Hair Hair Hair - Another question

DeeC

Ladies,

I am doing my last Taxol this Thursday and have lost most of my hair.  I am so looking forward to it growing back.  Mine was white before and wonder what color it will come back.  I don't care, I just want it back!

Dee

Deblc

Can't believe how much hair you have ladies! I am 7 weeks PFC and don't see any growth at all versus when I was on chemo (a few "prickles" here and there but still mostly bald!)  A lot of ladies seem to have much faster growth, I'm so frustrated. Anybody else have very little growth almost two months after chemo?

Crazywabbit

Debic, it all depends on what chemo you got and esp with taxol- low dose weekly vs dose dense.  My hair started to regrow about week 6-7/12 on low dose taxol. now I have about an 3/4 inch in the back and 1/4 on the top 7 week PFC.  mostly white but more silver-gray now showing up. As long as mousy brown doesn't grow in I will be happy.

jbdayton

I just realized today is one year from my last chemo.  My hair is now about 5 to 6 inches.  Thick course gray and dark brown.  I have no style yet, still curly and wavy, and of course unruly.  I cut it twice but not since January.  I guess next week I will make appt. to cut and maybe color.  

I lost my two big toenails about 2 months post chemo.  They are almost completely grown back in.  Maybe by next month this time.

I also had the facial fuzz and it went away on its own about 2 months after I first noticed it.

Good luck to everyone trying to grow our hair and nails.

minustwo

jbdayton - thanks for your post.  Gives me something to look forward to.  I'll be one year TCH+P chemo in August but then I had the AC chemo after surgery so that will not be a year until December.

Annie54

I had TCH chemo (Taxotere, Carboplatin, Herceptin) and finished up last August. I kept my bald head for 6 to 8 weeks before I started to get some fuzz. I was told that with TCH, hairgrowth isn't evident for a month or two whereas if you have ACT chemo, hair growth begins before you finish chemo - just a different cocktail! Now at 10 months PFC I've got a very full and thick 3+ inches of hair. It is growing a bit slower than usual....1/4 inch per month versus 1/2 inch per month...but am hoping it speeds up as things go along.

Annie

lago

Annie54 Herceptin does seem to slow hair growth for many of us. When that stops it will speed up.

yensmiles

i love your curls deborahnanne!!!

Thanks all for sharing the re-growth of your hair. it's comforting.. 

i still have some hair on my head..tomorrow will go in for second round of chemo.. a bit apprehensive..cos still hoping that miraculously my hair won't fall off! LOL! it doesn't seem very possible at this stage.. but oh well, i'm hopeful and shall remain soon till my head shows otherwise.. in the meantime, i don't miss my hair at all.. i see it all over the place..on my bed, pillow, toilet..even my food and water occasionally!!!

Annie54

Hey lago...hope you are right! I finished the big H on May 12th so am expecting to see flowing locks by Christmas

minustwo

Bosum - I'll be interested in the answer too.  Wave all over, ends curling up.  Really don't want to cut yet.

lago

Weight will help but the new hair just has a curlier texture for you guys. I was discussing this with my stylist the other day. He had another client that went through chemo that he hadn't seen for a long time. She was waiting for her hair to grow out. He had to convince her to cut that stuff off that had the bad texture so would look better. At the very least have it shaped and trimmed. Even non chemo hair looks best when trimmed regularly. Avoids dead ends.

Lakegirl1

Ok, I am going tomorrow for #3 of 4 treatments.  Initially, my hair started falling out like clockwork at day 14 after 1st infusion. I was absolutely terrified of loosing my hair, but when it came down it when it was just disgusting and falling out all over, I had it buzzed.  It wasn't to the scalp, but pretty short.  Well, after that, I haven't completely lost my hair. In fact, it appears to be growing!!  How is this possible?  Will the rest of it fall out after the next 2?  Or, will it continue to grow and eventually fill in after I get done with chemo???  Also, my nails have never looked better!  Who knew???  

I am glad I still have some hair, don't get me wrong, but it makes wearing the wig a little tricky!!!  The hair is slick and I sometimes feel like it will pop off the top of my head !!!  Any suggestions???  That is all I need, for it to pop off at work, which is pretty much the only place I wear it.  Otherwise, I am sporting an Adidas running hat!!!  

Should I start using the nioxinshampoo ?  

lago

Lakegirl try looking for products like this: linky  

DeeC

LakeGirl1,

The woman at my wig shop told me to use Scotch double sided tape to hold my wig.  Trouble is I still have some very fine hair left and don't think the tape would hold.  She didn't have any hair and used it on the back of her neck.

Hope this helps.

This is what my hair looks like now.  It is thinner than it looks in the picture.

Dee

Lakegirl1

Lago...that may just work. Everyone kept saying buy the wig liner caps, I just think that would make it worse, aren't they slick?  

DeeC....if my hair were a little longer I imagine it would be very similar to yours. I am blond, so it looks like that baby whose hair is coming in and stands straight up all over their head!!!  It is very cute for a baby, but not so much for a 43 yo mom.  

The other night my 6 year old was in the bathroom with me getting ready for bed. She was brushing her hair, I was washing my face etc.  She looked at me and said,"I like your old hair better."  I looked at her and just said me too and it will grow back.  She wasn't sassy or anything, just one of those honest moments from the mouths of babes.  Makes me sad they have to even deal with this. We have talked about it, but that is the first time she has said anythingq. 

lago

BosumBlues There are plenty of women with smaller tumors or even with just DCIS that didn't do chemo… and ended up with mets. Never look back. 

Also remember that you will never be the same even if you didn't do chemo. You change every day. I mean I would love to look like I did 2 years ago but I don't. I'm older. But I'm happy. Our looks are going to fade as time continues. That's not who we are. It's just a shell

But your hair will eventually be your hair again. What's with your face? Why is that hideous? Maybe you need a make over.

lago

So your mirror is broken?

DeeC

I don't even like my husband to see me without a head covering.  At 70 years old my thin hair makes me look 90.  No one has seen me without a hat of some kind   I don't want to appear sick to my family.  I don't think it is vanity, just want to look as much as I can like my old self.

My husband is mostly bald and doesn't care about the way my hair looks.  It is just the way I feel.

Dee

lago

DeeC your husband will always see YOU no matter how you change physically. Also remember he didn't fall in love with you because of your hair. Now if you change your personality then things might get sticky. 

Jules_NY

My mirror is broken too!!!!! 

But for me it's more about it being a super PIA to remember to put something on my head before I walk out the door. I miss the days of hair ties!! Around the house I go commando basically because it is the most comfortable. My husband doesn't mind at all and thinks I should go out bald. I went out on the patio just now without anything in my head cause I forgot and when I realized I ran in the house holding back tears because I was more annoyed than upset that someone might have seen me. My kids are 5 and 7 and they aren't really phased either. When I told them I was going to lose my hair my son was excited and fell over laughing, then he said I promise I won't laugh when it happens. My daughter has said occ that she misses my hair. We are trying to make this phase of our lives as normal as possible to them with no secrets and answer all their questions. It is a bit easier to do that with them since they don't really know the worst case scenario when someone is diagnosed with cancer. 

Deblc

Ladies I am 7 weeks PFC and just see a hint of hair starting to come in ...I'm pretty much still bald, it's so frustrating. WHEN will it start to grow ???!!!!!!!  I used to wear scarves inside my house, whenever I had visitors (My immediate family has seen me bald from the get go). Now I go topless at home, it's just too hot and uncomfortable, and I see the shock and discomfort on visitors' faces when they see me, like they don't want to look me in the face (I'm not an attractive bald lady unfortunately lol). One friend even said "I hope your hair grows back fast, it really looks...." but she didn't finish the sentence. I know she meant "it really looks horrible". But you know what..I DON'T CARE. I'm so glad I don't care any more what friends/extended family think when they see me bald, i.e., how ugly/horrible I look.... it's very freeing.  However, I wish I were brave enough to go out in public with my bald head, but I'm not there yet. Any ladies flaunt their bald heads in public ?...I am really tired of scarves and hats now.

Unknown

i did not go in public/work without a hat, wig or scarf - the first time i drove into town without anything (just to get gas) it felt wonderful - window down - breeze on my head - freedom

reading these posts - it's true - it is more about how you feel than what people will think

i think we should have a pink ribbon applique for our heads - Breast Cancer, people, deal with it

facing my daughter's wedding next week, i am still torn - mostly i am worried about the pictures - will i look bald? will i look like i'm wearing a hair helmet? the wig i have is great...but do i want to be stuck wearing it?my DH is like "you can't wear it in the beginning & then just whip it off" lol just watch me 

lago

Notbuyingit most people don't know what to say. Would you before you were diagnosed? I remember last year eating in a restaurant and a woman's hair was just starting to grow back. She had the salt & pepper look I had right when it started to grow back. I went up to her and said "I had that hair cut a few years ago. It does grow back." She was so happy I said that to her. Also given my hair is still very short I think it gave her hope that looking "normal" wasn't that far away.

Deblc

Notbuyingit.: Never got a wig...sometimes I really wished I did, other times I hear of people wearing their wigs once or twice and never again, because of the discomfort. I am also facing my godson's wedding at the end of August in another country. Still not sure if I will be up to travelling by then (finish rads in three more weeks but still have herceptin every three weeks)...but mostly don't have the energy to think about what to wear, especially on my head. It's hard enough dressing to go to the supermarket, much less a wedding. I don't think I am brave enough to go topless at a wedding (with my non-hair looking the way it is right now).  As you say, the pictures.

lago

I wore my wig twice (for my nieces Bat Mitzvah). 4 months PFC I was topless at my friends wedding. Granted I had been topless before that but I think it looked pretty good here. Seriously it's all in how you apply your make up and bling. BTW I am wearing expanders too. Recon was the following month. Delayed due to shingles.

December 2010

Deblc

Lago you look great in this pic and have so much hair!  If I had this much hair I would have no problem going out topless, but I am basically still bald now. I am Asian and I look just like the Dalai Lama lol.

lago

debic Dalai Lama isn't bad. I looked like Gollum bald. I had a terribly shaped head. (Yes I do have a lot of hair. Very thick. Always did). I'm leaning forward but I had a weird bump towards the back of my head. Also I do have hair growing back in this photo.

I wore scarfs. Long type. With the right bling you can make it work.
This is me 2 weeks after my 3rd chemo

Decemb er 2010

Scarf goes 1/2 way down my back.

Deblc

Lol Lago, you still have more hair in that first picture than I do now. Did you go topless at that point?  Really hoping in another few weeks I'll be able to go without scarves.

lago

No I went topless at 13 weeks. My hair always grows fast. Ironically this was a little slower because I was still doing Herceptin. Also I think my hair might have started to grow before I finished chemo. I didn't pay attention on chemo. I've seen ladies be almost nothing for a while but then it does come back. When did chemo end for you and what kind of chemo. Are you on an estrogen therapy (to blocking or sucking)?

Here's my hair transition link. I thought you had seen it. linky  
The 11th photo from the right (4.29.2011) is about when I started going topless. I went and had it colored the day after I went topless.

Deblc

I finished chemo on May 13th (ACx4 and taxol+herceptin for 12 weeks) I heard some people's hair started growing back on chemo too. I am still on herceptin so maybe that's why I'm not seeing much growth:( .   No estrogen therapy. What a great hair pictography.....your hair really grows fast!