Hair Hair Hair - Another question

Jen1832

Here is an update on the pitiful growth I call hair.  At this rate, I won't be able to go without headcoverings for a very long time. This is 4 weeks PFC.

 :-(

bak94

Looks like it is starting to fill in! Have you considered a semi permanent color? It may help it look fuller since your hair is so light. Just make sure to pick out a color lighter than you think you want and check the color by wiping a bit off every 5 minutes as it can take very quickly. (I am a haircolorist for over 20 years)

christine47

Jenn, the hair is so light colored, so its hard to see.  Remember you are only 4 weeks out, many of us had nothing until 5 weeks and that was just a shadow.

sunflowerE152

I'm now 4.5 months out and my hair is thick and about 1 in long, but curly and very unmanageable.  How long does this stage last?  I'm tempted to trim it - I would rather have short than frizzy unmanageable curls.  Any suggestions?

lago

sunflower my hair didn't go frizzy curly… just the opposite. It sticks out straight. I'm keeping it short. Matter a fact I'm getting the sides and back buzzed short but letting it grow more on top. I won't even think about growing my hair longer till 18 months PFC. I've been told that's how long it takes for your old texture to come back.

bdavis

I was looking in the mirror and I think I am getting that "beard" look... I m blond so it isn't that noticeable. but if I look I can see it... how long does that go on?? I stopped chemo May 10 so am 9 and a half weeks out... does the facial think end on its own and fall out??

sweetbean

Jen, you are in good shape!  No despairing!  It is definitely coming and I bet it will pick up speed very soon! 

sunflowerE152

Thanks Lago - If it was all over curls it would be nice, but it is just growing every which way and is totally unmanageable.

18 months huh?  Guess I will be spending money on hair cuts now.

Jen1832

bkj66 - my nurses told me to wait 3 months.  You think I can do it now?

christine47 - I am whining because I had more hair two weeks ago.  My hair fell out (at least all of the dark ones) again at 3 weeks.  I am going on vacation with my DH in early Sep and I do not want to have to pack headcovers. 

BTW, I found out this week that I will have to do Heparin shots during my vacation because of Tamoxifen. Arggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

SpecialK

dragonfly - please do not tell me I have to skydive to get hair!  Never going to happen!!!  Actually DD didn't end up going.  They were going to have to go to a place a distance away and some of the people flaked and the plan fell apart and their friend left the drop zone.  They are rescheduling.  Her boyfriend is a Navy Seal so they all skydive often so cancelling was no biggie to him, but she sounded pissed on the phone when she called to tell me they weren't going.  At least my blood pressure was good since I knew she was on the ground!  I think you are right about having more than the usual amount of hair to begin with since it all didn't fall out.  My hair looks a lot like Jen1832's pic.  Some of the hairs are about 2 inches, but they are mixed in with shorter ones.  I keep looking for new baby ones but can't find any   It feels thicker when I rub my hand around in it but I can't really tell.

jackifp

I still have 1 TCH to go, in 2 wks,and my head looks like jen1832's, also, but all white. I've never dyed my hair, and at 60, before chemo, it was breast-length and salt and pepper, so it makes sense it's coming in all white. A friend says I look like a duckling, but as a wildlife rehabilitator who's done many a baby owl, I think I look more like an owlet...I buzzed it real short when it started shedding, and once again a month ago, cuz what was left kept growing. SpecialK, your description sounds like what I've got, lots of shorter ones mixed in longer ones. Weird.

christine47

Jenn1832, whine away, this hair waiting is the pits.  I have not looked at my hair much in the last 4 days (had surgery and hospital stay), and looks like it is coming in more.  Usually I am looking 75 times per day. 

Heparin?  Interesting that heparin was recommended to you.  Are you going on a long flight?  A friend of mine who is a general surgeon recommended to me that I have Lovenox injections if I take a flight over 6 hours.  This is something I will need to talk with my PS about this week.   Boy the fun never ends.

jackifp-  an owlet, sounds cute, I feel like a baby rat!

dragonfly1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61567341@N08/5947389509/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61567341@N08/5947945024/

I don't know if I downloaded the links properly but hope they worked. This is my hair at almost 7 weeks PFC. I buzzed my hair 2 weeks after the last chemo to get rid of the weird, clear, sparse hair-so this is all new growth in the past 5 weeks. The front didn't start growing until 2 weeks after the sides and back (you can actually see a clear difference). My DH is away a lot and every time he returns home he is shocked at the difference even though I never think anything is happening:)

christine47

dragonfly1, the link did not work directly but I went to your site.  Your hair looks great, I am just alittle ahead of you on length and I am 2 1/2 months PFC.  Thanks for posting the pictures.

dragonfly1

    

OK, so I finally figured out how to import the actual pictures which is much easier than having to cut and paste the web address...so this is almost 7 weeks PFC but I shaved my head 2 weeks after the last chemo so it represents 5 weeks of growth. My eyelashes have just started shedding badly and the eyebrows keep thinning but I'm so happy to have hair:)  

lago

dragonfly its growing!!!. This about the time my husband started to pet my head more often. He still does it. I suppose it does feel like puppy fur. Seems to be coming in fairly even but a bit thinner in front. I had that too. It does fill in.

I think my eyelashes and brows have stopped shedding for the 2nd time but not sure if they are growing back yet. Eyebrows really look sad without powder to fill in. Thank goodness for the powder. My onc thought my eyebrows looked fine. She didn't even realize I filled them in.

christine47

good job dragonfly, I need my 14 year old when I want to post pictures, and he is at camp for 2 more weeks. 

Everyone likes to pet me.  I was in the hospital over night last week and a nurse actually asked if she could touch my hair.  What could I say, my husband almost fell out of his chair.

my eyebrows have come back so thick, not even sure what to do with them.  Seems like they grew back quicker than they fell out.

EmilyInOntario

I'm so excited to see some eyelashes starting to grow! I am 9 weeks PFC. My hair growth isn't quite as exciting as it is so light it is hard to see..about 1/4 inch. However, there are many strands that are an inch or so..is this typical that the growth is not uniform? And can I use a wash out temporary

haircolour this soon?

And thanks everyone for sharing pics! Did any of us ever imagine we would all be checking out hair growth pics and "rooting" for each other every week??  

Carrol2

looking good dragonfly!

SpecialK

dragonfly - I'm jealous.

cc4npg

Just dropping in for a moment.  I'm not on as much now, but wanted to give hope (especially those who had taxotere) to those who are just starting to lose it, or those who just finished treatment.  I had taxotere and was very afraid of permanent hair loss.

My last treatment was Jan 31st.  I'm 23 weeks pfc now.  My hair is growing quickly and, like many, has become extremely curly!  It's hard to describe this kind of curl... until you have it.  I don't know about the rest of those who had straight hair before, but sometimes my curls actually hurt if moved in a way they don't like.  It's almost like when I used to put my straight hair up in a pony tail, which wasn't often.  When I took it down, it would be very sensitive for a while.  Well, this is like that. I will try to get pictures and post sometime soon.  I'm very pleased with my hair, curls and all.  It's hair... and I'm done... I can live with cowlicks and curls. 

TexasKaren

Abraxane question for anyone...   ?  I was told I'll lose my hair... but it's not coming out bad yet, (3 treatments).   Anyone else lose hair on Abraxane?    I did Adriamycin/Cytoxan three years ago with initial dx, and after the second treatment, it started falling out like crazy... maybe I'm expecting this "xane" to do the same?

AimeeMac

I am 19 weeks PFC, and today my first chemo curl started. It looks like a tiny little horn of hair on my right side. It looks pretty ridiculous, actually. It's probably the first of many, and I've never in my life had curly hair, I won't complain. Today I looked back on my pictures with zero hair, and I am just so thankful for anything now. Like many of you have said, it seemed like it would never start coming in, and I must have looked in the mirror 100 times a day (which is about 99 more than usual) waiting for the first sprouts.

This past week I was at a meeting in Tempe with my training team (about 15 people) from all over the country. They all knew about my situation, but only two had seen me since diagnosis and none had seen me without a wig. The first and second day of the meeting I kept it on, but when the group went out to dinner on Tuesday night, I decided to take a leap of faith and go "topless." There were a few startled looks at first, but after that, I got a lot of honest (not pitiful) smiles, and one of the women took me aside and said she like me better without the wig!

pumela115

Hi Texas Karen, I did 4DD AC and then 12 Abraxane, 3 weeks on and one off. I lost my hair 2 weeks after the first AC treatment. It started growing back while i was doing Abraxane, so hopefully you won't lose it. I would think by the third treatment it would have fallen out by now. Maybe it will just thin a little. My last treatment was Jan 13th and my hair is growing fast now and it is very very curly. I'm wishing you really good luck with your hair and i hope the Abraxane kicks some cancers butt!!!!  

Dragonfly- Lookin good!!! It will be filling in very fast now.

                                                      Pam 

lago

cc4npg I too was on taxotere (6 rounds). I was a little worried too because I seem to get all the "rare" SE. Granted my eyebrows and eyelashes only thinned so I did have hope. My hair came in poker straight although I do have many cowlicks in the back but I always had those. There's no rhyme reason to it.

I have been getting compliments on my hair from strangers for 3 months now. They have no idea I went through chemo. You can look normal with short hair… and it certainly beats wearing a scarf or wig in 100 degree heat index weather. (I think most of the US is in a heat wave this week).

I finished just before you on Jan 18th. I'm on my 3rd haircut today. I'm keeping it short on the sides and back. Haven't cut the top yet though. Just have the strays trimmed.

I'll update my hair transition after I get my hair cut this morning.

TifJ

Wow, everyone is looking so good! I am so happy to have hair, yet I cuss it everyday because I can't do anything with it. I am 6.5 months PFC and I have a mullet/afro look going. I have trimmed it once and need it again to tame the mullet. I have colored it several times with a demi-permanent color. The color looks fine now, but I look so much older with this fuzzy, curly helmet head!! I can't wait until it's a bit longer so I can flat iron it! I'd rather have a cute straight pixie look than this brown Bozo the clown look!!

carberry

carberry

bdavis

My photos just shy of 10 weeks PFC

These are before I colored it

And this one is while I am coloring it

And after

christine47

bdavis you have alot of hair.  Mine is jet black and grey, I colored auburn/brown prior to BC, still can see my scalp, partially because of the contrast of the stark white scalp.  I wore nothing but my collection of Life is Good hats to hospital and surgery last week, nice to ditch the wig for the hats.  Unfortunately when I go back to work the following week its back to wig, much easier than answering questions.  Good luck this week, hope you are taking your laptop.