I had a WLE on the 13th September to remove what they thought was a small DCIS. I got the results on Tuesday which showed that whilst the majority of what was removed was DCIS there was a small amount 4mm of invasive breast cancer in the middle, which had come back as triple negative.
The surgical team are really confident that they got everything though and I had a clear margin of 7mm which is really wide, but I’ve been told that I will now have to have another surgery to have the sentinel lymph node removed and then chemotherapy and then radiotherapay, all of which are being described as preventative measures.
I’m also being sent for genetic testing as my mother developed triple negative cancer in her early 80’s and also my grandmother had breast cancer (although I’ve no clue what type hers was as she was over 90 when she developed it and refused any treatment).
I’m obviously very nervous about the chemo, but because I’ve got to have the sentinal node removed they’re not even planning on me seeing the oncologist for about 5 weeks so it’s unlikely I’ll even start that until December. Is is normal to have such a long wait after diagnosis until chemo starts?
I’m just wondering why they’re bothiering to take the lymph node if it’s not going to make any difference to my treatment? If I’ve got to have chemo I’d rather just get on with it to be honest.
I am also new to this forum, having recently been diagnosed with triple negative BC.
The reason they are removing the sentinel nodes is to test them to see whether the cancer has spread to them or not. If they had originally thought the lump was DCIS, then there was no risk of the cancer spreading, so they didn’t remove them during your original operation. Hopefully it hasn’t spread, but if it has, they’ll need to check the nodes in your armpit. This is belt and braces stuff to protect you.
As for the wait for chemo, I can only give you my experience. My WLE and node removal was on 7th September. I saw the oncologist yesterday and shall commence chemo on 26th October - so 7 weeks between surgery & chemo.
I hope you don’t mind me jumping in on this thread but I have just been diagnosed with triple negative, my lump was caught early at a screening mammogram sizing at 13mm. Ultrasound is showing clear lymph nodes though I believe they will take some at surgery. My treatment plan is surgery single mastectomy followed by chemo. Unfortunately I can’t have radiotherapy as I had it as a teenager along with surgery and chemo for non Hodgkin lymphoma. I’ve scared myself a bit with the triple negative diagnosis i saw another thread that worried me I might not get rid of it - then spent since tues evening crying and feeling anxious.
Today I feel a bit more positive but it’s nice to talk to others who are in a smiliar boat…
I could hug you, thank you for the time you took to write a post that just made me go aaaahhh … yep.
Your words make so much sense and yes you are right we are all individuals and will respond in our own way …
Hi everyone I’m new too,I’m triple neg too very rough after 1st treatment of T, a few left to do then FEC,then surgery and finally rads,big hugs to you all,I’m glad I joined this forum it helps a lot,let me know how you all get on,we can do this together,take care all of you :)))) xxxxx
This is my first post! I too am Triple Negative and have followed a similar journey. Originally thought the lump was pre cancerous and then discovered it was TN so had my sentinel node biopsy 3 weeks ago. It came back all clear! Hurray! I already knew I was a BRAC1carrier. I start EC chemotherapy on 14th December followed by Taxol. So just a little behind you. So pleased to hear you are surviving. And thank you for sharing your experiences. I can’t tell you how helpfulI have found it.
Welcome to the site Becca.There is quite an active thread further down the list "Any triple negative survivors out there…"May be worth posting on there .All the best .Jill.
Hi I’m a TN survivor was diagnosed in April had 12 weeks Taxol followed by 3x EC of chemo then surgery now I’ve just started radiotherapy for 15 days.
Does any one gets headache after radio.
Shernise x