Topic: Triple Negative

Violet7 - I just noticed a thread further down with 3-year success stories. Check that out. The ladies here are very generous in sharing their experiences, and there's some good inspriation there! Take care. 

I work with a woman who is 23 years out from TNBC.  She had a double mastectomy and CMF.    She wasn't tested for BRCA until 2 years ago when she found out that she is BRCA1 and BRCA2.  She then had a prophylactic hysterectomy.  She is quite fine!

I also spoke with a woman through y-Me who was TN, 10 years out.  She had AC and was supposed to have T but opted out.  

I think we need to realize that there are lots of positive outcomes!

Cheers!

Lorrie 

LOL!  

I was also desperate to find a TN survivor.  I called the y-Me hotline and they hooked me up right away with the 10 year survivor.  Little did I realize that I had my own 20+ year survivor right under my nose!

Lorrie 

While I can't offer a success story yet, I do plan to live a long time and continue to drive my family crazy............ 

I am so sorry you have to go through this again, much less getting TN dx and can't truly understand what you're feeling, but I can say that I'm four months out from dx, still going through tx, but have a much better outlook now than I did in June. 

Good luck...................

I was dx on 9/5/09 and I too am TN, 11/16 nodes, and was told today they found a 7mm nodule on my left lung, so probably mets as well.  I also have 2 children.  Trying to stay positive but it's very overwhelming.

I thank everyone for both the success stories and the comraderie.  I'll look up the older posts, too, thank you.  I keep rollercoastering between optimism and pessimism.  I've heard more stories with a successful outcome than not, though.  I have to believe that I (and you!) are going to be "cured".  No, I don't think that the fear is going to go away.  I spent the past year in fear that my endocervical cancer had not been eradicated by my radical hysterectomy.  I'm a year out with that and it does appear to be gone.  It was adenocarcinoma, a more aggressive cancer than most cervical cancers.  This dx is significantly worse.  Sometimes I think I'm 44 and already this messed up.  I have no female parts left - no breasts, no ovaries, no uterus & cervix, and my vagina was shortened 1/4 of an inch in case the cancer had migrated down.  Soon my hair will be gone too.  I've had basil cell carcinoma on my hand.  I wonder if its just too late and my body is just over it.  Then, I perk up.  My oncologist sounded optimistic, really.  People have overcome worse.  Bodies are resilient.  I'll be getting new breasts (the ones I just lost were a little care-worn from nursing).  I can grow new hair.  I can be healthier than ever.  I can live a long life and watch my two babies grow up and have babies.  My body can rebound.  Your bodies can rebound.  And we have to believe that while we are being treated for bc their will be a cure and we will receive it and never have a recurrence.  Thank you all.  I'm going to look up older posts. 

Hi Violet,

You are right. It is truly amazing how resilient the body is. During treatment, I felt and looked like I had aged 15 years in just a matter of weeks. But the chemo did its work and I healed. My hair is back and the steroid weight went away. I am 2 1/2 years out and doing quite well. There are many, many of us who are thriving after TNBC. You have every reason to be hopeful. Best to you.

I was just told my cancer is triple negative, another shocker!  I begin chemo 11/16.  8 treatments over 16 weeks followed by 6 weeks radiation.  I have taken a leave from work and want to do all that i can to beat this! 

Ladies - triple negative, node positive, and 4.5 years from diagnosis! :-)

(Hi ravdeb!)

Hi Ladies - I was dx in April 2007 with Stage IV, triple negative BC.  As of today, I am stable, with a PET/CT scheduled for next Friday.  I have mets throughout my skeletal system and you wouldn't even know it!!  I feel good.  I have 2 beautiful boys (9 &10) who drive me absolutely crazy and keep me going.  With this disease, I have learned to stay in the present and not look to far into the future. (It will just make yourself crazy!!!)  I have been through a bilateral mastectomy, radiation, Carbo, Taxol, Avastin, Zometa (for the bones), Xeloda, Abraxene, Nevelbine and a freaked out husband who says he is no longer attracted to me.  Now, I am on Doxil, Avastin & Zometa.  I have had 3 ports already, 1 of which got infected a month ago and now my new one is giving me trouble. (Going on Friday for a CT scan of neck and thorax to look for clots.)  I have had cellulitis from my radiation which then gave me lymphodema.  It's been a constant battle and a very long road for only 2 1/2 years, BUT, I got through it and I am still here and feeling good.  YOU can do this!!! YOU are strong!!!  As I said before, STAY FOCUSED ON THE NOW and don't get yourself worked up over something that may or may not even happen in the future.  Be well and stay strong.....and yes, I would consider myself an on-going success story!!

Suzanne, Huntington, NY

Violet - Glad I made your day, that was my intent! I had a lumpectomy, then a re-excision and SNB, and then a full AND. I did dose dense AC/Taxol, and then 38 rads (33 plus 5 boosts.) Pretty agressive treatment I know, but I wanted to feel like I was doing all I could do.

As far as alternative approaches, I took L-Glutamine powder during the taxol to help with the neuropathy, and I tried to use "positive mental imaging" to keep myself calm about treatment and the future. I am supposed to be exercising (my onc is a big believer in exercise to stay healthy and reduce risk) but I'm not so strong at keeping up with that! :-)

And btw, I did ditch my lousy rat-bastard ex-fiance! Suzanne, hope yours either got over it or got out!

Suzanne,  I salute you, too.  Dang, you've been through it.  Get a new husband.  I'm angry with mine at the moment and planning on an upgrade (I have this anger issue lately and it keeps jumping from person to person and group to group.  And I'm not an angry person).  You deserve all the love in the world. Violet

I'm also TN and looking forward to my "cancerversary" on January 7.  Unfortunately that's also the date of my next mammogram, so I'll be dancing with the big vise grip before I can dance with my hubby in celebration. 

I have my onc check-up tomorrow and hoping that it being scheduled on Friday the 13th isn't ominous...

KzooAmy,  I've heard that about PET Scans too.  My mom is being scanned and rescanned as they watch a slight glow in her abdomen which may or may not be cancer.  If it isn't they think it is a cyst.  It's terrifying.  I have a PET Scan on Saturday and I'm worried they will find mets AND that they will wrongly identify something in my body as cancer and kill me w/anxiety.  Thenewme:  Absolutely 1 year is a great success story.  Those years add up.  In fact, I'm planning on starting a collection :)  I'm just a mess.  I don't even know what to expect out of myself from moment to moment.  One moment I'm entranced by some sparkly ornaments at Pier One  and the next I'm crying in the middle of Pier One over an Abba song my grandmother & I liked.  I'm a stable one right now.  Carolinachick:  I was diagnosed with cancer twice in October - this and last  - and October used to be my fave.  I'm dreading next October.  {{{{{Hugs}}}}}} to you for the 13th.  Violet 

KzooAmy, I am so, so sorry.  May chemo kick cancer's @** .  I have my PET Scan this afternoon.