Calling all TNs

shereejoy

I had 3 tumours in my right breast hence a mastectomy (multifocal disease). My biggest tumour was 5cm.

I had all lymph nodes removed and 13 of my 26 were infected with cancer.

I am 36 with 2 young children (boys aged 3 and 5).\

My chemo treatment is 3 x FEC and 3 x TAXATERE (every 3 weeks). Will be up to my 4th on the 9th of June. Been terribly sick!

Also will more then likely have 6 weeks of radiation.

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma diagnosed 9th March 2011.

alexanjb

blondlawyer-my heart goes out to you.  You have too many types of grieving all at once.  No fair.  None of it is.  I think when most of us say that Taxol is easy it is because we have had the AC first.  I had assumed AC was rougher but maybe whatever we have first is the roughest.  I found my dogs to be a huge comfort and motivator.  And yes, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

shereejoy-you have a tough row to hoe as well, trying to care for 2 small children through this.  I hope you have a good support system.  I am sure your boys are great comfort and motivation, but also into anything and everything at those ages.  It is probably hard for you to get the extra rest you need. 

SunnyCoconut

Lynn - Im glad you like my avitar.  Come on down to Florida and I will make you a batch of Pina Coladas myself!

I keep thinking I should change that picture but that was when I just found out I had cancer.  I took my mom on a little 4 day cruise to the Bahamas and I was trying to think of how I was going to tell her.  I eventually got it out but that Pina Colada was the tastiest I ever had.  I don't know if it was the location, the company (mom), the emotions, or the bartender!  Anyway, the picture is bittersweet, it was also one of the last pictures with my hair!  Now I look about 20 years older!

Suze35

I am so saddended to see so many newbies , but am glad to know we are here to provide support.

blondlawyer - My sincere condolences on your continuing tragedies.  Nobody should lose a loved one so young, and then to get this...not fair.

shereejoy - I have three young kids myself, so I understand completely how difficult this is for you.

Sunny Coconut - I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale and spent my summers in the Keys...ahh...I know Pina Colada's well.  YUM.

Sorry for the drive-by - off to car shop .

blondelawyer

Thanks for the encouragement.  This is such a blow and I feel like someone took my life, turned it all upside down, stomped it to bits, and threw it back at me.  I cared for my husband for 12 years and walked with him through many medical battles (he had cystic fibrosis) and now find myself a widow with breast cancer at the age of 33.  It is the most lonely place I have ever been.  I have days where I want to fight and other days when I just want to give up--not sure what today will be!

MBJ

ksmathews:  Welcome to the group!

BlondeLawyer:  Wow, I am sending you a huge cyber hug because that has got to be so rough.  I hope you have family and friends around to help you through this.  I had two tumors equalling almost 5 cm and adjuvent chemo shrunk it to almost nothing and what they took out was completely dead.  I only had it on one side and I am now doing really well.  If you are constipated, get yourself some MagO7--it totally got me through my last 5 chemos--wished I had it for my first.  You start taking it the same night you start your steroids then gradually lower the dose until you are off of it.  You will be fine even though you have a broken heart we are all here to help lift your sprits through this trying time.  My dr. told me that I needed to find something that made me happy to get up every morning and greet the day.  Whatever that is for you--focus on what will make you happy in spite of your loss.  Hugs!

Kymn:  Chemo sucks, there is no way around it but we are all here cheering you on to the finish line--We must throw you a cyber party for sure!!! Hugs!  

ksmatthews

blondelawyer- (((hugs))) It is bad enough you lost your husband at such a young age, but that you have to deal with BC on top of that.  Just stay strong!

Luah

Geesh, been off of here for a couple of days, and so much catching up to do - I love how this thread moves along.

blondelawyer: More (((hugs))).  What do they say, "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger"? Tough to believe that with all you've been through, but I'm betting you're one strong woman. Wishing you so much better from here on forward...

shereejoy: Srry you had to join us, but glad you did. Does that makes sense? We're here for you!

Suze35: Man the MG sounds mighty nice. You go, girl.

You may recall me mentioning that I was part of a clinical study looking at the effects of exercise on woman going through chemo for breast cancer. It was a great program offered through my cancer centre and a local rehab unit. Today, some of us met up for lunch... Sadly, one couldn't make it because of surgery for a recurrence - the only other TN in the group - That aside, it was really nice to see these ladies again - and their full heads of hair lol!

Suze35

So we LOOOOVED the car, lol.  Racing green, chrome bumpers, new top.  The body was in excellent condition - no rust where it counts.  Might need some work on brakes and transmission, but very driveable.  The owner is asking a reasonable price - body condition is everything for these cars, as parts are easy to obtain.  We will have a mechanic check it out next week, then hopefully, it is MINE.  minemineminemine.  LOL, can you tell I'm excited??  When I do get one - I'll be sure to post a pic!

Luah - I'm so sorry to hear about your friend and her recurrence.  It is such a crapshoot, it is hard to believe.  My thoughts are with her - thankfully, even TNs are living longer with Stage IV.

Luah

Suze35:  OMG - that Brit racing green?! I'm sure you'll need to plan a road trip, seeing all your sisters.

Sugar77

What an active thread today...it's taken a while just to catch up.  

shereejoy - welcome to the thread.

blondlawyer - I don't know what to say...so sorry you're having to go through bc after your husband passed away. It's not fair. Glad to meet you and you'll get lots of support here.

Luah - I remember you mentioning the clinical trial for exercise when we were going through chemo. That's scary that your friend has had a recurrence.  I'm assuming (..and hoping) it's local in nature and not distant.  

Suze35 - the car sounds fabulous. Post a picture!

The other day I went for my three month clincal exam with my GP and all felt fine. Whew!  Now I can breath a sign of relief until the next dr. appointment. 

TiffanyF4

LYNN - Yes those are by babies in my Avatar. That was last Easter. A park in our town has a field of Daffodiles that come up, and it's a great place to take spring pictures! My kids are like any other kids they fuss and fight but they truly love each other. I caught this picture as the were holding hands walking through the flowers. This avatar doesn't give it justice it is very sweet, as are they.

TiffanyF4

blondelawyer - Sorry you have found your self here. However, you will find tremendous support, friendship and information here. Feel free to PM me anytime with questions along the way. Hang in there!

Titan

Suze..your new car sounds great!  Brakes?  who needs brakes..never use them.  I seriously drive like a bat out of he*LL...I don't know why..I know it is stupid..I cannot stand slow drivers ..IF I'm going to die from something other than breast cancer it will be a car accident...I freak out everyone when they ride with me.

Welcome to all you new ladies...hang in there..we will be there for you..ok?????

cc4npg

Just popping in to say I'm thinking of you all.  I check the thread every once in a while, but trying to get back some of the person I used to be before everything happened over the last 5 years.  I am very sorry to see so many new people joining the thread... glad you found us, but very sad to hear your news.  With all the technology we have and we still have cancer... it's very upsetting.

On a happier note, it appears the warm weather has finally come to Ohio.  Now, about all this rain and these storms..... that's another story all together.  We had a tornado come through the other day and 3" hail.  I watched it go by, but it did not hit where I lived.  All I saw were the clouds.  We have ducks where there normally is no water!  We have lakes where there have never been puddles.  

I have set out to plant some flowers for the first time in 5 years.  I don't recall being quite this sore or stiff 5 years ago!  I managed to get a sunburn a few times already, and I have a great tan but I'm not trying to get one.  I don't recall tanning/burning this easy before, so I looked it up online and I think the chemo may be playing a part in this, even though I finished Jan 31st.  Either way, I use spf 30 and it really isn't working very well.  My onc is going to kill me... being BRCA+, she didn't want me to be in the sun.  We have a higher (albeit very slight) rate for melanoma.

Well, I'll catch up in a few days.  To all those joining us, you're in my thoughts and prayers.  The women here are wonderful and it's the ONLY place I've found to date where I know I'm understood.  Never forget, you are not a statistic and you do not have an expiration date that anyone can read.  There are thousands of women living full lives out there who have had cancer and have been triple negative.  They just... well, they just don't come here... because they're living and feel great. 

shereejoy

suze35, your diagnosis looks pretty similar to mine and your age I am assuming you are 35?  When do you turn 36?  So how old are your children?  So you have finished your treatments?

Thanks for the welcome everyone, are there alot to try to get to know here?  Will try to keep up

Suze35

Luah - I can't wait to drive around these great NE roads, the wind in my very short hair, lol. 

Titan - LMAO!!  I think I like that philosophy!  I can just picture you like a bat out of hell on the highway .

Angelisa - isn't it wonderful to get flowers in the ground?  I love gardening, mostly veggies, and my broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots and lettuce are doing extra well this year.  My mom also helped me put in a lot of tulips and other flowers, and the Iris' are just gorgeous - purple and white.  It really feels good to put something in the ground and watch it go.

shereejoy - I'm actually 41 - my username is a holdover from when I first started posting on message boards years ago.  WISH I was 35, lol.  My kids are 10 and 7 (my boys) and 4 (my daughter).  It can be rough, but they are my inspiration.

I'm still in treatment, as my case went a bit off the rails.  I did 4 DD AC and 12 Taxol/Carboplatin, then surgery.  Unfortunately my cancer had become chemo resistant and started to spread, so after surgery, I found more lymph nodes, including 2 supraclavicular, and am currently getting rads to zap them.  I'll be back on more chemo in 1-2 weeks - Xeloda with Avastin.  I had a PET scan in April that showed no evidence of mets, although I am having a liver MRI this week as I've been possibly having symptoms.  Keeping everything crossed that it is all in my mind!

Don't let my scenario scare you though - it isn't very common, most TNs respond well to chemo, and there are plenty of IIIc survivors out there - living their lives :-).

~~~~~

We are off to Sturbridge Village today to enjoy the warm weather!  I hope everyone else has sunny days and fun planned .

MBJ

Suze:  I can picture you in your cute little race car!  I love fast little cars and I had one many years ago and I just know you are going to have fun driving it.  Hope it passes the mechanic's test and gets a seal of approval for you to take it home!

Titan:  I am the same driver, lol!  I think it might have something to do with living in Los Angeles--once you have lived here you just become an aggro driver--how can you not?  My DH is the only other person I know (besides you) who drives like I do!

MBJ

Tiffany:  Wow, I thought your avatar was from a postcard it's so beautiful!

TifJ

Angelisa- Great to hear from you! I am so happy for you-getting back to a "normal" life. I am still having trouble there. Still have the frozen shoulder and feeling like every little ache and pain is mets. Vacation is coming soon, maybe that will help!! We have had the scary weather here too in Missouri. Joplin is about 2 hours south of us. Sedalia MO. was hit and that is about an hour east of us. We have had them all around us. Enjoy your gardening and check back in soon!!

Suze- Best wishes on your MRI!

TiffanyF4- your kids are beautiful. I have a 9 year old son and a 5 year old daughter!

Titan and MBJ- remind me to stay off the roads if i am ever in Ohio or LA!

Welcome Shereejoy and blondlawyer- Remember no question is too dumb or personal here! Ask away!!

Kymn

Hi ladies hope you have all been enjoying your weekend.

Welcome Shereejoy and blondlawyer.

Blondlawyer I dont know what to say to you, you have been through so much already I cant imagine now having to deal with this too. Cancer Fing Sucks. Try when you are able to focus on the positive things you will do in your life once you have finshed dealing with all this bullshit. I believe, I have to, that there is something really special waiting out there for us.Hugs

Shereejoy I am on pretty much the same treatment as you and I too have been terribly sick FEC was so hard on me and I switched last round but it was still hard on me too. I am on number 5 on Jan 9 so we will be going into the chair together .

cc4npg so nice to see you pop on,glad things are going well for you, you give us all hope and strength to just get through this.

Titan I am just thinking one treatment at a time, God I would really love to just quit now.

Have to run chicken on the BBQ Hugs to all

Kymn

blondelawyer

Thanks everyone!  It has been a rough time, but I am too stubborn not to get through it I suppose  I am missing my husband so much right now, so that is hard.  This week will be the 13th anniversary of our engagement as well as the 7th month since he passed.  He has cystic fibrosis, so the years leading up to his death were pretty stressful and to say that I am exhausted is probably a huge understatement.  

 The first week of chemo was hard because I didn't feel well and for some reason had expected that I wouldn't have SE and it is just so overwhelming.  Hoping that this week is a bit better.  Monday is my normal chemo day, so it will be off by a day this week with the holiday.

 I am not working right now (I'm an attorney by profession, but lost my full-time job a couple of years ago and never went back full-time because my father got sick with lung cancer and then my husband got increasingly sick, so I fell into a caretaker role), which is good that I don't have the stress, but it is also hard because I don't have another focus.  I'm writing a memoir about my life as a wife to a person with CF, so I am thinking that I will try to focus my attention there to give me something non-cancer to do.  Right now the hardest part is finding a reason to fight and something to look forward to at the end of all of this.  So I need to focus on that.

 Looking forward to getting to know you all better!

Take care,

Lisa 

mccrimmon324

Blondelawyer-I just want to say that I'm so sorry for everything that your going thru, I think you have found the right place to be.  The ladies on these threads are so supportive and I don't think it's something someone who isn't or hasn't been in our shoes can really understand.  Starting to write your memoirs sounds like a great idea, not only will it give you something to focus on but I think it could be therapeutic for you too.  I've been told to journal durning Chemo and list all of my SE's but I'm thinking of just writing everything down, how I feel both physically and emotionally.  I hope I can stick to it and use it as my way of getting thru this. 

Take care,

Heather

rella40

Hello everyone,

blondelawyer-I wil pray for you for comfort, and for all our battling sisters!- 

 I have a couple reasons for joining this thread....first let me just say WHERE THERE IS LIFE THERE IS HOPE!  As long as you have breath in you, there is hope! 

I was first diagnosed in 2002, stage I, triple negative breast cancer with 3 sentinel nodes biopsied and none positive.  I underwent 6 cycles of FEC, followed by bilateral mastectomys with silicone implants. 98% cure rate--but no radiation. Every yr for 3 yrs someone from the hospital would call and say "it's time for your mam"  I would laugh and say "I can't have one, I have implants, and they would laugh as well.  No  one in 3  YRs said "then you should have an ultrasound" so for three yrs the "few cells that were left behind"  grew into my chest muscle the tumor had touched the chest wall, (I found out later radiation is ALWAYS reccommended when tumor is on chest), and into the lymph nodes under my arm and accross my collarbone.  Surgery was not an option, so 6 mo. of Taxol/Carboplatin with 37 rads to breast and collarbone.  That was 2006-7. In 2008 spots started growing in my lung, but doctor chose to "watch it" for a while, a yr to be exact.  In Feb 2009 when the spots got big enough to be picked up on PET, doc still said he wanted to watch it grow untill it accelerated and then he could treat me one more time, but that my life expectancy would be 1/2 what he got me this stretch. Didn't make sense to me, so I sought another opinion again (did it in 2006)New docs said no watching, treat now.  So, I was put on Taxotere/Avastin but had allergic reaction, so Abraxane/Avastin it was for 6 cycles. It worked! For one yr.  From 8/09 to 8/11 I was on singe agent Avastin. 8/11 was my graduation day from chemo but scan showed 4 nodes in the mediastinum 3 on trachea 1 on aortic valve.  Back on Abraxane/Avastin.  In Jan 2011, scans showed no response, so 35 rads to the med.  Doc wanted me to take a break from chemo while on rad, which didn't work out either, because my scans last week showed the rad worked beautifully on the spots, but in the meantime, 4 new nodes in the neck and a suspicious spot on my liver.  Today is my 2nd day of 3000mg Xeloda....BUT I AM STILL HERE!!!!!!! It has been over 9 years since my original diagnosis, and I am wondering if there is ANY one out there fighting TNBC as long or longer than me.  I have never been to a support group or on any chat or forums, this is my first.  Sorry it took so much time, but it has taken me a long time to live it!!

Luah

Rella40: I think it is unusual to fight metastic TN for as long as you have. You are a fighter -- and an inspiration. It's true... in life, there's hope. Thanks so much for posting.

Suze35

Rella40 - wow!  That is a long time to be battling, but what an inspiration!  I have been fighting for almost 10 months and am still dealing with local issues (that may become metastatic this week once I have my liver MRI).  Keep up the fight - you sound very determined!  I will be on Xeloda soon myself, I've heard it can be very effective.

sylviaexmouthuk

Hello rella40

I just wanted to say hello and also that I cannot believe all that you have been through. You are certainly an inspiration to all of us and I want to say how much I admire all your courage and strength. I do not know if there is anyone out there that has been fighting TNBC for as long as you, over nine years. You are certainly an inspiration to me. Keep up your fighting spirit.

Hello Luah

Thank you for your kind words on the Average Age of Triple Neg thread. Say "Hello" to Canada. I spent 17 years there, Montreal, Ottawa and London, Ontario. It is a great country and one of which to be very proud.

Best wishes
Sylvia

MBJ

Rella40:  Wow, thank you for coming on here and sharing your amazing story of strength, courage and resilience!  You are definetly an inspiration to us all.  You will find this thread and the women here just a great place for strength and support.  Hugs.

blondelawyer:   I think when a person is placed under the astounding amount of stress that you were with first your husband and then your father, the body just breaks down from the weight of it all.  I was under an amazing amount of stress working for an abusive employer and after 8 years and a couple of car accidents my body just couldn't take it anymore.  I literally felt the lumps pulsate when being yelled at by my employer.  BC was my blessing in disguise because it got me the hell out of there.  You will find the strength to get through this and your husband and father will be there in your heart helping you every step of the way.  I truly believe when a person gives so much of themselves many good things are returned to them.  Even though right now it may not seem to be so, life is waiting for you to return to it and you will be stronger then you ever were before.   Big hugs to you and I know you have the strength to get through this!  Please do not give up hope!

Kymn

Hi Rella40, I too am amazed at your strenght but being stage 1 with no node involvment I have to admit your story scares the crap out of me. I am having a hard time getting through chemo first time I dont know if I could do this again. I am going to have radiation after chemo God I pray it works. Hugs to you for being stronger than I think I could ever be.

I am back at work today,first day back and am feeling very tired and overwhelmed. I have wobbly legs like a colt which is a new addition sigh I just need this to end.

Hope you are all having a SE Free Monday

Hugs Kymn

MBJ

Kymn:  You are stronger then you think if you have already returned to work!  Are you unable to take more time off?