Hi,
I have had 3 rounds of EC and my lump has grown. I am due to start Docetaxel tomorrow. I am so scared about this not working too and the fact that I haven’t had surgery yet, so the cancer is still there. I completely agree with the treatment being done in this way, chemo first, but I am finding it very scary, particularly because the lump has grown & is tender now.
thanks for any words of wisdom!
Gemstar125 please hold onto the fact your team have seen it all before and your treatment is tailored specifically for you do speak to your team they won’t be offended and will be glad you are asking questions, they are there to support and help you each step so do ask them too with your questions about anything also please do use the number on here and speak to a nurse breast cancer now is here for you too I was tnbc but had operation first before chemo so sorry I can’t answer specially. Keep focused your getting there 
Shi xx
Hi
A lump is bad enough. TNBC as well is pretty scary and this is where I’d advise you to think very carefully about what you need to know and what you want to know. There is a big difference. Keeping on top of the science may give you a better sense of being in control but do you want all the statistics around life expectation etc? Once you’ve read or been told something, it cannot be unseen or unheard and you have to live with that.
We all know the basics of TN BUT you must bear in mind that a LOT of research is going on, that there are new drugs specifically aimed at TNBC and outcomes are way better than they used to be. So please be wary of your sources - Google’s not good (much of it is out of date, even if it looks recent).
I’m sorry your tumour hasn’t responded to EC. The fact that your tumour is still growing doesn’t mean that the EC hasn’t controlled any possible spread of rogue cells so I shouldn’t be picturing TNBC running rampant in your body. Docetaxel is another tough one, the aim being to shrink the tumour and ensure the safest surgery, maybe even save your breast. Like Shi, I had a full mastectomy first (that was when they found the second tumour which was TN) but I’d imagine that knowing you have this thing inside that you just want out must be very hard. As Shi has said, trust your team. They have your best interests at heart, it’s a multi-disciplinary team so it’s not just one oncologist making the decisions and they know their business.
As for your tumour being tender now, tenderness isn’t usually a sign of bc. Are you poking and prodding and checking every hour to see if there’s any change? That’s a normal reaction but it’s not helpful because it adds tenderness to your worries. If you’re not, I apologise for the assumption (but I kept glaring at my tiny freckles on my areola, willing the bu***rs to go away!).
If you can, use this time to build on your resilience - park the cancer somewhere and focus on practising meditation, mindfulness, breathing techniques, running, baking - whatever gives your mind some space to breathe. I always recommend a series of videos on YouTube that have seen me through the rocky periods (they are by Progressive Hypnosis. You learn by trial and error which suit you and in minutes you can be away with the fairies rather than your mind constantly picking at the bc ‘scab’).
Good luck with your treatment. I hope docetaxel does the trick.
Jan x
Hi, I too was diagnosed TNBC, had FEC-T first before surgery. The FEC had not much effect on the tumour, but after going onto docetaxel it did shrink it but not drastically, anyway I had full mastectomy on right breast with immediate implant, got good margins and no lymph nodes involvement. It is right your MD team discuss your treatment and set it out tailored for you. The chemo not only treats the tumour but also the whole of your body just in case there are any cells elsewhere. The scientific side of it just used to go over my head and i could never understand it and still don’t. But nearly 8 months on from starting chemo, operation and now on chemo tablets I think to myself I’ve got through the worst and the only way is up. You will get there, it is doable, I wish you the best in further treatments and you don’t suffer too much with side effects. X