New diagnosed and beginning treatment

sheila_milligan
sheila_milligan Member Posts: 1 *
in Breast Cancer #1

Hi. I'm brand new to this site, and unsure about its inner workings and information sharing. But I am definitely just looking for support and information from others with similar experiences.

I was diagnosed a week and a half ago with Triple Negative IDC breast cancer, stage 2, possibly 3. After a week of MRI's, CT scans, and appointments, I'm finally starting chemotherapy tomorrow. The main infusions are Taxol, Carboplatin, and Keytruda.

I would love to hear from anyone who has had similar treatments, and definitely from anyone who would like to share some advice on what I should expect walking in for my first day of treatment.

I'm 29 and BRCA1+, hence the fairly early-ish catch of it. I hope this is all okay to post. I will definitely be going through the many posts on here tonight and throughout the next few months. Thanks in advance to everyone on here. 😊

Comments

  • RocDocVic
    RocDocVic Member Posts: 135 Member
    #2
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/327809/new-diagnosed-and-beginning-treatment

    Welcome aboard. I have HER2+ ER/PR- breast cancer. Invasive ductile carcinoma. Initial stage 2a, grade 2. I had docetaxel, carboplatin, Herceptin and Perjeta for 1st round out of 6. They dropped carboplatin because of all of the severe side effects, but they weren't sure if they were due to docetaxel, carboplatin or both. Still had severe side effects but became a little more manageable with prescription drugs or OTC drugs. Lomotil and Immodium are a must for diarreah. Claritin, benadryl and ibuprofen for the Neulasta shot you get the day after the chemo infusion. Luckily I didn't have nausea or vomiting.

    I also bought a container with compartments for all of my drugs. I kept them grouped by which side effects they would treat.

    After finishing up the 6 cycles of chemo I just had my lumpectomy. The chemo shrank the tumor enough so I qualified for this instead of having a mastectomy. They also took 3 Sentinel lymph nodes for testing of cancer cells. Depending on pathology report I will either be on Herceptin and Perjeta for the next 6 months following radiation, or they'll put me on another chemo drug if residual cancer is found. I'm taking a mental health break and recovery trip to Mexico for 3 weeks before returning for radiation treatments. Chemo really fried me with all of the side effects, lost over 25lbs and developed neuropathy. Not to mention loss of hair.

    Be kind to yourself, eat whatever you can, even if it's desserts or junk food. Keep hydrated especially for 1-2 weeks post chemo treatment to flush the chemo out of your body. I lived on Cranberry juice, Boost for calories and protein, Coca-Cola and water. Soup is good too.

  • jrboone
    jrboone Member Posts: 1 *
    #3

    Hello ladies, I'm new to the site. Also a survivor of TNBC. Since the chemo is pretty strong I'd say use ice on hands and feet to prevent or minimize neuropathy. I used it and feel it did make a difference, only slight neuropathy in my feet now, which is a little over a year following treatment. I found green smoothies helped and I've added them as a permanent part of my diet because they're just so nutritious for the body. Glad to connect here and praying for good health for us all.

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