Recent diagnosis

TNBC stage 4 Ductal metastatic 6.9 cm tumor in right armpit breast tissue, 3 cm on right breast, clavicle, possibly groin left side. Palliative taxol chemo & immunotherapy since the large one in my armpit is protruding out & would grow outside of my skin. 6 mo-1.5 yrs is what they gave me. Diagnosed 6/2024. Just finished 1st taxol palliative treatment yesterday. Every Friday x 2 then 1 week off.
Any advice,comments,etc I would appreciate. I’m 58. I just want to give my kids & grands the best of me I have left for their memories to reflect on. I refuse to be withering in bed & not creating the wonderful moments for them like I’ve seen 3 others in my life do & still pass away because of the late stage.

Ps: how long did it take for your hair to fall out? Mine is very thick but I just cut it short for this reason. All of your body hair as well? Thank you!!

Comments

  • moderators
    moderators Posts: 8,689

    @lynntnbc4, we're so, so sorry for your diagnosis, but glad you found us and decided to share your story with us. It must be overwhelming, but your courage and determination in creating lasting memories for your grandchildren and kids are truly inspiring.

    We’re sure you’ll be hearing from others here in the community soon, but in the meantime, we wanted to share with you some links to other threads and topics that you may find helpful. Here:

    https://community.breastcancer.org/en/categories/palliative-care-

    Hair Hair Hair - Another question

    Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

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  • tougholdcrow
    tougholdcrow Member Posts: 202

    @lynntnbc4 My heart goes out to you. I'm a grandmother too and trying to spend as much good time with family as I can. The time is precious now even if we may still have some years left. I had AC-T chemo, and my hair began to fall out in two weeks time. But now, five months later, it is thick and curly, and the color is quite different.

  • rlschaller
    rlschaller Member Posts: 269

    @lynntnbc4 We are here for you. Hugs and love and light to you as you navigate this new life cycle , diagnosis and the day to day. From my point of view, if this is helpful The body is a mystery and breaks down and heals without notice. Maybe the prognosis is accurate and maybe it’s not. I love your determination not to wither. Live well now. Die well eventually. Enjoy as you can what you can. So to work with that mystery, and To ensure my mood and body stays as strong and positive as possible through all of living well and dying well, I center joy and laughter, beauty as part of my day to day. I love your upbeat determination to make great memories! I so agree.

    Here is an idea - create a bucket list every 3 months. And celebrate. With your grandkids and family celebrate - and create great memories , you are still here. That’s what I do. On it I put What do I most want to enjoy, and savor, and especially share with family or friends over the next 3 months. So I write that down, and I check it weekly and I do it! Laughter with my grown kids is definitely on my list, inviting my stepson to come from CA 2x a year , I’m hoping for grand “cats” as my kids don’t seem to be wanting kids of their own lol… I started this in January when I was diagnosed with stage IV. So I’ve created 2 lists so far and counting. And they change, it’s fascinating and I recommend it.

    Hair loss - well I did not loose my hair with taxol it just thinned. But I did loose it eventually with the A/C regimen. It grew back and now I lost it again with the Trodlevy. I recently bought a wig! And I love it, I named her Lea - my new alter ego and it’s fun. I might buy another one with longer hair lol just for the fun of it.