Does Grade 3 tumour always mean chemo?
I am 43 and newly diagnosed node positive ER/PR+ HER2- 21mm tumour Grade 3. Having lumpectomy and axilla lymph node surgery this week. My surgeon has confirmed radiation and the nurses have talked about hormone treatment (Tamoxifen). But every time I mention chemotherapy everyone goes silent and won’t say whether it’s likely or not… it’s driving me nuts. They say I need to wait for pathology after surgery etc, but then I know I have very limited time to be organised ahead of chemo if it’s required. I have long curly hair which is a key part of my identity so I am trying to be practical and look at how to manage the hair loss - especially for my children. I am thinking of getting my hair cut shorter first (soon) so that it’s better for cold capping if that is an option. Being Xmas period it’s impossible to get into my hairdresser so I need ti be organised. So my question is whether anyone my age has not been given chemotherapy for a Grade 3 type tumour. Any feedback welcome. Thanks!
Hair loss
Sitting here with tears streaming cos my hair has started coming out in big clumps. I'm on day 19 since start of chemo so I've been expecting it but that doesn't make it any easier. I feel overwhelmed by this and more distressed than I did about my mastectomy. It feels like I've barely had time to process the diagnosis, and then the mastectomy, then chemo, and now this new big horrible thing. I know I need to phone my hairdresser to book to go in and have it all taken off, I know it's time. I just don't want to. I know it grows back and I have a wig and some head coverings already. But none of that makes me feel better. I just feel this big huge grief for the loss of my hair, my look, my identity, my appearance of seeming healthy. Thank you for reading this. I know there is a whole community of us warrior women out there experiencing similar challenges. I know my emotions are spiking right now and they will settle. I just needed to vent and put my feelings into words.
Hair loss podcast
Hi everyone We've just released a new podcast about Hair Loss. To listen, please follow this link, https://www.bcna.org.au/understanding-breast-cancer/resources/podcasts/episode-33-hair-loss/. The full list of previous podcasts, can be viewed here https://www.bcna.org.au/understanding-breast-cancer/resources/podcasts/. @Carissa_BCNA
Newbie alert! First round of A/C complete - a few questions
Hi, Newbie here. Diagnosed on New Years Eve with a Grade 3, triple-negative DCIS in my left breast and axilla lymph nodes. Bit of a journey ahead - A/C, Taxol, mastectomy, and radiation. I had my first round of A/C on Thursday. I am recovering ok - Day 3 hit me like a freight train, but I gather that is normal? My scalp is already tingly, and today my skin (especially my face, chest and arms) feels dry, hot and sensitive, like after a sunburn, but I haven't been in the sun for days. What have you all used on your skin to soothe this? Is there anything that might also soothe my scalp? Conversely, the skin on my face is suuuuper soft, an unexepected benefit! Has anyone else noticed this? Also, is it true that what I experienced after the first round will be similiar in subsequent rounds, aside from cumulative exhaustion, or have some of you found that the side effects compound a lot each time? And does anyone know why I am thirsty to the extreme still four days later? I am so sorry to think that there are so many of you out there who are more experienced than I on this subject, but would really appreciate you sharing any insights you have. : ) Juliet
Endocrine therapy-induced hair loss (ETIHL)
Hi All, Food for thought (no pun intended). I'm considering taking supplements (are they safe? contraindicated?) and looking for proven topical scalp treatments (waste of money?). Started with this article: Management of hair loss associated with endocrine therapy in patients with breast cancer: an overview https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4864803/. "Vitamin C may loco regionally reduces the HL ...when locally applied with an oil-based buffer that enables vitamin C to pass across the hair texture. (Where would we find that?) Low levels of vitamin D in serum and/or lack of Vitamin D receptor have been found to be associated with HL ...However, it is still uncertain whether vitamin D supplementation increases the proliferation of hair follicles. Vitamin E has been shown to decrease the effectiveness of estrogen in the breast tissue and low levels of vitamin E are also reported to be associated with increased levels of estrogen. However, according to the results of the SELECT study in which an increased rate of prostate cancer was reported, Vitamin E carried a potential androgenic and anti-estrogenic activity in patients receiving Vitamin E supplementation. (So that's good for BC patient, right?) Folic acid is also reported to have a positive effect on hair health...However, unfortunately, there are some epidemiological studies that suggest folate may increase the tissue levels of estrogen, indicating that high levels of folic acid might lead to BC. (Sounds bad) Oral supplementation of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids is also known to positively affect the prognosis of BC (Bartsch et al. 1999) and many other cancers and also increase the apoptosis of BC cells in tissue cultures. Additionally, it has been recently shown that 6 months after the use of these fatty acids were found to protect and improve the hair health through antioxidant effects on the scalp tissue. (Definitely sounds like a good one) 5-alpha reductase enzyme inhibitors (local cream or shampoo forms) could possibly be the most appropriate and potent treatment options in the treatment of ETIHL. (I've no idea, and am suspicious of product claims anyway - but is there a good one available?)
An Oncologist with Breast Cancer - what she has learned from her own treatment ....
Along with the 'must read' Liz O'Riordan's blog (she is a UK breast surgeon who had 2 bouts of Breast Cancer) who writes candidly about her own diagnosis, surgery, chemo, tabs & treatment overall .... http://liz.oriordan.co.uk/ Here is another good read - this time by an Oncologist who also has breast cancer & had chemo in the lead up to her surgery. Like Liz, she found that what she had been telling her patients with treatment was not really 'what happens' in reality. https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2018/jun/07/oncologist-breast-cancer-chemotherapy
Products to thicken hair
Hi friends, I am 40 and my hair is super thin and continues to thin out daily. I finished chemo in 2015 but on Zoladex & Exemestane - permanent state of menopause since then. Has anyone used Watermans, Nioxin or something similar to increase thickness? Can anyone recommend seeing a Trichologist? Any help appreciated
Hair Loss, Shingles
Hi, So im day 12 after my first ac chemo. Was shocked to discover when i went to the toilet earlier that my pubic hair is already falling. Does that mean my hair is not far of? Due to go back to work on Tuesday and wondering if i should shave it all of tomorrowm. Don't want to be at work when it starts to fall out. Any suggestions? Also have shingles now will my chemo on friday be delayed. I had 3 surgeries for my bc and this pain is worse than that. Thanks Michelle
A reflective moment
Having a reflective moment as my daughter naps... So, today as I attempted to wash my hair and again watched in dismay as huge, huge clumps fell out and accumulated around the drain, I was feeling a little down. The itchiness around my eyebrows is suggesting that my eyebrows are about to follow suit. The cold cap is working, yes. After two rounds of FEC I should have no hair by now but I think I have lost around 50%. And I am so tired. So very tired. I needed something to remind me why I was doing this. After my surgery but before chemo started I had some family photos taken. I was looking through them today to remind me that this, THIS is why I am doing all of this. My family. My two beautiful girls. I couldn't help but notice the dark circles and tiredness of my eyes and of my husband's. And this was before chemo had even started. It takes its toll. I might Photoshop them out later. lol And my hair. I had so much hair! I guess that's why if a stranger saw me now they wouldn't know any different but it has thinned considerably. 1 small bald spot appearing. If it gets any bigger, it's time to shave. I hate that cold cap so much. I have such a huge skull (a family thing, my poor mum who gave birth to four of us in the days before drugs!) it doesn't really fit me properly and hurts. I have been researching my family history for the genetics test coming up. It has been so revealing. Much more breast cancer in my family than I ever knew about. Well, I'll be the first in my family to have the genetics test done. We'll soon find out if our family carries the gene. Family. I love them so much. I wish I had more energy for my girls right now.
