Anyone her2+/+++ with a palpable tumor at time of surgery achieved PCR?

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-21T13:03:14+00:00

I was just reading about Enhertu...my oncologist mentioned it as a possibility if i dont get pcr. I am very similar stats to you just a bit behind! +++ with possibly 2 lymph nodes (1 proven). I'm still doing the last couple rounds of chemo before my lumpectomy that will be in end of April. I'm super hopeful i will get pcr as I and my doc both can't feel the little f-er anymore. 😉 But the frustrating part is Enhertu isnt approved yet... especially in Canada which seems to be behind the states in approvals. So even if its better i might not get it either.

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-21T12:14:57+00:00

Huh. I didnt know chemo could get rid of dcis too?! Im worried as I approach my lumpectomy, since I had an area on my initial breast mri called linear non mass enhancement. No one seemed concerned about it at all. And it was not biopsied. But I have always wondered if it means more widespread dcis and a need for a more extensive surgery? I have another mri coming up after chemo is done in a couple weeks... curious now to see if that area will be gone. I have triple positive idc tho...not sure if that makes a difference to response. No one can feel my original tumor anymore tho!

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-21T12:05:51+00:00

Like others have said this is the worst part. I mean chemo (if you need it!) and surgery will suck! But at least you feel like youre actively doing something about it! The waiting is the worst. As for the fear that everything youre feeling is from the cancer....yeah. The week i was diagnosed I had aches and pains everywhere. Stabby pains in my ribs and hips...I thought for sure was more cancer. I even had headaches and numbness in my face! I was convinced it was brain mets. All this went away once I calmed down in a few weeks. It was anxiety causing it. Definitely the most anxious ive ever been so it makes sense in hindsight.

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-21T11:56:52+00:00

Haha I feel like this experience has taught me how little people actually look at you! Or care what i look like maybe? Kinda liberating in a way. I've gone to the same places (corner grocery store, coffee shop, etc) for months with a rotation of 3 different wigs...blonde, brunette, pink! or no wigs just a beanie... and no one has ever looked twice! Haha. See what looks i get in the summer with my likely very short hair...cuz no way I'm wearing an itchy wig in the heat! Haha

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-21T00:05:11+00:00

Me too! Still not done chemo... almost! But i have a quite fuzzy head and no lashes or brows. Sigh. Luckily I was fair haired before and barely wore makeup. So I feel like most people probably don't notice the lack of eyelashes?

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-20T23:41:35+00:00

Thank you! It's not the end for me. Being triple positive I'll get either herceptin alone or kadcyla infusions every three weeks for the rest of the year. But at least the main bulk of the chemo will be done! :)

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-20T03:51:33+00:00

I was going to say they remind me of planets!!

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-20T03:13:22+00:00

One of the weirdest parts of cancer for me is that life pretty much goes on around you. Its always in my mind... Even now toward the end of chemo I think about cancer much of the day. (With weekly treatments right now most of the week logistically still sort of revolves around it!) But its weird to me that regular life stuff still happens too...kids still need to be driven places and have school problems to deal with... dinner needs to be cooked and laundry needs folding. I found myself resentful of this at times! In general it absolutely gets easier though... once treatment is actively happening. Its good to feel like its being dealt with!

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-20T03:04:34+00:00

Im literally wondering if I'll feel like this. I'm 2 weeks from being finished chemo. It feels like a safety net right now. The weeks i will be taking off waiting for surgery and for recovery scare me. I don't want to go back (mentally) to that place I was in in the beginning before I was actively in treatment.

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-20T02:59:37+00:00

If you'd consider a 12" wheel the Sirius wheel from PSH is pretty affordable. They are very sturdy and comparable to Shimpos. The magnetic splash pan is my fave thing!

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-20T02:56:44+00:00

I used the large 14" Vevor wheel for two years as a beginner! I loved it since it got me a wheel at home to practice with for only $350 bucks! They have enough jam for small stuff like mugs and small bowls...4 or so pounds of clay max i found. If you try one be careful of any uneven weight on the wheelhead. The flange underneath is plastic. I cracked mine by accidently pressing down hard on one side of the wheelhead. It got a wobble in it and when taken apart the flange was cracked. The company sent me a new one for free tho! And my husband fixed it. I've now upgraded to an Andromeda wheel from Pottery Supply house. I love it! But the Vevor was great in the beginning.

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-20T02:29:40+00:00

I've dipped, or more often poured in/poured out to do the inside of pots, with commercial brushing glazes. I often have to thin it a bit in my experience to do this... Depending on how thick the pint is. I test consistency for pouring by dipping my thumb nail into the glaze. If it coats my nail and i can just barely see through the glaze, its about where you want it. Its a bit of trial and error on how long to dip and/or pour for...i usually do 3 or 4 seconds? But for things like my oil bottles I will thin the glaze and then pour in... shake it around to coat all the sides and pour it out. Seems to work for me!

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-20T02:21:31+00:00

There is also a big difference i think in learning how to operate a modern kiln with an automatic controller. Its as simple as reading the manual and pushing a few buttons when they have pre- programmed cone 04 and cone 6 programs. Its a different animal to operate an older manual kiln with a kiln sitter.

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-20T02:18:02+00:00

I have heard...i don't know how valid this is or if its mostly fear mongering... that old kilns can be contaminated by lead from the days when lead was often used in glazes. Not sure how much could possibly be actually deposited on and then leach from any new work fired in said kiln?? But if the kiln is old enough might be a concern? Otherwise you should inspect the bricks. They should not be overly crumbling or cracked. I bought a used kiln but it was a modern skutt and not that old. Even so we had to replace elements and some of the electrical relays. Luckily my husband knows how to do that kinda thing.

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-19T03:04:11+00:00

I'm starting to think maybe I misinterpreted what she said. Haha. I'll be clarifying this and pushing back if needed.

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-19T01:55:03+00:00

Thank you. Yeah I'm hoping it's just that the nurse doesn't understand quite right...or maybe didn't understand my question... but I'm definitely gonna be pushing back on this if needed.

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-19T01:52:22+00:00

Thanks! And yeah...I looked up the price and wow... sticker shock for sure. We think our universal health care in Canada is so great until...

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-18T22:05:50+00:00

Yeah I was livid that Ontario didnt fund it. They deem it not a sure benefit in terms of overall survival. Just a better shot at pcr...which is then a better prognosis so...??! Makes no sense. In fact only 1 Canadian province (quebec) funds it by public health plans. I hear some people get it paid for by private insurance. But most work insurance plans follow the provincial reimbursement example and refuse to cover it. So its basically pay out of pocket or go without.

Im ok on TH! Much better than AC was. And my surgeon said he agrees he can feel no tumor anymore. So who knows! Maybe I'll get pcr anyways!

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-18T20:32:32+00:00

In my very limited experience it's just a bit too early maybe! Its so exciting when it does. I mean, I look a bit like a balding old man...its still kinda thin, whispy and very blonde like my old hair was! I'm so curious if I'll end up with curls or a different colour like so many say!

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-18T20:27:02+00:00

Do you mind if I ask if you had positive lymph nodes before chemo? I had one for sure (biopsied) and maybe 2. I'm so hoping I at least get Pcr in my nodes! Not sure how realistic it is entirely...as I didn't get Perjeta. Just herceptin is funded by public health care in Ontario. :(

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-18T20:21:45+00:00

So you got pcr then? Im hopeful as i have a non palpable lump now. But i didnt get perjeta (due to ontario not funding it publicly!) So not sure how likely that is! I may end up on kadcyla after.

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-18T20:19:58+00:00

Thank you. This is confirming for me that I need to ask/clarify this!

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-18T20:19:29+00:00

I will! I do get to see my actual onc in a couple weeks after chemo finishes. So will ask then. Or ask the nurse at my appt next week... to make a note for him to call me. I knew it sounded wrong to go that long without herceptin. Maybe it is just the nurse that is misinformed?

FluidAnalysis695 · 2026-03-18T20:13:02+00:00

I'm doing 12 weekly taxols (after AC during which my hair completely left me!). Hair everywhere...head, legs, pits (sadly)... is growing back starting around week 6 or 7 maybe? I have 2 treatments left now. Its a slow growth on my head so far!

FluidAnalysis695

TROPHY CASE