Diagnosed yesterday with triple negative breast cancer

Thank you so much for sharing this is really helpful to me.

Are you having weekly chemo ? Is that leaving you tired ?

Thats what I’m hoping, once I start I know it’s being treated.

thank you for the advice, it’s much appreciated!

sending lots of love xxx

Hi Nicola

Yes, weekly to start with for 12 weeks. My tumour is about the same size as yours. In some letters they say it's 3.1cm in other letters, they add a smaller one that's below it and say it's 4cm. 

I also have it confirmed in one lymph node. 

The second week of chemo, they (my little uninvited guests), started feeling strange. I think they are smaller but im trying not to poke them too much!!

Honestly, it's true what everyone says, once you know what the plan is naad you get your first dose, it is a relief. I was so happy to be sat in the ward with my drip. 

I'm getting a bit fed up with it now though. I'm hopefully about to get week 5 on Thursday but I'm an impatient person and this is a long process. 

Please keep on chatting! I tried joining an in person support group but they have mainly finished treatment- it's so different when you're in the beginning or middle. And TNBC is extra scary. 

Another thing, sometimes the people receiving treatment on the wards are really friendly and it helped me get a perspective on things. They've often been coming in for longer and have a more philosophical approach, I've found. I've been mainly put with men recently and the banter with the nurses is uplifting! 

Xx

And yes, I am tired dmost of the time. Yesterday I did a long walk with a friend (10 miles) and I'm regretting it today. I'm wiped out. 

Xx

Gosh that’s a super long walk, I’m not surprised your wiped out, we have to make the most of this lovely weather though.

i think I will be happy to be sat with the drip in too, I understand that, it’s finally being treated.

id love to keep chatting it’s so lovely to meet people going through the same as I do have lots of fantastic support but can still feel alone.

Oh is it a calming feeling on the wards? It’s going to be daunting the first time I imagine x

Hi. Nicola

Yes. It is calm and peaceful on the ward There are 3 wards in my hospital and because I'm in every week, I'm getting to know the nurses who work on Thursday- my day for chemo.. I also go in on a Tuesday to have bloods and my PICC line cleaned which is standard so you'll have that too, I imagine or they might offer you a district nurse to do it. They asked me if I wanted to go to my local cottage hospital for bloods but I felt better going to the main one where ii knew my way around and the chemo expert's are-- it helps me with my anxiety. 

It was too far to walk yesterday.  I think some days I want to pretend this isn't happening and I do too much!!

I've just sat around today besides my blood appointment!

When is your next appointment ?

Cllarexx

Omg I’ve been trying for an hour to reply to you and it wouldn’t let me, I was clicking all sorts and might of accidentally reported something, because I wanted to say ITS NOT WORKING ! 
I have requested your friend thing so maybe we can chat there xx

And now I can’t even find the post to reply, sorry.

i know you asked when my appointment is it’s this Friday at 10am with oncologist for the first time, I think they will chat through the plan and stuff then book my picc and chemo x

Hi Nicola!!

I had trouble with these threads too! But here we are again! 

Friday, that's good. Is your mum going with you? My friend, Sarah, came with me. 

For my appointment, I was a bit thrown because I had looked up my oncologist and knew she was an expert on TNBC only to have a man turn up! She was off on maternity leave and he's my oncologist now. It was a bit of a strange start....he just told me my regimen - that it was chemo, surgery, immunotherapy and would take in total 14 months (that was a shock). 

Yours might not be so long if you don't have it in your lymph node? I'm not sure how they decide. Or maybe the lymph node tumour just means I definitely have to have a mascetomy. 

I'm cold capping so my chemo sessions are 5 hours or so at the moment.

There was a breast cancer nurse too in my appointment. She was helpful but I found that because the oncologist explained everything, I only had one or t wo questions to ask.

It is good to have someone there. Otherwise it can feel very threatening somehow. I go alone to most of my appointments now except I've asked Sarah to come with me to a scan they've booked me in for in another 2 weeks. It will determine if the chemo is working.

How are you feeling? I saw an option to private message- I'll see if I can find it again!! 

Clare xx

Ps maybe because I said I was " thrown" and used the word "threatening" to describe my appointments, I got an automatic message to ask if I was a victim of domestic abuse! I'm single - my adult son does live with me- he's not violent though!!

Hi Nicola1311 and Devon62 

My name is Steph and I'm part of the team that look after the Online Community. 

I was so sorry to spot that you'd had a little trouble with the forum yesterday evening. It looks like a post was accidentally flagged for moderator review, so that's why some content might have disappeared temporarily. If you've experienced any other issues and would like us to look into this for you, please do let us know.

Everything looks fine now, but please do let us know if you experience any future issues. We're here to help, whatever you might need.

You can contact the team by email at community@macmillan.org.uk, by webchat (start a chat, choose Support Line then Online Community help) or you can send a private message to Moderator - Macmillan Community and one of us will reach out with some support with the site. 

I hope this is helpful and you don't mind me popping in here to offer further support.