Triple Negative BC Info

Hi!  I was diagnosed with Triple Negative BC, 3.5 cm, Grade III, Stage 2a, IDC.  I can't find much information on the internet regarding it and most of what I do find is very negative.  It sounds like it is most likely that my cancer will return and my life is shortened considerably.  I'm only 45 and I'm not ready to go, even in just five years.  I talked to my oncologist about being triple negative but he doesn't tell me much, just that its a good thing and a bad thing.  I would like to do everything I can to keep this cancer from coming back but I haven't found much information.  Do you have a website or any information that can help me?  I want to live beyong 5 years of this disease as I have young kids.  What can I do so it does not return and if it does return, do I need to be planning on who will look after my children?

Thank you,
Laurie

[healingwell62]

Hi Laurie,

I'm sorry you've gotten this diagnosis.  It really stinks.  I can hear the fear in your words.  I'm 46 and a mom -- I was 45 when I was diagnosed with bilateral BC, and the BC on my right side was triple negative.  It's become "popular" because Robin Roberts of Good Morning America was triple negative.  I also heard from my oncologist that it was both good and bad.  The one thing I heard was that while triple negative is more aggressive, it's also less likely to be a killer in the long run (i.e. beyond 5 years).  So, how do  you get to the point of getting to the five year mark?  Talk to your BC team.  What have you done so far?  What have they recommended for a treatment plan.  Are you being treated at a large medical center (preferably a research institution) where they focus on your breast cancer from a team perspective?

Being diagnosed with triple negative is not a death sentence.  I'm certain of that.  I have some very stong advice for you -- don't go internet surfing for comforting answers.  I tried that one lonely day at the beginning of treatment and felt decidedly worse rather than better.  The internet can be a loose cannon kind of place.  The majority of sites that I found related to triple negative seemed to be addressing worst case scenarios, and testimonies from women that had gotten really bad news and were preparing for death.  I know that's out there, and if I ever experience a recurrence, believe me, I'll be visiting those sites for help and reassurance.  BUT, when you are newly diagnosed, that's not the place to go.  Get as much information from your drs. that you are clear on what you need to do to go on and live a long healthy life, then stop gathering more and more and more information.  It's too much food for negative thought.  This is just my opinion, having gone through this, but it's worked for me, and after a solid year of treatment, I'm to the other side with only reconstruction ahead of me when I choose.  And you know what Laurie?  I'm ok.  Really really ok.  

Write to me privately if you want to talk more, ok?

Warmly,

Chris
Healingwell62
Breast Cancer 1 & 2 Community Leader