Hi, I was also diagnosed with TNBC in January. I had lumpectomy beginning of feb to remove a 15mm mass and lymph node dissection..clear margins and no node involvement found. I then started AC chemo end of feb and am due round 3 on Tuesday, followed by paclitaxel and then radio. My understanding is a lot depends on the size of the tumour with a few other factors as to whether you have surgery or chemo first. Hope all goes well for you x
Thanks for replying Marie, my mass was 28mm and they have said that some nodes appear to be cancerous. Feeling fine in myself so still trying to get my head around it all. Getting scan results back next week, then op, then chemo etc. feels like a bad dream.....
Yes, my hair started to fall out on day 15 after my first chemo..had it shaved completely the night before my 2nd session..my plan (well unless anything changes in the meantime) is 4 x AC (1 every 3 weeks), 12 x paclitaxel (1 weekly) then radio..I was distraught at the thought of losing my hair and when it started to shed, it was horrible but think it was just waiting for the inevitable, so having it shaved was a relief to be honest..xx
Hi Juddaz. I had a lumpectomy with sentinel nodes removal on 6 April. Am scheduled for chemo on 8 May - am petrified to be honest. 4 sessions of chemo; once a week with 3 weeks between subsequent sessions; 2-3 week break then radiotherapy. cyclophosphamide and doxetaxel are the two drugs that will be given for the chemo. Has anyone used these drugs and what side effects did you have?
Let me start by telling you all i was diagnosed with TNBC in July 2018 after a routine mammogram. I have just celebrated my one year cancer free anniversary.
I always say i had the full house of treatment, Chemo, 2 x lumpectomies, mastectomy with immediate reconstruction and finally radiotherapy. I had chemo first as mine was 6 cm and they wanted to shrink it or if lucky enough get rid of it all together before i had surgery.
Chemo isn't easy but its doable, i found rather than saying how many you have left count how many you have had done. Also try to think if it makes you feel poopy then its doing its job.
I had FEC-T so 3 treatments of FEC every 3 weeks then 3 treatments of docetaxel every 3 weeks. After chemo the bugger had been shrunk small enough so it couldn't be seen on the MRI.
I had 2 lumpectomy ops first on 24 February, 2nd on 25 March, sentinel nodes removed on the first 1 lymph node affected,total axillary clearance on the 2nd 16 nodes removed.
Saw my oncologist last Monday, he told me that I have tnbc, and am waiting for my appointment to start chemotherapy, I will have the same combination of drugs as you over the same time scale, I will also have steroids, then radiation then an injection to prevent osteoporosis.
The consultant mentioned some side effects and gave me a raft of information but terrified as I am for me l am taking a day at a time, we are all different, we might not all have the same side effects, and however hard it will be to cope it’s better than the alternative in my opinion.
I tell myself every day to stay strong that I will get through this, and so will you.
I hope you are doing well and staying safe during these crazy times.
I was diagnosed with TNBC back in March. I had a 19mm mass with clear margins and a 2mm metastasis (spelling?) on one lymph node, the other five that were removed were all clear. I'll be starting chemo on 8th May like SR8 (same drugs too), 6 sessions in 3 week intervals then radiotherapy.
I've had cancer before when I was 20, Hodgkins Lymphoma. I think this has made me feel a little less stressed this time round because I kind of know what to expect, though these are different drugs this time round.
I understand I speak from a different experience but you can all get through this, just take one day at a time. I kept a diary last time to note how my body was coping each day, eventually I picked up on patterns of the more rubbish days which helped me figure out a good routine. Not that a routine is required right now, I barely remember which day it is!
Take care everyone, would love to keep in touch with you all while we go through this journey together.
