Just diagnosed with triple negative

Triple Negative, also
Hello Renee,

Welcome. I'm very sorry for the reason you're here, but you will find support from loving, caring women (and some husbands). There are a whole lot of women diagnosed with this type of bc. Even though everyone's story is a little different, we all know how you're feeling and the fear that you have. You can and will beat this disease! I'm going to be honest with you. TN can be a very dangerous type of bc, and the statistics can be alarming, but research has proven that TN responds very well to chemo. You will see all kinds of "scary" info on TN, but most women do very well when it's caught early.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions or raise any concerns that you may have. You'll probably get several answers back, but we will tell you what we can from our experiences.

I hope all goes well for you on this journey you have been forced to take.

Great big hugs,

Reese

Your not alone!
Renee - I was also recently diagnosed in early August. My cancer is in stage 2b and probably in both breasts. I am in the process of deciding what to do first (chemo or surgery). I feel devastated inside but what keeps me going is all the people that are pushing me to stay strong and positive. That is all you can do and in the meantime on the days that you do feel better, take advantage of it and spend time doing the things you really enjoy in life!!

Wish you luck my friend.

taberfan said:

Just diagnosed with triple negative
I was diagnosed with Triple Negative in February 2010. I had my yearly mammogram on November 18, 2009 and it came back clear. In the third week of January 2010, I found a lump. I gave it one week to disappear; it didn't. I had a lumpectomy on February 16 and a mastectomy of one breast on March 17. I had the mastectomy because they didn't get clean margins with the lumpectomy, and also because they thought my MRI showed 2 very small growths on the other side of the breast. I am currently having chemo, but I will not need radiation.

I know first hand that a triple negagive diagnosis is scary, but there are a lot of triple negative long-term survivors out there. Be careful of what you read on some sites of the internet. There is a lot of wrong information and it can be very scary. You can and you will beat this! You have come to a great group for support.

Chemo Question
Taberfan, Just curious what kind of chemo you're receiving? My sister had her first appt with an oncologist yesterday, with 2nd opinion scheduled for next week. She also is TN, had mastectomy, no node involvment. Thanks.

taberfan said:

Chemo Question
Help4Sis, I also had no node involvement. I am in a clinical study, and I was scheduled to have 15 weeks of doxorubicin but could only take 12 due to low white cell counts. I took cyclophosphamide (cytoxen) pills daily except for the weeks when I had low white cell counts, along with Filgrstim (neupogen) shots 6 days a week. I then had a 2 week break, and then started paclitaxel. I have treatments every other week for 12 weeks, with an injection of pegfilgrastim (nuelasta) the next day. I am scheduled to complete my chemo on October 28.

If I can provide you with any other help or information, please do not hestiate to let me know.

Best wishes to your sister.

Shirley

Thanks for the reply
Thanks, Shirley! This is a treatment that I haven't heard of yet, but, we are just getting into the stage where we're looking up the chemo options.

renee1822 said:

I'm glad I'm not alone
That is exactly how I felt and everybody too is also pushing me. Mine is stage 2 with 4 nodes removed all were negative. I never got a choice my doctor said the lump needed to come out and I needed chemo then radiation. Everything just happened so fast I could not think I was just numb and my head was spinning. Then I found this site and so glad I did, it gave me some encouragment from others. Best of luck to you too my friend!

Dont let
anyone push you. Its alot to absorb...ask questions and if something does not seem right, keep questioning. MD Andersons website is a good source for information...they are the tops in cancer treatment and research.

My wife was diagnosed in April 10 and didnt have her surgery until June. She is stage 2 IDC TN bilateral.

renee1822 said:

Me too
I went for a mammogram in October 2009 and all was clear. I found my lump in late July and same as you waited to see if it would clear up and it did not, so off to the doctor I go. the next thing I knew I was getting the lump removed, then the docs decided they wanted more clear margin and also took 4 lymph nodes (all negative). So now Friday I start chemo and then radiation.

Thank you for your encouraging words, I'm glad I found this site. Everyone here is amazing.
My best to you.

Me too
Best wishes on starting chemo on Friday.

renee1822 said:

So glad for the support
I'm glad this site is here, I have been reading alot of stories on here and there is alot of caring people, I know I came to the right place. There are so many amazing people here.

Hugs to you
Darlene

Just want to say hi to you
Just want to say hi to you and to let you know that we are all here to support you.

Praying for you,

Debby