Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Don't know what to expect

I’m in for ac~t 4 times every 2 weeks then every week for 12. Bilateral mastectomy 1st… now chemo starts. It’s a heavy dose that increases odds of no recurrence.
I’m bringing a little rolling cooler with my own ice and plastic bags and cutting my hair off the day before. My friend showed me a head wrap that’s easy to make for a bald head…. And dangly earrings.
Gotta look good when I’m throwing ….

One of the things I did was carry a book with me to all appointments and treatments and I documented everything. I also used this book to write questions for all dr appointments and to be able to document all answers. Any major appointments I took someone else with so there was a second set of ears for what was being said. I used the book to write any questions I might from my research. For me it also helped me focus on what was said opposed to what the answers meant for me.

@kevachanel38 I feel you are so right that people who have not experienced this don’t understand what you are going through. I have been greatly served by an oncology social worker provided at my treatment hospital. We have telehealth visits every 10 days. She has helped me understand that all of my feelings and fears are “normal” given a cancer diagnosis. And this platform, as well as Gilda’s club, has been extraordinarily supportive and helpful.

I have come to my own way of seeing that there is no “going back” to where I was before a cancer diagnosis. But there is forward.

what are fighting foods? my sister is about to get her mri and talk to a surgeon. I'm trying to learn how to support her and I have so many questions.

Hello sorry your sister is going through this , this is definitely not a club she wants to be in but it does have the best support system and the best sisters in this club , so far I was told to drink these leaves called Soursop leaves , they say this fight cancer I take the leaves and soak them in hot water and drink it as a tea three times a day , I’ve also been told eating blueberries , a lot of green like my broccoli, kale , cauliflower, they say tomatoes, pomegranate, garlic, turmeric, grapes and noni, I have been eating some of these items but really doing a lot of the Soursop tea, I really hope this helps and i pray your sister is ok and the doctors doesn’t see anything in her MRI

I totally agree with you , this morning I was telling my self I just want to go back to how I was before this diagnosis and then I stood there and said wait a minute I don’t think there is no going back to where I was before this diagnosis I really had to have a moment and think about that and like you said it’s only moving forward from here on out , we are in this together my sister thank you so much for the support too

This is a great idea and thanks for sharing this with me as I was doing all my appointments by myself and wasn’t writing anything down and now I can’t remember a lot of things that were told to me , I start chemo on Friday and will be taking a book now that you mentioned it to me and moving forward I’ll be writing everything down thanks for sharing these tips with me as this journey has been so overwhelming and I feel like so much information has been coming to me all at once , thanks again for your support

Hey there I start chemo this Friday and now I know I should bring my rolling cooler with ice , I was thinking about cutting my own hair off too just to not deal with the emotions of it falling off , thanks for sharing your tips and advice I appreciate your support as well

I like to add something here--as a woman with breast cancer and also as a person whose sister has had breast cancer twice. To be supportive you can do all kinds of helpful practical things, but you don't need to come up with solutions or treatment plans. As your sister is finding her way in the medical world you are there as sounding board, back-up, and maybe even some fun distraction. It is so great that you care--that is enough and details will emerge. Best to you both.

I, like @mir123 will chime in with my own experience.
The best support I had was the people who helped me keep my life moving forward when I couldn’t. They helped with running errands, or going shopping, or driving me to appointments I couldn’t drive home from.
Depending on the treatment plan the “fighting foods” will be different. In my case losing 70 pounds during chemo from nausea, this meant whatever I could hold down was the best food. When my brother just lost his appetite, it was whatever he wanted to eat, because he never wanted to eat.
Since everyone in my family has or had cancer , I have heard on more than one occasion from an oncologist that anti-oxidants can be counterproductive during some treatments.
You could ask to sit in with a meeting with the cancer nutrition specialist, most oncologists offices have one.
I am so glad you are wanting to support your sister, she will need you. I loved every minute that I got to spend with my brother we would laugh and carry on, and I could forget about cancer for a while.
Do you live close to your sister?