Hair Hair Hair - Another question

ThinkingPositive

That might have been me. Mine turned orange. I used a NonPermanent without Amonia. Washes out in 26 washes. My hair came back white gray. It was 5 1/2 months after finishing chemo that I was able to go without the wig but needed to dye it. Figured I would try it myself. 3 trips back and forth to CVS until it ended up an okay brown. Have to be careful picking colors. I think I tried medium brown first. Then medium ash brown. Final was dark brown. After that I went to the salon when it needed to be done.

Shopgal2

I had my hair dyed by my friend who is a stylist. She used a permanent color medium brown level 5. Not sure what brand but it was professional color. It was a lot darker when it was first dyed but it is getting lighter as it grows and washes out.

I asked my mo at my 3 month follow up from chemo (which was actually 4 months) if I could use permanent color and he said ok. My friend was very careful and had a plan if it turned out orange how to correct. We left the color on for 30 minutes and it turned out good the first try. I am actually going to have her do my color again this month and have my first official trim.

If anyone is thinking about using permanent color please check with your mo first. Every doc is different and we all had different chemo so how your scalp and hair regrowth will react is individual.

sherryh16

4 yrs post chemo and my hair is terrible. At first grew in sparse and grey in color as I expected. But it has never grown back fully as it was pre-chemo. My hair is extremely fine and sparse to point of my scalp being visible. I have been wearing a wiglet to cover my visible scalp and add some volume to my thin hair. I have been on biotin the entire time and use rogaine, as well as a laser hair wand to stimulate hair growth. I will continue this with hope that when I complete anastrozole in another year my hair may come in thicker. If not, I guess I will be left to wearing wiglet topper pieces from here on out. I hate it!

Smurfette26

Thanks for the info ladies.

Sorry your hair hasn't fully grown in after chemo sherryh16. I can't imagine how distressing that must be. I believe there is currently a class action against the makers of Taxotere.

anotherNYCGirl

Sherry, - I know how you feel. I, too, did not get a full head of hair back. I am curious what type of topper you found that you like? I tried one from an online company, but it was too big. So I wear a baseball cap or a wig. Very disappointing

tjh

Mine turned yellow when I tried having it highlighted. I am using purple pigment shampoo and conditioner. It brightens it up. It grows very slowly, but it is growing. I have an appointment for eyebrow tatoos June 8. Has anyone else done tatoos?

brithael

Last chemo Feb8th, so almost 4 months

Frill

Hi, everyone. After 12 weeks of Taxol where I only lost the hair on my head - pretty much - it was growing back during that time, 1 dose of FAC and out came the lashes and brows. I shaved my head at some point during that time. It wasn't hair I wanted to keep, lol, it was scraggly chemo hair, so I figured that I would shave it and once chemo was over, see what happened.

Right now it's hardly even trying to come back. I worry about it so much. I have Latisse for after chemo for brows and lashes. I was told it would help, but using it now might be pouring money down the drain even if my lashes were growing, because they may also continue to fall out, too.

All of this is so anxiety producing!!!!! I wear scarves 99% of the time and have amassed a fairly large collection. My sister told me that she didn't understand why I was doing it for something that was going to be temporary. When I told her it would be at least two years before my hair even reached my shoulders, that made her understand a little more. And that's if it grows back in right, and not too thin, etc. etc.

Hi, Smurfette!!!!!!!

Smurfette26

Hey Frill, Hugs.

So good to see you active on the forums. You were missed. You always look gorgeous in scarves but I know it's not the same as having hair. I'm lucky my regrowth is thick, even and grey. It's super short but I ditched the head coverings over a month ago. I didn't do anything special to prompt regrowth. Just rubbed my head a LOT ('Cos it felt nice and soft like duck down) and I occasionally rubbed coconut oil into it. I've also got the funky, stinky nails now. They were so good all through chemo.

brithael great regrowth.

anotherNYCGirl

I am jealous of all the hair that most of you have!! You have such thick, luxurious hair!!

Has anyone here signed up with that law firm for the class action suit re taxotere?

SoCalGrl

Frill - My eyelashes are only now starting to normalize themselves. I finished chemo over 6 months ago and my eyelashes thinned a lot. When they grew back they were very short and stubbly. They still aren't back to 100% but they are starting to thicken up.

Valstim52

I guess i really didn't listen when they said not to expect any normal looking hair, eyelashes or eyebrows So discouraging and I'm heart sick.

5 weeks PFC, I look more like a 'cancer' patient than i did when on chemo. Hardly any fuzz on my head, and last week all my eyebrows and lashes fell out.

i'm done venting. i'll go cry now.

anotherNYCGirl

Val, - I had the eyelash and eyebrow loss after pfc, too, - but that grows in quickly! Hang in there!!

ThinkingPositive

I lost most ou my eyelashes and brows after chemo as well. My brows grew in but sparse and my lashes are very short and sparse. Last chemo was Feb15. Doesn't seem like they are growing in any more. I guess I have to deal with what I have and be thankful. Hair came back but thinning now due to Letrozole. Leg hair and underarm hair. Not so much but I won't complain about that!!

ThinkingPositive

I lost most of myeyelashes and brows after chemo as well. My brows grew in but sparse and my lashes are very short and sparse. Last chemo was Feb15. Doesn't seem like they are growing in any more. I guess I have to deal with what I have and be thankful. Hair came back but thinning now due to Letrozole. Leg hair and underarm hair. Not so much but I won't complain about that!!

tjh

anotherNYCGirl....I looked up the lawsuit, I do not like the idea of making personal injury lawyers richer. My oncology nurse at my first chemo said not getting my hair back was a possibility. The oncologist told us what chemo would be and I researched it...it was plain that permanent hair loss was a possibility...We chose to go ahead because we treated it aggressively from the start. I have very slow growing grey hair now and no eyebrows. Also no cancer. We all have to chose the best path for our recovery. There are several law firms involved I would research them and see which takes the smallest chunk of the settlement and who has the best reputation.

anotherNYCGirl

tjh, - thanks for your thoughts. i will look into your suggestion.

sherryh16

Very interesting to hear others have suffered permanent hair loss due to Taxotere. I was never told this. It might have affected my chemo decision if I had known. I would be very much interested in participating in a class action lawsuit. I feel that the loss of my hair has been an on-going issue that affects me on a daily basis. It is very distressing to me.

I have found wigs and wiglets online at www.voguewigs.com Some can be very expensive, but I generally order a new hairpiece once a year. In fact, I have one on the way to me right now. I would venture to say I've spent upwards of a couple thousand so far on hair. It a lawsuit could offset this on-going expense, I would be interested in pursuing it.

sherryh16

As a side note, while I was never warned that my hair may not grow back, I was told that I could suffer neuropathy (not sure of spelling) in my fingers and toes. During my chemo treatments I was told to and did place my fingers and toes in ice water to prevent this. I did suffer some neuropathy of my toes, but that has since alleviated and my toes are now fine.

tjh

I guess we were "lucky" that my Cancer Center with its oncologist and oncology nurses were very open/informative about the fact that permanent hair loss was a rare side effect of my chemo cocktail. I also came across that information in my research before starting treatment. We still made the choice to continue because it is a rare SE and the combination very effective to get rid of the cancer. I do have hair, no eyebrows and few eyelashes. It has been trimmed 3 times so it looks more like a hair cut. Prior to chemo it was dark brown with some gray. Very fine texture. It is all gray now very course texture. It is highlighted but it bleaches out lemon yellow and doesn't take color...my cosmotoligist uses organic products with no ammonia....so I use purple toner shampoo and conditioner to make whiter. It also has a light oil on it otherwise it stands up straight. I miss my normal hair but I am living with and seeing the positive in the new normal or I would go F'ing insane. Sorry so long.....

Smurfette26

Sorry you have suffered permanent hair loss sherryh16. I can't imagine how distressing that must be.

My Oncologist never spoke about permanent hair loss. The written info I was given stated, "hair loss is usually temporary".

Shelly52

Sherryh16- how long PFC till your neuropathy went away? I am 5 months PFC and I would say I still have 25% neuropathy remaining - mostly in my feet. Wondering if this is it or is there hope for continued clearing? So sorry about your hair. Mine is not what it once was but its still coming in. Thankful for the cute wigs out there. It has sure eased my morning routine, too.

mysunshine48

Hi all! I have been off this thread for awile as my hair has been coming in, although curly! I just wanted to share that I went to an Organic salon at about 8 months pft and had my white hair colored. She had to use # 8 to get me to my normal blond color as new white hair is more resistant to color. But it worked great! I have had a touch up and may even get a trim!!!!! Thank the Lord I am past that! Good luck everyone!

CatsRus, If you are reading, PM me and let me know how you are doing.

imjakes

thank you Shelly52!! I will try the soft brush. I have not lost all my eyelashes, only patches of them so hopefully they'll come back! I hope you're recovering well

anotherNYCGirl

sherry, - thanks for the vogue website. i have a wig that I like from http://www.godivassecretwigs.com/ , but I wasnt happy with the top piece that I tried from them. They have great customer service, online chat and/or by phone, if you are interested.

still hoping my own hair returns with more thickness!

MaryJC

Hi, I was on herceptin and my hair didn't start coming back in until I was on a break. So my last chemo was April 2015. Put on H break in May and noticed sprouts in June while on vacation. I could feel it, barely see it.

I've just finished my herceptin and you won't believe how my hair has changed since💁🏽🍇😂

I love wigs now, haha

Veronica31

MaryJC: You look beautiful in that wig!

MaryJC

thank you lady! You look beautiful too💁🏽💃🏽

imjakes

I also was never told hair loss was potentially permanent from taxotere. I definitely would have chosen the 2nd regimen had I known. In fact, the fda did not post anything about this possibility on their website until December 2015 which was too late for me, I was already 4 treatments in by then. 16 weeks pfc I questioned my onco about my lack of hair and he said "be patient, I have never had a patient not get their hair back". Lucky me! I get to be the first I guess. I'm now 22 weeks pfc and had to have my patches buzzed off this past weekend by my husband because it looked so terrible. I'm only 42 and trying to come to grips with this. I also don't want to line the pockets of lawyers, but I also shouldn't have to pay thousands of dollars, potentially tens of thousands because I don't want to be bald in my family photos, children's graduation photos, wedding photos, holding my future grandchildren etc. Sorry, this has all been running through my (bald) head today... I have to get it off my chest...

Paxton29

MaryJC--adorable! Now would you mind sharing what lipstick you're wearing? It's a great color.

imjakes, vent away; that's what we're here for. I hate that you're having to go through this. Does your MO have ANY thoughts or ideas other than "be patient?" I think they can biopsy to see if the loss is permanent, can they not?