Triple negative result

I am a 38 yo mother of a 3yo dau and 6yo son, have my 3rd round of chemo tomorrow. I know everyone is different and so are the drugs - I'm on 3 rounds of FEC and 3 rounds of Docetaxel. I have been very lucky and have no major side effects besides hair loss. When friends ask how I'm going I tell them I've felt worse with gastro!! I wish you the same. After my lumpectomy I told my kids I had to go to the hospital to have some yucky medicine every few weeks that would make my hair fall out and maybe make me tired - so far treatment has not affected them because as I say "it's business as usual in our house" If I keep it normal then my kids are completely fine.

My only advice would be dont go out buy all sorts of things to remedy a side effect that might happen, wait until it does - e.g I have too much laxative for constipation and ginger beer for nausea in my house as I haven't needed them, but do drink lots of fluid after treatment to help flush it out, water is best in regards to being healthy but have cordial if you cant stomach too much plain water.

I also agree with not reading to much, I dont want to stick my head in the sand but you will feel alot more relaxed about it all, you cant change anything at the moment so dont worry yourself if you dont need to. If I worried about if my kids losing their mum too young I'd be a basket case by now. Dont think about it, enjoy them and if you do have bad days, they wont last for long. Good luck!

Hi there, Just wondering how you have found the Docetaxel treatment? I'm on the same tretment plan as you, last round of FEC tomorrow which I have found to be really easy, no bad side effects except hair loss. I'm just wondering if the worst is yet to come?

I've heard you can get joint pains but my oncologist says Docetaxel is the easy part and FEC is the worst and he has had patients who have found the pain from the neulasta needle worse than the docetaxel but I haven't been bothered by the neulasta. I'm hoping things will be as easy as they have been so far for the rest of my treatment.Hope all is well with your treatment so far...

Hi Peta, I am also a triple negative breast cancer patient.  Had a lumpectomy 2.5cm tumour taken out,  on 4th Sept.only 2 lymph nodes removed and all clear. started chemo on 4th October, I too was scared of what would be ahead of me. I lost my hair after first treatment, so scarves and wig are the go still. I have had 5 chemo treatments first three rounds with FEC and next 3 rounds Docetaxel. My last one in January, can't wait. Both have side effects but I wont scare you as everyone is different with the side effects you can get.  Your oncologist will give you all sorts of information about what to expect.  I am also doing radiotherapy for 6 weeks after chemo finishes, guess you will soon find out in time if you need to do radio also. I am older than you but have an 18 yr old daughter, single mum, so just the 2 of us.  Yes it does get tough, but if you find a support group nearby I recommend you go to each meeting.  This site is also a wonderful source but sometimes reading too many blogs might not be a good idea, but it is up to you.  Be strong, we women can be and have to be for our children and you will get through the "journey". You will be OK once all treatments are finished, it is a long haul. I was diagnosed end of August so I have been going since then, by the time I have finished treatments it will be early April.... Keep in touch with people on this site for as long as you wish to.  I have been keeping in touch with a Triple negative lady who lives in WA since early November, we are both up to the same treatment and giving out advise to each other after each chemo to see what side effects she gets and what I get.

Take Care  Debbie

Hi,

A few weeks ago I had surgery to remove cancer which was 23mm, grade III, invasive ductal cancer -with Medullary cancer features. I had 3 nodes taken out which all came back clear. I too have triple negative. This is scary stuff! Especially when at 36 yrs having breast cancer was not something that would have crossed my mind. When I found out, the first thing I thought was my kids are too young to lose their mother. But after finding the courage to find this blog, it has given me hope and encouragement to move on with my life and to beat this crappy thing called cancer. I am due to see my oncologist on the 9th Jan. from there I guess he will tell me everything I need to know about my upcoming chemo treatment. I'm nervous and somewhat excited to get this thing rolling, so I can get on with my life. There's nothing worse than just waiting... I was wondering if anybody has any ideas or suggestions that would prepare me for my first chemo treatment? Anything at all would be good.

Thanks

Thanks Chamini, after two surgery the margin is clear. I had no cancer in the node so no further surgery. On thursday this week I will find out the treatment plan. Its comforting to hear your stories and im  trying to keep positive. My job is waiting for me when my treatment is finished but because I work with horses it is very physical  I had to leave after the first surgery . I have enrolled in further study for the year so when I am finished treatment I will have a diploma as well, anyway thats the plan so far...

Hi Annie

Mine was also triple negative with no lymph node involvement. They must have cut under your armpit to remove the centinal node. Did the doctors do pathalogy close to the surface of the area taken out and did they find cancer cells near the surface ? If they did you will need to go back and take more out. Luckily for me this was not the case. What is too small to be detected will be killed by radiation and chemo.  Will you have chemo first and radition after?I had mine the other way around. I was lucky enough to work through the whole thing.  I had TC protocol with chemo every 3 weeks for 4 sessions. Well to be honest it was tomorrow last year I started my frist chemo. 

Expect to feel tired and achey. I would advise to get a short haircut . It is easier to deal with the hair loss when it is short. I had hair down to the middle of my back and it was difficult when it started to fall oout with everything knotted together.

I hope you have a relatively pain free chemo. Having  a beautiful daughter will help you have a positive outlook.

Best wishes

Hi Annie

Mine was also triple negative with no lymph node involvement. They must have cut under your armpit to remove the centinal node. Did the doctors do pathalogy close to the surface of the area taken out and did they find cancer cells near the surface ? If they did you will need to go back and take more out. Luckily for me this was not the case. What is too small to be detected will be killed by radiation and chemo.  Will you have chemo first and radition after?I had mine the other way around. I was lucky enough to work through the whole thing.  I had TC protocol with chemo every 3 weeks for 4 sessions. Well to be honest it was tomorrow last year I started my frist chemo. 

Expect to feel tired and achey. I would advise to get a short haircut . It is easier to deal with the hair loss when it is short. I had hair down to the middle of my back and it was difficult when it started to fall oout with everything knotted together.

I hope you have a relatively pain free chemo. Having  a beautiful daughter will help you have a positive outlook.

Best wishes

Hi Annie

Mine was also triple negative with no lymph node involvement. They must have cut under your armpit to remove the centinal node. Did the doctors do pathalogy close to the surface of the area taken out and did they find cancer cells near the surface ? If they did you will need to go back and take more out. Luckily for me this was not the case. What is too small to be detected will be killed by radiation and chemo.  Will you have chemo first and radition after?I had mine the other way around. I was lucky enough to work through the whole thing.  I had TC protocol with chemo every 3 weeks for 4 sessions. Well to be honest it was tomorrow last year I started my frist chemo. 

Expect to feel tired and achey. I would advise to get a short haircut . It is easier to deal with the hair loss when it is short. I had hair down to the middle of my back and it was difficult when it started to fall oout with everything knotted together.

I hope you have a relatively pain free chemo. Having  a beautiful daughter will help you have a positive outlook.

Best wishes

Hi Annie, I'm not surprised that your anxious but if my Mum's case is anything to go by, things settle down a bit once you have started treatment and are in a bit of a routine. Let me know how you go on Friday and what sort of treatment program you are given. Are you able to find out anything about your family history? Warm regards, Sarah

Thanks sarah, this friday I find out my chemo treatment, It is good to hear your mum is doing well, Im very anxious but just looking forward to getting it started. Still trying to find my mothers heritage, but to no avail, it has though been a brilliant distraction to my illness.