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kiwikris72's avatar
kiwikris72
Member
6 years ago

Hi everybody

I was diagnosed with breast cancer on 31 January, and found out I was triple negative on 10 February.  I'm scheduled to have my lump and some lymph nodes removed on 24 February, and have been told I'm up for chemo and radiation therapy.  I know the radiation will be everyday for 5-6 weeks but do they usually start chemo straight away too?  Or do they wait till you've recovered from surgery and have the results back?  I have pre-admission on Monday 17 Feb where I'm sure they'll tell me but thought I'd ask here as well. 

Bit of a shock though when I found out, don't think I've processed it really yet because I feel fine.  I'm anxious obviously but otherwise ok.
lumpectomy
triple-negative-breast-cancer
  • kiwikris72's avatar
    kiwikris72
    Member
    6 years ago
    Well I’ve had my pre-admission yesterday, surgery next Monday and my first oncology consult next Tuesday. Should get pathology results following Tuesday to see if they took enough and to see if it’s spread to my nodes. Then chemo starts after about a month of healing, six months I’m told, and then radiation. Funny thing is I keep checking to see if it’s still there, I think hoping it will have gone away. 
  • Shellshocked201's avatar
    Shellshocked201
    Member
    6 years ago
    Welcome kiwikris, I to had triple negative BC , was diagnosed in October 2018, surgery for partial mastectomy and sentinel node removal, full auxiliary clearance ( 1 node involved) I started chemotherapy February 1st for 6 months, then after radiation for 30 rounds.
    Had my first mammogram after diagnosis and treatment, ALL CLEAR .!
    You can beat this to!

    Ask away any questions at anytime or you can private message me anytime.
    Once you’ve had your operation, everything will fall into place with treatment.
    Be kind to yourself, do things you enjoy and love to do to keep your mind of things, I found meditation a god send, I still to this day do regular meditation.
    Stay positive, drink plenty of fluid during chemotherapy and rest when your body tells you to, gentle exercise when you can.

    Sending hugs your way xx
  • YellowRobin's avatar
    YellowRobin
    Member
    6 years ago
    Hi @kiwikris72. I’m a newbie also. Diagnosed 22/1/20 Triple negative. I had my surgery last week and have chemo and rads to come. Hopefully I’ll know what my treatment plan looks like next week. I find the waiting is the hard part. Good luck for next Monday xxx
  • kiwikris72's avatar
    kiwikris72
    Member
    6 years ago
    Hi @YellowRobin, how did you pull up after your surgery?  Was yours a lump removal as well?  And did you have a sentinel node dye injection before your surgery?  Sorry for all the questions, just getting a feel for what I'll be like next week.
  • YellowRobin's avatar
    YellowRobin
    Member
    6 years ago
    Hello @kiwikris72. Yes I had a lumpectomy and they only needed to remove the sentinel node. I was lucky as my tumour was only 11mm. 
    They injected radioactive dye in the morning and waited a few hours before the scans. No pain or panic with the process. Although It was a long day as I didn’t get operated on until 6.30. Make sure you have plenty of things to keep you occupied while you wait. I was pretty emotional and in pain in recovery so they doubled my pain meds. After that I felt fine and was surprised how little pain I was in. I went home the next morning. The surgeon did a great job and my scar is healing well after only a week. In fact I have more of a problem with under my boob where skin ripped off when I stretched and tore the bottom of my wound dressing. It’s in the worst spot under my bra cup. 😣 Don’t apologise for all the questions. There was so much I wanted to know and didn’t ask. So ask away 👍🏼
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