beginning I got through it without any complications or adverse side effects. Some days I was fatigued but that was the worst of it. I wish I had been offered chemotherapy and Herceptin at that time but I wasn't. It sounds like you have a wonderful oncologist who wants to be aggressive in attacking whatever cells may still be lingering in your body.

I would definitely take your oncologists advise and do all of the treatments that he/she recommends. Treatments have changed drastically over the years, they are better, more targeted and with less side effects. Whatever side effects there may be there are plenty of medications to combat them.

I am currently taking chemotherapy which consists of Taxol, Herceptin, Lapatinib (Tykerb) and Zometa. I get the Taxol and Herceptin once a week for three weeks then one week off of Taxol, I take the Lapatinib once a day orally at home, I receive the Zometa once a month as a bone strengthener. You may not get this same exact chemotherapy but whatever you do get will be what is best for you and it will be for the most part very tolerable.

I am so sorry that your husband turned out to be such a wimp but some people just aren't equipped to handle things that scare them and that they feel they have no control over and their first instinct is to run. Basically what this comes down to is the person is a coward and even if they had stayed they probably wouldn't have been the type of person that would truly be there for you through this journey in the way that you will need them to be. Perhaps this will turn out to be a blessing in disguise for you. Sometimes cancer will pull a family closer together and unfortunately sometimes it will pull them apart. As difficult as it may be to do you need to stay focused on yourself, it is okay to be selfish during this time, concentrate on what you need to do to get through this. Treat yourself kindly, take care of yourself in the way that you would take care of your child if they were sick. Don't be afraid to reach out to others, to lean on them for support and help.

If your sister is anything like mine and if you have always had a close relationship with her allowing her to help you through this difficult time in your life is something that she needs to do for herself too. She needs to feel like she is not helpless, she will want to be there for you in every way. If she is not this kind of person then take whatever you can get at this time and I am sure it will bring you closer together.

You have come to the right site, the women on this site are amazing. They are so full of compassion, support, understanding and have so much information that they freely give. They are all here for you, to cry with you, to laugh with you, to worry with you and to pray with you. Feel free to post at any time, anything at all, questions you may have, fears, etc., we are here for you.

Stay strong Hon, you will get through this. You can even e-mail me directly if you want to, if I can't help you with something I can at least find you someone on this site who can.

Big Hugs,
Nicola

VaMoonRise@aol.com