Seeking Advice and Support for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Diagnosis

The first week after my diagnosis was a mixture of shock and fear. I was only getting about one hour of sleep per night .Of course I cried a lot, and felt very alone in my diagnosis. I was very sensitive to how my loved ones took the news and the things they said and did in response to my news. Cards, voice mails, texts and emails, especially those expressing love, concern, or offers of help were so important to me. I was jumpy and anxious, frightened by sounds like an unexpected door knock or the phone ringing. Familiar movies and songs gave me great solace and “combed out” my brain. I could not bear anything new or unexpected. I lost my ability to read for any extended length of time, which was disheartening, because an escape into a book would have been quite welcome. When decisions had to be made about my treatment plan in the second week, I was really organized and started a binder for all of my notes and documentation. Post-its, my label maker, and Ziploc bags became my obsessions as I shifted my attention to making my house as cozy and prepared as possible for the upcoming months.

I am a mother of 3, I was diagnosed in April 2012 with stage 3, triple positive breast cancer. First and foremost: be positive! People want help, but not pity. I had enough of my own anxiety and fears for myself, I could not take on other people's fear --meaning, crying and long faces just made me feel worse. What I needed to hear from friends was: “I am so sorry that you have to go through this, but I know that you can do it, and I am here to help.” Treatment can consist of any combination of surgery to remove the cancer (mastectomy), chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells that may be “hiding” outside the breast, and radiation to mop up any local cancer cells that were missed by surgery or chemo. If one is unlucky to need all 3 treatments, the process can last for over a year. It is easiest to have a close friend or family member serve as a point person for organizing help and providing health updates throughout the various stages of treatment. For meals, the easiest is probably to have a cooler outside and to ask people to bring items in disposable containers. Many people experience food aversions and nausea with chemo, so it is a huge help to have dinner made for the rest of the family. it might not be an easy road but stay strong , we are here to give you all the support you want! sending you thoughts and prayers

When I had chemotherapy i took me a blanket a book and a light snack and keep plenty of ginger chews on hand. I rest for the first 3 days after treatment and day 4 I felt better.

💕 my prayers are with you. Attitude is everything going through with breast cancer. I know this may sound strange but….I thanked God for this because I said I was happy to take this on if it spared my mom & my sister. First woman in my family (that we know of) diagnosed with it. That was 18 years ago now.