So stressed Triple neg 5cm need positive stories

Hi there tripple qld. I got diagnosed with triple neg may last year. 3 cm tumor no lymph node involvement and scans all clear had a mastectomy and chemo by choice as didn't want lumpectomy rad and chemo. Had 8 rounds of chemo 4 AC and 4 paclitaxol. Had other boob off in nov as a preventative again my choice. Not interested in having reconstruction as I don't want more surgery but that's my choice. Prognosis is good for me too my oncologist said triple neg responds really well to chemo so rest assured yoI'll be good too. I'm 44 and have  older kids but don't think you can't have a family. Lots of women do it with a breast cancer diagnosis. Had the genetic test too as I'm under 50 with no family history. I'm Negative for that. The other good thing about triple neg is no tamoxifen etc after to take as it's not hormone receptive. Stay positive take care of yourself make sure you eat well and stay hydrated you don't want any delays with surgery or treatment because your crook. I agree with the other girls don't google it!! Feel free to send me a message if you'd like to chat. This forum gives you lots of advice and support too. Margie 

Hi there
i am 30 yrs old triple neg 3.4cm lump with some node involvement. I finish chemo today and having a double mastectomy by choice with an immediate recon in 3 weeks time.
My advice:
dont google
stay hydrated
know you can beat this
eat well
take the meds during chemo
keep active if you can
and if you have time to save some eggs do it.

i have a little boy so I didn't prioritize it only as I already had had him. If I am able to have any post chemo, it would be a bonus. My cycle was not good timing and I started chemo within two weeks of being diagnosed. 

You can do this!!!

Hey! Firstly I just wanted to give you a hug, I know how incredibly overwhelming the whole thing is. I'm not Triple negative but I have had BC twice. You've got some great experiences here to draw on for strength and comfort. They have come a long way!  Don't let this define you, big breath, if children is something you really want absolutely freeze your eggs. Step at a time, as you navigate through each part of this journey. Put you first above everyone else a super hard lesson I had to learn in terms of my importance through it. Self nurture was another huge thing in the simplest ways that I reminded myself I am human, yes I'm strong beyond belief but I'm also scared, vulnerable and heartbroken at times. You can do this! And there are days that you just won't want to, the truth. And yet you will rise to each challenge with an inner surety that you never ever knew you could possibly have. Melinda xo

Hi all of you wonderful Ladies!!! i am so thankful for all of your comments. I have been so busy its not funny, having IVF done more test and scans and signing papers at hospital. booked in for Surgery on Wednesday then they will start chemo 3-4 weeks later (thats only 1 week after all the ivf shots and harvesting) so i will be soooooooo busy for the next 3 weeks but i have so much to say to each of you on things you have raised. Everything everyone has said i am doing or have done. To those who have those wonderful stories of beating this i thank you, sometimes we just need to know there are Survivors and i can be too!! Over the coming weeks i will try to get back to each comment individually. I am over the whole breast recon right now and am purely focused on getting this crap out of me and staying adamant that the chemo WILL work! I am also having a lot of phone and computer problems atm so please don't think i am not listening or thankful, I AM just a little slow to reply do to stupid technology and being so busy. THANK YOU SO MUCH and keep them coming! 

So happy you can see a future. Hope and a fighting spirit will carry you through. Gather those you love close to you and accept all offers of help. You will draw strength from others and they from you. Looking forward to hearing your story evolve. Kath x

Agree!!! So glad you're navigating and you're OK!! So much support here, its really humbling!!! and honestly, these ladies will all help carry you...me included :) Hugs Melinda xo

Hi again, so glad you are harvesting your eggs.  That's a good thing and you will be glad you did later.  Like you say then concentrate on your chemo and surgery. Recon is something you can think about later if you wish.  There are loads of us who have been down that path too.  Don't worry about getting back to everyone personally, we have all been where you are.  Just do what you have to do and we will be here for  you when you need us.
huge hugs
Paula xxx

lisboy said:

Dear Hopes and Dreams
i don't post much anymore but came on here and saw your post and felt compelled to answer you. I had triple negative multifical,ie 3 small tumours and 3 positive nodes. I am now 2 years post diagnosis. It seems hopeless and incredibly scary at the start but this is treatable!! Big gains in research and lots of worldwide focus on triple negative breast cancer treatment. It helps to read other survivorship stories and there are plenty of them with similar and bigger size tumours than you have. It s hard to find histories on this site and unfortunately a lot of great blogs seem to have disappeared. If you go to breast cancer.org you will find a whole section on triple negative with threads all about women who are thriving  up to 10 years and more after a triple negative diagnosis. Another credible site is tnbc foundation. Tnbc foundation site also has discussion forums and up to date research posted on it. 

There are many other women on here who are doing well several years down the track and I'm sure they will also post. I understand totally how you feel, and it is important to know that not only can you survive but statistically you are likely to survive. Don't buy into all the doom and gloom on the web about tnbc. A lot of it is lazy reporting quoting statements from years ago.
You have a treatable disease and you can get through this!
I wish you all the very best and take care,
Lisa

Thankyou Lisboy im pretty sure in these 2 months of waiting i have read every Study, Forum, Cancer site on the net.... and it has proved very helpful as my Surgeon is very impressed with my knowledge of EVERYTHING to do with my case and attitude for someone of my age (luckily i am a very smart googler and i know what to read and what not to read and how much weight to give it based on a whole lot factors like who rote it, when, scientific evidence etc ) . Having said that i got so Down the night i wrote this because i took the wrong person with me who wasn't helping and was, in front of the surgeon, demanding i give up on kids and just start chemo all because my surgeon said "I'm not going to beat around the bush, You are in TROUBLE, that is a big cancer" and i think hearing that my friend had an awakening and went a bit off the rails ( i had had other surgeons and drs visits prior so i knew my situation)  Needless to say i wont be taking that person to any of my stuff again as i thought they could handle it but obviously not. Anyway i have surgery booked for Wednesday then egg harvesting injections start next week then multiple ultrasound nearly daily towards day 12 then harvesting on day 12 or 14 then chemo starts 1 week after that so ill be so busy i dont think ill have time to worry about much at all lol. I find it funny how you learn who believes you to the extent you are saying about your diagnosis and who has to hear it from a professional before it sinks in for them....i have a few around me unfortunately but some good ones too. thanks again i am feeling better and just cant wait actually to get this breast off and be done with the pain its been giving me for 2 months now. 

gurneys said:

Hi, I was triple neg, 1.8 cm. 1 year on and I'm all clear. Lumpectomy, chemo then bilateral mastectomy (my choice, preventative as also BRCA2 pos).

As the others have said, don't buy into all the hype you read online about triple neg. My doctors weren't concerned about it being triple neg at all and now I've been given the all clear. If you are concerned about your fertility, speak to your oncol about the effects of chemo on your eggs. That was one of the first things my oncol raised with me.

Breathe. It's a lot to take in at the beginning and filtering through all the info. Feel free to ask any questions though.

Best of luck

Sherril

Hi Gurneys, thats been half of the problem i havent ever seen my oncologist but when they all had their big pow wow meeting (all the drs and sugeons do about my case and how best to proceed) my breast care nurse is my only go to person and she said "i asked the oncoligist and he said "  "if she wants kids she NEEDS to save her eggs harvested NOW so i recommend surgery first to allow time for this" so my BC nurse said that she got the impression from him that i wont have any eggs left after chemo. HOWEVER my Fertility DR said "we can give you a drug to shut down your overies for overie preservation" (which i already know about and have been asking for)  so now i am a little confused as I know about that drug and have asked multiple times about it but my BC nurse doesnt seem to know and neither does my surgeon so now im thinking the fertility dr will be doing it???? This is the frustrating part about not getting to see all of my drs myself but hey it is the public system. My surgeon says "im not and oncologist so i dont know" so basically only my ONCO can tell me but i wont see him untill just before cheom but I"ll defiantly be following it up with him and my fertility Dr when i see him next week. I sometimes feel like ive been the most organised and knowedgable and THEY are all just catching up....??? LOL.