choice not to do chemo, etc...

[Louise O'Brien]

Snufi:

I was in the same boat you were in two years ago. Small tumour - 1 1/2 cm., stage one, clear margins after a mastectomy and no lymph or sentinel node involvement. I thought that should take care of it and was shocked - and devastated- when the oncologist told me I was Her2 positive (I had never heard of it before) and recommended chemo plus Herceptin. Especially chemo.

I was so close to walking away from it but after a few weeks decided to hit whatever might be left - if there was anything - with everything possible.

Now, two years later I'm so thankful I did. The more research I did and the more I learned about Her2 positive tumours - and the role Herceptin plays - the more convinced I was that I made the right decision. Even chemo - after learning about the synergy between some chemo drugs & Herceptin.

I should add that I was 67 when I started treatment - all the more reason to have concerns about my ability to withstand that kind of onslaught. I got through it and today have no residual side-effects.

That was my decision. I just didn't want to turn my back on treatment only to experience a recurrence years later asking myself "what if.... "

[Hopeful]

I was dxed in June 2006 with 1.3 cm IDC w/DCIS component, 80% ER+, 50% PR+, Her2+++ node negative bc. My path report also showed a Ki-67 of 11%, which was "borderline" for positive. Based on my research, I decided against chemotherapy, being highly hormonally positive and with a low Ki-67. Fortunately, I was able to find an oncologist in private practice willing to treat me with one year of Herceptin without chemo. I did radiation tx while on Herceptin, and have been on an AI (going back and forth between Arimidex and Femara) since Oct. 2006. It was extremely important to me to keep my immune system intact, which would not have been possible with chemotherapy. Everyone has to decide what is best for them, based on what is most important to them. As you can read here, a lot of people are not comfortable leaving any stone unturned for treatment; in fact, this is a very common psychological mindset. Just realize that having chemotherapy is not a guarantee of no recurrence. The bottom line is, you do what lets you sleep best at night. Best of luck with whatever treatment plan you go with.

Hopeful