Newly diagnosed and full of questions

Phillygurl44

Hi all,

I posted on the newbie post but I was also hoping to connect with some other AA ladies who have been diagnosed triple neg.  I just got diagnosed Dec 11 2013 so my head is still swimming.  I've seen one surgeon at my local hospital and recently met with another one at Fox Chase Cancer Center who gave me much more info than just that my tumor was malignant.  I'm trying to gather all the info I can to make the best decisions I can and I'm planning to add some natural/holistic therapies to assist in my healing and recovery.  My diagnosis is Triple Negative Stage 2a - so any help, info and prayer are greatly appreciated.

redlessi

I dont share the same diagnosis but I also live in Philly. Read as much literature as you can so you can ask as many questions as possible when you go to the doctors.  See if you are able to get the onco dx test. I pray all goes well.

lintrollerderby

Hi Phillygurl44,

I'm sorry about your recent diagnosis. I'm not African American, but I am Triple Negative, and I know you're getting a crash course on this disease and I know how hard this initial time is. Feel free to ask any questions you can think of. 

Being Triple Negative, chemo is pretty much a certainty, so the Oncotype DX test is not usually given to us or the Her2+ ladies. The test is intended for early-stage, hormone positive breast cancer.

Good luck and I'm sorry you're here, but glad you found the site.

EnglishMajor

Hi Phillygurl

Just wanted to make sure you knew about the Triple Negative Foundation; here is the URL

http://forum.tnbcfoundation.org

IwillbeatCancer2014

Good evening ladies,

I am a newly diagnosed 41 y/o AA female with stage 2 bc. All of this is very new to me so I'm not quite fluent with the BC jargon so excuse any typos.

I was just diagnosed in March of this year. I've had 3 procedures so far and now I'm slated to have a mastectomy. I have BC in my left breast but I am opting to have them remove both breast. It's my hopes that reconstruction goes better this way.

I'm a "big girl" 22/24 so I have so many questions about the flap surgery (I think that's what it's called where they can use my own tissue to replace my breast) as well as diet and exercise. I don't want to do crash diets, but just to eat healthier would be an awesome starting point for me. Im from the south so I love to EAT and COOK so this will be a challenge but I'm sure it will be rewarding.

So any input that you may have as far a diet/exercise as well as the breast reconstruction would be awesome.

Thanks!

StayingFocus

Hello Iwillbeatcancer2014,

I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis but you will find support and comfort here at Breastcancer.org.  You will meet wonderful women and/or men who will provide you with great information and advice. I understand that you want information on breast reconstruction and healthy eating. You are in luck. The breast reconstruction forum and healthy eating forum will provide you with information that you seek. 

Go luck with your treatment and stay strong.

Luvadancer

Hello ladies in the AA forum, I am hailing from Canada looking for more sisters to share with!  Newly diagnosed as well, just a few days ago, so as you all know, still in shock.  Had a lumpectomy in June thought it was just Breast ADH so I didn't expect anything at my postop appointment other than confirmation and incision looks good, go on your merry way but what I got was a punch in the stomach when he said we found breast cancer, I still think I am in a dream and will wake up any second now.  I have a whole host of questions and will be speaking to my BS on Monday because I didn't have any before I just stood there with my mouth open, he kept talking but I only heard, reincision, lymph nodes, radiation, chemo.  I noticed that some of you are BRCA1 positive without family history, did you ask for that test specifically?  I am worried for my girls, ages 23 and 14, we also have no family history. 

Looking forward to connecting, take care,

StayingFocus

Hello Luvadancer,

Cancer! A word that no one likes to hear! That being said, take a deep breath and know that you will get through it. The women on this forum are amazing and very knowledgeable.  Until you have your surgery, you won't be able to figure out your treatment plan. Write down your questions to ask your BS, medical oncologist and other healthcare professionals and keep a binder of all of your test results. Also, check out the forum  "Information and resources for new patients and new members" and look for the "Just Diagnosed?" section that will give you much more information.

rogam

I am sorry to hear you are dealing with this. Be strong and keep a positive outlook- this goes a long way. 

rogam

I pray that everything is going well.