Triple negative breast cancer

Hi Sheree,

I am about to start my radiation but waiting on genetic testing results which are due sometime this week. Hopefully I will start my radiation by the end of the week. I am having 6 weeks of radiation. How are you going and where are you up to with your treatment?

xox Renata

Hi Renata, where are you up to with your treatment now? 

Anabel, I have never heard of 7 weeks of Radiation.... can you shed some light on this for me?

Sheree

Hi Renata

I also was diagnosed with Triple Negative Cancer in October 2010. I had a lumpectomy followed by 6 TAC treatments  three weeks apart. Then radiation for 7 weeks.......my last radiation was on the 21 May 2011. I went back to work full time two weeks later. Now after three weeks at work, I'm happy to say I feel pretty good. I am tired of an evening but no more than I was before all this began. I think being around people again has been wonderful for my self esteem. I was so worried about going back after having 7 months off work. 

Oh and my finger nails survived the treatment however my big toenails look very scary......they have not fallen off but look like they were jammed in the car door!!! Small price to pay and lucky it's winter and I can wear shoes to cover them

If you have any questions I am happy to answer them. I know there are so many women only too happy to help out.

Take care and keep positive.

Anabel

on the breast cancer.org site, there is quite a bit on TNBC, plus other things.

kathy.

Hi Liz,

Good luck with your chemo. I was very anxious before I started mine, a feeling I am sure everyone has. I am waiting for my test results to come back next week to see if mine is genetic as well. 

Keep in touch

Renata

Hi Renata and everyone else,

I'm pretty new to BCNA. I turned 34 a month ago and was diagnosed with TNBC a month before my birthday. I recently discovered that it's genetic with me, even though there is no family history.

I will be starting chemo in less than 2 days. I'm feeling pretty anxious about it and wonder how I'll react to it.

Looking at all the responses here, there seems to be a number of people with TNBC around Australia. I'm in Sydney though.

Hi Susan,

I was given Biotene gel toothpaste and mouthwash samples at the oncologist. Salty water was Ok, but the Biotene was great to maintain a healthy mouth. I also got a paste made by Orabase that was great to apply before bed, to protect any sore areas from the acids of the mouth.  They'll tell you to clean your teeth and rinse after every meal and before sleep. It is easier to prevent mouth sores than treat them after! A cuticle cream was helpful too.

Everyone has a slightly different treatment and also different reactions. I know quiet a few TNBC ladies who are all doing really well. So keep on smiling!

Cheers

Susan, I remember reading about TNBC and getting so upset, but since then I have heard about people and read about people who have got through this, up to their 3rd year remission. The chemo really attacks TNBC cells and they are very sensitive to the chemo, so that's great. It is an aggressive type, yes, but you can take steps to have a healthy lifestyle when you are feeling up to it. I walk 4 times a week, limit alcohol and eat lots of green leafy veges and drink juices 4 times a week. Don't worry if you don't feel well during chemo though, any changes you feel are necessary in your lifestyle can wait till you feel well. You have a lot on your plate with six kids, no matter their ages. Enjoy time with your family and laugh a lot. If you need to cry, do it, but don't get down completely because you need your immune system positive and fighting - that was the best advice I got.

I didn't suffer too much with chemo, only a little nausea, very tired and with the Taxotere (taxol) I had aches and pains on about day 4,5 and 6, of the first two rounds. So I used panadol osteo before the pain kicked in each time and kept onto it for those days. Coupled with heat pads I felt comfortable most of the time. The rest of the schedule really wasn't too bad for me, but everyone's different.

I am 35 with 3 kids, had six rounds and am now halfway through radiation, which is a lot easier on the body.

Best wishes, take care and keep up with BCNA so we can chat and touch base every now and again.

A thing to remember Susan is that while the chemo is not pleasant but TNBC responds really well to chemotherapy. The hard thing about chemo is that even though we all had pretty much the same regime everyone has different side effects. I also found that with each round I felt different and did not know how I would be feeling after each time. I tried to keep on top of the constipation by starting to take a mild laxative like movicol from the first day. I also tried to gargle with bicarb soda or if I could not stomach that diet coke to help with the horrible feeling and taste in my mouth. If  I started to feel nausea I took something straight away rather than wait till I was actually sick. Also to help with the metallic taste I used plastic cutlery. Hopefully you may have none of or only a few of these symptoms that I had. The best advice I can give is to talk to the nurses where you are having chemo and to your oncologist who can help with managing your symptoms. One of my doctors also told me that if you are feeling like crap imagine what it is doing to the cancer. This helped me alot. Good Luck and hopefully will be over before you know it.