My update on my treatment holiday , radiation to the neck area & the next plan of action .
The break from treatment has been very beneficial for me , I feel stronger than I have for a year . My Ibrance dosage had be lowered a couple times over the past year and I had to take extra weeks off in between due to low neutrophils. My guess is that it quit working in the late spring . The last scan showed progression to some liver Mets and some swollen lymph nodes .I had 5 radiation treatments to the neck area so far this has managed to shrink the neck mass 1 cm and I am feeling so much better . The sinus headaches, post nasal drip and constant dry cough , constant nausea have decreased .yeah !
I am having a port installed this Wednesday ( Merry Christmas to Me lol ) and start an IV a chemo combination of Paclitaxel ( Taxol ) , Trastuzumab ( Herceptin ) & Pertuzumab ( Perjeta ) the first week in January.
If anyone has any experience with this combo I would love to hear from you . Any tips are appreciated .
Sorry you’re changing your treatment. You’ve been around long enough to know that the chemo part is not going to be fun. However I’m on just perjeta and herceptin now and it’s not bad at all. I don’t have hardly any side effects. I’ve been on just these 2 for 17 months. I had 8 rounds of taxotere with perjeta and herceptin for 6 months prior back in feb of 2019. Taxotere was rough. It has worked well for me so far and I hope it works for you too.
I was on ibrance to start with back in nov of 2018 and then it was discovered that I was actually her2 positive. Herceptin and perjeta are a lot easier than ibrance. Just get through the abraxance part and you’ll feel almost normal again.
Thank you so much Stacy for sharing your experience. So was your treatment changed from ibrance to IV chemo because of progression or HER2 positive diagnosis ? Did you have much nausea and diarrhea ?
And you are correct I have been around this block before but it was a different cocktail and I was 18 years younger lol . My oncologist doesn’t seem to think I will have any problems tolerating it , I am a little more skeptic . But we will see .
Yes. It was changed because it spread to my other lung. My original tumor in my breast was her2- but my lung Mets we’re discovered to be her2+.
I didn’t have much nausea (Zofran was my friend) but I did and still do have diarrhea. I’m not sure if that’s all due to treatment. I’ve always had stomach issues. It’s not bad enough that it keeps me from doing things. I rarely take any meds for diarrhea. I just know when I finish eating I’m probably going to have to go to the bathroom.
I think you’re going to do fine. I don’t know much about abraxane but that piece will probably be dropped after so many rounds and you’ll continue on just the other 2. So there will be a light at the end of the tunnel to look forward to.
I’m sorry that you are getting all those medsBut they can put you in remission. What is your cancer type? Good luck with it and my prayers are with you.
I have Er positive , Pr positive , Her2 positive so triple positive MBC a that is in bones, lung (small nodes) , some Lymph nodes ( neck area ) and now 3 Mets in liver have been seen on last scan . I have been told that there is a possibility for a remission which would be really nice . But time will tell . Luann
Good Morning to you! Love your whimsical decorations. I am from Ontario also. And at the same juncture regarding meds. Just trying Ibrance one more time. One week on, one week off against the advice of my oncologist. My metastases are different than yours. I have bone and one lung. I have a scan coming up in early January, so we shall see. Wishing you well on your new treatment. Hope you can keep us posted on your progress.
Thanks Luann. Wishing you a good holiday as well. It will be just my husband and son. My two daughters, son in law and granddaughter won't travel from Burlington to Barrie because of the virus. We will have a Skype video call. Cheers, June S.
For us it will be our son and his dog Daisy . Very quiet . Hopefully in the spring we will get to gather a little more . But we are doing ok so that means the world . Thank goodness for technology.
The triplet of drugs you'll be given is typically very effective, and is recommended as initial therapy for HER2+ MBC. Since yours changed from HER2- to HER2+, it's a viable choice. Hoping it provides excellent results, ans sending very best wishes!
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pertuzumab &trastuzumab every 3 weeks after completing paclitaxel treatments can anyone share how they tolerated this treatment ? 
low white blood cells on Ibrance
Change of plans 
Epidural tumor
