Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Chemotherapy

This is what I can remember through all the fog...

There is activity in the some nods under the left arm, yes that is where they burnt me to a crisp with rads but this is in the sentinenianl sp also the nodes in the suprsculcavilur(again sp!!) sorry tired and dont wanna look up the spelling. They are small which is great but on a scale w/ say 2 being nothing to worry about they are at a 6. Once again I am okay this can be anything but I left w/ home numbers for 2 nurses, so thats freaky. but to be honest UNTIL my onc says what needs to be done I am NOT going to freak out. The nurse mentioned I might be headed to another round of chemo but once again she dosent know for sure, she wanted me to come in 1st thing Monday but I would have to go to his office inSouth Bend and I said no I would wait til TUesday. Hey!  remember that group til tuesday they sang voices carry? The neck nodes are new to answer your question and they removed 13 ax lymph nodes.

I am off to get donuts for my guys. My 5th grader is off to play the championship game. they are undefeated and its been a blast. Everyone loves a winner. He plays in a school league and an outside league, so school end today and then 2 games on Sunday for the other. My oldest just finished up his season. I LOVE BASKETBALL and I LOVE TO WATCH them play. I too started them young and am now seeing the benefits of that. My oldest made varsity and just won a 3 pt contest. See God is good I havent once gotten ill during bball season just at the end.

I am eastern time but my onc is always late so I will be seeing him most likely when you are seeing yours? how are you doing?

My problem is my family history it isnt good...remember my joke about the sink?? I gotta weird feeling its coming..lol take care titan you really are a great person..will be thinking of you today

Violet...here I am being nosy again..but what are you waiting to hear from the onc about?    My appt.with my onc is my 6 month from chemo check up...it really shouldn't be a big deal.,.except for the fact that for the past 3 months...except for here cancer really hasn''t been on my mind..much...I have been having a good time...went to the beach, OSU football games, Christmas, New Years...Cav's basketball games, plus our local high school games..and of course..work!   So anyway...I' freaking because I think of those "what ifs"  What if he finds something..what if my heart, lungs, liver..whatever aren't right...I hate those "what ifs"...

Yesterday was my DH's and mine 27th wedding annivesary...we went to a basketball game (you will appreciate that Peyton!)...but tonight we went out for a very nice dinner..nice glass of wine..aned of course..some asparagus/bow tie pasta also...very good stuff!

Hi.  Titan,  I am waiting to hear what justpayton's onc has to say.  I feel so bad for her that she is made to wait.  They gave her a little info and sent her off until further notice.  It's just barbaric, the being made to wait.  I dont know when I will be scanned again.  I have two more rounds of chemo now.  I had a positive lymph node, I don't know if that buys you more scans or not.  The "what-ifs" are so disorientating.  I think we all suffered a bit of post traumatic shock when we were given our dxs.  I almost fainted as they did the biopsy.  They told me ahead of time that it was aggressive breast cancer and they needed to get the details.  October used to be my fave month.  But October 2008 I was dxed with endocervical cancer and then October 2009 breast cancer.  I had a radical hystectomy in 2008 that was really tough, then 2009 a bilateral masectomy that I nearly died from: nearly bled to death.  They sent me home in under 23 hours so they could make it an outpatient proceedure.  2 hours after I was home the paramedics couldn't get much of a pulse or blood pressure as I was hauled off for emergency surgery and 6 units of blood.  Getting my port placed I nearly fainted as they moved me to the surgery table, too.  Completely unexpectedly, I'm not a fainter.  I'm afraid of my reconstruction surgery at this point but I need to wrap this all up so I can forget it all.  The 'whatifs" usually come in the night for me.  I wish I could just let go and go forward.  I try to keep in mind that all we really have is NOW and that what may or may not happen in the future shouldn't cloud the present.  I don't always do so well.  I understand what you guys are going through absolutely.

Wow Violet you have really been through a mess. What chemo are you doing?

My scan waspart of my follow up because of family history ( my Mom died @ 30) the size of my tumor and the lymph nodes too. Now they did feel at the end of rads I was cancer free some how something slipped by. I don't know how but it did.

Violet my what ifs are always at night. Its those quiet moments that get me.

Tomorrow I will know whats going on and it can't come to soon..I am starting to get weepy on and off but so far have held it together.

Titan will be thinking of you tomorrow with your check up.

My 'bad month' is turning out to be Feb.. My parents have been flying back from Vegas both times I got bad news. Not even the same dates. What are the odds of that??

I got myself a bottle of wine and a really stupid movie to laugh at.

Violet - I hope you have an easier time with your last two treatments.  Hang in there, you're almost done!

Sherri 

Violet hang in there..almost done. I had some SE's weird stuff, go figure. I had severe vomiting w/AC and a rash on my face, the skin blistered on my feet, i used to layer on nuskin just so i could do my walking. Taxol I just swelled and swelled and swelled. The steriods and I don't mix because I already am high strung and bitchy

Titan I agree IF IF IF I have to go through chemo I am ready. Been there and done that so I know what to expect for the most part.

Good Luck to us all today

titan let us know how your check up goes

Thanks, Sherri.  Big congrats on on passing the finish line!  Normal must be absolutely glorious. Titan, definitely I'll be doing a happy dance when I'm finished.  I try to keep my mind on the prize, and right now the prize is packing a lot of living into this coming Summer.  My next chemo is on Thursday, 5 out of 6.  I'll be getting 20% off on account of the neutropenia last time and the neurapathy.  Justpayton,  by the time you read this the waiting should be over.  I've heard that the blisters on the feet are a fairly rare side effect.  One of the girls on the December chemo thread had that happen to her, too.  I hope you do not have to go through chemo again.  I spoke to a really nice triple neg lady through yourshoes.com or ACS that was Stage 3, large tumor and spread to some surrounding nodes, spread to the neck area as well.  I don't remember if she had a recurrence or not, but she is 3 years out and working as a chemo nurse now.  You can still beat this.  You will.  I'll be waiting to hear from you.  And Titan, too.

Whewww Titan - isn't it amazing how stressful a checkup can be?!  Gahhhh!  I'm with you on the alcohol thing!!  There's been a lot of controversy and discussion about it.

Justpayton - thinking about you and sending good vibes!!

Violet - wooohooo - you're almost done :-D

Yay, Titan!  You've made it past another milestone!  Scans are so nerve-wracking. I know how you feel.  Hi, thenewme!  I wonder about the alcohol issue myself.  I drank often in my early 20s, but since then I rarely drink.  I enjoy the occassional sangria or a Bloody Mary, but really I drink very seldom and I got breast cancer.  There are zillions of women out there drinking their butts off as we speak and they will never get breast cancer.  I think genes and stress are two really big factors in causing cancer.  Also, I wonder if it's not alcohol that we should avoid but excess sugar in the system, because alcohol is a sugar in the system as I far as I understand it.  Cancer loves sugar.  (But I'm not giving up a chocolate now and then or a bowl of noodles once in awhile either).  I really could stand to lose at least 20 lbs., but there are 300 lb. women out there with no cancer.  I drive myself crazy trying to figure out why some people get cancer and others do not, or how to avoid a recurrence or mets.  I guess all we can do is take the treatment given to us, do our best to stay healthy and happy, and just go forward for as long as we can.  Where are you, Payton?

Okay I am finally able to sit down.

Here is what I know and this is NOT much more than before. I will have a biopsy on Thursday and hopefully have results by Tuesday. I have a copy of my report please bear in mind that I had a previous pet/ct scan with my dx. The nodes that showed up are NOT from the previous dx.

under the impression it states- progressive metastatic diease involving bilateral cervicl, left subclavicular, left subpectoral, mediastinal, left internal mammary and left axillary lymph nodes. Those are the areas in question and they didn't show up on the previous scan.

Of course I will know nothing until next week so there is still some hope. If this is infact cancer it will put me in stage 4.

My onc gave me a name of a med that is fairly new and limited. So I would have to find a trial to join. There are none here. The drug is taken orally and is proven to be effective inBRCA 1. He couldn't find the info he wanted to give me , so he wrote down the name and I will research myself.

I am happy all is good with you Titan.

Like I have said before I am TN and BRCA 1 that is why my scan was done plus the size of my tumor and nodes. I will let you know my opinion of the scan issue when I get through all this.

I am very upset with the radiologist and the fact that if they should see something that would warrent a biopsy why don't they just pencil you in? Your onc can always cancel if he deems unnessacery sp!! sorry my mind is shot. But OMG they were trying to say nothing open until next week. My onc was like no way get her in!!  But still only to wait and wait and wait some more

thenewme- they are doing a biopsy on the underarm lymph node. Which should be fun since the skin is damaged from rads. its all healed but you know what i mean. At this point I just want it done so tired of waiting but with the unknown there is hope. Hope that this is a mistake.

The name of the drug is olaparib and is a special drug for BRCA related cancer his words.

Please don't be sad nothing is official yet but I triple the f*ck f*CK F*CKITY F*ck

thanks for the info

What type of basketball game did you go to Titan? High school?

My youngest had practice last night which is good.

My cousin called last night, she is 38 and is having her tyroid removed on 3/2 my result day. They found a lump but when they did her ultrasound found multiple spots and a lymph node. So out it goes!! She is of course going thru the rollar coaster of feelings and asked me arent you angry? Damn right I am!!! SCARED OUT OF MY MIND!! but I have things to do..meals to cook, laundry. kids to haul around.One foot in front of the other and lots of vodka if needed. I could scream until I have no voice left and previosly I have( no kids home) I felt a little better but the cancer was still there. I told her I am an old pro at this.

Being on these boards helps so much. It gives me a place to speak where I know I am not only heard but understood. Fear is fear and hope is hope...it dosent matter what stage you are, how old you are or if you are in church on Sunday. But if your counting God I was

hopefully these scans are just nothing..I just remember reading positive is more likely to be positive while negative can still turn to positive..thats when I got off the computer.

Have a great day girls

Titan I can't wait to watch my boys play in high school!! My oldest will be in 8th grade next year so I am getting soo close.

My 5th grader plays w/ a great bunch of boys at school and then the picked 8 to join in an outside league. Everybody is talking about the 5th grade, its like having a celebrity in the house. Although I have always made sure to keep my boy's feet on the ground bcuz there is always someone waiting to take your spot or another team gunning for you. I am a stickler on free throws and rebounding. It's great to win but you also need to know how to handle yourself when you lose. So the outside league helps because the rules are different and its more aggressive. They went undefeated in the school league including tourneys they played over 25 games. The other league it seems they win and than lose. They play games back to back and I dont think they have won 2 in a row. Silly mistakes..missed free throws..trying to be MJ..sloppy passes..you know.

Both my guys are tall so calls NEVER go their way. I have watched both boys shoot with kids hanging off their arms, being hacked and even pushed to the ground but it makes them that much tougher. Your great titan you got me thinking all about basketball..thanks so much

justpayton - I will be thinking of you tomorrow and hope that the biopsy won't be too painful.  And of course we'll all be chanting, "B9, B9, B9!"  I hope you can get some rest this weekend. 

Hang in there and please keep us posted.

Payton,  I'm hanging on to Hope with you because Hope rocks.  I never understood all that hope talk until I got cancer.  I'll be thinking of you and hope your biopsy isn't too painful.  Hi bg6, welcome.  It's so nice to be among people who really understand, however great family andfriends are.