Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
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Ya never know… you might be looking like a ChickaD sooner than you think
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ChickaD - my derm doc suggested coat scalp w/Head & Shoulders (undiluted) and leave a couple of minutes before scrubbing & washing off. Don't leave more than 5 minutes.
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Thanks Miss Minus....I will try that today...they are worse this morning.
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Chickadee, when my hair started growing in it was bumpy and I wanted to itch and scratch the bumps off, i think i might have done some temporary damage to the area, I am pretty sure it was the hair follicles trying to come out, if it isn't red or problematic, I would just keep am eye on it, the last thing you want to do is hurt the areas that are healing
My hair is totally growing back in like a weed and I am starting to love the chemo curl, problem now is my hair dresser thinks a couple more hair cuts and it will be straight as a board
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Oh well at least I now have hair)))0 -
Miss Marcie...its hard not to scratch and pick....but good advice...just going to put scarf on and ignore
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Marcia I am JEALOUS! I am SO DEPRESSED that 7 wks PFC and I have not a trace of hair growing back in. I am beginning to wonder if I dont have permanent hair loss from the chemo as everything I read says I should have some hair by now Even if it is just fuzz but something:-(
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Tangles what does your onc say? I now one of my friends who had Taxotere and no herceptin was much slower than I was. My hair has always grown really fast, granted slower on Herceptin. Do you have any eyebrows?
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Tangles- oh I remember the same feeling! My hair growth was painfully slow, too. Definitely speeded up a few months after final herceptin. I lost my eyebrows and eyelashes 3 weeks PFC! Was so sad....thought I had lucked out and kept them, but no. I am one year since Herceptin and hair is about an inch from my collarbone...it actually looks a lot like my picture, which was taken a month before chemo. Back and sides came in faster than top. I've had to use Latisse to get lashes and brows, but it is working.
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Tangles, I'm right there with you!
I overheard a small child behind me on a plane say, "look Mommy, is that a boy or a girl?". I am just so tired of looking like this! I am 7 weeks PFC too, Herceptin every three weeks now through Feb. 2014. They say Herceptin causes slow growth but really?!?! The other day my arms felt like a sunburn and I noticed that my arm hairs...which had stayed during chemo...were falling out. Within a day my arms were smooth like everything else! I have a few eyebrows and a decent amount of upper eyelash (I can count my lower lashes on two hands). I want hair!!!0 -
Oh Bailey...I really don't want to loose my lashes too! But I have heard some (like you did) lose them PFC. Fingers crossed! Thanks for your input.
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I lost my eyelashes & brows 5 weeks PFC. This is a good sign! It means the new hairs are growing and pushing the old hairs out.
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tangles, my hair took a long time to come in too. I am 17 weeks PFC and still only have about a 1/2" of hair which is growing painfully slowly. I really thought I would be able to have a short pixie by now, but it really just barely covers my scalp!
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I would love to hear about fatigue...I am 7 weeks PFC of TCH and my blood counts are still low and I am not able to work yet. I feel like a slug and just want to have at least a little energy!! Radiation starts next week and I am staying positive about being without Rad. fatigue. Any advice or experience? Am I wishing for too much too soon? Will my blood work ever be normal again?
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I still have eyebrows. I used this eyebrow serum the entire time. Not sure if it worked or I just had good luck. They are thin but still there. Eyelashes are very thin. I dont bother with mascara unless I am going somewhere important then I try and put it on the sparse lashes I have left.
lu2scrub we are in the same boat. I am also 7 wks PFC and doing herceptin. I still feel like GARBAGE! I was thinking about calling and seeing if I could just go get a blood draw myself. Something has to be wrong. I cant still feel this bad from the chemo. I am just NOT bouncing back. I noticed a large bruise behind my kneecap and I didnt bump the area. Makes me wonder about my counts..... I am a hairstylist and am not working yet. I took my daughter in my shop and gave her a highlight and that's it and felt like I was just going to DIE. I am no where near being able to go back to work. I was just telling my hubby this AM something has to be wrong with me. Others seem like they are almost back to normal. I HATE this. I bought tickets back in Feb to see Cheryl Crow next week thinking I would be fine, but now I really dont think I can go. We have standing tickets on the track in front. No way can I stand in a crowd in the heat. I just thought by now I would be so much better. My daughter gets married in 4 weeks. I will be Lucky if I can even dance at her wedding. It makes me sad and mad all at the same time.
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Oh Miss Tangles....you made me tear up.....so many good things and so tired....I am only at chemo #3 and extremely exhausted...I sleep most of the time....sending lots of ((((((hugs)))))) to all of you!
Dana
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Iluv, I had fatigue a long time. I was three months PFC before I noticed I was getting better, very slowly, but better. It was six months pfc before my mo let me go back to work. (Well, I would have if I had a job by then) So it is so individual. hang in there and just get better. BTW, for two months AFTER he signed that firm, I still needed IV magnesium . LOL.
Tangled, by the wedding you will ne feeling better. Perhaps the next day you will be back in bed, but, I know you will have a great day! LOL
ChicaD, honey, hang in there. Now that you are done with three, its now a count down! You are more than halfway done! Then when you finish your next, you will only have two left! That's how it helps to think about it. Much love.0 -
Hi Ladies, Is Taxotere is one of the red devil med? Thank you!
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Soriya- I think you are referring to Adriamycin. It's called the red devil because it's red in color. Taxotere is clear liquid (at least mine was).
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Bailey, Thank you!
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Popping in to see how you are all doing... I"m sorry, I lost track of who has said what, (I keep scrolling back... but end up not finding the person I wanted to reply to!!!) but can I add for those of you recently finished chemo and concerned that they 'should' be going back to work? Be gentle with yourself. I have this thought in my head that anyone going through this ought to be instantly granted 1.5 years to heal, play, do things they love, gently create a healthy eating and exercise plan that works for them, process, heal, play, do things they love. A shame finances don't always allow this! Hey, let's even throw in another year for those having a hard time with tamoxifen. ha!
My roughest time in many ways was the last few herceptins plus tamoxifen. We are all unique in how we respond. Point though is, be gentle with yourselves. I know the term 'lowering expectations' is often considered negative, but in fact, if you lower your expectations of what you 'should' be able to do, you take that weight off your shoulders and can be spending time on what feels right for you.
Good news re my hair. But the backstory first: a couple of months ago (several months post chemo) my hair all stopped growing again. It had been growing really slowly. A lot of other strange side effects (joint pain, burning sensation on skin, tummy upset, really low moods and anxiety) began as well. Integrative health doc put me on a lot of supplements (high dose coq10, alpha lipoic acid, b vitamins, more d, plus my regular multivitamins) ... slowly but surely am improving. AND, maybe it's because i finished herceptin a month ago, but my hair on head and body is growing again!!! Almost feels like it's growing like a weed in comparison to before. In the process of all this, I learned how bizarre our hair growing process is.. each area of our body different, and that there are stages to its growth. Now if I can just convince my eyelashes to grow!
Good thoughts to all of you. Those in the process of chemo right now... wishing you few SE and awesome results.
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ps. I'm on the site researching alternative treatments.. traditional or other.. for tamoxifen. Anyone here looked into that?
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Tangles,
Sorry to here you are depressed..I lost my eye brows and lashes after each tx and several times after they grew in and I had gone bald twice I think that was the hardest...I know how you feel about work I felt the same and when I went back I had such anxiety if anyone would know I didn't have my lashes or eyebrows thank god for makeup..I also went to a look good feel good class for breast cancer pts..your hair will grow back sometimes it can take along time ..I still have anxiety when I'm in public places so you are not alone..0 -
FeelingtheMagic most of us had our hair growing slower or Herceptin. My hair has always grown quickly but I also noticed is grew faster when I ended Herceptin treatments. It takes a good 12-18 months for your normal texture to come back.
It takes a bit to "get back to nomral." I was one of the lucky ones that seemed to recover quickly and never had terrible energy problems on chemo but many women do. It can take some up to 2 years but usually does not. Don't overdue. Your body is still healing from all the treatment. I ended up with shingles 2 months PFC. I didn't feel wiped out but my white counts were still a bit low.
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Feelingthemagic, there's a lot of good information about that on the alternative medicine and complementary forums. I lurk there, but haven't posted. I'm thinking of using some of their suggestions after my five years on Femara. (Only 3 years, 9mos to go)
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ChickaD-- I rarely post but wanted to respond to your post about the rash. One week after my second treatment, I got the same rash. It was very uncomfortable and add putting anything on my head hard. It is really common. I emailed my MO; she emailed me back to let me know that there were two scripts waiting at Walgreens. One was a medicated shampoo, the other a salve to put on my head after I washed it. It made a huge difference. Hope you feel better. I am 8 days ahead of you on surgery/chemo. I had #4 today. It was not that bad. Hope you feel better!
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Ladies, Any suggestion on what kind of shampoo to use. Right now I have baby shampoo only. I'll start chemo this Wednesday. Thank you!
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Oh Miss Hutchins......thank you for making me feel better...calling Onc in morning!
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I just had my third chemo treatment a week ago. I have noticed new hair growth over my entire body especially my legs. Do you think it's possible my hair is already starting to grow back? Did anyone else experience this?
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Magic I would say dont hold your breath. I NEVER lost all my hair. Was never shiny bald. Dont get me srong I still have to wear hats and scarfs but my MO even said I cant beleive you never lost ALL of your hair. It seemed to grow on and off during Chemo and I thought the minute I was done it would take off like crazy and grow. Oh and I had to file my nails the entire chemo as they grew too. I am now 8 weeks post chemo and my hair that never fell out is now falling out. It is fried and dead. I think new hair is pushing it out. My hair is growing back PAINFULLY slow. I dont even have a shadow of new fuzz yet. Im SO BUMMED!! I hope you are right and yours is growing, but I bet not:-(
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