Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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looking good Kate!
While I know my hair is starting to grow, I just took a couple pics and it doesn't look as impressive once I look at the pictures. Lol Going to take a couple pics each week to see progress.
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just for giggles this is my starting point 5 days pfc ( your turn mvspaulding
)
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Kate- it looks great!! You are at 12 week mark, that felt momentous for me and it is!!
Dee- I colored my hair at 16 weeks and thereafter. I had It shaped and got wispy ends cut. It made a huge difference for my outlook too.
Pretty much one year ago right now was after second chemo and it had all fallen out.... One year later and I have thick short hair!! I am keeping it short. Now I am recovering from what I hope is final chapter for now. Just had exchange. What's weird is armpit hair never grew back as much. Leg hair did!!
Keep on GROWING HAIR! Yea!!!!!
Xoxo Patty
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Ok Puremalarkey, 9 days for me.
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Puremalarkey and mvspaulding, you both have more hair than I did at that point.
LilNutmeg, love your graphic!
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I see your growth mvspaulding ! We did all the yucky stuff now we want hair ... like yesterday lol !
Three years ago at New year's I decided to quit coloring my hair after 25 yrs plus of it. I had quit smoking and the dingy gray roots were now a pretty shade of white. The first couple months were horrid with the root line so I got a beautician friend to put highlights in my hair to help with the transition. I didn't want a short haircut because of an ugly scar on the back of my neck from an laminectomy. Got it all grown out and had some cool streaks going on just in time for my Sept 2015 dx of bc. So if prior growth is indication I can hope to have shoulder length hair in 2.5 years!
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I love all the hair pics! Even when it's not a lot of hair... Less cancery day by day for sure!!!
Lil nutmeg... Hilarious!
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So, I did go to the Organic salon today and got some glaze (sort of like mouse), and it works! Wet my hair, put on a tiny bit of glaze and blew it dry. Yea! No more cowlick. I also bought some control Spritz. Bith are by Organic Colour Systems. I looked at some colors and will decide about coloring my hair in a month or two. I will post a picture of my hair in a day or two.....I am 7 months podt final treatment. I am going to stop wearing my wigs.
Puremalarky, this salon is in Silver Springs, east of Ocala. A very nice salon with great products.
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hair ladies thanks for the compliments on my thick hair regrowth. It's great to see all the hair pics and hear the regrowth stories. Helps with knowing what to expect.
Kate yes to less cancery hair! Myspaudling I take weekly hair pics. It's sort of my timeline to see how I've changed. It's amazing to watch how our hair sprouts almost over nite. The big difference was at 4weeks when I could see a hairline and at 6weeks when my top started filling in. My rad team really noticed my hair growth in 6weeks as I was just staring regrowth at 4 weeks when began rads. Now I finish my rads this week and have a baby pixie.
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Congratulations to all who are just emerging from PFC to see the beginnings of hair! There will be more, I promise you.
5 1/2 months PFC, maybe I'll post some more pics when I hit the 6th month mark. It's still much longer and fuller on top than in back, which I think is because in the back it has to grow down to make any kind of difference. On top it can just lounge around looking like it hopped over from Albert Einstein's head (but his is longer and somewhat grayer).
Still sticking with the wig for now, but maybe sometime I'll go over to the folks who cut my hair (back when I had hair) and get some tips for care of short hair in anticipation of not wearing the wig at some point in the future. Honestly, though, it's going to be a while before I put the wig aside.
As for nails, it's getting a little frustrating. My toenails are a disaster and seem very breakable. I have to believe that what is growing out now was affected by the chemo. Fingernails were breaking a lot, then seemed to get stronger. Now they're breaking again. I think I might try biotin, even though my MO's office says it does nothing. But the people in my MO's office have fingernails that aren't affected by chemo. They do say it can't hurt. So there!
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My finger nails are finally normal, the last of the chemo nails finally peeked off at the ends and I trimmed the rest off. So they are short but normal. The chemo nails were super dry, flaky,not attached and slightly yellow. The only toenails that are still ucky are my big toe nails and after researching i found out it can take up to a year for them to grow out. For me it is fine because I rarely wear sandals and when I do they are Keens.
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My toenails are a cancery sight too! We are headed to Florida for vacation tomorrow, and am hoping that cute hot pink polish will camouflage much of the disaster. Middle toe on the right fell off and is 2/3 of the way grown back. I might be wearing ballet flats more than sandals.
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Peachy, have a great trip! Florida sounds wonderful.
Yup, at this rate it's starting to look like it's going to be a ballet flat or espadrille summer. No way is this stuff going to be grown out by then.
But the question is, will it be a wig summer? Or a short haircut summer? And will I figure out how to use the flatiron? The answer may well lie within the solution to the third question.
--signed, she who loves her long hair and is just very closed-minded about a short cut
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cancery nails... I think the biotin helps with that, too. Mine aren't too bad (I iced my hands and feet for taxotere), but they're splitting as the tree rings (I know of no other way to describe the six horizontal ridges, one for each infusion) grow out. Keeping them super short helps; I also use a formaldehyde free nail strengthener.
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Tree rings... my co-worker described her reaction that way too. I just have a variety of bruised looking spots, splitting, and the "quick" of my fingernails and toenails being established at new levels. Some are way back, and on some fingers the quick isn't letting go and growing the length of my nail. So bizarre! Revlon Gel Envy polish and top coat is my new BFF.
Rainnyc, once again you speak for both of us: --signed, she who loves her long hair and is just very closed-minded about a short cut
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well, I am sticking with my March 1 hatless date...even though I can't see any difference this week compared to last in terms of hair growth...other than on the side of my face: I have fuzz and need a shave!! Can't tell you how annoying that is....still, I am grateful to look in the mirror and see someone who has really short hair, but definitely looks less cancer-y...
my nail ridges are vertical, not horizontal, but pale, so I think I will be able to cover them with some type of light nail polish when it gets warm enough for sandals. or take to flats of some type as you all suggest.
Rain, consulting a salon person might help you get more used to the idea of shorter hair....I am thinking it is time for me to go back to the woman who cut my hair, even though it was already short...maybe a trim will make it look more like something I did on purpose...
This just takes so long!
Hugs to all;
Octogirl
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Hi all - sorry for any repetition here but I'm having a hard time searching for / finding the answer...
Does anyone have a recommendation for a gentle shampoo to use before hair loss and after the first T/C + Herceptin treatment?
Thanks!
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You gals are looking great with that hair...even the smallest amount is headed in the right direction!!
Yep, I too have the Taxotere tree rings on nails. Am 2 tree rings away from having near normal nails. Hair is almost pixie-ish. The sides and back are lying down but top is growing upwards and stands up. (Am 4 months out from last chemo.) Hair came in whitish/gray but now really looks almost black and some gray. Strange color as I was always a highlighted mousy light brown after having children. I did go to reg hairdresser last week for a "trim". She sort of shaped things up and shaved my neck as it was really crazy. Made me feel better! Hugs to all.
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Hey CCLYYZ , I've been using Aveeno baby shampoo and wash on my hair and face. It's nice and gentle and smells good. I'm still on the same bottle since early in December
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It has been interesting to follow everyone's hair growth journey. Prior to having cancer, I have grown my hair out from a pixie cut to shoulder length twice in my adult life. Trust me, you will have better results and be happier if you get your hair shaped by your hairdresser periodically! I am 6 months PFC and have had two haircuts already. It has been important to me that my look "intentional".
I put the wig away at about 10 weeks PFC and spoke at a conference a few days later. My motto is: "Own it"!
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KCinMN...thank you for the awesome laugh..."I'm thinking of a new color, something like, 'sewer rat' perhaps?" I belly-laughed. I start TCHP on 3/3/16 so I'll be starting this journey. I cannot thank you and the other members of this forum enough for posting and being so honest.
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cancery nails made me smile. Mine look ok. I kept having then done with a regular mani/pedi all thru chemo with my mo's blessing. The only time they looked questionable was 2weeks ago when I skipped the salon for a week. They they all went to splitsville with major cracking and peeling.
For those starting chemo and are facing hair loss I used baby shampoo and Aussie 3 minute miracle on my hair then stubbly to bald head. And I slept on a satin pillowcase. So nice and smoothing plus cool during hot flashes.
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Theycallme...., your hair looks just like mine. i am happy it is growing, but seems to be thinner and is baby fine. Are you going to color?
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So I am at 14 weeks and it seems to be growing very slow. Or I am a very impatient person. Everyone is so different on how fast there hair grows.
Shopgal2 you have a lot of hair for 10 weeks. Mine is not nearly as thick as yours.
Puremalarkey and mvspaulding it is a start.
Theycallme nice hair style and looks great for 6 months.
Octogirl and KateB good luck on giving up the scarves and wigs. I might be there in another month.
Everyone's pictures are great and are so positive to see.
Connie
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I'm one week PFC and shaved it the night before the final treatment. I may have to do it yet again because it STILL is leaving a large bald area at the front of my head (think of a line drawn from the fronts of my ears over the top of my head) and also bald at the cowlicks. Did anyone else have this, and does it stop?? I'm hoping it will start coming I'm normally once the final chemo works its way out, but it kills me to shave the hair that IS coming in.
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I had insane cowlicks and they are mostly gone 9 months PFC
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CarolinaAmy, yup. What you describe is totally normal. Give it about twelve weeks; at 12 weeks PFC, I became more comfortable going hatless.
At 13 weeks PFC, I have no bald spots to speak of.
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CarolinaAmy - I have the same thing going on -- bald on top/front. I'm almost 7 weeks PFC and I've buzzed my hair twice since chemo ended. I also hate losing length, but I do think it looks better.
I was on vacation last week and went without a hat most of the time -- it was too hot to be covered up. I got several thumbs up from bald dudes. We had an outdoor reception one night and it was super windy. I was actually glad to have no hair that day.
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CarolinaAmy - That is completely normal and it's also completely normal to wonder if it's completely normal LOL. It does fill in!!
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Carolina Amy and Vicki, why are you shaving your head after treatment? I want to keep every bit that is starting to grow. Besides the fact that I have big red bumps all over my head which has happened with each treatement (folliculitis is the technical term)
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