HER 2 +++ and now 6 years on from diagnosis

[dawnhc]

As another lady who is so thankful for herceptin I just want to emphasise what Anne has said. Unfortunately I was first diagnosed with bc in 1990 before herceptin/her2 was heard of. My bc came back at me again and again first in 1990, then 1996, 1998, 1999, then in many lymph nodes around chest & neck in 2000 and finally in 2002 throughout my bones. At the beginning of 2004 my onc checked out my her2 status and Bingo - yes I was her2+++ and my response to herceptin was very fast - in days the lymph nodes all went down. Am I thankful for herceptin - you bet. And for those of you with primary bc and that year of herceptin it is one of those odd things - is it keeping the bc at bay - you just have to believe it is 'cos it is well worth that year you have to extend your treatment.

Dawn
xx

[Ruby1]

Hi Anne
Great to hear from you and to hear you're doing so well. I also had a similar diagnosis to you and was diagnosed in June 2007. I know that you posting here will help others who are HER2+ so they can see that there is light at the end of the tunnel and there are people doing well. Like you, I knew that Herceptin hadn't long been licenced for primary bc diagnosis so I felt extremely lucky to just get it without a fight and I thank all the amazing people who fought for us HER2+ ladies to get it.
Ruby

[lavendersun]

Hi Anne
Thank you so much for taking the time to post your story.
I was diagnose with HER2+++ in Nov 2012 so at the start of my journey.
Your post gives me hope through this terrible journey.
wishing you long Happy and Healthy Years.
THANK YOU
Jackie xx

[RoadRunner]

Hi Anne,
Nice to see you fit and well. My dx was very similar to yours, and I was six years on in February. Strangely Friday 13 April is also significant for me as that was the day of my first chemo (FEC) and then Friday 13 July was my first Tax. So for me Friday 13th is a good day, as here I am six years later fit and well.

[WAC]

Hi
Thanks for this - very encouraging for those of us at the beginning of the Herceptin journey.
Wendy

[tigerpig]

Hi Anne,
Thanks for posting, good news for all us Her2+women.
I finished my 12 months Herceptin in February.I too feel very lucky to have got Herceptin.
Congrats on news about becoming a grandmother soon
Heather

[AnneG]

Bumping this to get it show on latest posts!

[AnneG]

6 years ago today I was told I had breast cancer. I didn't get the biopsy results until Friday 13th April when I discovered it was ER/PR/HER2 all positive and grade 3. So I had a WLE, SNB, chemo, 6 weeks of rads and then a year of Herceptin. I felt lucky to have Herceptin as it had only been licensed for primary cancer for a few months. I started on Arimidex but changed to Aromasin later because, for me, there are less side effects. I'm still on Aromasin as I have been told that for those of us with very aggresive cancer, it appears to be beneficial to stay on it for longer than the 5 years that was discussed at first.
When I started out, I didn't really expect to be here to post this now as the outlook for HER positive women wasn't good prior to Herceptin being available. However, for those of you who have been diagnosed more recently, perhaps I can provide some reassurance. I'm still here, and very fit and healthy. I have seen both my daughters married in the last couple of years and am about to become a grandmother for the first time!
Good luck and best wishes to all of you
Anne