Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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Thanks Elaine!
CristlC-Believe me I know how you feel. But I have to tell you and not to preach here cause it did take me a long time to go without my wig to work, but once you do it honestly you are going to feel so much better! It's like the wigwearers coming out of the closet! ;-)
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Dawn, it's going to start growing fast. You won't think so at the time, but before you know it, you're going to have dark hairs sprouting everywhere. Are you taking any supplements, such as Biotin? I started taking it and think it helped. It definitely helped strengthen my nails.
CristlC, I'm sure your hair looks great. Post a pic so we can encourage you. It's definitely way to hot to be wearing a wig right now in Houston! I'm in Dallas and it's brutally hot right now.
Susan, isn't it crazy how that happens? When I finally ditched my wigs and hats, I felt totally liberated.
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Thanks for the response. No I'm not taking anything, is Biotin OK to take while you are on chemo? Where do I buy it, is it just like a vitamin? My nails have been growing like crazy all through chemo I would trade my nails for my hair if I could UGH! HUGS, Dawn
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Dawn, I would ask your oncologist. I didn't start taking it until I finished chemo.
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Hi Ladies,
Goldie, Lainey, Cristl - thank you all for your compliments and encouragement!!! Yes, Goldie, that is me in my avatar - with a darker shade wig - my new hair is colored a lighter blonde and my other wig matches my dyed hair - sort of ash blonde.
I think all you gals are gonna be 'pissed' at me!!!! I chickened out on getting the hairstyle done. Don't know why, I got cold feet - and called and cancelled - I have become so fickle - one minute I'm convinced I need to get it done, the next minute I say no. I think it's that I don't want to get what has grown back cut away - it's kind of like a treasure!!! LOL It's silly I know - but one of these days I will just do it!!!!! I have to convince myself a little more I guess. Will keep you posted.
Glad to hear everyone's moving right along.
Happy 4th everyone!!!!!
Maggie
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Lainey,
Thanks, I'll finish 7/20 so that's only a few weeks and I see her the day after, so I'll check then. My 14yr old son suggested that I try Miracle Gro as it's working for my flowers, but I've not gone there yet. Thank goodness for humor relief, my son has a great sense of humor and has made me laugh many times when I really needed it. Happy 4th! HUGS, Dawn
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Dawn-Biotin is part of the B vitamin group, which is good for cellular growth, so taking it after chemo is a good idea anyway.
Maggie---I was going to go to a salon about 4 weeks ago and I chickened out also, so I just trimmed my hair myself. I think I'll try in about a month and get some funky highlights and give it some flare!
Isn't it funny how after everything else we have gone thru... chemo, surgery! radiation... our hair is for some reason the one thing that seems to be the most sensitive to deal with!?!? I have no problem waltzing around with my temporary fake boobies (aka tissue expanders), but when it came to taking my wig off in public I was a basket case! Go figure........
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I think that since the hair thing is the most visible sign that we have had chemo it's the hardest to deal with. At least that's the case for me. After my bilat mx surgery I didn't have a label on me. The tissue expanders gave me boobs so I looked normal. As soon as the hair went I looked in the mirror and saw a cancer patient. At least it does grow back - I have so longed for the day when I would see the peach fuzz as that would be a sign that I was on my way back.
Lainey - Do you know when you'll have your exchange surgery? Mine is tentatively 8/10 assuming chemo stays on time and my blood is OK.
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Peach fuzz on the face: I could not take it any longer. It was making me crazy, so I waxed it off last week. Don't know yet if that was a good idea or not.
Lisa
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Cindy, I'm sad to hear your hair is still being so stubborn to come back in. I agree, I know it's hard, but try to let the acupuncture do it's thing. I bet you'll see happier results in a few weeks.
Sue, mega-congrats on the FOD & FOW! I couldn't be any happier for or prouder of you!
Maggie, maybe if you do make it to the salon (maybe next week?), they'll be able to give you a trim that will help camouflage the thinning you have on top. But I completely hear you on not wanting ANYTHING cut. i think you look supercute as is!
I have about another half inch than in my avatar picture. And it's so soft and silky and NOY GREY and not really mousey brown, either. Who woulda thought? (I've been highlighting my hair since I was 25, so I had no clue what my true color was.) I'm nearly to the baseball hat stage. and i've been whipping The Wig off and showing more friends/fam what the real me looks like.
Very bummed about my still-receding brows and still-disappearing lashes. I'm 6 weeks out, dammit. So unfair.
Very NOT bummed about my implant exchange surgery next weds - whoo hoo! Goodbye 'rocky' and 'ahnold', hello 'Raquel' and 'Sophia'!!!
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Ok girls, as promised, here are my pictures. The first is me, just a little over a year ago. Right before starting down the road to hell, and a couple months shy of turning 50. Spent that milestone having chemo! The second set of pictures were taken today. My hair just letting it air dry, and then how I "try" to style it. This is 9 months worth of growth, and I did not take any of the vitamins you girls talk about or use any special shampoo. For those that want to look, here is a link to a photo of all my hair pictures, during the differnt stages. http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii319/goldie0827/Allofme4-1.jpg
Maggie, I am so sorry you chickened out. No one is mad, you will do it when you are ready. I certainly understand. I too want to hold on to everything I have. But you see, I am going to Hawaii in Oct. to get married, so that is why I am having the makeover. To make me feel better about ME. I am hoping they can do something without taking too much off. I want my long hair back, and I know it is going to take 2-3 years. We were suppose to get married last Oct, but I was busy traveling else where........"the road to hell"
Lainey, I must say......You are one of the cutest bald girls I have seen. Some of us can pull it off, and some of us can't. I was one that couldn't!
Fuzzy hugs to everyone
Lori
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Okay I feel silly posting after Lori but here is the lack of growth after 6 weeks and 3 days PFC. Did anyone else have blonde hair/white grow in ?? Did you color it ???
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Jamie, why would feel silly posting after me? My hair came in Gray/White, or colorless if you will. I did color it with a non permanent color when it was short. But now, I don't "have" to color it. That is my natural hair above. I think when I go for my make over, I will get highlights. I don't want to deal with roots, and I have never ever colored my hair.
Lori
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Dawn, my peach fuzz has slowly been turning into "real" hair, along with the growth I've gotten from the bald spots. I have the worlds shortest bangs now.
Saw my med onc today as my followup after completing rads and I had come in wearing my wig, because I was at work this morning, and the first thing he says is, "why are you wearing that? didn't your hair grow back?" I haven't seen him since late April, so I guess he thought I'd have a full head or something. I pulled off my wig and he looked surprised there wasn't more hair. I had to remind him about the three weeks of folliculitis, but it still was a little disappointing hearing and seeing the look of surprise on his face. I think it's coming in pretty well, but maybe it should have started growing more? who knows?
I am going to get some Mane & Tail this weekend when I'm out, to give that shot in addition to the Nixoin regime.
Have a hairy weekend, and happy 4th, ladies!!
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Jamieh, my hair started coming in that way too, and I've been helping my former natural dark brown hair (with the new growth, it seems to be coming in brown finally) and the gray stuff stay darker with the Prisms and one use of the Naturatint. I think most of us have gray initially and then it starts to get it's color back (or it had better!!).
Lori, your hair is gorgeous - those curls are so pretty!!
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Hello...just completed my chemo protocol. goin on 4 weeks off of Taxotere and cytoxan. All fuzz and some dark patches appearing. Like everyone here..this is goin to be a slow and frustrating process. I had amber (colored) and no gray .. and looks like some of it is already!! As Artsee,I have ordered wigs from TLC and have been great!
Deen..Good thoughts for your surgery tomm and try not to think on the bald part (though i would be the same!!), as i do believe there is a strength seen in us and others will only see you as that..strong and beautiful.
Brows are thin and lashes as sparse as well.. do use the eyeliner to fill in the bare spots and NO mascara since chemo started 12 weeks ago.
Treamtents are over, but have so much to restore in and yet to feel a real relief in any of this yet.My thoughts are with all of you goin thru the same thing. So what if we are vain, we need our hair!!!! Not that the wigs do not work, i am just trired of the itchiness and having to adjust it all the time!!! My outfits are not complete when i go out and feel my face still looks very ill from the treatments.My avatar shows a wig from TLC.
Be well and happy 4rth..
Donna
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Jamie, my hair came in grayish/white also. I did color it around 10 weeks post chemo. It's growing out now and I'm probably going to color it again this weekend.
I am going to my hairdresser today in about an hour to get a trim. Suddenly within the past couple of days I've had lots of curling going on in the back and the top of my head is suddenly reallly thick. It's weird. It's like it just grew overnight.
Lori - thank you so much for the compliment. You've been kind of a role model/inspiration for me through all of this. Thank you for sticking around the boards and helping us "newbies" get through this junk! I remember you from back in December when you posted on my December chemo thread and gave the tip about the nuelasta shot in the tummy. You really helped me alot! I love your hair too. You look like a bright sunflower!
Maggie, no one will be mad at you. You do what feels right to you! I'm going for a trim this afternoon but only because I know she can trim it to make it look more shaped. Your stylist doesn't have to cut much off to make it look like a "hairstyle" and not hair that is growing out. *hugs*
Dawn, don't worry. You'll get there very soon. At the beginning of this journey I thought it was going to take forever but I found once I stopped worrying about it so much, it just kind of happened.
Donna, congratulations on finishing chemo! I think when I finished chemo in March that was the hardest period for me. It was like "Ok I'm done with chemo, time to get everything back to normal again". My brows and lashes completely fell out about 2 wks after chemo ended and that was the roughest part I think. I was not very artistic when it came to drawing the brows on. I looked like harpo marx on a few days! It does get better though and luckily those suckers grow back fast!
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Jamie, same. Had the colorless "transluscent" hair at first.
Lori, YOU GO GIRL!!!!! Look at those curls! I am right behind you with a mop of curls (I never had curls in my life).
Everyone, who has known me forever, keeps asking me, "Did you have curly hair before?" Which just floores me!!! They know I didn't have curly hair!! But I just smile and say, nope! This is new!
I will soon be 8 months PFC!!!! Girls, just you wait and see. You get your hair back AND you get your life back!!
Spring.
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Susan13, Lisa810, Goldie0827, Lainey - thank you all for your very kind words!!
I know, Susan, isn't it weird how we are about our hair after all we've been through? But it is our identity - and we want to get back to looking as normal as we used to. Hurry up hair!!!!!!!!!
Lori, your hair looks GREAT!!!!!!! The curls are beautiful!!!!!
Have a great night, girls
Maggie
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Thanks for all the encouragement! I really appreciate it. You ladies all look great and I know I'll get there eventually, I just need to be patient and that's not something I'm very good at. Happy 4th! HUGS, Dawn
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Jaimieh, I think almost everyone has it come in white and colorless at first. It is like it takes a bit longer for the pigment making to kick in. At least it looks like it is coming in fairly thick and even which is a good sign. Once the color comes back, it will cover better. At 4 months, my hair is back to the same mix of silver and brown that I had pre-chemo - I've compared it to the hair I saved from when I had it cut short before treatment started.
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Okay so I need to have patience...... not my strong point. I have blonde hair naturally so it should be interesting to see the color if I can wait that long. I am hoping that it isn't gray yet (I am 32) but hell at this point I'll take hair
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Maggie-I wish my hair was as long as yours! You have a beautiful, happy face. Go topless!
Susan13-You actually have hair long enough to style! I am jealous!
July 13 will be 4 months for me. My head is covered with black (and grey now dyed red) hair, but it is so straight and plastered flat down. It drives me crazy!
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Lainey...hopin that i do not have to worry on the brows coming off.. but it could still happen. I am not artisitc either..lololol!!! Harpo Marx..what a vision!!
As of July 10, it will be a month since my last treatment.. and i am already expectin hair!! Have patches of dark and i had Auburn. See some whitish hair and if it is gray coming, I will not be happy..lol.
Lori and Maggie...Your hair is gorgous!!! Something tells me, it was has to all happen overnight..like all of a sudden, you have hair.!!Looking at it everyday at such a early stage is really frustrating!!!
Love the thread here as we need a place to vent on us waiting for the hair to come!!! those with hair.. we need to see that this will all happen and know that this is goin to be ok!!!!
Donna
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Donna, it IS frustrating - it's so hard not to keep checking in the mirror every time you pass to see if anything more has happened!
Jamieh - my clear hairs have begun getting pigment, and I can see that most in my brows. They thinned waaaaaaay out and I looked like I had none, they lost all their pigmentation - maybe the chemo kills the color too? Anyway, they are filling in nicely, and I just noticed last night that I can see them without the color powder or pencil. Lashes are very small, but coming back, and I could put a little mascara on them to help them along - really makes your eyes look "normal". I will post another photo this weekend of where mine is - it's not popping in overnight, but you can definitely see that it is growing, just taking it's sweet time is all.
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I saw my hairstylist yesterday and she very gently trimmed the tips of my hair to remove the baby hairs. It actually makes my hair feel thicker. She cut the back even shorter than it was but she did that because the top isn't long enough yet so it's all balanced. I looked like I had a helmet on my head and now it's shaped. No more "wolfie look" for me. As for all the peach fuzz on my face and neck, she recommended getting it threaded. There is a place in the mall that does this and I might look into it.
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My hair came in dark. That's how I knew it was growing, that "5 o'clock shadow" effect.
Lori, you give new meaning to the phrase "chemo curls"! I can understand how traumatic it must've been to lose such long and lovely hair. It'll be long and lovely again, I promise. Congrats on your upcoming Hawaiian nuptials! Oh, and I absolutely think you pulled off "The Bald" - thank you for posting your pics, I'm about where you were in Nov-Dec, so you've given me a burst of happy hair hope!
kjbell, you give me hope for STRAIGHT hair. Mine was wavy (not cute wavy, either) & I've always had to work hard at keeping it straight. the only thing good about this Summer of Wig is that i finally don't have to worry about the humidity.
Lainey, I meant to say yesterday how purdy you look! You're nearly at the Jamie Lee Curtis /Edie Falco/60's Mia Farrow stage, which I am so jonesin' for! Please post pics of your styled new ‘do!
Extra strength hair vibes for all!
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susan- way to go gal.
waiting for some of my hair to come back too.... and u keep me hopeful
Uma
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chelev, I think a big enough shock to the body can kill the hair pigment making for a while even when it doesn't stop the hair growth. When I was in college, we had a black kitten which broke its leg and must of been in considerable pain until we found it and took it to the vet. At first, we thought it was losing all its hair but it turned out it was growing in white. After a while the white hair grew in so the kitten was all white and then we noticed the hair underneath started having color again and it went back to black.
So I figure that the hair starts growing sooner after chemo than the pigment making.
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It is kind of weird about the lack of pigment in hair. It never happened to me, mine started growing in stick straight and black from the beginning, but a friend who had chemo (for another kind of cancer) had the white, standing straight up hair mixed in with her "normal" blond hair.
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