So this is my first post and I’m very new to the forum.
I was diagnosed on Monday with Grade 3 TNBC. I am 34, and I was diagnosed 5 days after my little girl was born -which has been one of the most heartbreaking parts as we feel absolutely robbed of the joy of having a baby.
I am currently waiting on an MRI to check for any signs of spread along with genetic testing for the BRCA mutation which is suspected. We then should have a treatment plan but it is likely I will need a mastectomy or double mastectomy plus chemotherapy/immunotherapy.
Whilst I am trying to be as positive as I can be and hope that I have been diagnosed at an early stage, the waiting and thought of the various treatments, surgeries is terrifying and I genuinely am not sure how I am suppose to navigate this cancer journey with a young family - a newborn plus a 3.5 year old.
I’d be grateful to hear if anyone who has had a diagnosis at a similar age, or who has or is going through treatment whilst also caring for young children alongside everything.
I hope the more I can pre-empt, organise and plan ahead will make mine and my families journey a little easier.
Hello. My cancer was IDC not TNBC & my children are adults. So I don’t have any specific words of wisdom. But I wanted to say I’m sorry you find yourself here but I’m glad you have found the forum as it is such a great source of support and information….so welcome. I cannot imagine the extra level of shock and emotions you must be feeling so soon after the birth of your baby. This part you are in now, waiting for more tests, unanswered questions is the hardest part and I’m sure once you get your treatment plan you will have something more definite to focus on.
Hopefully someone who has been through a similar situation to you will be along shortly to share their experience.
I am thinking of you, take care. X
Hi C
Firstly, congratulations on your recent addition. I’m so sorry this has come along at what should be such a precious time. I was also 34 when I was diagnosed with TNBC, with positive lymph nodes, earlier this year.
So far I’ve juggled chemo/immuno & then mastectomy/node clearance with a part time job (I switched to WFH), a 5 year old and a 2 year old. Next up is radiotherapy.
It’s tiring. But it’s doable. And you have the best 2 little reasons to keep going, with as much positivity as you can. For me, my husband has been my rock, and he’s had a lot of flexibility from his work to be there for me and the kids. I also put my 2 in full time childcare, but I appreciate that’s not so easy with a tiny one - do you have family close by?
Everyone on here will tell you that things generally feel less overwhelming once initial tests are done, and your oncologist puts a plan in place. The waiting is the worst part.
Feel free to message me. You’re not alone in this xx
Hi @filibuster64 Thankyou for your kind words & i would definitely benefit from speaking offline if your happy too.
In terms of childcare I have local family which I am fortunate with, and my job is a WFH job too so I hope to be able to do some work to engage my brain in something other than treatment.
I have a lot of questions for my consultant/surgeon - ultimately I want to make sure I make the best decisions!
I had 6 months chemo/immunotherapy (one of the chemos was weekly for 12 weeks, the rest 3 weekly), then a 4 week break, surgery, and next is radiotherapy. Immunotherapy continues until January so it will be 1 year altogether. I think that’s pretty standard for triple negative, but some people have slightly different regimes depending on tumour size (mine was multi focal, 5cm+ and had spread to my lymph nodes)