Will just add my two cents worth... First, I always encourage folks taking Herceptin to FORCE their oncs to measure their CA 27/29 and Serum Her-2 levels on a REGULAR basis. In this day and age, there is no need to guess and NO NEED TO OVER-medicate...which I think happens a LOT to us with Her-2 on Herceptin. Again, I am not an onc and this is just my take on it, but I have been using Herceptin ALONE (plus diet) off and on since 1999. There were many years when I only took 5 doses a year. I experimented a lot and finally got my onc to agree to a dosing once every 6 weeks. Naturally, this is NOT possible for everyone...but if you know your body, your markers and scan once in a while..., it can be done. Personally, I think skipping one week is NOT critical and can even be beneficial. Even though Herceptin is NOT as difficult as taking more traditional forms of chemo, it can still wear you down. At times in the past, I have tried the weekly thing, and found it VERY tiring. I like what I am doing now, but most oncs wont let you go longer than once every 3 weeks as that is the only "PROVEN" protocol...but some bold folks take it differently. I was DX with serious stage 3, then 4 8 years ago...still here...smile...Hope this is helpful...Gina
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