Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Colista lm taking part in the aspirin trials and it's for 100mg 300 mg or the placibo and of course I don't know which im taking. I also take D3 and turmeric but the turmeric I take is is a organic curcumin root  one per day capsule. Im 8 weeks post reconstructive surgery with tissue expander which gets topped up fortnightly. Apparently they are stretching my skin as radiotherapy made it tight. Still got  a way to go yet but  very happy to have a boob back. I hope were doing everything right to keep it from coming back. I'm 2 and a half  years post diagnosis and it all seems just  like a bad memory now. Anne xxx ... View more

Hi Catz I'm sorry to hear that you are still so anxious. There is loads going on out there re-:trip /neg and I'm in a clinical trial for aspirin and research has shown this to destroy trip/neg cells in mice..I have a friend and one of her clients has a son who is a oncologist in London and something is on the horizon for us ladies so have hope.Meanwhile I feel well and I just keep taking vitamin D3 and a organic turmeric root capsule daily and hope for the best.. I did opt for reconstruction which I had 7 weeks ago. Our diagnosis and treatment plan was the same except  my tumour was 5cm so smaller than yours but the main thing is that they are long gone..I hope you can take some reassurance from this post and think of all the ladies who are long term survivors. We will be those ladies too. Anne xxx ... View more

Hi Woodie67 I'm 57 and had triple neg b/c. October 2015 had right mastectomy followed by fec-t chemo then lymph nodes cleared April 2016 and 15 rads. At first it is like a nightmare but once active treatment starts things get easier. Try not to worry too much about your op. (Is it tomorrow? ). I found myself not to be in pain afterwards just a bit tender and uncomfortable and not half as bad as I had imagined. The chemo is doable and  like 1852 says join the chemo threads when the time comes. As I said my journey began over 2 years ago and now its all just a bad memory and I don't worry about the cancer returning even though I know that's possible. Im living life exactly as I did before. I had LD flap reconstruction 6 weeks ago using muscle and tissue from my back. It was a 4 and a half hour op and I'm fine. I'm so trying to reassure you that all will come good for you. We are all afraid of the unknown and I find it's never as bad as the fear. Anytime you are worried or needing answers someone will be on this site to support you. I don't post on here nowadays cos as I say life returns to normal but I do look out for new ladies like yourself on here hopefully to support you. When you wake up from your op your cancer will be gone. Love Anne. Xxx ... View more

Phew Pam what  a fantastic relief im so pleased for you and because they had great result they wanted to let you know a.s.a.p.xxx ... View more

Hi Pam haven't posted lately but look at posts on a regular basis to see how everyone is doing.I've noticed a few of yours over last couple of weeks and have been thinking about you so feel I must let you know this. I wish you a clear scan tomorrow. Your cough could be caused by all sorts of things but as we all know every little twinge is a worry. You've had it pretty rough with one thing or another but at least they seem to be checking everything out for you Pam. You will be on my mind tomorrow duck and I'll keep everything crossed for a good outcome. Love and hugs Anne.  Xxx  ... View more

Hi kaicorie hope your chemo goes well today and side effects are mild. Xx ... View more

Hi Cruzita I had tnbc 50mm lump and 3 of 5 nodes sampled were positive so had mastectomy followed by fec-t chemo and then node clearance on right side + 15 rads. The reason for me telling you this is because I was told I was stage 2b. I don't know if you have confused stage with grade as all tnbc with node involvement is grade 3. They normally tell you the stage later in treatment. Hope this helps to settle you a little bit. This is a very emotional time for you but you'll feel better as treatment goes on. I had a year off work and went back last September. My job is quite physical and now I feel really well. I made good changes to diet and take some supplements that I believe in. Life does return to normal and treatments are really good now. Try not to worry too much and take things one step at a time. Xx ... View more

Hi Beth as a guide I had right mastectomy October 9th 15 and my first chemo was November 25th 15 so 6 to 7 weeks after op. Hope this helps. Xx  ... View more

Hi Delly where are you at with your journey as you were posting when I first found this site. What is the problem you've been having with your eyes if you don't mind me asking. I lost touch with things for a while as everyone seemed to go to Facebook and it went really quite on here. Xx ... View more

Hi Annie A so pleased you feel a bit better about your diagnosis now. Thanks for the guardian angel compliment too. My friend Bev who I met during chemo bought me a lovely guardian angel keyring for my birthday last year and she hangs on my bedroom door handle and I touch her every night before I get into bed and ask that she keeps us all well. Might seem a bit daft but it's just me being me. Do you have your treatment plan in place yet?. Xx ... View more

The downside to trip neg is that we dont have a daily pill we can take to keep the bugger away but its said that chemo is more effective for us. I do what i feel is right for me and after the very emotional first two weeks following my diagnosis ihave been strong and positive. I wont pretend its all easy like losing hair and stuff like that but its all very doable and you will cope with it when it comes honestly. There are some lovely wigs and i still wear mine sometimes now if i want to go long. Put your trust in your breast care team they are the experts and we get gold standard treatment. You sound like a positive person and your husband sounds supportive so all will be good. Ask me anything anytime and i will help if i can as will everyone else. I will also try and get my head round the pm bit as well. Xx ... View more

Oh Annie just want to say im not sure how you go on with tbe private messaging thing i can only do the straight forward stuff. It says in my email that i have a pm from you but not sure how i find it. I'll have to get my clever head on.haha. x ... View more

Hi again Annie. In my case im triple neg had right mast oct 2015 followed by 6 fec t then nodes cleared end of april last year then rads. I went back to work last sept and am really well. As i had nodes involved and my lump was 5cm my diagnosis was grade 3 stage 2b. I take turmeric and vitamin D3 and omega 3.Eat plenty of berries and other fruit , plenty of broccoli and other green veg. Apart from wacking 1and a half stone on over the last 18 months im brill.I was size 8 when it all started now im ideally a 12 but will hopefully sort that out soon. Im 57 going on 40 so trust me you will get there and be fine lol. Xx ... View more

Hi Sheila b you are not alone were all here and some of us have finished active treatment and living normal lives again. Dont overthink the chemo too much because you may sail through it. What helped me was to just concentrate on each stage as it comes ie-: ops chemo rads.You will be surprised how quickly it all goes by and how strong you will become. Good luck on your journey you will be fine. Xx ... View more

Hi Annie A are you getting stage mixed up with grade. The reason I ask is because all triple neg b/cancer are grade 3 which is very different to a stage 3 cancer. I was diagnosed with 5cm lump with node involvement so had right mastectomy Fec-T chemo followed by node clearance and 15 rads. I have my 1st yearly check on may 5th and am really well. You will do fine as im sure they told you grade 3 and not stage 3 Annie. Xx ... View more

Hi Tor I can fully understand your fears so hope this post will make you feel a bit better. Everyone worries about being under anaesthetic but you are constantly monitored throughout your op. I had right mastectomy October 2015 for 50mm tumour. I then had fec-t chemo followed by node clearance then 15 rads. I found that having the mastectomy wasn't as bad as I'd imagined. I felt a bit tight and sore for a couple of days as you would after any op but you shouldn't feel ill or anything like that. I know the thought of losing a boob is horrible emotionally but you also want those cancer cells gone. You will have a drain put in which you have to empty and once you are down to about 15ml of fluid over 24 hours it can be taken out and that doesn't hurt at all. To be honest I found the drain annoying and inconvenient.  Mine was removed after 3 days. Oh and for mastectomy you should just be kept in hospital overnight. Of course you will give thought to the way you will look and I think you will deal with it as you seem quite level headed. I personally hate my lopsided appearance when undressed and am looking towards my reconstruction later this year. No one knows your missing a boob unless you tell them as breast forms are quite good nowadays. Invest in some nice mastectomy bras and a post surgery bra. Over the time I've bought mine from m&s and a nice site called nicola jane. It can get a bit expensive but these things are necessary to us. I know friends and family mean well but to be honest some of them don't really have a clue what we are going through and as for just live with it we are doing that every day. You will get normality back in your life it just takes a while. If you have other questions about any aspect of this journey were on someone will always be here to answer and support you as we're all in the same boat. Xx Anne x ... View more

Hi Williams 500. We are all different in the way we are during chemo. I had 6 FEC-T and carried on quite normally. Whilst on the FEC I found I felt tired and got thrush in mouth and a metallic taste which made me unable to taste food.  The steroids I took for a couple of days before chemo and 2 days following chemo were a problem because I couldn't sleep. You'll probably find yourself posting on here at stupid o'clock for this reason. I also felt emotional for 2 days after finishing the steroids. I never had to take the sickness meds but got mild indigestion. Whatever s effects you get there is a remedy. You need to drink lots of water before during and after chemo as this flushes the toxins out. When I was on the T part of chemo I had the dreaded allergic reaction so had to go to another hospital for Abraxane as this drug wasn't funded by my hospital. I had a side effect called peripheral neuropathy which you might need to Google. My finger and toe nails lifted but I am almost a year post chemo and these have fully recovered. There is of course the hair loss which was the worst part for me but this like everything is temporary. To sum up it was all very doable and I still did normal  things on a daily basis. Remember your experience will be unique to you but you will hack it. It will help to join the chemo monthly threads with people who are doing this with you. You will share very useful information and tips to combat side effects and make friends along the way. I didn't work through my b/c journey as it was mastectomy then chemo followed by node clearance then rads. I was off work for a year with pay so had lots of good recovery time. I've been back at work since last September and loving it. You will get through this and it may be easier than you are thinking and the time flies by you will see. I hope this helps you to see this is very doable and I wish you well Williams 500. Anne xx.  ... View more

Hi again lilneenz forgot to say if you post on the any triple neg survivors out there thread you will get great support and just ask anything you want to know. Xxx ... View more

Hi lilneenz. So sorry you've had to join us here but dont despair. Thats easier said than done I know. 10 weeks does seem a long wait. I started chemo 7 weeks after mastectomy. After chemo i had lymph nodes cleared followed by rads. I finished active treatment last july and went back to work in sept 15. I was in a state like you but as weeks went on i stopped the googling and only read the positive stuff. It does get easier and you will start to feel more settled. Speak to your breast nurse regarding your concerns as thats what she is there for. Remember also there are lots of long term tnbc survivors out there and you and I will be amongst. Try to read about the benefits of turmeric and supps like vit D3. Im in a trial at the moment for aspirin as they think it kills cancer stem cells. Numerous studies have found it works in mice and now its being tested on us. Keep your chin up. Xxx ... View more

I've signed the petition Pam. So pleased lump was just a cyst you can relax again now. Hope everyone else is ok. Xx ... View more