Oct 1, 2013 diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer

sandra4611 said:

As You Are Researching

As you are researching your cancer, you might come across another website, www.breastcancer.org. There are whole threads on triple negative bc with women going through it now.

Welcome to the family of breast cancer survivors. Everyone is different so some of your side effects will stay the same and you have become better in managing them. Some wil be cumulative still manageable. It a hard journey we will help  and support you

What kind of Chemo are you taking?

hugs

hello, i'm cece, i was diagnosed last yr oct8th but what chemo are you one and what stage were you? i'm not sure if you are on Facebook but if so my name on facebook is

 cheryl montgomery-williams, i check my messages on FB often just incase you have questions or need support, actually your message was on Face book. plus we have lots of groups and people will answer your post as well, please get in touch there is a place for you to ask questions and vent

I too am sorry for newbies to this site.  I never paid too much attention to stats and details of the Big C instead resigned myself to it and the treatments deciding to spend my energy getting through each and every day.  I fought my way out of bed to bath, dress and cook though I felt horrid.  Some days more some days left but I didn't have the energy to continue to work shift work and heavy labor so this was the least I could do.  I had every side affect in the book a one percentile, but would I have done differently the answer is no this is as good as it gets.  I read all the fine print so was well aware of what was happening but doctors were more focused on getting through the treatment phase and ignore the side affects hoping they will just go away.  I am here to say sometimes they don't but we can learn to cope.  I had mastectomy, chemo coctail of 5 drugs, radiation and then a slew of drugs for years including methadone trying to deal with the pain now left with.  Quality of LIFE was all there was left for me...

17 years of survival under my belt and off all that medication dealing with the diseases now left with.  It is what it is and I chose to do it all and try not to drive myself and my family crazy.  I had great support on the phone since moved away from all my family and friends just 6 months before diagnosis to be with lover of 4.5 years.  I had extended family that stepped in and that is truly why I am here...  I am HUMBLED with gratitude like I have never felt before and able to do things that I never dreamed of.

Many people survive incredible odds every day and that is all they are ODDS.

Thinking of you

Tara

I was diagnosed with TNBC 4 years ago - Stage IIa. I understand all too well what you mean when you say it seemed like your "whole world was spinning out of control."  I had a right mastectomy. Then came 4 rounds of A/C and 12 rounds of Taxotere. That was after I had a port put in. I did not have radiation. When all treatment was complete I had 2 reconstruction surgeries.

You did not mention what type of chemotherapy you are being given. You will get more on point responses if you will let us know that. You will almost certainly lose your hair. In general it happens about 14 days after your very 1st round of chemo. It is not just the hair on the head that is affected. You can lose the hair on your arms and legs, underarms, pubic hair, eyelashes, eyebrows and even those tiny hairs in your nose. The hair on my head has grown back nicely even though it is more curly than it was before chemo. My eyebrows are more sparse than they used to be and my eyelashes are shorter and completely colorless - but they are there.

I can only speak from my own experience but I found that the chemo side effects seemed to be cumulative. I was more tired with each round. In addition to the fatigue my eyes watered like a faucet, I lost my sense of taste as well as the desire to eat, was mildly nauseous, occasionally vomited, had diarrhea, lost 8 fingernails and 2 toenails. Not all side effects happened every day. There was something to be said for being overweight to start with since I ended up losing 40 pounds. My blood counts always were good enough that I never had to miss a treatment or get a blood transfusion. I did have to be given IV fluids several times but I was determined to not miss a round and just get it over with. I also never had the mouth sores which are so common or numbness/tingling in my fingers and toes.

The above happened 4 years ago. My husband and I have celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. I have seen my daughter graduate from high school. I helped her move in to her new college dorm (1 month after my last chemo), attended Parents Weekend, and will see her graduate from college this coming June. When I got my diagnosis I never thought I would make it to any of these milestones. You will get through this. Post here and ask any questions you may have or you can just rant and vent if that is what you need.

I wish you the best of luck.

IRENE