Scared to have chemo. Is anyone in their 50s her2+ grade 3 er+. HOW have you coped.

I am 63.;Grade 2 invasive ductal 19mm. HER2+, E8, P0. Started chemo last Tuesday, FEC x 3 cycles. Doing fine atm. Jo 

Will be moving onto T for 3 cycles, plus Herceptin. And Radiotherapy. X

Hi,

I had 6 rounds of TCHP from September to December and am still having Herceptin every 3 weeks. I found it difficult but had at least 10 good days out of the 3 weeks where I could carry on as normal. I think as long as you can get prepared and stock up fridge and freezer. I’m not on my own but have an adult daughter with learning difficulties so it was difficult.

I ve now had my radiotherapy and am beginning to think about returning to work and feeling more like my usual self although I still have anxious days. The Herceptin jabs haven’t been a problem for me.

The cancer might come back but might not and you could be out enjoying your walks for a long time to come.

Take care 

Gillie x

breast.predict.nhs.uk/tool this is what your oncologist uses. 

Should of said that there are also a couple of blogs on this site with lots of good information. X

Hello Asblueas

Sorry that you are feeling crap about the future today. I am about 10yrs older than you. I also had HER2+ slightl ER+ BC which had spread to nodes. I had neoaduvant chemo, then surgery, radiotherapy, AI inhibitors (for five years), Zometa and  Herceptin and pertuzumab (19.cycles). I just finished the last of the latter two a couple of weeks ago. Initial chemo was EC then Docetaxol. 

I am 17 months since diagnosis and doing well. I can do everything I previously did. I am glad to be alive and feel optimistic for the future. I do not dwell on the chances of a recurrence and my plan for life, however long or short, is to move forward and make the best of it. After all, even for folk without BC, real life happens and any of us could get run over by a bus next time we are out.

We are all different and my worry at an early stage on this rollercoaster was the opposite of yours. I was afraid that I would not be offered all of the possible treatment options for my HER2 condition because of age, Covid, NHS constraints etc. Chemo is tough, there is no getting away from it, but for me it was not as bad as I feared beforehand. I did online grocery shopping and just took each day as it came. A couple of days, I didn't even bother getting out of bed. However, that was just a couple of days out of 18weeks. 

I found walking was a great help. Starting off by just going round the block and building-up to doing 10-12Km regularly. I find it good for mood and for building stamina again.

Now, I am not going to be letting the BC episode define me for the rest of my life.

Try not to have a closed mind to treatment. Speak to your oncologist, listen to what she says and share your fears frankly with her. There are lots of charities who can offer help and support. Not least, the ladies here.

Good luck whatever you decide.

WallyDug

Hello

I had her2 positive and had it in a node as well. I have 7 rounds of chemotherapy and herceptin for a year. I was terrible at diagnosis as was convinced I would die immediately.  I wanted everything they could throw at me and took it. It made me feel rubbish some days but other days I would be out walking the dog and cooking,  doing normal stuff. Also my x husband was cheating on me and has subsequently left me.

However,  I will not let any of this break me, I vowed to myself,  it would make me. I appreciate life more now after experiencing something that if I hadn't had treatment,  would have definitely killed me. 

Please value yourself and fight as hard as you can. You will get thru this and be a better person for it. You will meet great people during your treatment as well. I'm 2 years, 5 months past diagnosis now and yes some days I worry it will come back but then again it might not! Please give this all you have and you will feel OK at the end. I'm back at work full time and do everything I want to do.

Keep going 

Julie x

Please do not refuse treatment, the NHS only offer treatment when they believe it will have real benefit, they don't spend money unnecessarily.  Chemo is not as bad as it's press and herceptin is not a chemo drug and is not hard to tolerate.  This is the price of life and it is a life worth living but if you don't accept their offer of treatment you might well regret it in years to come.  None of us know if our cancers will come back so we all have to live in hope, if your cancer returns you will be so sorry that you made this decision, please take every treatment you are offered, there are thousand of amazing women on this site that will offer you support, they might not be able to make you a cup of tea but their support will be worth more than that and beofre you know it you will be supporting other terrified women who have just been told they have BC.  PLEASE.

Ditto 

Chemo does sound terrifying because we don’t know how we will react individually and our mental images of it are often frightening and definitely worse than reality. The good thing for us all  is how expert the chemo nurses are, and also that there’s a fix for the common side effects. To feel more in control, I read about the side effects of my drugs and found out what I could do to help myself and what to ask if I couldn’t sort it. One thing I could do to help myself was exercise every day when I could. Not talking anything mind blowing, but just walking, and a bit more than that on my best days in the cycle. It’s great that you are already a walker. It helps to eat well and healthily if you can. Rest when you need to and nap in the day if you are tired. I fasted to 800 calories for the days around and during chemo to limit side effects and aid recovery and that really helped me, but it’s not for everyone. You do get more tired as you go through it, but it is very doable. The first one is the hardest because you don’t know what to expect, but it’s not as bad as you think. 

I had grade 3, ER positive cancer and was told the same as you - to have it. I had EC every 2 weeks for 4 cycles, then paclitaxel every 2 weeks for 4 cycles. The hardest thing for me has been the fatigue which gets slightly more each time, but am now 3 weeks after my last chemo and am feeling that I am recovering well but pacing myself carefully. 

there’s loads of support. You can sign up for it and stop at any time if you really can’t handle it, but I wonder if once you get on the chemo treadmill, you will get in the zone and really surprise yourself.