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Dear Lou53,

Welcome to the community. We are sorry that your cancer brought you here but glad that you reached out. We hear that you are afraid and many here will understand that. While you are waiting for others to respond check out this information on our site about treatment for Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Stay connected here and keep us posted. The Mods

Hello Lou53,

I thought I would just pop in to reassure you that you are going to be fine. I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer nearly ten and a half years ago and I am alive and well to tell the tale.

You will find that once you start the chemotherapy treatment you will settle into that routine and feel a lot calmer. It is useful always to have someone with you at treatments and check ups and for them to take notes so that you do not miss anything. There are different regimens for chemotherapy and your oncologist will choose the one she thinks will be the best for you. I had EC for three months and then Taxotere for the next three months (Epirubicin, cyclophosphomide and docetaxel).

We all react differently to these drugs and our cancers are all individual, so do not worry if you have a different regimen to others. Like you, I had invasive ductal carcinoma in the right breast with triple negative receptors. I had a large tumour so I had chemotherapy first, then a mastectomy and then radiotherapy.

You need to get yourself a nice wig because hair loss starts usually after the first chemotherapy treatment. You can opt to wear an ice cap during treatment to prevent hair loss. My eyebrows and eye lashes fell out when I was having the Taxotere treatment, but they do grow back.

You might want to join the large thread Calling all TNs where the wonderful ladies will guide you through all this. You can also join the thread I started over five years ago, Calling all triple neagtive breast cancer patients in the UK. Anyone can post on this thread. We have ladies from different parts of the world.

During your chemotherapy treatment make sure you drink plenty of water, get as much rest as you can and be strong in thought. You can get through this.

Wishing you all the very best.

Sylvia

Hello Lou53,

Just popping in to say that if you are diagnosed as HER2+ then you will not be triple negative. I think there is a scale that decides whether you are HER2+ or not. If you are HER2+ you will need the drug Herceptin to treat this. My understanding is that this was done through injection. You mentioned you were told about taking a drug for five years. You need to find out what this drug is because Herceptin might be available to take orally.

These are all things that you must get explained to you by your oncologist. Do not be afraid to speak up.

I had neoadjuvant chemo and it reduced the tumour somewhat, but I still had a tumour and had a mastectomy, then finished up with radiotherapy, got an excellent pathology report and had NED, no evidence of disease.

Thinking of you and sending best wishes.

Sylvia

Hi HockeyMom37!
Welcome to our BCO Community. It really depends if it is part of your treatment plan. Take a look at this page:

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/mast...

What did your surgeon say they recommend?

We're all here for you, and good luck with your last two treatments with Taxol!

Lou53,

Get well soon. You are in control of your destiny. I am seven years out now, and well. Cured, I have to be vigilant the rest of my life, but I'm just fine. Put yourself in the driver's seat and get going. Protect your future by doing right by yourself now. I was doing chemo and was told to eat whatever I could whenever I could. One day I had a serious hankering for potato chips. So I snorkled down half a bag. Then went off to chemo in the morning. Big mistake. Too much salt. I didn't have a port because my Dad got one and then died. So they tried for an hour to find a good entry point and it was a no go. I was puffed up like a blowfish. My oncology nurse called the local hospital and got me in for a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line in my arm. I waited until they could do that and ran back to do my chemo that day. And completed it. Survival takes dedication. It's not a picnic, but it is not so bad either. Protect yourself from strangers as best you can. Go to the market when children are not there, if possible. Not getting sick is important while you are in treatment. But what is most important is that you hear that YOU CAN DO THIS! The later joy is worth the momentary sacrifice.

Love to you, Lou. Go kick some cancer butt and don't take no for an answer.

Hi Lou. For me, getting my port was the worst part of the whole experience so far! I cannot believe they punctured your lung!

I got my wig through www.tlcdirect.org. Actually there should be a hair dresser in your area that is trained in the "Look Good, Feel Good" program (From the american cancer society) that has the catalogs, color swatches and can measure you for a wig. If you get a prescription from the oncologist, your insurance might pay for it. I really hate wearing it, but when I go out in the public, I somehow don't feel as "sick" from this disease and it gives my husband and I a chance to remember what "normal" feels and looks like. Around friends, I just wear a soft cap or go Commando! One piece of hair advice I wished I had heard before I shaved my head was to just cut it very, very short and not actually shave it. I didn't lose it all and would like to have some of the little wispies to peek out from my cap and scarves.

Yellow Dog lady is right about hair not being the important thing here. But it helps just to take care of one little problem at a time as you go through your days. I also found that there are great relaxation and guided imagery CD's available to help with the anxiety and fears that we all had when we were diagnosed. Believe in your treatment, believe you are killing the cancer cells and see yourself getting well and stronger.

Keep us posted!

Lou, you should go check out the "calling all TNs" thread.

I did carboplatin with taxol and it wasn't that bad. There were side effects but they were very manageable. Water tasted like metal, some food tasted wrong, some low white blood counts but overall not terrible. This is supposed to be a very good chemo for triple negative and I am seeing more and more people getting it.

Have you asked for something like ativan for anxiety or a sleep aid like ambien? If you are struggling you need to ask for help, there is no shame, take care of yourself and you need to sleep to heal!