Triple negative - newly diagnosed and looking for your experiences

I had triple negative and am four years past treatment
It is scary at first not knowing what to expect. . You will meet your oncologist or in my case surgeon who told me my biopsy results.
They will run alot of tests at first to tell you what stage your cancer is to give you the best treatments . Mine, 4 years ago in canada, we're a CT can and bone scan. Once you talk to your oncologist you will find what your treatment will be. My regular Dr, told me to eat healthy to get ready for reatment. I added more vegetables and fruit to my diet.
Family and friends right now can really help, also walking or doing things you enjoy.
My cancer was stage 2.
Sending hugs and glad you found this web site, it is very helpful.

Forgot to mention about chemo.
They will give meds to help with not getting sick from chemo.
I brought water and biosteel, a healthier type of Gatorade and sometimes a snack to eat.
I brought a lap blanket and slippers to be cozy. When I got treatment it was a saline solution first and then the chemo. So you are there a few hours.
I had a picline put in that they used for the chemo. Some have a port under the skin in upper chest. They use that each time for administering the chemo. Some clinics have cold caps to keep hair loss lower, ours didn't so I bought chemo caps thru Amazon, they have different kinds, some clinics have them for free, people donated some. I also bought a wig, I used it a few times but was more comfortable with the caps.
It effected my stomach so I needed to find food that helped.
Some clinics have dietitians that help with that as well.
Stay well hydrated through your treatment is important.
Ask the nurses any questions you have during chemo, they are very helpful.

I was diagnosed TNBC in early 2019 at age 66. Underwent chemo, lumpectomy and radiation which was completed at the end of that year.

I’ll let others chime in on the details, but I’m writing for two reasons. One, I’m still here at age 73, as are many other TNBC patients and two, please don’t read too much about this type. I’m a person who likes to know things so I was constantly reading. There are many advancements even since I was treated and everyone is different so please try to set the scary stuff aside and focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

Best wishes to you and all on this forum.

Thank you for your response. I really appreciate your insights. I think I
am most anxious about the chemo Therapy at the moment. Did you have to have
chemotherapy and what was it like and what did you experience as far as
side effects hair loss, etc. thank you.

Thank you at Delfina three did you also have to have radiation and surgery
and did you have? Triple negative and one breast or both and if you had
surgery, did you do full mastectomy or lumpectomy?

@roxy66
I never got sick, because meds they give you.
I did get dehydrated needing iv fluids, so drink lots of water thru out treatment. Losing hair happens after first treatment 2 to 3 weeks. Just plan what you want to do when you lose your hair. It is hard to see at first , but I saved alot on hair products. It started growing back before my last treatment. You can lose hair on other parts of body, too. I lost part of eyebrows but not all and eyelashes. They came back eventually.
Everyone is different as far as reactions to chemo. They have lots of meds to give to keep you comfortable.
It is alot to go through but so worth all of it. It seems like a whirlwind of appts and information at first but it will calm down to a routine once you start on your treatment. I hope this helped. Hugs

My first regimen was called Fec the second was docetaxel,but that was canada 4 years ago.
Chemo kills fast growing cells, which includes cells in stomach and mouth. I had to watch what I ate because stomach upset.
They give you a recipe for mouth rinse to not get mouth sores. Mine was 1 top.baking soda and 1 tsp salt with 4 cups water.
They should give you a booklet with information on all aspects of treatment as well.

I

@roxy66
I had TNBC stage 2 tumor was 5.8cm which in canada is 2B
I had chemo first then surgery. I had a masectomy because was close to chest wall and because it was TNBC lobular I thought this was the best for me. I had it in left breast. I had to have radiation after surgery because it was a large tumor. I had 3 weeks of radiation.
After that I was on Xeloda because chemo shrunk my tumor by half which was good, so I was on that for 9 months.
They also fave me Zometa infusions every 6 months for 3 years.
I was 67 at time of diagnosis. Helps with bone loss and they believe reoccurrencecof cancer possibly to bones.
This was the canada protocol so yours may be different.
Take care

I had TNBC almost 5 years ago at age 72, early stage. Much depends on your chemo regimen. I had taxol/carboplatin, in part because I was found to have the ATM gene and Carboplatin is useful against BRCA.
With my regimen, I used ice mittens and booties. I had a port. I did lose my hair and still wear a wig because I am not happy with my own hair. I wear a Rachel Welch wig in my own color, but shorter. Nobody knows and I get lots of compliments. I never got sick from it and maintained good energy. Others have advised to drink lots of water and this is good advice for many reasons. I took magnesium to help keep me regulated. I still take it and I have added Lovastatin after reading about benefits in the MD Anderson study on statins and TNBC. There is so little for TNBC, we have to make use of anything that does not have a risk of negative effects, in my opinion. I did do a total mastectomy and did not reconstruct. This, in my view, was the safest option for me and would allow me to better feel any changes. Stay positive.

I too was diagnosed with TNBC and just got the all clear PET scan 2 weeks ago.
Originally diagnosed in Aug 2023, mine was a medication resistant form of it so I had to do the 6 months of chemo, the year of Keytruda, I decided to go with bi-lateral mastectomy, another surgery to remove another tumor earlier this year and now am on chemo pills for the next 3 months.
A few things that I can suggest, yes, don't read too much, I did and it scared me as well
The chemo tends to remove minerals from the body so I found taking a good supplement helped just the overall side-effects of it,
I opted to wear ice slippers and gloves, which I do believe helped with the neuropathy that it can cause.
Finally, if your body is telling you it needs rest listen to it if you can, I would go to chemo on Wednesday's and Friday afternoon through Sunday morning I would be in bed...I know not everyone can do that...but I think that also helped keep the side-effects to a minimum.

@roxy66, given that anxiety is running high regarding chemo, I thought you might appreciate joining these discussions:
- Preparing for Chemotherapy: What are your tips?https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/preparing-for-chemotherapy/
- How do I get mentally prepared for chemotherapy?https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-do-i-get-mentally-prepared-for-chemotherapy/

What type of chemotherapy will you be getting? When will you start?