Triple Negative Breast Cancer: What treatments are you having?

I was diagnosed with triple negative grade 3 invasive carcinoma last December. I couldn’t get chemo because I couldn’t get an eight and I am in a wheelchair because with Covid nobody wanted to work so I got radiation I finished radiation the end of September I have horrific fatigue I have no feeling around the breast near the surgery site and read they did the radiation and now I have to go for another ultrasound is this fatigue, after so many months of radiation

Greetings @thielmann1. I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer last February. I had a DCIS (Stage 0) and an invasive (Stage 1A). The not-so-good news about triple negative is that it is usually more aggressive/faster growing and usually does not respond to hormone-related therapies. While my cancers were caught early, they were also grade 3, and I had a very high Ki-67. These are both more aggressive indicators as well. For me, it just meant I didn’t want to delay moving forward with treatment.
The good news is there is no reason for me to have aromatase inhibitors post treatment, which is nice to be able to avoid those side effects.

Due to the aggressive nature of my tumors, and especially the invasive, Mayo Clinic had me in chemotherapy within two days. Thus, by the time I had surgery, there were no active cancer cells in my breast tissue or lymph nodes. I had never heard of having the chemotherapy first before surgery, but this seemed like a great approach to me. Something to consider with your medical team, if appropriate.

FYI. Other factors played into my surgical decision - unrelated to being triple negative and more related to avoiding future cancers. I have a strong family history of breast cancer. I’m 64 years old. I had a previous atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH), a future cancer marker. While I didn’t test positive for the BRCA gene, I do have another potential genetic marker (STK-11). I also preferred to avoid radiation. Thus, I opted to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction. I am halfway through my reconstruction, and am at peace with all my decisions. They found several other small DCIS and ALH In the breast tissue they removed. I would likely have been back with another cancer had I gone with a lumpectomy, So this was the right decision for me. Everyone is different. And your decision will be the right decision for you.

So again, to me triple negative means don’t delay, and it also means hormone related therapies are not effective/necessary. Forge ahead with your medical providers. Prayers you find the best treatment for your situation. Blessings to you on this journey so many of us travel.

I am not triple negative, but I do know a bit about it. This is just a hard thing to suddenly feel things changing under our feet. Can you explain a little more about your journey. When you say you have had estrogen positive for 21 years, have you had active breast cancer for 21 years or did you have that cancer 21 years ago treated successfully and now you have another diagnosis? Do you have staging for this triple negative? Has your doctor recommended treatment yet?