I must say it is nice not to have any new medical concerns to blog about! The blog is always in the back of my mind as a way to reach out and provide education about Triple Negative Breast Cancer.
In the past year I have blogged as I battled TNBC. Now, I'm in remission (I've been told I will never be "cured"). My new mission with this blog will be to provide you occassional updates on my health, but moreso, I want to continue to use this resource as a way to provide edcation about TNBC and breast cancer prevention. I have a great role model in Patricia Prijatel, who blogs on "Positives about Negative." Her blog is exceptional!
Anyone currently battling TNBC, and survivors of TNBC, are waiting for new research to reveal a breakthrough. TNBC is the second most aggressive form of breast cancer. A major complication in treating this type of breast cancer is that because there are no proteins receptors, estrogen, progesterone, or HER2-NEU to bind to, medications cannot be used after traditional cancer treatments to stop the cancer from recurring and/or growing. The only for treatment for "us" is chemotherapy and radiation. Whereas, estrogen and progesterone positive breast cancers can be treated with medications such as Herceptin and Tamoxifen after completing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. I will monitor news related to TNBC and post it here. Information is knowledge and knowledge is power. And, to me, it's a comfort to know researchers are doing their best to find a cure.
Me? I recently had a bone scan to again try to determine if the mass on a rib is cancer. A PET scan did not reveal cancer. The bone scan did not see cancer either. Wa hooo! The oncologist and I are monitoring it closely. It continues to remain painful. I've been assured I can contact the cancer center at any time if there is a change in the mass.
Last year at this time, I had undergone my first chemotherapy session. I was bald, of my own accord, because I had a "head shaving party" and family and close friends took turns at removing each hair from my head, on MY terms, rather than it falling out after I started chemotherapy. I thought of cancer at least once every minute. I'm happy to report I can go very extended lengths of time without thinking about it! In fact, there are days I only think about it once or twice. I never thought that would be possible. It was consuming. It is not any longer.
I am LIVING life! I am STRONGER. Cancer does not control me. I am in control of my life. And I am happy!
