Help!!! - Page 2

suzan w · 01-15-2013, 10:01 AM

I was ER+/PR+ and Herceptin worked for me!!!!! Then I found out I was BRCA2+ and out with the ovaries (I am a Grammie though and no ovaries is fine with me!!!)

WayTooYoung · 01-15-2013, 08:18 PM

I just learned that my tumour may be surgically removable...my surgeon says it is on the surface of the chest wall and feels she can get around it to extract it. I felt good about this idea and so I agreed. But what will happen after that? Will I still need chemo?

Pray · 01-16-2013, 12:38 AM

Happy Birthday to you WTY! I think it is fantastie news! Gods blessings to you. Please know that you are in my prayers.

Lien · 01-16-2013, 06:48 AM

Hi WTY,

I was 44 at diagnosis and did Zoladex to shut down my ovaries + Arimidex (similar to Femara). When I quit hormonal therapy, my periods gradually came back when I was 50. I've had no recurrences. I never received Herceptin, as that was not done at the time in the Netherlands, where I live.

So if I had a choice, I'd try the hormonal approach first. It can be very effective. I know women who have survived on that for a long time. One of them had mets to the liver. She must be 14 or 15 years out from diagnosis by now. Ofcourse there is no guarantee that it will work for you. The only advantage you have, is that the nodule is still there, and you can monitor effectiveness of therapy by the response you can see. If the tumor is removed, it's not possible to see whether it works or not. Also, if you tend to get many side effects from chemo, you might have less problems with Hormonals. Ofcourse there are no guarantees, and you may need additional Herceptin. But this approach would a. give you the option to still have children one day, b. let you find out whether therapy has an effect or not and c. would probably give you the best Quality of life.

You can always decide to have tumor and/or ovaries removed later, if things don't work out the way you hoped. But if you start with that, you may never know that a "milder" treatment would have been ok too. You could start with just hormonals and add Herceptin to see how that works.

Just my 2 cents. I may be totally wrong here, but my way of thinking makes sense to me. It may even make sense to you. Who knows? ;-)

Hang in there!

Hugs

Jacqueline

IrvineFriend · 01-16-2013, 09:26 AM

Here is a link from the ACS about maintaining fertility during chemo, banking your eggs/embryo's, etc. The group Cure4Cat would likely also have some information about fertility/having children post cancer treatment since it's geared for people closer to your age.

http://www.cancer.org/treatment/trea...reatment-women

Best to you,

-Julie

IrvineFriend · 01-16-2013, 05:27 PM

Hi there,

I hijacked this from one of Paula O's posts regarding wanting to have children after a cancer diagnosis:

Here is an ad I saw:

"If you are a woman of reproductive age & a US citizen who has received a new cancer diagnosis and wish to undergo fertility preservation PRIOR to the start of cancer treatment, you can now receive certain FREE fertility medications.

Walgreens and Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. are collaborating to provide free access to certain fertility medications (specifically Bravelle, Menopur, and Novarel) and educational resources including informational guides detailing how cancer treatment affects fertility, access to highly specialized nurses, multimedia materials outlining potential fertility options patients may wish to discuss with their physician, and specialized modules to teach injection training.
Have your physician call Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy at 888-347-3415 with a verbal prescription and the medication will be shipped via UPS to either the physician’s office or the patient. No completion of forms is required."

Mtngrl · 01-16-2013, 08:14 PM

I was diagnosed after menopause, and only slightly ER positive. That being said, hormonal treatment did nothing for me. Someone above said that HER-2 cancers seem mostly fueled by that characteristic. That is true for me and for several other folks I know.

I'm sorry you washed out on TDM-1. We're all so hopeful for the next big thing, but the truth is everybody is different. One person's miracle drug is someone else's bust.

Don't despair. A local recurrence is not a bucket list situation, and there are lots and lots of treatment combinations for HER-2 cancer. It went from being "the bad kind" to being "the good kind." You will live to see a cure--or permanent treatment/management that might as well be a cure.

WayTooYoung · 01-19-2013, 07:03 AM

Hello ladies,

Yesterday I broke down and really cried. My oncologist sent me to go see my radioOnc just to be sure nothing can be done in that department. She said he would most likely say I do not qualify for surgery since I already had maximum dosage and that people only get radiated once in a lifetime due to side effects and dangers...well, HE SAID he was recommending that I get the same amount of radiation for 5 weeks!!! For some reason, that doesn't even sound right to me...I felt scared, confused, and worried.

He is also saying that the best way to administer the radiation is to deliver it 2 times a day at 6 hours apart!!! I do not live close to this hospital at all and I would have to leave my teaching job. I feel so overwhelmed BC I have bills to pay...

Anyone with radiation experience??? Lost and confused more than ever!