Hair Hair Hair - Another question

Bela - don't worry!  It will come back, and once it starts you'll be surprised how fast it fills in.  A trick I learned from Carrol2 was to stop staring in the mirror at it everyday because you will never notice the difference.  Take a picture once a week - it really works!

I lost every possible bit of hair EVERYWHERE.  Honestly the worst was the brows and lashes and they're not really back fully if they will ever be. Armpit hair seems to have pretty much given up - but I'm back to having to remember to shave my legs, wax my upper lip, and keep track of that bikini area. UGH!

Marj my eyebrows actually looked better on chemo then they do now. They did fill in nicely at one point but then thinned again. In my case it might be the estrogen sucking drug. I too am dealing with the hair everywhere else although the arm pits only have 2-5 hairs each now. I wish my upper lip behaved like my arm pits.

marjie, my arm pit hair is minimal too.



Bela, I totally understand your impatience. It does take a long time for the hair to lengthen. Not much you can do except maybe take biotin and pray. Also, definitely take regular photos.

I never did that much with my hair before and it was very long! I can not wait to have it back at a length that I have to do it. Now it is doing this very weird stick up all over thing. If I have to bother with it I want to atleast like it!

Hey everyone! Just going to jump in here so I can get off to bed.

Here's a pic I took this evening... this is 5 months and 1 week PFC. Kinda hard to believe in a way.

(I don't usually wear my glasses; my eyes have been dry - but improving - lately.)

And for those of you complaining about curly hair, check this out LOL

 

Wow you look super cute. You have so much hair. Mine isn't half that long and it's straight at 5 months PFC.

Kat Looks great. so much hair wow

KAT--My hair came in super curly, just like yours, except I had to dye mine to get your color.  My friends and family were shocked at how different my new hair was from my straight pre-chemo hair.  I'm almost 14 mos. PFC now and it's finally starting to straighten out.  The longest hairs are 5 inches after 3 trims, but the curl is still there on the ends.  I'm struggling through the inbetween stage--keeping the back and sides short and letting the top grow out. Some days I feel like cutting it short like my profile pic, but I'm still hanging in there.

BTW--you have a gorgeous face, Kat!  I think you could wear any hairstyle and still be a knock-out! 

I'm laughing at all you gals that don't like your curls.  Just think about all those poor people (like me) who were born with curly hair.   Actually mine straightened out a bit after I had kids so it was not so bad. But  have one daughter who has extremely kinky blond curls.  She had fought with her hair all her life.

Peggy 

From what I can figure out, are some of you saying that chemo hair doesn't necessarily last forever, and that our hair can go back to some kind of normalcy?

Divine, my mom's hair came in curly at first, but straightened as it grew out more. Now it is exactly like it used to be. My mother even managed to look cute and youthful with the curls. I am not at all sure I will be as good at pulling off that look.

It's different for everyone - mine was poker straight and I have some curl....enough to just make it uncooperative, so I am keeping it really short....mostly for Lago lol!  I am curious to see what it will do....stay the new texture or straighten out again.

One lady I know - her hair came in like little spirals after chemo and it's 3 years now, she has the most adorable Shirley Temple curls....because it's so curly, she keeps it longer and it's absolutely adorable - on her....!!  I know others, whose hair went back to "normal" after about 18 months PFC.  Some women also never get their eyebrows back....mine came back like crazy then thinned again....and again.....I fill the gaps in with a pencil now.

marj it's really scary how we seem to have similar hair and eyebrow issues. I won't go out without filling in my eyebrows Thanks for keeping your hair short for me.

dltn.. Have you cut your hair yet? If not I would cut it short ( I had mine cut in to a short pageboy cut) Not so devastating when it falls out then.. I was told to use a mild shampoo, so I chose Dove shampoo. Get a lint-roller. I used mine several times a day.. ('brush" your hair with it)  It picks up the loose hairs.. Easier to deal with than seeing them in the shower or on the pillow, on clothes etc.. Once your hair has fallen out I suggest using a little olive oil on your scalp.. Keeps it hydrated and not so itchy. I had 6 months of chemo 4 AC//4 TD . "Fluff" started to grow back during my second set of four treatments. I see you are having T Make sure you use frozen glove and socks during that treatment. I your treatment center does not provide gloves/ socks then frozen peas works well.. I only used frozen gloves, fingernails are good,, toenails not so much.. Have lost two and looks like I might loose two more.. Above all remember they are doing this for you not to you.. It is doable... This too shall pass ..Hugs

I agree with Ossa and Marjie! Keep your fingers and toes frozen! I did Taxol/Carboplatin 8x after 5x of DD AC.

During the entire chemo time, I took 30g (10g/3x day) of Glutamine to help stave off any Peripheral Neuropathy and I never got so much as a tingle. Be sure to ask your ONC first before taking anything though.

Then, during the Taxol/Carboplatin, I would wrap my toes in those Frozen Nexcare Gel Packs (held in place by a hair band) and then keep my hands on top of a bag of peas and dig my fingers in. It felt like torture but I just kept telling myself it is better than having my nails turn color, get brittle and/or fall off. I never had any nail issues other than a single vertical line down the middle of my middle finger on the left hand.

Also...try to drink at least 64 oz. of water a day.

That's my story and I'm stickin to it!



Oh yeah...this is a hair thread! So....my hair (almost 5 months PFC) is my old hair but maybe a bit thicker....yeah! It is dark brown with tinsel (ok...gray), straight, shiny and shapes into a natural faux hawk. My hub loves it and I actually like it too. It makes me feel like an individual. I also think it looks like I meant it to be like this. But, then again, I live in an area where odd hairstyles are the norm.



I used Jason Aloe Vera Shampoo while I was bald. No conditioner or anything else. Rit at the end of my DD AC infusions, I got folliclitis (sp?) on the nape of my neck. It was probably the worse side effect I got throughout all of this. It was painful and itchy. I used hydrogen peroxide wipes to relieve it and help it to dry out. It went away after about three weeks. The rest of my head was fine, no dryness or oiliness...just slick as a bowling ball. No eyebrows or eyelashes either.

I also recommend a buzz cut when you first start noticing major fall out. Trust me, you'll know when it happens, I would gently tug at my hair every day...waiting. Then, one morning, I woke up, ran my hands through my hair and when I looked, they had so much hair in them, you'd think I was a Yeti!

That day, my hub buzzed my head. After that, the tiny liitle hairs weren't noticeable as they came out. The weirdest part for me was feeling the wind on my scalp. Odd.



Well...that was a novel! Have a great weekend!