Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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thanks Italy, think Ill do that too. Also great idea about buzzing the stragglers.
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I know people have said but what color are you using? I am naturally kind of silvery dark and I was dark blonde.
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Rebecca54 - haha, that's me inspecting my stubble all the time. I'm 5 weeks out after last TC, and only the grey stragglers are apparent!
Italychick - I've been thinking of shaving the long stragglers. You did that. Was it because it looked weird growing in, or was it because those grey ones are so course? Looking back, did it matter? I guess I'm not shaving that 1/4 inch because I'm hoping it with look longer when it starts growing in. Lol. Wishful thinking, I'm sure.
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when I buzzed the long stragglers and dyed it, I ended up looking like Demi Moore on GI Jane, it was kind of cool. I never shaved, was worried about infected hair follicles. I only buzzed the long hairs with my husbands clippers with a guard on because I hated the way the long wispiness felt in the wind. Plus I knew I wasn't going to leave those hairs long when the shorter hair grew back in. The two pictures below are about a month apart, after trimming and dying. The first picture is about a week or two after last chemo. I felt like the long hairs made me look like an old man. The third picture is about three weeks ago, so four months after last chemo infusion. I think it is growing a bit slow because of Herceptin.
Allison, maybe try a dark blonde color even though you have some darker hair?
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and here is from today. I spiked it up because I was Red from Orange is the New Black for Halloween.
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Italy, those pictures are awesome! I dream of having hair long enough to part.
About 7 weeks PFC and have 1/4-1/2 inch (patchy, like an unmowed lawn that critters have been eating, only gray instead of green/brown). Not ready to dye yet; I want some kind of more uniform coverage and no scalp showing.
Have tiny short brown eyelashes, but they're brown, not gray! Also a couple of long stragglers there, which is just plain weird. And every single eyebrow hair is growing in, giving me brows like this:
Clearly, the tweezers are coming out of the drawer!
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rainnyc all I do is pluck, pluck, pluck. Face hairs, chin hairs, eyebrows. It's like a full time job
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This is 10 weeks post TC, very frustrating!!
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Rebecca54 once it starts coming in, it grows fast. And I see hair there!
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Rebecca, Ha Ha, I climb up on the bathroom counter and get the mirror that magnifies to see what is going on on the back of my head! It sure is growing slow! Where did you get the beanies? Cute!
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Italychick- it looks great! I hope my hair is that "long" at 4 months. It's weird how the GRAY ones survived the chemo! I might cut them a little shorter so the rest can catch up.
Rebecca - I see hair there, too!
Rainnyc - haha. Your description sounds like my lack of hair!
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mine grew in the back first, then the sides, finally the top. Looked like a weird mullet for months 3 and 4. At 5 mo PFC I got it cut to even it out so the long stuff was shortened to match the short stuff. This too shall pass!
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Rebecca, Here is my ten week picture. About the same as you, except I have dark hair. I'm about two years out from chemo and I have a full head of hair. I can now do a full pony tail without clipping up the sides. Hang in there!!
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Slow thank you! A pony tail...ahhhhhh! I have kept all my clips but do laugh when I pull, yet another one, from a purse.
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Italychick- love your hair! Did you get it shaped? I started coloring with Sallys No Ammonia Color Performance at about 5 months post chemo. I had it shaped at 6 months Post chemo. The color and cut got rid of wisps and it did feel better! I am getting 3 more Herceptin. I believe it slows it down. I am 7 months out now and got to add a few highlights. It's a curly head of hair but thick. I plaster it down with product. It just takes time! Here is a great link to watch for after chemo hair growth.
http://m.newhealthguide.org/Hair-Regrowth-After-Chemo.html
I have watched this a number of times!! Lol
Patty
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Rebecca: I definitely see some sprouts up there.
Theresa: I am afraid to color my hair because I was reading color reviews and people who had dark brown with gray said their hair turned orange. May need to go to a pro. I have never colored my own hair in my whole life before.
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I decided to embrace the gray and just added some dark lowlights. I was all gray prior to chemo, but colored it monthly. This is one year pfc. I had 4 trims during the year.
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debiann: Your hair is beautiful! It must be a freeing experience to embrace the grey and the new you. Good for you
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Can I ask the veterans on the list a question about nails?
My nails did okay during chemo, though I lost a couple of toenails. My fingernails looked the same as always through treatment; I keep them short and don't use polish for the most part. I've noticed, though, that they are chipping and breaking a lot, so they're getting very, very short. So I figure they're just not growing. When do they start growing again? And how long does it take before they're basically back to normal (whatever "normal" is). Thank you!
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debiann, So pretty! I hope mine is that long at one year!
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Rainnyc, one year later and my nails are still weird. I didn't lose any and they are growing, but they peel easily. I need to keep rhem short. Manicures and polish are helping, but they are not as strong as my pre-chemo nails. I'm also on arimidex, so I never know which treatment to blame side effects on.
I didn't lose any toenails, but ended up with two ingrown nails. Podiatrist said chemo makes the nails curve. Weird.
Thanks for the positive comments on my hair. It was freeing to just accept the gray. My hair feels much healthier without the frequent coloring.
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7 year veteran here - I don't post about hair anymore because I am one of the taxotere "stories" - most hair didn't grow back and I am always wearing a wig, hat or scarf but the nail thing I can speak to - yes, chemo and AIs do some damage but keeping your nails short and polished is the way to go - now I wouldn't use any of the shellac polishes or anything that dries fast as they dry out your nailbeds - the thing to do is to use cuticle oil (or coconut or almond oil) and rub it into your cuticles and nailbeds before you polish I'd wait overnight before polishing again. Oh yes, use a base coat. I don't go to a professional for mani pedi any longer as I am afraid of infection just don't want to risk it (I am stage iv). I don't think it's so much a se but a reaction to losing all our estrogen - I also use lots and lots of handcream (usually something made for gardeners - they smell nice and are really rich) - hope this helps.
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PMR53 I got one trim along the neckline, probably due again. The guy thinned the back of my hair (eek, I hated losing any hair at all after waiting for it to grow) but he said if I didn't my hair would start looking goofy because the back was growing in thicker at first than the front.
Allison, just stay away from anything with red in it, and you shouldn't go orange. Like maybe try a dark ash blonde? I initially did an ash color, then this last time I went to dark auburn since I had already colored my hair dark, and I didn't end up with any orange. Next time though I am off to the professional salon because now that it is longer I don't want to mess it up.
I asked hubby about the ammonia thing, and he said we produce a ton of it when we exercise and not to worry, so initially I just got whatever, but my real hair salon uses organic hair dye. All I know is that once I dyed the clear/silver hair, it looked like I had a ton more hair.
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rainny - regarding nails - I'll be 2 years past major chemo in December but only 1 year past Herceptin. I started taking Biotin even before I finished chemo - 5000 mcg once a day. I did ice during Taxotere. I never lost any nails, but big toe nails did detach and still have not attached again. I'm battling a continuing fungus under those two nails, that look warped & mis-shapen & feel more like horses hooves. It's my understanding it may take a year for fungus to be killed as they grow out. I use clear RX cover every day & antibiotic drops twice a day. I always had hard fingernails. They got soft & brittle, but are now finally hard enough not to split, peal back or break - basically a year past the end of Herceptin. The only lasting effect seems to be pronounced ridges. I don't put any nail products on them - just massage hand cream in the cuticles.
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debiann - your hair looks beautiful! and I am glad you said about the toenails curving/wavy from chemo.. my big toenails and so curved and almost like ingrown.. and they are so hard to cut..I wondered why they were like that since they never use to be like this... awe.. now I know its from that darn chemo!!
I also take biotin 5000 mcg - I get my hair cut every 4 weeks - I wear it short ..and my fingernails are lovely..
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Rebecca54 + Sloan15 + rainnyc: Me too! I look at mine every day (boring!). I am 8 weeks post chemo and have a little white fuzz with a bit of darker fuzz mixed in. It's not hair yet! Also my eyebrows and eyelashes fell out after chemo. Maybe I'll be lucky and end up with straight hair - it was thick and very curly before. Funny how all of ours comes back differently.
Italychick: You look beautful! Your hair looks great.
Photo of my newest wig. I wore it for every World Series game to help our Royals and they won!
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QueenCeleste -- Great picture--congrts to the Royals! I, too, am hoping for straight hair as I had curly hair before. No, I think I'll change that: I am hoping for hair and will be thankful for whatever I get!!!!! Before chemo had my hair cut to a 1-2' pixie, and I loved it. Some women shaved their heads early, but I didn't lose my hair until Day 30! So, I'm glad I had a pixie. I got used to the ease of a short stylish cut, so come on hair!!!!
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Thanks for all the nail info!
Queen Celeste, that is the most wonderful wig! Congratulations to the Royals. I was rooting for the Mets, but I have to say they brought this on themselves!
C'mon hair! Grow grow grow!
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CONGRATS to our Royals!!!! They deserve the Crown and Salvy deserved the Camaro, but it should have been "royal blue". The parade should be fun. If I worked downtown I would be there, but I will watch it on TV after work.
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My podiatrist said it can take around eight or nine months for toenails to grow out. The strange-looking places on my big toenails seem to be getting closer to the front edge, so I have hope they may eventually look normal. They are also difficult to cut unless I do it just out of the shower when they are softer.
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