Hair Hair Hair - Another question
Comments
-
Charmaine: D in your chemo regiment was probably doxorubicin (trade name Adriamycin). It's a red liquid and one of the immediate side effects is that you pee pink. Does that sound familiar?
0 -
MaryNY - Hi Mary no it is not that drug, I do remember the Nurse Oncologist telling the patient beside me that the doctor was putting me on also another new drug protocol beside the others ones that I was on that has never been used before.
I just went online and looked at the list of chemo drugs and could not find what looked familiar, so obviousily not listed yet.
Charmaine
PS I did see a bunch of women getting the red drug and I thought that was more for women that were HER2+
0 -
Charmaine - was the "D" perhaps Dexamethesone (trade name Decadron)? If yes, it's a steroid that's given orally for three days starting the day before chemo. I'm not totally sure but I think some may get it during chemo via IV. Does that drug sound like that's what it was?
0 -
Mary your hair looks fabulous - but much longer than mine on the sides. I would say that from these photos you have more side growth than top. I seem to have the same growth all over giving me more of a rounded look.
I had FEC - the "E" being Epirubicin which was a red liquid injected directly into the line and made me pee pink right away.
Whenver I would go for chem I would have Decadron first by IV and then the chemo infusions after.
Not sure what else the D could be....
0 -
hope mine comes back that quickly when I am done at the end of May....it looks great!
0 -
My beautician, who had also been through chemo herself, said No, you don't want to shave it all off. She just had me come in and she trimmed off all those ends that were actually almost translucent with no real color at all. and evened it up (sides and back grew faster) She told me my hair would then get thicker and grow faster which it did. I finished chemo at the end of July 09 and have had two real haircuts since then just because I like it short. I have had so many compliments on my hair and it is not just people being nice. Somehow I ended up with gray hair that is almost silver and someone also asked me if I had it dyed that color...that surprised me since I noted a long time ago they don't have all those Lady Claroil colors for gray like they used to. But I am also noting more and more women who have gone gray who are not what I consider old. (I mean like under 50) I am older than most of you, 60 now, so maybe you all are still too young for the gray, but I am very happy with the way mine came back. I don't have to color it, I don't even have to comb it if I don't want to and it looks different evey day depending on how I sleep on it. . My new hair is much softer than it used to be, but it is thick and it has a slight wave to it and sometimes in the back by my neckline I will look and say wow, those look like little curls back there. Everyone kept saying It will come back curly, but just goes to show everyone isn't always right. I however, would not recommend shaving it off completely. I know it is very hard to lose your hair and be bald since hair is so much a part of our identity as a woman, but I had almost 19 years to get used to the idea (when I was lst diagnosed with BC in 1990 the firned who went with me likes to remind me that the very first question I asked was Will I lose my hair?) so it was one of the lesser SEs for me, but I can't say I am not happy to have it back. I hated the wig. I have been looking at your pictures and think you all look quite lovely and chic'.
0 -
Hello Sherri: I also took Dexamethason orally for 3 days and took a reaction to that drug too.
I was another drug that is not listed, I gander eventually they will listed it amongst the chemo drugs as it is new..
Thanks, Charmaine
0 -
Marybe: Well a couple of days ago I unfortunately went and had my hair shaved off (was 9 weeks PFC chemo). I just did not like the way that my hair was growing in. All grayish white along the sides and the entire top, right to the crown and all of the back with blackish gray, and there was also over the top tons of white peach fuzz hair too.
So when I went to have it shaved off the other day, it was not a totally clean shave to the scalp, but all at the top and back it looks like stubbles of literally dark and/or black hair and along the sides whitish gray still that might come in grrr and I was hoping shaving it off there would be one color of hair... so go figure? My hair coming in that way makes my scalp look dirty... grrr
Charmaine
0 -
Charmaine, Just remember, this too shall pass. You will find that the color changes as it grows back in, at first mine was all gray and white and then I got darker hair mixed in, mostly in the back. Almost black which is much darker than my hair ever was. When it is wet, it looks pretty dark, but the white takes over after it dries and I come out with a silver color which fortunately I like because I have decided at age 60, it's time to go gray. And you know regardless of color we are lucky, because I really feel for some of the ladies on here who say their hair is not growing back. When my eyebrows which have always been dark started growing back, you could just see this darkness under the skin and it was like 5 o'clock shadow. My only complaint with hair is my eyelashes which I still have to have plucked out when they start going in toward my eye because they scratch my cornea......am going for that again tomorrow, but can only feel the eyelashes stabbing me on my rt eye this time so hopefully they are starting to grow in the right direction.
0 -
MaryB: On the topic of eyelashes, I still do not as of yet have that many coming in on either of my eyes. Maybe around 6 or so on each eye. On my right eye today I noticed that one eye lash was extremely long, so I got my nail clippers and just shortened to to be like the others. Now on to my left eye, I have one eye lash that is literally either white or gray, go figure lol
My eye lashes are coming back, very, very slow - then again, I still have no underarm hair back and the hair on my legs are coming back very, very slow and next to none and so goes for other areas lol
Charmaine
0 -
Charmaine - after reading your post last night about what your hairdresser said about shaving it, I went ahead and scissor cut mine again (that would be twice yesterday). Anyway, now it's much shorter on top....probably about 1/4 inch but feels much softer, thicker and fuller. I'm so glad I chopped off the white "chemo" ends. I figure it's only about an extra two or three weeks I've added onto the growing time.
Sherri
0 -
You all look wonderful....love the new hair growth. I looked exactly like that last fall...it is amazing how once it starts growing, it really takes off....I finished chemo 6/2009, and here is a hair update, it's been 10 months PFC now...was straight prior to chemo, but sooooo curly now, I just gave up fighting it, lol....have not had any hairs cut:
and back:
0 -
gcpommom: your hair is amazing. Did you not even have a trim since chemo? What about putting in color? Wondering if it's harder to style now that it's curly.
0 -
gcpommom - I love the curls. Your hair is fantastic. If I get curls, I hope they are as nice as your's. Thanks for sharing!
Sherri
0 -
Thanks!
Mary: no trims, not even a little one. Yes, I color it just like I used to, except I changed to an ash base or it comes out too reddish. I've discovered that if I wet it, shake it, put some gel on it and scrunch it, then just let it dry, this is how it looks... so I figured, good enough! And pretty easy, too. I spent the last few months trying to make it look straighter, but why fight it?
The front/top is actually straightening out though, just wavy/curls at the ends, so I am guessing the whole head will follow suit as it grows...
0 -
I like your hair color. What brand and shade is it? My original hair color is brown but I'd been coloring it for years so had no idea how much gray I had. Now my post-chemo hair is so white with bits of dark, that I don't think it would be a good idea to go back to using a dark hair color and continually have to fight the roots. I'd prefer to go toward an ash blonde. Unless I'm brave enough to just go natural.
0 -
Sherri: Well Sherri, I am happy to hear that I gave you some inspiration and a boost of confidence per se to go ahead and chop off some of the chemo ends and that you feel comfortable with it - good for you!
Charmaine
0 -
Gcpommom: Wow your hair is absolutely gorgeous. My hair previous to chemo had a bit of wave and very slight curls in and I went the other day and shaved my chemo hair that was 9 weeks PFC and am growing it over again, so will have to add another 9 weeks to it and so look forward to seeing my hair next April
Would be nice if I ended up with curls like yours. Charmaine0 -
Oh ladies, just this evening I happen to notice just below my cheeks and lower part of both sides of my face that I am growing very, very light peach fuzz - hardly noticeable so for now just gonna leave it.
Charmaine
0 -
Mary: it is Loreal Light Ash Blonde, bought at Sally's, I think it is 9 or 9.1 (they discontiued my color and I just switched to this) with a 30 developer...the first time I colored with it, I added some Unred, since prior attempts coloring left me with tons of red. I forgot to add it this last time, and it came out fine though. I do love how using an ash makes the new growth much less noticeable.
Charmaine: thanks! I also had that white facial fuzz for a few months, but I did nothing to it, and it's gone now...seems to have just fallen out over time.
0 -
gcpommom....your hair looks great! It gives me hope as I head into round #2 this week of 4....I am at the middle point of the journey and you have shown me that the end of the tunnel has light!!!!
THANK YOU!
0 -
Dublin: I'm glad I helped : ) I remember being where you are now, hang in there, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!
0 -
gcpommom: I've only every used the hair color from the supermarket, Clairol or something, where the colorant and developer are packaged together. I didn't know you could buy them seperately.
Dublin4: good luck with round #2. You'll be halfway there this week.
0 -
Okay hair people, I can't believe I'm the only one wondering how Amy Mickelson kept what appears to be every strand of her gorgeous hair through chemo. I was bald, browless and lashless for nearly a year. I'm happy for her. Just curious what her secret is.
0 -
Are you sure Amy Mickelson HAD chemo?
And gspommom - you look adorable!
0 -
Yes, she had chemotherapy:
Amy Mickelson weeps as husband Phil wins 2010 Masters
Golfer Phil Mickelson won the 2010 Masters in Augusta on Sunday, eclipsing Tiger Woods' return to golf after a months-long sex scandal. But the bigger story was Mickelson's wife, Amy, who was there to support her husband despite an 11-month struggle with breast cancer. The occasion marked the first time Amy has appeared in public following being bedridden from the effects of chemotherapy.
I'm guessing it's a wig. Fair play to her for making a public appearance while she's probably still feeling rotten.
0 -
Wow -- that's amazing! I guess she had a form of chemo that doesn't kill the hair? I have no idea. That sure doesn't look like a wig. Could it be hair extensions?!? Though I doubt, if she had lost her hair, she would have long enough natural hair at this point for extensions.
0 -
I think she is wearing a wig....My wig that I used to wear looked exactly like my hair before chemo...I bought a human hair wig that was very expensive and I am sure that is what she has too.
0 -
Well all I can say is: Amy Michelson you GO girl!
0 -
Mary your hair looks great! It's nice and even. I think my hair is thinner than yours, and it's been almost 2 years for me. You go girl!
0
