Herceptin

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hi all … i was givebn my resukts 2 weeks ago and was told i have to have Herceptin . but ive done so much reading up on this and it can cause heart damage . ive told my onc i dont want it because of all the side afffects … has anyone else turned this done and am i doing the right thing x

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Hi angel77

 

I have just been told today that i will haveto have herceptin. I look on it as if it is going to help i will have it.

 

I think from reading it is only rare cases where heart problems occur, and you are monitored regularly prior to and during treatment.

 

Personally i will go with it but everyone has a choice i suppose.

 

Wendy xxx

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Hi Angel

I have herceptin…I know it is scary but to me the benefits outweigh the risks

I am a nurse and believe me I researched everything and made my decision - on what was best for me…and to be honest I would have been distraught if I could not have it - the research proves this gives us a better chance of a cure and over the past years many have benefited from the reseach of others less fortunate to have it years ago

 

if you read up on all the other chemo side effects they too can damage the heart and you  wouldn’t want that too…so many can damage the heart …but they are usually reversable. With the regular scans of your heart they will monitor you regularly and stop as your heart recovers…and resume once your heart recovers - this may not happen…

 

I have just started the Herceptin … the herceptin will be the life saver.…it will  bind to the HER2 (receptors) on the tumour cell surface and this stops the receptor signalling the cell to grow and divide.

It will also Signal to the immune system:  Certain immune system cells, called natural killer (NK) cells, attach to Herceptin when it is bound to the tumour cells. The NK cells then detect an abnormality, and kill the tumour cell.

Finally it will work with chemotherapy:  Herceptin and chemotherapy work in different ways, but when given together, the two drugs can form a partnership (synergy) so kill tumour cells more effectively than either Herceptin or chemotherapy when given alone.

 

I know this is just my opinion…but hope it gives you some food for thought.

Lots of best in reaching your decision - Donna xx

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Hi, I’m on dose 8 of my herceptin, 29 years old and yesterday I got a call oafter my echo to say my heart is failing. I need to go on medication to help prevent further damage. Has anyone else had this problem? I just want to know how it will affect my day to day life

 

Thanks

Kander

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Thanks to both of you who replied. I’ve not been told to take a break in treatment, instead it’s been postponed for a week so I have time to go to the gp to get my medication, I’m to have another echo after 2 more herceptin doses but carrying like normal