Wife 35 year old mother of 2 just diagnosed triple negative

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Loveformywife
Loveformywife Member Posts: 10
edited July 2017 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Hi all,

Well this week has been an emotional wreck. My wife felt a bump and went in to her Ob which ordered a mammogram of the left breast. The radiologist came out and took an ultrasound and a biopsy of the tumor and lymph node on the spot. The biopsy came back positive last Thursday on the tumor and negative on the lymph node. She is triple negative with invasive ductal type with poor differentiated (3 of 3). We saw a breast surgeon Dr. Brown from Beaumont hospital here in Michigan. He basically said she has a good prognosis but will start her on chemo for 20 weeks and then do surgery. He said 90% chance the tumor will shrink and 60% chance it will completely go away. Then there is surgery and she is also going to do genetic testing to see if she has the breast cancer gene and that will determine surgery options. I am learning a lot as each day goes by. I guess our biggest worry is that the chemo does not work but hoping that it will because it is supposed to be more effective on early stage and young women. I joined this site to connect and get as much possible information. Next week she is going to get an MRI, blood work for the gene testing, and meet with the medical oncologists and the radiation oncologist. Then there will be a team meeting and treatment starts. Since the diagnosis she has been eating really well, no sugar etc, and we are going to do everything we can on our side to fight this. 

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  • Sam0623
    Sam0623 Member Posts: 110
    edited June 2017

    I'm so sorry you have to be here. Most others will tell you, and I certainly agree the first couple weeks waiting for treatment are hard. I was diagnosed earlier this year, at age 31 with a similar sized tumor. Once things get started you will both feel a lot better. I wouldn't worry too much about the chemo not working- it does for most. The good thing about doing chemo before surgery is the Dr's can tell if it is responding and if not can change your treatment. I haven't had surgery yet, but about a month after starting chemo my tumor could no longer be felt (we could tell a difference even after the first treatment). I just had an ultrasound and it can no longer be seen there either and I still have 6 treatments left! I am in Michigan too, but on the west side (GR area).

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  • Loveformywife
    Loveformywife Member Posts: 10
    edited June 2017

    Thank you for the reply. Your stats are very close to my wife's. She is in agony waiting for treatment as she thinks it could spread before they get started. Every little pain and feeling scares her. Did you get tested for the gene? The doc explained that if she is positive for the gene a double mastectomy probably would be best but that is way down the road. So one step at a time. I am really praying that she responds well to chemo and that will put us both at ease. Also how were your lymph nodes. My wife's sister lives in East GR we are there all the time.

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  • MTwoman
    MTwoman Member Posts: 2,704
    edited June 2017

    Loveformywife, there are many genes that can increase the risk of bc. Most likely, your wife will meet with a genetics counselor who will go over family history and then take a blood sample to do genetic testing. there are threads here that talk about the genes that increase the risk of bc: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/112/topics/856535

    If your wife has any genetic mutation that increases her personal recurrence risk profile, then that may affect the treatment plan recommendations.

    Good luck!

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  • Sam0623
    Sam0623 Member Posts: 110
    edited June 2017

    I did get gene tested and everything came back negative. Regarding the lymph nodes- I never had a biopsy because on imaging and physical exams all the nodes looked normal. They will test them when I have surgery, but my surgeon is optimistic that even if there were a few cancer cells in them that they are probably dead based on how well my tumor has responded.

    I also worry about every ache and pain, but try to remember I felt totally fine before I was diagnosed, so I'm just being super aware of things.

    I think you will see most of the ladies on here had a month maybe 2 after diagnosis before they started treatment. I got 3 opinions before I made any decisions and my oncologist said taking a few weeks was ok, she just wouldn't advise waiting several months. I remember feeling like everything moved so slowly in the beginning, but now looking back I did a lot in those 3 weeks from diagnosis to when I got my first chemo.

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  • jenjenl
    jenjenl Member Posts: 948
    edited July 2017

    hi, the first few weeks are the hardest. It gets better once all testing is done and the plan of attack is known. I was young too with young kids when dx and I'm almost at 5 yrs. If you have any question send me a message. The next few months up to a year will be challenging but it will soon be in the rear view mirror. I learned a lot about myself and priorities in that first year. xo

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  • Loveformywife
    Loveformywife Member Posts: 10
    edited July 2017

    Thank you for all the replies. From what I am hearing young women with triple negative usually respond well to chemo. What worries me is the 10% chance that it doesn't. How long did you ladies notice a change in the tumor after starting chemo? One dose or many doses?

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited July 2017

    absolutely everyone is different. Some feel like the tumor is gone. Some never feel anything. Some find with surgery the tumor is actually gone. Some find with scans after chemo that the tumor is still there - maybe smaller. Good luck.

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  • Legomaster225
    Legomaster225 Member Posts: 672
    edited July 2017

    Loveformywife, I see Dr Brown as well. He is phenomenal! He is very comforting and easy to talk to. I'm currently recovering from my BMX and reconstruction. My primary care Dr. sent his sister to him and the PS (Stefani) I'm seeing has high praise for him too. I figured if my primary doctor sends his family to him he must be good. My whole team is great. Muskovitz is my MO and Gustafson is my RO.

    I also did neoadjuvent chemo. It worked great for me. Tumor shrunk tremendously and my node that tested positive initially was clear when it was removed. We could feel a difference just a few weeks in but my tumor was pretty large. I was getting my chemo at the infusion center in the Wilson cancer center. Very nice facility, nurses are wonderful and caring, chemo always started on time. I'm not sure if that is where you will be going there.

    You can PM me if you have questions or if your wife would like to talk to someone I would be happy to talk with her. I'm sorry you have to go through this but you have a great doctor to help you.

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  • Loveformywife
    Loveformywife Member Posts: 10
    edited July 2017

    Well we have the treatment plan in place. Wife is getting a port installed today and starting AC chemo on Tuesday. These past two weeks have been multiple appointments every single day. We pray that the chemo shrinks the tumor and she is also awaiting genetic testing results. MRI confirmed 2.3 cm tumor with most likely no lymph nodes involved. She has been doing great with her diet and we met with a wonderful ND to help with side effects and beating this long term.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited July 2017

    Glad the treatment plan is in place. Good luck with the chemo.

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  • Valstim52
    Valstim52 Member Posts: 1,324
    edited July 2017

    Good luck with the chemo. Also there is a great thread called: Calling all TN's. Additional resources are the chemo thread for your month. There you will find those going through this at the same time, with tips for side effects etc. I found both a life saver for me. There is a wealth of information and experiences on there. Your wife sounds like she is getting the usual dose of chemo, then surgery and possibly rads which for most of us has proven very sucessful.

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  • Legomaster225
    Legomaster225 Member Posts: 672
    edited July 2017

    Hope the port placement went well. Having a plan makes a big difference as far as feeling in control.

    Did she get a prescription for Emla cream? That worked great for me. I didn't really feel anything. Be generous putting a big blob right on the port about 45 min prior.

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  • Loveformywife
    Loveformywife Member Posts: 10
    edited July 2017

    No Emla cream but I will let her know (or she knows now as she reads these). The port went well and she has minor aches but seems to be doing well with it. Tomorrow is the first day in 2 weeks without an appointment. Time to give the house a big deep clean in preparation for chemo. I am taking off work for her first round. I know she is probably scared to start but time to kick this tumors butt.

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