Hair Growing Back
Hi All, I am on my last paclitaxel chemo next week and staring to look beyond the chemo bad ass. I am just completing 8 courses of dose dense chemo - 4 xAC, 4x Paclitaxel and am wondering how long it took for others to grow their hair back. I know this is assuming it has grown back sufficiently, as some women are unlucky with hair regrowth. Just hoping you can share you experiences of when your hair grew back enough to actually feel like you had enough to do something with and any changes in your hair regrowth from before chemo. Many thanks, Jo
What to do with my hair 5 months after chemo? Hair dyes?
Hi, My hair is fairly thick now but still very short and a bit wavy, especially at the back, puffy on the top,flicks out at my ears. l am hating the colour, it is such a weird salt and pepper colour with a tinge of red. I did not have this much grey before, l am a natural redhead, l did get a few foils in my hair regularly before l lost my hair from chemo. Will my hair go back to it's original colour or am l stuck with mostly grey hair now? How safe is it to dye my hair and can l expect to get the colour that l want? I will go to a professional. I would love to hear from those that have coloured their hair after chemo, how long after and what results they got. I hate looking in the mirror, l feel as if l have lost myself. Cheers, Karen
Liz O'Riordan - breast surgeon with BC Recommended to Read
I found this blog by an English breast surgeon who got BC herself to be incredibly useful & informative when I was first diagnosed. And then most especially the chemo guide when I found out I had to have it myself. She hasn't posted for a long time but a notification just popped into my inbox, she's writing again. So if you're into blogs, check it out. http://liz.oriordan.co.uk/MovingOn_files/this-is-who-I-am.html
Kisquali
FYI - I did post in private group last night but no response so thought I'd try here as well. :-) Hi there all, Strange question for you all for a Sunday night - I'm on my 13th round of Kisqali, still on 3 tablets which is highest dose. I'm taking in combination with Letrozole and the bone strengthening injection every 2-3 months. I'm doing really well on this treatment combo and apart from ridiculously disgusting dry feet that are revolting and foot pain, nausea and tiredness, I can't complain too much!! Recent PET scan has shown that my bone mets are still present but not active according to oncologist which is amazing news apparently. My question is, I think my hair is thinning out and I have a "sore head". Only way to describe it is it feels as though my hair has been up in a "tight ponytail" and scalp is sensitive. Of course, I will check with oncology nurse tomorrow but thought others might have similar experience that they could share. Can't ask anyone at home to check for bald patches as single mum here and don't want to freak my kids out totally - I think that was the hardest part of my original cancer journey for them when I shaved my head as it was all falling out from chemo. Other question for musing this late on a sunday night is, are there others in this group on Kisqali or Ribociclib combo that have been told they are doing really well - I can't seem to shake the feeling that the PET scan got it wrong!! Thanks in advance
The good, the bad and the ugly of my cold cap journey
Dear everyone, I am two and a half months past my last cycle of chemotherapy so I though I will share my experience with the cold calp. I had 4 cycles of TC (20/11/18 to 23/01/19). I chose to do a neoadjuvant treatment and start with chemotherapy to allow genetic testing to happen and give me some time to think about the best surgical approach. I used the Paxman cold calp. The extra small cap was too tight, so I wore inner small which moved a bit and outer small to try to keep it in place. I have lost about 50% of my hair (and I have heaps to start with) mostly in my crown, probably because the cap was a bit big for me. All the usual instructions to preserve hair were followed - washes once a week with coldish water and mild shampoo provided by my hospital (Sukin), no hairdryer, gentle brushing, silk pillowcase... They tell you that you are going to lose hair, but I don't think that I was mentally prepared to deal with all the shedding and the clamps of hair in the brush. At face value the treatment has been successful, I only had to wear head scarfs for a couple of months and by now not too many people will tell that I have lost hair. Was it an uncomfortable experience?, Yes, especially the first 20m. I learnt after the first cycle to take the Lorazepam that the hospital provided me to relax a bit earlier in the day at home (about an hour before treatment started) so by the time I got to hospital was almost out and barely felt a thing. Was it worthy?, Absolutely, as you can see in the photos I still have a decent amount of hair Would I do it again?, No, I wouldn't, especially if I required a longer chemo treatment. Chemotherapy and all the decisions that you need to take when fighting cancer is a stressful enough experience. Worrying on whether the caps are working and constantly cleaning up hairs adds another layer of stress that in hindsight I didn't need. Half way through the treatment I had a big bold spot at the top so I started wearing head scarfs and I grew to love them. Below is a photo collage of my journey, I hope that it is useful ladies!
Post chemo hair ....everywhere!!
So my hair is growing back with a vengeance, but not just on my head. My face is unbelievably hairy - thankfully white so not too obvious, but it’s on my cheeks, chin even my nose has little fine white hairs. So, if others have experienced thus, what did you use to get rid of it?
Hair today...
I got my first post-chemo haircut yesterday (as opposed to the No. 1 I gave myself). I hadn't seen my lovely hairdresser since before this shit began. I didn't want to tell her what was going on over the phone as she has lost too many close family members over the last couple of years to various cancers. But she knew as soon as she saw me yesterday that I had had chemo. There still wasn't enough hair for her to do a lot but now it looks like I've got a short cut rather than being pulled through a hedge backwards. And she was so nice - even though it took her the better part of an hour, she refused payment.
Hair regrowth
can someone give me a pep talk? I finished chemo on August 19th 2016. 6 weeks of radiation followed during which my hair completely left me. No regrowth happened as it does for some people. My hair regrowth is very slow and I am thin on top still after 5 months. I can't imagine ever having 'enough' hair again. I am taking 'hair, skin and nails' and using a restorative shampoo but I still worry. It doesn't help that my hair is grey and all the photos of people growing their hair back are young with even hair lines and dark hair. I just want to be normal again, free to meet people without a hat on, without wondering what they are thinking when I don't wear a hat. i know this is vain but it is a small thing that is having a big impact on my return to normal.Cold Cap Experience
You can see I'm back with a vengeance... I was offered cold caps at the same place I would be having the chemo, at no extra cost or runaround so I decided to give it a go if I could tolerate it. I'm not hung up on losing my hair but know that it would make everything a little bit gentler for the kids (and partner) and if I could manage it and the extra time it takes, no problems. The day of the disastrous non-chemo, about the only thing that wasn't a problem was the cold cap - whether it wasn't on really firmly or I was just so traumatised from the preceding 6 hours, who knows... Jump 3 days to second try at chemo and I found the cap only just bearable. I've still got a couple of weeks to see if it has had the desired effect but I really hate having the greasy feeling of the conditioner-washed hair hanging around my face and I look like one of the lesser-groomed side characters on Midsomer Murders. So, I'm starting to assemble fors and againsts. I know from reading everyone's posts that when their hair falls out and grows back, the texture, colour and spread can be quite different from how it was before. I'm sure that even with cold caps (and I know even if successful there's likely to be thinning) there will be changes to the hair. Of those of you who have used them, how would you compare your hair to before, immediately after chemo course, and further down the track?
hair return
I had the last chemo on 17th August and I am wonde ring when my hair will start growing back. I never lost it all completely just have a scattering of very fine hair but my scalp is well and truly visible. It doesnt seem to be even starting to grow again yet. How long is normal lbefore it starts to look like hair again. I find the wig I have looks lovely but gives me a headache before to long. Wouldn't mind so much but the new oncologist told me when he visited me in hospital while I was fighting infections brought on by the loss of imunity from chemo that I should never have been given chemo as it was not the right treatment for the type of cancer I have. Not happy Jan. Anywait can't undo what has been done so I would just like some feedback on the hair regrowth bit, Kester.
