Hi all
Just thought I’d post this news - I’m one for celebrating cautiously and quietly. Had my oncologist check up today and all looking good.
I was diagnosed in June 2007 and began chemotherapy in July 2007.
I had a 4-5cm lump on my breast and a large lump in the lymph nodes under my arm. The chemo shrunk it all right down to almost nothing. I then had a mastectomy and lymph node removal in November 2007 followed by a year of Herceptin. I finished all treatment in November 2008.
According to my oncologist things are looking good. This made me feel a whole lot better as I’d been finding things a little hard mentally. I had a CT scan back in March this year and nothing out of the ordinary was found which is also great.
Just wanted to share this with you and give any newbies hope that things can be ok.
Hi, Ruby
thanks for posting. I have just had my second Herceptin, following MX in April, 8xFEC and 15 RADS. I have not been anything but positive once treatment began.
Oh thank you, thank you thank you Ruby. My diagnosis a year ago was pretty heavy (cancer bio on profile). I’d say I was a realist in terms of looking at the future. It’s lovely to find others with high risk factors who are doing fine so far on taking the time to post. I hope to be in a position to do the same in years to come. xxx
Thanks for your post. I was diagnosed in March 09 and just had my last Herceptin on Tuesday. I’m just about to fly solo and it’s so good to hear about people who are living disease free after treatment.
Just want to second what everyone else has said. I am 34 and was diagnosed in Sept and currently going through chemo. I am too Her2+ so it is great to hear a ‘good news’ story. I read on here a few weeks ago from someone who said that with everyone she knew who was Her2+, it had come back, so as you can imagine, this really frightened me. But it’s so great to hear you are doing well.
I really wanted to let you HER2+++ ladies know how far I’ve come because I know that you often don’t hear anything positive about being positive!
There are a lot of HER2+++ people who are fine but just aren’t members of BCC or were members but no longer post. I remember when I was first diagnosed and I was reading about people further down the line doing well and that spurred me on and really helped me and I really thank them for that.
many thanks Ruby for the positive message. I have herceptin no. 11 next week and am looking forward to May when I hope to have the final one. Its hard to not think about it sometimes while treatment is still going on but I also try to stay positive in the belief that it can only help. Happy new year to you all.
I was diagnosed 2005 HER2+++ hormone negative. I had one lymph node involved and vascular invasion. I had mast, 6 x FEC followed by one year of Herceptin which finished early in 2007… Five years on I am NED and cautiously optimistic!
Good luck to you all with your treatment and there is hope although the treatment may be rough!!
Reading your post has given me hope, thank you soo much. I was diagnosed last year with bi-lateral BC Her2+++. Had right MX and left WLE no node involvement. Just finished my chemo and waiting for Rads to begin in May. I thought I would be relieved when then chemo finished but I feel even more anxious. I just keep thinking about recurrence and if and when it will happen. Its like I want it to happen. They say the risk is higher with Her2+++ right, but I have known some people with ER+ who have had recurrence as well.
I have begun Herceptin and keep praying that it works out to be the wonder drug they say it is. Was never given a CT or MRI scan as consultants felt no need for this. This has made me even more anxious. How will I know that its all gone after treatment? my BC appeared within 14months of a mammogram, carried out because of famliy history. Future seems so scary and uncertain, dont know how to begin a normal life again. I seem to have forgotten what my life was like prior to diagnosis. Its like learning to walk again.
I am 39years with 3 kids, 15,12 and 5. I so want to be here for them.
Amethyst5,
My kids are 15, 12 and 6yrs. Very similar to yours. I am on my 5th herceptin cycle. Have just had a mx and node clearance. Like you, I find it impossible not to wonder sometimes whether I will see my youngest to 15, like her sister, or whether I will see their graduations etc etc.
The way I see it, is I didn’t have a 100% chance of that BEFORE my diagnosis, so, I need to just try and get on with it. As someone said on a different thread, you have to, or there is no point. Herceptin is reckoned to give you similar odds to being ER+. I am ER+ as well, so I’m not sure how that works!
Tracey
TSR,
I was also ER+ but marginally, have been prescribed Tamoxifen to take alongside with Herceptin. Was a little aprehensive at first about having to cope with two lots of side effects, as well as recovering from the Chemo SEs. My consultant said i would benefit from the tamoxifen as well.
I am really scared about this whole HER2 thing and having been diagnosed with bi-lateral BC from the start makes me even more worried, it makes me feel more worse off. I am trying not to focus on the future too much and just take each day as it comes. But is so difficult when you have young children who still need you.
How did you cope with the prognosis given by your consultant. Mine said I would be alive in ten yrs time. Does he think I will only live another ten years? He said given my diagnosis, grade and stage these are the stats. ‘Thank you very much for your support’ I said.
My onc says ill die of old age, twaddle says i you cant know that. No one can know the stats say 75% chance of being alive in 15 years. Well stats etc mean nothing to me. How can they know we are all different with our cancers they cant know for sure of anything. Take each day as it comes and live it to the full as the one sure thing in life is one of those days will be your last no matter what the cause.
Amethyst5,
The 10 year thing, was your oncologists way of trying to be reassuring. That is as far as most of these stats go. They reckon if you get that far, you will probably be ok! HER2+++ cancers are at high risk of recurrence in the first few years. So, as time goes on, you should feel reassured.
On saying that, the cold hard facts offer little reassurance when you are on the wrong side of the consultation table. I was scared when I first found out about the HER2+++ thing. But herceptin treatment is fantastic, it is literally life-saving. I hope you are ok. I still have my wobbly days, but on the whole, as Hatty said, we just have to get on with it and enjoy life,
Tracey