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I just might be the odd-ball out here.... I have been on herc for 15 months now and we intend to keep me on it indefinitely, as long as it continues to work. I started Herc with Taxol/Carbo Aug 05 after a PET and rising tumor markers revealed small spots in my lungs/chest nodes/underarm node. Dropped Taxol/Carbo in January and stayed on Herc. Rising tumor markers and PET revealed again in Aug 06 that I had 3 small spots in chest nodes again, so we added Taxol back in (no Carbo this time because it was beating up my bone marrow too much by the time I finished it in January). At this point I am on Taxol and Herc indefinitely to 'control and suppress' disease. So far since August, CA15.3 tumor markers have stayed stable in the mid 20's - so at least they aren't rising! In the months from Jan - Aug this year when I was on Herc only, I didn't notice any terrible or distinct side effects... but then all I had to compare it to were the side effects that came along with chemo. Luckily I have tolerated all chemos and the herc pretty well. The Taxol/Herc combo is not too bad. Mostly just peripheral neuropathy in toes and fingertips, and no hair/eyelashes/eyebrows, but all in all I handle it really well. Oh, and runny nose with some nasal dryness and scabbing, but I can handle that.
I will be the test case for what Herc does to you after 2,3,5,10 years (I hope!)... I just hope it continues to work for a long time. But hey - I haven't even scratched the surface yet of other chemo drugs that I can try and then there's always Tykerb!! Yippee...
B.Hutch
DX 11/15/03
Right Mastectomy 12/9/03
Stage IIb, 1 positive node
HER2 +
ER+ PR+
2.5 cm tumor
TAC - every 3 weeks x 6, ended 5/30/04
NED
DX Recurrance 8/23/05
8 small spots in Lungs/chest nodes/underarm node
Herceptin/Taxol/Carboplatinum - every 3 weeks x 7, ended 1/30/06
NED
Stayed on herceptin - every 3 wks.
DX Recurrance 8/29/06
3 small spots in chest nodes
Herceptin/Taxol - every 3 weeks indefinitely or until we need to change
to something else.
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