MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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I shoulda known dept.:
So, although it wasn't likely that I would go chemo-bald with this 5-FU chemo, I had selective amnesia of all those accounts where women posted losing their armpit hair to rads. (I had 0/2 nodes, so no rads to my pit.) Weeelllllll, I've had rads blasting away for 3 1/2 weeks now, pointed straight at my nether regions and I AM LOSING PUBIC HAIR. It would be one thing if it came out in the shape of your basic bikini wax, or even a Brazillian, but I have a REVERSE BRAZILLIAN with central hair loss, but not the sides. It is the stupidest looking thing I have seen in quite a while. IS IT GOING TO BE PERMANENT? Talk to me armpit ladies!!!
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Lol!.....Eli you always give such a visual when you post! I didn't have rads...but I think I would go pubic bald.....although you could start a new trend!
I saw my BS and PS yesterday....all good! I don't have come back for the BS for 6 months (although I really like him!). ....and my PS is suggesting May for possible revisions or nipples. So we get to go back to our home in San Felipe for a while (((YEAH!))).
.....my holiday festivities packed on about 8 pounds!!! But my PS cleared me for exercise so my New Years resolution is to get as healthy as possible!...starting with exercise and cutting down on the pogie bait! What's Christmas without the chocolate peanut butter balls, fudge, and pies!
Congrats Sherry on the new Grandbaby! How exciting!
.....oh and you can add me to the list of volunteers to get rid of all that extra cash!0 -
Eli you make me laugh. I am out of rads two years and my armpit hair has not grown back. I agree with chachamom go pubic bald. DH might just get a kick out of it.
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Uh-oh, that is what I was afraid of. ALL of the above.
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Sherry - I hope you're already feeling better and that the diet takes care of your problem. Hope everything is normal on your CT scan Monday, too. In the meantime, no wine and cheese? Sheesh, I guess it's not worth the pain but ouch! That hurts, too! That's exciting news about the grandchild from your son who has been married a long time - my husband and I did that. We waited 9 years to get him through college so we could afford for me to stay home. Our families were thrilled when I finally got pregnant! Now my little bundle of joy is getting ready to move to Seattle too, to start working at Microsoft.
marlegal & NativeMainer - knowing you could do something if you wanted to makes it easier to not do it and knowing you can't do something if you wanted to makes you want it that much more! Psychology is an interesting thing.
Speaking of which, I downloaded my first Amazon book on my Nexus 7. I chose "The Wisdom of Psychopaths" because they are truly everywhere, they just express themselves differently. Some, of course, are serial killers. Some are leaders in business and über-successful. I already know how to recognize them, but it's interesting reading in the book the exact same words that come out of the mouths of the ones I know.
Eli - I'm 2 years out of rads and I don't have any hair under my arm, either. My mother is 10 years out and neither does she. Did anyone see that movie with Diane Keaton where she undresses in front of her daughter and the daughter lets out an insane scream when she sees her mother's full "bush"? So funny how styles change, even pubic hair. Apparently, bald-ish is good so with a little creativity you'll be très en vogue, Elimar!
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Heartnsoul, I'm impressed you found the font to do the correct uber and tres words (obviously I'm not searching right now!!)
Eli, 7 yrs out since rads, no hair growth under arm. When I was doing chemo, I lost pubic hair and absolutely loved it - had hoped maybe it would forget to grow back, but no
I'm a naturalist (interpret that to mean lazy) so I just go with it, but keep saying that one of these days I'll shave or prune or mow or something! My my, how this thread does go off in tangents sometimes - I love it!Getting ready for New Year's Eve. To me, that means a basically quiet night at home with favorite foods and drinks and very few people other than me and hub. Next door neighbors generally stop in, but that's about it. I had a spicy corn dip at someone's house yrs ago and I allow myself to make it once a year - high fat/calories, but man it's good
I eat it with whole grain tortilla chips so that makes it health food, right? And lobster tails ... hub makes them better than most restaurants I swear. Okay, now I'm drooling on my keyboard 0 -
Two years post rads and no regrowth under my arm, but there are places where I had chemo hair loss that haven't returned to before either - other arm pit, legs, eye brows, and nether region. At least the hair on my head all grew back nicely!
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lol, marlegal, I can't find it in BCO so I cheated and copied & pasted from the address bar in Safari. And yes, I would say the whole-grain tortilla chips definitely turns that yummy, decadent dish into a health food! Works for me!
Linda - thank goodness for the head hair! The hair on my arms and legs never really came back after chemo. Of course, I don't mind the legs being less hairy but I feel like my arms look weird. However, young women go to a lot of expense and trouble to rid themselves of all body hair, so I guess it looks okay...
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Hi ladies - I've been lurking and I'd like to join your group. I love your sense of humor in the midst of fighting and surviving BC. You're quite a lively group!
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Journey4life,
This thread is the BEST for lurking, having a laugh, or posting real issues! So many of the others are topical and cover one phase of the breast cancer experience, but Eli, in her wisdom, created a thread where all issues are on the table.
Eli, I cannot get your reverse mohawk on your nether region out of my mind! Not that I'm going to bat for the other team, but you create visuals that are not soon forgotten!
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Welcome Journey4life. This IS a great forum for sharing and laughing and encouragement.
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I didn't have chemo, just rads and Tamoxifen but am considerably less hairy than I was before the big C. My arms are less, hairy as are my legs, underarms and private parts. Still some hair, but I'm a dark haired sheep and used to have a lot more wool. My hair on my head is thinner, but not baad. My chin on the other hand? Unless I pluck vigorously, I'm gonna look way more like my schnauzers than any of us would like.
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Greetings, journey4life! In a thread of this length, you just have to jump right in. Looks like you have already been through the intense first year of B/C, so maybe your life is getting back on track. Hope so.
staynsane, The actual story of this thread is very mundane and doesn't involve any particular wisdom on my part. In a moment of clarity, I knew i could not pass myself off as "young" anymore (and I think their B/C issues are a little different than ours are.) Still, I wasn't quite ready for the "older" label. Made a new little thread for myself then (surprise!) found out a whole bunch of others felt exactly th same way. Add in a little story-telling and a dash of Clooney, and viola!, here we are over 700 pages later.
A new day, a new horror. Today I am wrestling with the possibility of having a UTI. Normally, I'd be able to diagnose myself in a quick second, but with rads to the pelvis, everything is beginning to get irritated down there*, so I can't be sure. I had one lab test which was negative, but have antibiotics sitting on the counter (that they gave me the day before Xmas, just in case. I have not used them yet) I felt like I had been improving, but today feel bad again. Am going to try and wait til Monday for another lab test so I don't take the antibiotics for no reason. Bummed out if I have to be irritated like this for several more weeks. Hurting.
(*) The comparison would be the soreness you felt in the breast by about the 5th week of rads. Remember how that area got quite inflamed? So maybe that is all this soreness is, but it burns also because that's what a bladder does when it' angry.
p.s. My picture at the top today is Rio at Christmas. As in Brazil. As in my reverse Brazillian hair pattern. Get it? Aha-ha-ha-ha!
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Elimar - I've been having problems with UTIs but not UTIs for a few months now. Very miserable & painful. Nothing I know to do but lots of water and cranberry juice. Of course mine is not caused by rads. I'm starting to suspect the Tamoxifen. I saw one or two things on Dr Google connecting the two.
Nice to meet you journey4life! Hope to see you around often!
Cindy, my chin has sprouted a new hair or two since this all began 2 1/2 years ago. I hate those pesky things so much that I think I'm going to have them professionally removed.0 -
Eli, love the page topper (the Rio .. ahem Brazilian ... shot)
Journey, welcome! not that we want recruits because of the reason, but I love meeting new folks. We all bring something different to the table.
Hard to tell sometimes whether certain things - like hairy eruptions in places we'd rather not have that - are a result of BC, or our treatment, or meds, or just the plain old aging process. Not sure it matters really, not like it's going to make me like my chain hair any more or less!
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FYI my hot flashes are all but GONE!!!!! WOOT WOOT! Screw Effexor. I felt like shit and was sweating like crazy... I am now on Gabepentin. I started a month ago on 300 mg (100x3/day) and that helped immediately. After my MO appointment on Thursday she upped it to 600 mg (200x3/day), and said I can go up to 900 mg if needed. I probably will and perhaps be hot flash free. since I upped it I am barely flashing at all. No real night sweats either. I finally go to cuddle up next my DH last night under the blanket! I HIGHLY recommend trying it if your flashing like I was.
She also didn't like the 25 lbs I put on since treatment ended two months ago. I've already gone back to calorie counting and I bought a treadmill to walk on while I watch TV. It is going into the TV room today. I'm determined again. I'm not cleared to exercise yet, but hopefully by next week ill be back in Pilates after seeing my PS on Monday.
Happy New Year to all off I don't get back on here before then.0 -
june be careful about weight gain with Gabapentin, Neurontin and that other one....you know..the third tenor! ehehhehehehe There are 3 drugs used for peripheral neuropathy that are used off-label for hot flashes. You can gain a pound a WEEK on them!!! I just can't remember the name of the third one right now....hmmmm.
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Shit Barb... Well that doesn't help the team, but I'd rather be heavier then flashing. My QOL was really affected.
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Hi everyone, it's been awhile since I posted. I'm excited to be finishing my chemo tomorrow, and hoping that the hot flashes and baldness will end soon after.
I'm looking into different shampoos like Nioxin and taking Biotin suipplements. Has anyone tried these for hair regrowth? Also, how long do the hot flashes last after chemo?
Any insight will be appreciated.
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butterfly-will you be taking tamoxifein? That will impact the answer re. hot flashes.
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juneaubbugg, I always recommend trying gabapentin before the other drugs because in a side by side by side comparison, gabapentin has a shorter list of drugs that it interacts with. To me that is always a warning sign when a drug has hundreds of other drugs that it should not be taken with...I always feel like it is only a matter of time until I would slip up. The gabapentin did not work for me and I think the trick is finding the right drug that works with your own brain chemistry, which basically amounts to guinea-pigging yourself to discover which works best for you.
Barbe, Since gabapentin is the generic of Neurontin, I will guess that the three you are thinking of are gabapentin (Neurontin,) venlafaxine (Effexor,) and amitriptyline (Elavil.) I put the common U.S. brand in parentheses and they are probably called something else in Canada, but you can always Google check it.
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Juneaubgg ~ I agree with you, heavier is better than hot flashes. I am not looking forward to that once again. Thought I was over and done with them two years ago.
Barbe ~ Neurontin and Gabarone are the trade names for gabapentin. Gabapentin (generic) is much cheaper than if your pharmacy fills the prescription as neurontin or gabarone. I used to take it for facial neuralgia after my sinus surgery.
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Cindyl - My MO wants me to do the oopherectomy after chemo becuause I also have lupus and a blood clotting disorder, and tamoxifen can cause blood clots. So he wants me to be in forced menopause to go on a different type of drug.
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Ah butterfly, I see hot flashes continuing for you then. It seems like any time they do the menopause thing..., or tamoxifein, or...
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Cindyl - That is what I was thinking. I need to come up with some kind of relief, I have not sleep all the way through the night in 2 months.
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Lyrica!!! Lyrica is the other one. I appreciate the input on Gabapentin/Neurontin, so that means there is yet ANOTHER one I'm missing....hmmmmm
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Butterfly - I've had maybe 3 really good nights sleep since all this started... If it's not hot flashes, it's leg cramps... But I think both are slowly getting better.
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Cindy1 - I've been using Hyland's homeopathic "Leg Cramps" & "Leg Cramps PM" they work great, takes about 15-20 minutes to take effect, but lasts for several hours - the PM ones actually help me sleep too.
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Cindyl - does the Al cause leg cramps too? I was hoping that most side effects would be gone with chemo. Right now I will just be satisfied when I get my hair back.
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Butterfly - My MO says my leg cramps have nothing to do with Tamoxifein, but other posters here say differently. I don't mean to be discouraging, I've been on T for 6 months now, and the se's have diminished, but some days are still rough. Hope your hair comes back fast!
Linda - I'll look for some of that stuff...
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