Herceptin
I’ve had a few conversations with family members lately that indicate that I’m not doing a very good job at explaining my treatment plan. They obviously don’t read my blog!!!
So yesterday I had my first of the “magic juice” that is Herceptin. I have finished the 8 rounds of chemo that tear everything down – like a “cleansing” in a mustard gas kind of way – and now I have 13 rounds of my sniper chemo. Herceptin targets the Her2-neu cells in my system, which are the ones that encourage recurrence. Those cells, when you think of a terrorist organization, are the recruiters, the masterminds. Herceptin is the drug that will take those cells out.
The beauty is that there’s supposedly very few side effects with this one. I don’t know if that’s the case, or if it’s just so much less painful than the previous 8 rounds, but so far so good! I had my first infusion yesterday, and so far all I am is stiff. So today I’m going to go for a long walk to work it through my system.
If you have some time, I would like to encourage you to watch “Living Proof”. Here is the link to it. It’s a movie about how Herceptin came to be. It’s really good. Please watch!!
13 rounds of Herceptin takes me until June. I also have 28 rounds of daily radiation from October 13-November 20. Then surgery after Christmas.
The docs only concern is how much all of this will affect my heart. So, walking I shall go! I hope you all have a fabulous day. You should go get a mammogram!!!