Thank you Pennyp! X
Hey everyone i had my 4th chemo on weds. Feeling a tad rough today! Been in bed relaxingā¦ very too much info but ended up with 
this time roundā¦ it happened on my first too. Did anyone feel worse as they had more rounds of chemo? I have 2 more rounds to goo 
. Jemma 
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Amazing news!! I had my mri scan after 3 rounds and my lymph nodes are back to normal and clear and my lump as gone from 27mm to 14mm 
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Hooraaaaaay 
@jeml, thatās fantabulous news!! (Yes, I did just invent a new word there, some things warrant it.) I felt way rougher on EC than I did on Paclitaxel and oh yes, we are all well versed on the What can I say? Loperamide is our friend! Youāve done amazingly well and youāve only 2 more rounds. Keep smashing it.
Ooh @naughty_boob, get you with your hyperlinks! At this rate youāll be on the IT Helpdesk as well as being a Community Champion. 
Anyway, took Bella to the vets last night to get her registered and we asked them to check out whether she already had a microchip before we got hers done, just in case. We had been told that she wasnāt microchipped and was 18 months old. Lo and behold, she is 6 years old! This once happened to me before with a rescue cat who I was told was 6 or 7, then when I took him home was told he was probably nearer 10 and then when I got him to the vets was told, probably nearer 12 or 13. He doubled in age. Bella has gone from being a youngster to a middle-aged woman. This explains why we are relating so well, I feel.
Have a great weekend, all.
Salbert
xx
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Thank you! X
Wow you must be so pleased that is really fabulous news!
My tumour grew to 62mm before commencing treatment and was in 6 out of 11 lymph nodes so I wanted to post to let others know how effective chemotherapy can be to those newly diagnosed or in chemotherapy.
The surgeon said 60% of Herts 2 + have a Complete Pathological Response after chemotherapy!
Best wishes 
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Ec was worse than Taxol but I also had injections Phesgo I think.
I had diahorreah with Taxol right through!..nausea and vomiting and food aversion with EC both put me in hospital 3 times but I think it is cumulative and I had 5 months of chemo.
I am surprised you are doing so well on the chemo that is great but you must listen to your body and rest when you need to.
Hope you feel better soon and not long to go! X
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Wow! @chakakhan If your surgeon said 60% have a complete pathological response to chemo and then you add in the Phesgo, surgery and radiotherapy, then it explains why our stats are so good. Good to know.
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Hi @salbert @chakakhan @kartoffel @bigpickle @isthisreal @naughty_boob @pennyp @jeml and everyone, sorry if I have missed anyone.
So many posts while I was staying quiet! Not sure where to start but I am so happy you are doing really well.
I have had a few tough weeks and really wish I had picked a hospital that is not so busy. I have had to wait 3 weeks to see physio for my cording, and will see them in 3 weeks only. Pain is better but I still have a lot of seroma.
After meeting with my onco again today, which has meant 3 sleepless weeks, i have decided to give Kadcyla a go with a cannula. I have spent a lot of time researching and came to the conclusion that I would be too anxious if I stayed on phesgo. I found some studies about triple positives like me, with worrying data on crossed pathways between HER2 treatment and ER treatment, meaning that patients show resistance to the herceptin component due to parallel hormone blockers. Letās hope that someone will do a proper trial/study soon.
Anyway, not that many options available so I am starting Kadcyla on Friday 4. I think this is pretty much the same date for you @kartoffel ans @jeml ?
Sorry if my post is not cheerful, I have felt very isolated. I went to a moving forward course that made it worse, me being the youngest and the only HER2+ (or triple pos), with a much longer treatment etc. Quite a bit of focus on bras and reconstruction did not help either.
On a positive note I am really happy to see all the little fluffy creatures that have joined your homes! Yesterday marked the 3
Month-niversary with our mini black panther and he is really making a difference to my days! Bless all pets! 
Big hugs
Marion
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Hi @marionse25 I was wondering how you were getting on. I am sorry its been a difficult time. The responibility making these decisions is tough, but i hope now you have made the choice you will feel a little better. All you can do now is give it a go and you will have the comfort that you are trying everything. How long does the kadcyla cpurse last? I hope the side effects are manageable.
Ive treated myself to some new clothes and been out to MacMillan coffee morning today and saw some friends for the first time this year. It was lovely to see people tho answering lots of questions was quite draining. Not sure if it was a wise thing to do seeing so many people in a confined space . Cake was nice tho and i won a box of chocolates!
All the best.
Penny
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Good to see you in here @marionse25 We can have our own little Kadcyla starters groupā¦ you, me and @isthisreal. I got my port in yesterday and bloods done, so Iām all ready to get this party started.
Interesting what youāve read about the hormone/herceptin studiesā¦ Iām also triple + and Iāve never heard anything like that mentioned. Can you share what youāve found?
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Hi @pennyp
Thank you for your lovely message. Happy to see you seem to be doing ok. New clothes sound great, and cake and chocolates even more! Meeting people must have been a nice change, I am trying too as we cannot hibernate all the time.
I will wait a little bit and make sure my scars are better before I shop for the new me. I can fit into tops I love but became too tight, however I look quite boyish with my flat chest now. My short chemo hair looks funny too so I am already wearing hats!
My new chemo is supposed to be every 3 weeks until May, however the consent form I have signed states 14 sessions which is closer to one year! Either way it is quite a long treatment. At least I know that I can switch back to Phesgo injections if my body says no!
I will be back to work on Monday 7. My job is stressful but a well needed distraction.
Have a lovely evening
Hugs
Marion xx
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Hi @kartoffel and sorry @jeml I got my pencils mixed up! I hope you are doing ok.
We can indeed start a new trail with @isthisreal!
I had my bloods done earlier today so ready to go too.
I will have to check the studies as I have not kept them or kept links. One was an Italian study, the other one Chinese I think. They highlighted the need for further studies, and also the need to consider TPBC as a separate type.
Reading too much is probably not a good idea as my anxiety has gone really bad! Our doctors know what they are doing I
Am sure.
Take care
Marion xx
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@marionse25 Sorry to hear that you have had a rough few weeks but so pleased youāve made the decision to start Kadcyla.
I really found the Moving Forward course helpful but I was still in āactiveā treatment with Herceptin. I did find it hard that most of the others had finished their treatment some time before so they didnāt get the ongoing issues I was having. If I was to suggest going I would wait until all active treatment has finished including targeted treatment ( but thatās not the recommendation from BCN). I feel different now that I have finished my treatment and have a clear annual mammograms compared to July when I went on the course.
Donāt ever apologise for being negative, itās ok, weāve all been there. If you canāt moan to us who can you moan to! Posting without your real name allows you to be more free and open about what you want to say.
Take care 
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Hi @marionse25 and @naughty_boob iāve booked my Moving Forward course for just after i finish radiotherapy if all goes to plan. I was wondering if it was a bit too soon after treatment, especially as i may be tired, but it was the one in the town i had my treatment in so thought i would prefer that. I will see how i feel nearer the time. They dont come around very often, but i could go to other nearby towns if necessary. Iām hoping it will help to meet other people, younger and older. I think this os the best group tho for getting things off our chests, if you excuse the pun. We can have a good moan or cheer people up in the moment rather than waiting for a meeting. P.
@pennyp I finished radiotherapy in January but was waiting for genetics test, which was negative in May. Therefore no further surgery, then booked onto the next MF course which was July. I am really grateful to the ladies I met at the course, we have a WhatsApp group and 4 are within a 7 mile radius to me. Iād not met anyone that wasnāt closer than 30 miles before.
The course is great but not having the genetics results and continuing Herceptin until September, I was still in active treatment with side effects. Breast Cancer Now do not class Herceptin/phesgo/ targeted treatment as active but my oncology team did. You have to do what is right for you. I hope you are able to attend.
Hi @pennyp
I donāt want to discourage you, there were useful bits and the volunteers running the sessions were fantastic. I had separate chats with them and it gave me strength as they were both BC survivors, one just 5 year all clear and the other one 11 year. I am in London and there arenāt many sessions either, and nothing close to where I live. It was not the right group of people for me, we were only 7 as a few did not turn up, 4 knew each other from the same hospital where it was runā¦ I booked as I wanted to meet others F2F and wanted to plan for better days. If your session is close to where you are go for it. Listen to your gut feelings!
And we will still be there for you!
Big hugs
Marion xx
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Sorry ladies - I havenāt kept up with the chat 
I didnāt realise that post mastectomy fatigue was a thing but my god it seems so - I still feel like Iām groggy from the anaesthetic almost a week on. First day after surgery I felt ok and I felt elated to get surgery out of the way ā¦ but as the week went on Iāve felt increasingly fatigued and quite down in the dumps , has anyone else felt like this after their surgery ?
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Afternoon all. I hope you are all doing ok.
Iām just totally exhaustedā¦ā¦ someone suggested I joined this thread.
Iāve had a mastectomy and also and then a follow up full lymph node removal. Have had 3 x EC and have number 4 of 9 paclitaxel tomorrow. I also start Pshygo (think thatās how you spell it!) injections once every 3 weeks for a year tomorrow. Has anyone started these for HER2 positive?
Iām working full time but from home but starting to think I may have to reduce hours soon ā¦.
Canāt wait to ring the bell on chemo and to get the radiotherapy over and done with fingers crossed before Christmas.
Is anyone else having aching in their tummy area ā¦ā¦ I feel like itās my ovaries aching!!!
Sending positive vices to you all. Keep being amazing xx
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Hi @arty1
I can defo say it is a thing! Itās been 4 weeks and I am absolutely drained. I still have to sleep on my back with my v shaped pillow, and can hardly sleep. Still have a lot of seroma on the left side but not on the right. And cording arghhh. Have been doing pilates since last week, and yoga too, both help with everything although I still feel like a zombie! Back to work on the 7th so I hope I will gradually feel better. I hope you do too.
Take care
Marion x
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Hi @louc
Welcome to our lovely HER2+ pack, although I am sorry you have joined the party.
I also had EC x 4 and Paclitaxel x 12, and 7 phesgo injections so far. Switching to kadcyla on Friday.
Phesgo has been ok for me, except that I have a needle phobia! I have used numbing cream to help the long injections. Otherwise side effect wise some shooting pain in the legs on day 3/4 each round, not lasting very long.
I continued to work full time until surgery day so you may be able too. I found work to be a good distraction.
No tummy pain for me sorry I canāt advise on this one. Do speak to your BCN about it.
I hope the next rounds of chemo go smoothly
Hugs
Marion x
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