Hi everyone,
It is about 8 weeks since my last round of chemo, during which I lost most of my body hair with the exception of my eyebrows and eyelashes. Now, 8 weeks on my eyebrows have thinned out to virtually nothing and my eyelashes have all gone completely. This has upset me more than my actual hair loss!!
Has anyone else experienced this?
Jen xx
Sorry to hear about your pathology.I know how you feel as my cancer came back 7yrs later in the same spot despite clear margins and radiation.I thought I'd done the hard yards but then it came back,growing 3cms in less than a year.I have no lymph nodes so no way of telling if it travelled.I felt sick to the pit of my stomach.I had the body and bone scans and fortunately they were clear. I had the mastectomy and then some chemo last year.My oncologist said that chemo mops up stray cells but won't really get rid of a mass - just reduce it. I guess you have to tell yourself that hopefully chemo did it's job on any stray,breakaway cells and the mastectomy got rid of the mass that was abit big for chemo to tackle.It is too disheartening to think otherwise.I'll admit that I've lost abit of faith in radiation and chemo but there isn't much choice is there.As time goes on I don't think about it so much and that will happen for you Jen. It's a normal response to feel gloom and doom with this cancer stuff but in a year's time you'll feel more confident that you are ok.I like to read inspiring autobiographies where people overcome great adversities in their life.For an attack of the miseries I either get busy or have a glass of bubbly.Maybe meditation might help- just find something to distract yourself with if you feel you are going down the doom path.Thinking of you.
Tonya xx
Sorry to hear about your pathology.I know how you feel as my cancer came back 7yrs later in the same spot despite clear margins and radiation.I thought I'd done the hard yards but then it came back,growing 3cms in less than a year.I have no lymph nodes so no way of telling if it travelled.I felt sick to the pit of my stomach.I had the body and bone scans and fortunately they were clear. I had the mastectomy and then some chemo last year.My oncologist said that chemo mops up stray cells but won't really get rid of a mass - just reduce it. I guess you have to tell yourself that hopefully chemo did it's job on any stray,breakaway cells and the mastectomy got rid of the mass that was abit big for chemo to tackle.It is too disheartening to think otherwise.I'll admit that I've lost abit of faith in radiation and chemo but there isn't much choice is there.As time goes on I don't think about it so much and that will happen for you Jen. It's a normal response to feel gloom and doom with this cancer stuff but in a year's time you'll feel more confident that you are ok.I like to read inspiring autobiographies where people overcome great adversities in their life.For an attack of the miseries I either get busy or have a glass of bubbly.Maybe meditation might help- just find something to distract yourself with if you feel you are going down the doom path.Thinking of you.
Tonya xx
Hi Jenny, My remedy was to draw my eyebrows on and I am still using eyeliner to give my eyes some "lift" as the eyelashes are still pretty non-existant. It works really well and I think I will keep it up as my eyelashes are normally fairly sparse, light coloured and thin. I too have to do my legs - bugger. I am now hatless - have my "hair" coloured and it is still very short but I am starting to like it. Everyone says it looks great but hubby is looking forward to some more growth. Sure is easy to manage and cuts the "get ready" time when going out. Re the eyebrows- when they came back it was in a "mass" of light coloured fluff. I had to get them waxed and coloured to give them definition. It will all happen - just go with the flow. XLeonie
Hi Jenny, My remedy was to draw my eyebrows on and I am still using eyeliner to give my eyes some "lift" as the eyelashes are still pretty non-existant. It works really well and I think I will keep it up as my eyelashes are normally fairly sparse, light coloured and thin. I too have to do my legs - bugger. I am now hatless - have my "hair" coloured and it is still very short but I am starting to like it. Everyone says it looks great but hubby is looking forward to some more growth. Sure is easy to manage and cuts the "get ready" time when going out. Re the eyebrows- when they came back it was in a "mass" of light coloured fluff. I had to get them waxed and coloured to give them definition. It will all happen - just go with the flow. XLeonie
Hi Jenny, My remedy was to draw my eyebrows on and I am still using eyeliner to give my eyes some "lift" as the eyelashes are still pretty non-existant. It works really well and I think I will keep it up as my eyelashes are normally fairly sparse, light coloured and thin. I too have to do my legs - bugger. I am now hatless - have my "hair" coloured and it is still very short but I am starting to like it. Everyone says it looks great but hubby is looking forward to some more growth. Sure is easy to manage and cuts the "get ready" time when going out. Re the eyebrows- when they came back it was in a "mass" of light coloured fluff. I had to get them waxed and coloured to give them definition. It will all happen - just go with the flow. XLeonie
It would appear to be a common problem then!! Yes, the hair on my legs was the first to grow back and my head hair is growing back too! But i will need the wig for a while yet!!
Thanks girls xx
Hi Jen
The same thing happened to me - I was almost through my radiotherapy when I noticed one eyebrow and my eyelashes had fallen out. I panicked because I thought it wasn't normal, however, was reassured by the radiology staff and my breast care nurse. It has something to do with longer growth cycles. It took a wee while but all grown back now, unfortunately so has the leg hair! Hope you are feeling much better.
susie
Hi Jen
The same thing happened to me - I was almost through my radiotherapy when I noticed one eyebrow and my eyelashes had fallen out. I panicked because I thought it wasn't normal, however, was reassured by the radiology staff and my breast care nurse. It has something to do with longer growth cycles. It took a wee while but all grown back now, unfortunately so has the leg hair! Hope you are feeling much better.
susie
