Hi everyone! I’m new here, aged 35 having been diagnosed in September with stage 2, grade 3 triple negative breast cancer and tested positive for the BRCA 1 gene. I have two, 2cm tumours in my right breast and at least 4 lymph nodes affected. I have undergone 12 cycles of paclitaxel and caroboplatin along with immunotherapy and recently had my first of 4 cycles of EC and it’s really taken its toll on me mentally and physically. I have cold capped all the way and managed to get through the first 12 cycles without any hair loss but it has already started falling out after my first cycle of EC. I also got neutropenic sepsis and pneumonia on Xmas day and spent 4 days in hospital. Now I’m concerned that I have damage to my lungs that won’t heal as I still have moments of breathlessness or tight chest, has anyone on here experienced chest issues with their chemo treatments? I will be having a double mastectomy and removal of tubes and ovaries.
thanks everyone
Hi Lauren1 and a very warm welcome to the Community but sorry to hear about your diagnoses.
Navigating the cancer journey can be such a stressful and challenging time but getting support from people who have walked the ‘exact same' cancer journey can help a lot. (I have a completely different cancer).
The New to Community is like our reception desk where we look to direct you to the best part of the Community for you to get support. The Community is divided into dedicated Cancer Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in our dedicated Triple Negative Breast Cancer support group. This is a safe place to talk to others with a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support.
To connect in with the group click on this link> Triple negative breast cancer then once the group page opens click on “Click to Join” when the black banner appears or “Join” under “Group Tools” (this all depends on the device you are using)
When you are ready you can introduce yourself by clicking “+new” or “+” in the top right next to the group title. You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
It’s a challenging time for you so you may want to use the Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00. This service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Talking to people face to face can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing and give support to all the family.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
