Calling all TNs
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Hi Brneyegrl6608,
I am sorry that you have to be on this forum but you are so welcome here. This is a great TN thread with lots of wonderful and helpful people where you can have friends, get answers to your questions, and even vent.
I am sure the other ladies will be willing to support you too. You can click the "My Profile" button to start entering your personal info and dx so that others will have a better understanding of what your cancer status is. The button can be found on top of your screen and is user-friendly.
Your tumor size is almost the same as mine and I am also considered Triple-negative since my er/pr (hormone receptors) are weak and just 5% and 3% respectively. My HER2 is also negative.
Just to give you an idea, having a triple negative breast cancer means that the only therapy treatment available for you is chemotherapy and it may be given before tumor removal surgery (neo adjuvant) or after surgery (adjuvant). Surgery can be just lumpectomy (removal of the tumor only) or mastectomy (removal of the entire breast). You cannot have hormonal therapy which is given to positive hormone-receptor patients only. A follow up radiotherapy may also be required depending on what your condition is and what your doctor tells you.
Your medical oncologist should also tell you what type of cancer you have, its aggressiveness status and what cancer stage you are in by the size of your tumor and the number of affected nodules. Factors like family history, age, lifestyle, etc. are very important for your dx and treatment options and you and your daughters may also be told to undergo gene testing to know if anyone of you is cancer-prone.
I hope these initial infos help you and feel free to ask more specific questions here. The other ladies here are more knowledgeable and very supportive.
Remember, triple-negative breast cancer can be cured! I know that this is easier said than done but try to avoid unnecessary worries and stress. Educate yourself more and be prepared. May the Good Lord bless and protect you.
Best Regards,
Gina
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Thank you so much for the response. I'm trying to put together a list of questions to figure out what's best for me. I'm a nurse so I think I'm trying to tackle this with good information first instead of being overly emotional and that initial feeling when I heard the diagnosis of soul-crushing despair. My first thought was for my husband and children. The only thing I could say to my husband was that I was so sorry. I think if I can just make out a priority list and good info on evidence based practice then i can get ahold of my emotions. Right now its just a roller coaster. Thank you for the book suggestions. I'mgoing to get them now on Amazon.
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Welcome Brown, and I second the excellent advice above. Those books are so good.
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Hello to everyone, veterans and new folks. Browneyed girl, it is overwhelming at first but as you learn more you'll feel more confident. I would recommend getting at least 2 opinions in terms of course of treatment. And I second the suggestion about looking to see whether there is a clinical trial you could participate in. There is a lot of research being done on TNBC so there may be a trial near you. I'm in a trial in NYC.
A question for this group. I met a woman this week who has TNBC, stage I, and said she's been getting an adjuvant treatment called MFC. She couldn't remember the specific chemical names. Does anyone know what that combination is?
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Hi Meadow,
How are you? I hope you're much better now with your wound closed. You have many well wishers including me.
Take care,
Gina
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aterry...
"The chemotherapy regimen called CMF, was routinely used to treat women with breast cancer from the 1970s through the 1990s - and many of these now breast cancer survivors are still alive today. CMF involves a combination of the drugs cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil.
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aterry - I wonder if your friend meant CMF as Cathytoo indicated (more likely), or if she actually did mean MFC (mitomycin C, 5-fluorouracil, and cytosine arabinoside).
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Thanks, CathyToo and Kayak2. I'll look that up. She's being treated at Sloan.
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gmmiph, thank you for your jokes!
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So glad to hear Meadow's news and to hear that DiV is doing well, relatively speaking.
I'm on vacation in Florida and I want to hug every woman is see that has the chemo hair. Too many of us, unfortunately.
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Today we had some terrible news from our appointment. Pathology reports showed the tumor was 50×80×35 with 10 nodes that had active cancer cells. My heart is breaking and I can't even imagine what my mom feels. Her stage now is IIIC.
Anyone know people with such a terrible stage and still alive? Also if 4×TC didn't do much for her will Adriamycin work better?
Thank you all and so sorry for the ones that just got diagnosed. Wish you best of luck and fight hard
Cristina
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aterry,
Thanks for appreciating!
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Dova,
It's heartbreaking to hear about your mom's dx. I'm so sorry. Out of curiosity, I tried reading some posts on the Metastatic Cancer thread and it is really scary but i've discovered that there are some admirable ladies that do survive late stages of cancer. There's always hope! I'll offer a prayer for your mom and family as well, as you go thru this difficult time.
Hugs for you and your mom.
Gina
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So much has happened since I was last on! I'm not much for long posts, but just know you ALLare in my daily prayers. It's so hard to give up "control" of our lives, and this process has certainly taught me how to let go and let God. May He give us all healing and peace.
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Dova,
So sorry that you and your family are so scared right now, this is the toughest time once you get the statistics and try to sort things out. AC is powerful stuff though! Carboplatin is another chemo that some TN's have used. Are you considering a second opinion for your mom? That might help put some perspective around this for all of you. The chemo might also be working better than you think, tumors do not always shrink neo-adjunct but it might have gotten stray cells that left their original location. There is a ton of research on stage 3 survivors and what they did on these boards so please try to find some that may give you ideas on questions to ask her Doctor's. Clinical trials may also be available. There is a lot of progress being made every day, there is a lot of hope. Wish I could hug all of you so you would feel better about this, but know that there are so many of us out here fighting and winning!
Sending white light and healing to your mom and your family.
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Thank you all very much, it amazes me every day how strong and encouraging people I have never met can be. It is very scary but I never lost hope for mom. I understand why forums like this are a must. We all need positive words at all times.
You are all on my mind, :-)
Cristina
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Dova - Don't give up! I was diagnosed at IIIA Triple Neg on Mar 9, 2016 and literally just finished a year of treatment (chemo, surgery, rads+chemo, more chemo) a month ago.
I had a PET that showed me NED on Wed!
Have hope!I will keep your mom (and you!) in my thoughts and prayers. I know what a strain my illness put on my family. Don't forget to take care of yourself too, ok? {{HUGS}}
(And I'm popping in now that I'm recovering from the last chemo that knocked me for a loop! Haven't posted since beginning of the year! Big hugs to all of you wonderful people! I'll try to be better about keeping up with y'all!)
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Dova
Welcome and don't give up. I too was diagnosed 12/15 stage 3b Tn and IBC. Stage 3 is not metastatic cancer. It is considered metasticized when it spreads to another organ or area outside of the breast and lymph nodes. It's considered locally advanced when lymph nodes are involved. I am almost a year from my last chemo and doing reasonably well. I'm too am NED.
Meadow so glad your wound was closed and you are progressing. What an awful time for you, yet you find the time to encourage others.
Val
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I hope all of you great ladies are doing fine and fighting hard. Wanted to say hi to all and give good vibes. My mom will have another appointment on Thursday to figure out a new treatment plan. Hoping for good news.
Take care
Cristina
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Christina,
Good to see you back on the boards with an update. I think all of us will agree that once a treatment plan is in place, everything just starts moving along which brings a sense of relief. I am in chemo treatment right now and things are going well for me. Be sure to join the chemo discussion groups for information on managing side effects. There is one for every month that people start chemo and you can follow along with others and share/receive ideas and tips. This is very helpful!! Sending prayers and hugs to you and your family.
To all the Mighty TN's, wishing you a great week ahead!
Anne
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Thanks lovesgreenthings!
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Thanks lovesgreenthings!
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It's finally online: my 15 minutes of fame. Thought you folks might appreciate it...
Go to https://www.yalemedicine.org/ and scroll a little bit; my story's the one on the top left.
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I like that saying, Meadow!
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Great story, 6'over!
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6feetover...Great story. I hope they write another one ten years from now when all this is just a memory.
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Dova,
I'm late to respond but I wanted you to know that I had 21 nodes and a similar sized tumor to your mom. One node was 3.5 cm, packed with cancer cells.
I had an mx, then chemo (AC/T), then 25 rads. As of December I am Disease free and doing fine.
I'm running my first 10k in over a year next month. I am sending your mom every ounce of strength and survivorship I can muster. I remember how devastated I felt, and want to offer you, and her, a hand and some hope. Love to you both.
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Jojobird....good for you, girl‼️ Your post gives us all hope and strength. Thanks for sharing.
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Move over ladies, big ol' fat arsed Mike is jumpin in Meadow's pocket with you!
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