Calling all TNs

Minxie- don't go there!!

Keep working through everything and pushing forward. We have all had these concerns.

Lisadi1963 - I had pneumonia between treatments #5 & 6, so I know exactly what you're going through. It sucks. I spent 4 days in the hospital getting breathing treatments and taking lots of extra meds. As much as it sucks, it's the best place for you to be. ((HUGS))

Happy Mother's Day to everyone (a day late). I had a great day yesterday - it was also my 17th wedding anniversary. DH and I went out to dinner (without kids!) Sat night and I started to go to that dark place in my mind....what if I don't get another 17 years with my best friend, partner, and wonderful husband? But, I managed to pull myself away from there - with a nice glass of Pinot - first glass of wine I've had in 6 months! Then dinner with my 78 yo mom yesterday...she cooked!

Going to be a busy week - meet with MO on Wed for 3 week post-chemo follow-up, then meet with BS on Thursday for 4 month lumpectomy follow-up (has it really been 4 months?), and get my first zap of radiation Thurs afternoon. Throw in DS baseball game and football practice and work - it's gonna be a hectic week!

I was diagnosed with a right inflammatory breast cancer 8/2007, (it was infiltrating ductal carcinoma; grade III, ER/PR, HER2/neu negative, positive axillary lymph node). I also had a lump of 1.5 cm contralateral tumor was T1 N1. I received neoadjuvant chemo with Taxol for 12 weeks and fluorouracil, etoposide, and cisplatin for 4 weeks. I had a double mastectomy 3/24/2008. After the surgery, I received 6 weeks of radiation once a day. I completed treatment June 2008. I am NED.

Minxie - thanks so much for the thyroid info.  I can be better prepared.  In my last petscan in July, 2011, they did not see any nodules or enlargement, it was a clean report on thyroid.  My smart Onc. quickly analyzed that if my pain in neck started Sept. 2011, had it been cancer, it would have shown on the Petscan in July.  He was not worried at all.  It is sometimes really amazing to see how a doctor's mind thinks.

And my dear, you will get past this recent scare.  Don't let your thoughts go to dark places.  Each case is unique, no two are alike.  Everything is after all in God's hands, isn't it? At times when I am really scared, I think of personal miracles I have witnessed in my life or amazing true stories which science cannot explain, which gives me a burst of faith in the higher power.  There is a wise saying such as "even the tiny little leaf on the tree does not move with the wind, without God's will".  And that is just a leaf, imagine us, we are living souls, could he possibly forget us?  No way.

Caroline71 - my Onc. had told me in 2010 that 20% of all breast cancers are TN's, maybe those stats are for USA. I am wondering if anyone else has more recent stats.  I am sure all of us at first just wondered and wondered what causes TN.  My Onc. also told me that doctors and scientists know that breast cancers are somehow caused by or related to hormones but they just don't have the entire pictures how or what.  Non-TN's have cells in their tumors which have hormone receptors, whereas we don't.  If you have a theory let us know.

Do you know the stats of TN's in Ireland?  Maybe there are lots others who just don't post here, I am just wondering!

Hi Caroline, I only live two miles from the tipperary border.

When I was first diagnosed I spent hours on the internet and asking the same questions over and over.  Nearly drove myself mad then I found this ladies and learnt to concentrate on the treatments and myself.  They saved my sanity.

OBXK - no, no, no, there is nothing wrong with your brain.  There just cannot be anything wrong with your brain.  You are just tired, overworked and stressed.  Please please please get an MRI and put yours and my mind at rest. Sending you hugs, hugs and more hugs. Annie 

Hi All.....I have my first tomographic mammogram almost one year after diagnosis. I am feeling really anxious and scared. It is at 6:00PM. I want a good result as we all do, but the anxiety is through the roof. Sorry I am not replying to your posts, feeling freaked out. Lorazepam did nothing- I took one this morning at 5:30 when I bolted awake and still have the dreads.

Hope all have a good day and anyone going through chemo and being in the hospital, well wishes to you.

Lovely Face  and Cocker thanks for your thoughts regarding my cousin's husband. It is difficult. And we have another cousin who I am very close to with brain cancer. What is going on in my family??????

Titan - Congrats!!!!!! Birads 1 is the greatest news.  Good job!  Don't forget to celebrate.  We really need to celebrate each one of these in a big way.  Each destination we reach, is a MILESTONE.  Thanks for making my day!

Yes Annie, how did your taxol go today?  I hope you didn't have too much stress, as is understandable after what you went through the last time.

Ladies - I am actually not stressing regarding my thyroid ultrasound.  I didn't hear anything from the doctor yesterday, so am thinking that there probably was no bad finding. I think within hours the doctor gets the result especially when something is bad.  And they call the patient right away.  I will NOT call them, but rather, I would like to think that no news is good news.  It is Tuesday half day gone already, so I feel that everything might be okay.

Titan: Congrats on the clean mammo. I agree with Lovelyface, go celebrate! It's amazing what stress can do. I was having some intermittent tingling under my scalp, right side, of course convinced myself it was brain mets; mentioned it to my BS at my check-up last month and she said, "nope, doesn't sound like something cancer related, but wouldn't hurt to get your GP check it out." The day after that assurance, pretty much all the tingling disappeared! Stress, coincidence, or mind over matter, whatever...  

Minxie: Thinking of you, and keeping fingers and toes crossed for a good outcome. Nice to hear the RO is good.  

Lovely and Painting: Thinking of you too, I'm sure all will be fine.   

Annie dear - you did absolutely nothing wrong in your life to be going through this.  Actually, looking at it spiritually, I believe quite the opposite.  You have been the chosen one, to get challenges and tests, so that you can grow and go towards the real goal of your life.  Otherwise, what other purpose there is to life? Just live, be happy with friends and family and then die and leave them forever?  Doesn't make sense, does it?  We are evoluting, and our evolution is faster than others, due to the grace of God.  We are in pain, so we can be more compassionate towards others, we can even get to the level where we really do understand other people's pain as if they were our own.  Would we have understood as well, had we not gotten this disease?  I was previously a snob, had lots of self-pride, show-offish, thought beauty was everything, tried to get fit and thin just to look good.  Now, I am no longer like that, not as much as before. Having compassion towards others, helping others when they need you, making somebody's pain your own, not laughing at the disfortunate, etc. We are lucky, even though it is hard to believe.  My grandmother used to tell me that we only take our good karma with us when we die, into our next life. We don't do good karma and call out to God unless we are in real pain. This disease gives us the highest pain therefore some spiritual people believe that this quickens our karma the fastest. Life is just a cycle of birth and death, unless one day when our good karmas add up and equals the bad ones, and our slate is cleaned. Then we reach heaven, nirvana, become self-realized, one with nature, one with God. This is how I believe, I am sure others believe differently. I just wanted to share this in case someone is feeling really down, and this gives them some hope. This is not made up, this belief system comes from many Eastern cultures.

Titan - great news! And yes, much better than rubber chicken



Annie - I'm thinking of you, sending calming thoughts.



Lovelyface - I like the way you look at things. Cancer has made me a better person.



Luah - so glad you are feeling better about your mystery symptoms. I've been reading all the brain mets post, trying to figure myself out .



Minxie - I hope things go well at your PET/CT.



My 17 year old just told me he wants to join the Marines. I had to take an Ativan!

CS so glad your treatment went well!