Calling all TNs

Luah

ks: I am so sorry about your friend. No other words - just that you're in my thoughts. 

Inmate: Doing the happy dance for you - fantastic news!! (And who said Friday the 13th was unlucky?)

Talking about trips, dh and I had to postpone our big post-BC trip to the Galapagos Islands last year due to his surgery. And now we are set to go at the end of March, can't wait.

Have a great weekend, ladies. 

LuvRVing

Inmate - woohoo, big congrats to you, too!!!  As Gilly said, scan complete; no threats detected!!! 

Ks - so very sorry, so sudden, so sad.  Peace to you and her family.

Luah - Galapagos Islands, I've seen that "expedition" in the National Geographic travel magazine that shows up in my mailbox once or twice a year.  What a dream trip!

Babs37

Inmate- Happy for the clear scan and happy you are done with chemo! Go celebrate!!!

LuvRVing- Happy for you too. I couldn't wait to be finished with rads. Hated that part......

KS- My deepest sympathy to you and your friend's family. So sad......

Susan- So glad you are back home with your gang. Hope you are feeling better. Hugs.

Have a great weekend everyone. Here in Quebec, we had a lot of snow these past 2 days. Will go play in the snow with my boy. Take care. xx

mags20487

ks--soooo sooo sorry about your friend.  Cancer sux!

Inmate--I danced a jig when I saw your post

luvriving--horray for being done

Jealous of you Paris bound ladies.  My husband and I celebrated our 25th last year and had booked an all inclusive to a 5* resort in Riviera maya Mexico.  Instead of margaritas in the sand I was recuperating from my BMX.  We rebooked for April this year so can't wait to go!  Bon Voyage to all of us.

Maggie

bak94

KS=so sorry to hear about your friend.

inmate-that is great news! I am sure you are ready to be done with treatment. I have been feeling like I am in unprotected land since finishing chemo and waiting for radiation, but my bs says-remember you had complete response and then surgery. It does make me feel better and I am going with that! I am also trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up! Even though I am struggling with school right now, I still enjoy it and it takes my mind off of other things.

mccrimmon-how fun! I would love to go to Paris, just need to get over the airplane anxiety!

Anonymous

Hey mccrimmon, I'm an hour NW of Philadelphia in Berks County.

I'm a rural gal so there's no actual town to cite. Like Heidi, I live in horse country, although I don't have one or ride - but I walk my giant dog by my neighbors' horses almost everyday.

Nice to be back and I'm so glad to see so many familiar names here. Sorry there are so many new members (who wants to have bc!) but I'm happy to get to know you guys.

I celebrated my 1 year from dx back on Nov. 30th and had my 1st post-tx mammo around that time. Funny story: I had the mammo and they sent me to a waiting room. I was there a long time, as in other patients were coming and going and I was still there. This made me nervous, of course. Then, unlike the others who were talked to/dismissed right in the waiting room, I was called into a hallway to talk to the radiologist. 

She was talking but my ears stopped working, and she must've known this could happen with a bc patient, because she handed me a paper that said "benign, normal" and then it finally registered. I stared at her and promptly burst into happy tears and hugged her. She was not expecting that! LOL

So, I'm feeling good and even have days when I don't think about it too much. I hope everyone who just finished tx gets to feeling good too, and celebrates in some way. You've earned cake AND ice cream.

 

Anonymous

I wish this site had a Like button. It would be so much easier to express my feelings.

Heidi (still hugely sore from taking a huge face plant when my foot caught while trying to keep my crazy Boston Terriers from chasing an unsuspectiong cat in the back yard).

Cat was OK... not so much me.

mccrimmon324

Maggie, DH and I went to Rivera Maya for our honeymoon, love it but it was HOT!! 

BAK - I have alot of anxiety when it comes to flying buy my hubby has the traveling bug so I just pop a prescribed pill and go.  I think you deserve a vacation. 

Michelle, before we moved to florida we lived in Bucks county so we weren't too far from you. 

Titan

Welcome home Suze...good thing!

and Inmate..woo hoo on your clean scan...let me know what you decide about growing up...maybe I will go with you..or maybe not..

You ladies are making me jealous with your travels to Paris, Rome, England....I'm stuck in Ohio...gah..

heatherweather

Hi ladies!

Been off this board for a few weeks - glad to see many of you are doing well and getting CLEAN SCANS!!  How awesome!

I completed my 5th TC treatment yesterday and all went smoothly.  I think I had a reaction to the steroids this morning as I wound up rather flush on my chest and face but it subsided (even after taking the oral steriods today) so not too worried.  My last treatment not only gave me phlebitis but a lovely burn mark on my arm - it's finally almost gone but boy was I feeling like a heroin addict for awhile.  Really was ugly.

Still a bit nervous about surgery but I've been told by countless folks that that's the easy part - chemo is worse.  My chemo experience hasn't been anywhere near as bad as I had it built up to be in my brain so we'll see.

ks - I am so extremely sorry to hear about your friend.  I can imagine she fought like hell - at least now she doesn't have to fight anymore.  Loads of hugs to you!!!

I am a travel nut!  Haven't figured out where we are going this year, mostly because I'm not sure when treatment will officially be over (I'm thinking April/May timeframe).  Last year we went to Ireland and it was a blast.  Paris is amazing - would definitely go again.  I'm hoping for the south of France this year, or maybe Scotland (that's where the boyfriend wants to go but I've been there already and want to see something new - time is so much more precious now, isn't it?).  And I LOVE England - would move there if I could!  To those of you traveling have an incredible time!

Stay strong, ladies!!  We gonna get medival on this thing!

Heather 

Hope60

ks - so very sorry to hear about your friend. My thoughts are with her family, and with you.

ksmatthews

thanks ladies

khs113

KS-So sorry you have to go through losing a friend to cancer. I lost my best friend six years ago to this dreaded disease (hers was a sarcoma). Still think about her every day. Take extra care of yourself during this time.

mitymuffin

Inmate, happy news! Congratulations and have fun with the rest of your life.

mitymuffin

Inmate, happy news! Congratulations and have fun with the rest of your life.

mitymuffin

Inmate, happy news! Congratulations and have fun with the rest of your life.

CatWhispurrer

Thanks friends for your well wishes.   The chest tube came out yesterday (a BIG ouch).   I had another x-ray today and my lung is staying inflated so I have been given the OK by my BS.  Now, I have to find out from my onc when I will have my echocardiagram and start chemo.   I was supposed to start last Monday before I found out that the port placement caused my lung collapse.

 It is good to read how good most are doing.

 KS- so sorry about your friend.  How hard to deal with that on top of your own BC.  Take care of yourself.

Huskerkkc

Cat,

Glad to hear the lung is staying inflated. Did they replace the port? I was so glad to have mine but did not have the horrible experience you did. If you still have it, I think you will appreciate it when it is working like it is supposed to!!

bak94

Ugg, My line of events-bmx, which somehow I get a staph infection, hospital for 4 days, taking antibiotics for staph infection causes c-dif, made me very miserable, antibiotics for c-dif cause a yeast infection which continues to make me miserable! I know in the world of cancer these things are very minor, but I am tired of being miserable! Meanwhile radiation is being postponed. Not a happy camper. One of these days I will come to these boards and not whine, but that is not today. Hubby and I did have a good day today, went shopping and then to the casino (I know, bad, very bad) But we walked out with the same amount of money as we went in with, he won and I lost so we were even!!

CatW- that is horrible that happened with your port. Sounds like you are on the road to recovery! What chemo are you doing? I agree with husker, you will appreciate the port. 9 years ago I went through chemo without a port. It wasn't too bad until I was done and had to have follow up blood draws, my veins are shot, and I had a crazy amount of lymph nodes removed on the other side. I wanted to keep my port this time, but it got infected just after I finished chemo so it had to come out. So now how do I have blood drawn? I now have had lymph nodes taken out of both sides! I had to have an IV in the hospital on my arm, no LE yet....

I get upset every time I see new members, can this cancer crap just stop?

ksmatthews

bak94, sorry you are miserable and going through so much.  Hope you feel really better soon!

Whitedog

New to the board -- Diagnosed at 43 yrs old with stage 3c TNBC.  No family history, Only found out about it after pain in the arm pit. Initially misdiagnosed.  Extensive lymphnode involvement, even subclavicular.  Had 4 rounds of AC, then 4 rounds of Taxol. Lost all of my hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and my nails were shot.  I then had a double mastectomy, they took 10 lymphnodes.  Path found evidence of cancer cells in 7 but the tumor had infiltrated the blood vessels. With the surgery I added expanders and quickly tried to  fill between recovery from surgery and start of radiation. Then I did 33 treatments of radiation that ended in November 2011.  The scan that was done between chemo and surgery showed no cancer.  I am now in the post treatment phase, going to PT to gain flexibility and reduce the possiblility of lymphedema and wondering where all this curly hair came from.  I am definitely struggling with the cognitive changes post treatment and the stress of waiting for my first post treatment scan scheduled for Feburary. The final reconstructive surgery is scheduled for April and I am debating doing surgery to remove my ovaries due to a family history of this cancer.

christina1961

Bak, You are not whining!!  I am so sorry you are going through all that!  I think you are being a trooper.

 Whitedog, I'm sorry you have to join us - I am debating the ovary removal, too. It sounds like you are being very proactive with the PT and all!  I have cognitive issues, too - but still on chemo - my spelling, which used to be pretty good, has become terrible.  I arbitrarily exchange words, too - I have to proofread my work all the time.  It isn't something that spellcheck catches, so it is a real problem!  Did you have a complete response to chemo?

christina1961

Susan, If you are out there "lurking" - just want to let you know that I'm thinking of you and hoping you are starting to feel better.

Love,

Christina

ksmatthews

whitedog so sorry you have to be hear, but sounds like all is going well for you now.  Good luck in the healing process.

JoyceNYC

Another member for the group -  diagnosed in October 2011 at age 54 after mammo, MRI, biopsy, PET scan -- huge family history of reproductive cancer on father's side which I have told every MD I've seen (always told, don't worry, it's the maternal side that matters -- HA!) -- BMX 11/16/11 showed expected 1.3cm in right breast and pre-cancer in left breast -- immediate DIEP reconstruction with many hurdles to overcome (last drain not removed until 12/17/11). All nodes negative.  Oncotype done despite TN showed score of 52 with 34% recurrence rate.  Will need Fallopian tubes & ovaries removed once chemo is complete since BRCA1+.

Began TCx6 on 1/6/12.  Other that tiredness, only se has been extreme bone pain (from the nuelasta, I understand) relieved by claritin suggested in the Jan 12 chemo thread (thanks be to God, since my MO had no idea how to help except nartcotics!)

I think it is so important to hear the positive stories out there -- and to support each other in the not-so-positive ones.  Count me in for the long count, ladies.

lwarstler

Tina: so sorry you are having a rough start to this whole ridiculous process. I sure hope things get smoother and you breeze through the rest.

Michelle: Congratulations! I can't wait until I can finally say that too. So doing the happy dance for you!!

BAK: OMG! So glad you are doing better, but man, oh man! Sure hope you can get completely well soon so you can finally get on and done with your rads! HUGs!!

Inmate: Doing the happy dance for you too! I sure hope your next 20 months are just peaches and cream easy!

Whitedog and Joyce: Welcome to a really great and supportive group: lots of knowledge, patience and experience here. On the Claritin, Joyce, my Onc said the study that showed it was effective was when it was taken once daily with an Aleve (naproxen sodium-generic).

Suze: So incredibly glad you are home

Doing the happy dance for all the good news!

 

Linds2013

Hey ladies, 

It's actually my mom that's been diagnosed with stage 2A Grade 3 TNBC. She had only one node removed, which was enlarged (possibly from the biopsy), but negative. She had a left MX, which went extremely well with incredibly great margins (ranged from 1-2 cm). 

Unfortunately, as you all know (since I'm posting on this page), the path report determined that her tumor was triple negative. Though the cancer was caught relatively early and there is no node involvement, this diagnosis was a bit of a slap in the face considering how easily we thought surgery had taken care of it.

So many of your stories are giving me hope, though, and I'm wondering if any of you have some tips on staying positive? She just started chemo on Tuesday, and surprisingly has shown no negative symptoms from it She's doing A/C once every 2 weeks for 8 weeks (4 total) and then T once a week for 12 weeks, but no radiation. I noticed a lot of you had radiation though? What was the main reason the dr's wanted to do radiation? 

lwarstler

Linds,

So sorry about our mom. Since she had a MX and no node involvement, there really isn't anything to radiate. Usually that is only done if there is a lumpectomy to kill off anything left in the breast or if there is node involvement to kill off anything in the nodes. I'm really glad for your mom that there was neither.

As for staying positive, I think the only thing you can do is to stay informed. First of all, it sounds like they got it real early. Second, even though the chance of recurrence is higher for TN, it is still significantly low for early stages. I'm sure if you look on lifemath.net or one of those you will find it is close to 80% chance of survival or so, but I am not sure so you may want to look or ask the doctor. Anyway,when I start hearing all the negative, I do find the positive numbers instead and try to focus on them. It gives me confidence too when I hear all the ladies that come on 3, 5 and 10 years out.

(((HUGS))) and hang in there. Give your mom a hug too. 

Linds2013

Thank you The information about radiation was really helpful. I appreciate all your advice so much! Best of luck to you in all your treatments. I know every woman here not only has the power of medicine behind them, but also the powers of information and support. Love to all of you, hang in there!

Whitedog

Thank you everyone for the welcome.  Christina, we saw nothing on the PET post chemo, however I am really nervous about the first scan since it was so advanced before I got a diagnosis.  My commuication skills have totally suffered - spelling, speaking, writing.  I was referred to an OT that is trying to help me work through these issues.  I cant say enough about the comprehensive breast cancer program we have here -- they have thought of everything!  I would have never known about any of the peripherial isses unless the program had incorporated it.