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Hi Miller54. Welcome. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but sounds like surgery went relatively well. Maybe see what they have to say. You might want to know what type it is,  grade and responsiveness to hormones.  I think all that just went over my head in the beginning as I was in denial and I picked up on up later.  Maybe ask about how much having chemo and / or radiation will change the potential outcome. 

Good luck xx

Hi Bobbiboo - thanks for reply. I think it's the waiting that is getting to me! Especially as it's grade 3 & I think triple negative, so not responsive to hormones. Not long to wait now for oncologist appointment in Monday, so will try to stay calm! Thanks for your help & I hope you are coping well. 

Hi Miller54

Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear that you have been. It's perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed with it all as waiting on results is hard.  I was diagnosed with grade 3 triple negative breast cancer in September 2020 and after having chemo, surgery and radiotherapy I am now cancer free.

Wishing you the best of luck with your oncologists appointment on Monday.

Best wishes

Daisy53

Hi Miller54

Waiting is very stressful and I find some days are worse than others for feeling overwhelmed by it all. I hope your appointment on Monday goes as well as it can. Not too long now. Hopefully once you get Monday past you'll feel more calm as you may know what is happening next with your treatment. I also have cancer in my nodes and I am still to see a consultant and start treatment. I have been advised by phone from the BCN that I will have an appointment to discuss treatment plan soon. 

Best Wishes

Stripey x

Hi Miller54. I am sorry you are going through this. I also have grade 3 triple negative breast cancer and am perhaps a week ahead of you in time. My tumour was found on a routine mammogram in January. My operation was 23rd March. In my case they removed 4 lymph nodes and all were clear but there was some vascular invasion in the tumour. The tumour was18mm with clear margins.  I saw the oncologist for the first time last week. I went into the appointment with a good level of background knowledge and found I didn’t learn a lot I didn’t already know, other than which drug combinations they were proposing. I had 3 pages of questions and didn’t feel I got any really personalised info. The second appointment was yesterday and was a lot better, perhaps because I saw the consultant rather than one of her registrars, and perhaps because my mindset had shifted.  I start chemo on Tuesday. I am having 4 cycles of EC administered once every 3 weeks, and 12 weeks of weekly Paclitaxel. I am also having Bisphosponate injections every 6 months for 3 years. 

I think it’s normal to be overwhelmed. I spent several weeks feeling I wouldn’t want chemo until I gradually came round to acceptance. For me, the important thing was understanding the longer term risks of chemo (things like peripheral neuropathy and heart damage) and how I would be monitored for these during treatment / how I could change course if something started to develop. I can contemplate the challenges of treatment but am utterly terrified of not being whole at the end of it. The one thing I have done to exert more control over matters is to insist on a portocath rather than a PICC line to aid me in keeping as active as possible through treatment. You can’t get a PICC line wet, so swimming isn’t possible with it, and I was also worried about it getting sweaty when running. Whether I am well enough to run and swim remains to be seen. 

Thanks so much for your reply, it really helped, especially as I have triple negative grade 3. It has given me hope that all will be ok. Saw the Oncologist, where the meeting seemed more to be of filling in forms & tick lists about all the negative possibilities 're chemo treatment. Have been referred to my local hospital, where I'm sure the nursing staff will be more human! Glad to hear you are cancer free! 

Wow! Your experience sounds very similar to mine! Yes, the appointment seemed to be more about tick off questions & information 're the risks of chemo! I did say to him that he wasn't selling it to me!! So, he has referred me & so I should hear in about two weeks to go to my local hospital to have the chemo. Your treatment sounds like mine, although I'm still learning the names of all the drugs. I'm down for a PICC line and will probably go with it, although I'm not looking forward to it being put in! I see you posted 5 days ago, so presume you have started chemo - hope you' re feeling ok & not having any bad reactions. Let me know how you get on - maybe we can compare notes! 

Hi Stripey, thanks for your reply. My appointment yesterday which was more about the paperwork than anything really personal. They have so many patients to see, so I understand they have to be as focussed on getting it all through but it was not very comforting. However, I will be referred to my local hospital for chemo, which will be easier & I think then it will be more personal. I hope you have your appointment through by now, it's the waiting that is hard! There is a lot of information to take in, especially the name of the drugs they will be using! I will be googling them to see if there is any more info! So, hope things go well for you - let me know how you get on if you want to. I don't go on this site every day, so there might be a delay in answering ( as in this case!!)

Hi, Miller54

similar story to yours. TNBC, 3 x 3 weekly EC. I start 12 x Paclitaxel this Friday with the additional Carboplatin added week 1, 3, 6, and 9.  Had a PICC line put in and no problems. A couple of local anaesthetics, and it took about 30 mins in total having it put in before going home. 
lumpectomy due September, followed by 3 weeks of daily radiotherapy.

Good luck x

Hi Miller54Yes I had my first EC and my first Zoledronic acid yesterday. Feeling ok at the moment, maybe the calm before the storm!