Suggestions, anyone?

[TriciaK]

I am still up in the air about a chemo to go with herceptin for my 4th bout with cancer--it is her2 again and in the right lung. Herceptin and navelbine stopped it 5 years ago, with very mild side effects. Now I am having side effects--first to trying navelbine again, so had to stop that. Then we tried gemzar: no SE first time, but severe total body rash second time. SInce the markers did go down, we tried gemzar at half dose a third time, but the rash and terrible itch continued and haven't left after 3 weeks. I also have had to have blood transfusions last week. I will see my oncologist tomorrow and discuss what to do next. He wants to wait another week to try something else, even though the markers are rising again and the lung nodules are growing. He is suggesting either xeloda or doxil. I am unfamiliar with both, except that the xeloda is in pill form and I have a very hard time swallowing pills. Have any of you used either or both of these chemos? I would so appreciate any feed back about efficiency, length of treatment, side effects, etc. and any chemos any of you have had good results with. Am also somewhat confused about why herceptin alone isn't sufficient, since I tolerate that well.I was able to be on herceptin for 15 months in 2005/2006, even though I started it after I had had a heart attack. I had to stop after my ejection fraction dropped to 30. It is 50 now after several years on coregcr. The onclologist says as long as the ef stays at 50 or above I can stay on the herceptin. I had a triple bypass in 2006 and my heart is doing quite well. I would be so grateful for any suggestions or feedback from any of you. I would like to try halivan, but understand it isn't available unless I had had taxanes, which I haven't. Needless to say, I am getting nervous about the delay in finding something effective this time. I am 81 and much weaker than I have been, especially after being in the hospital for pheumonia this past month, but I am not ready to give up yet! Thank you for your feed-back and suggestions and good wishes. I appreciate this forum so much! Hugs, TriciaK