Hair Hair Hair - Another question

seq24

Imkopy and Kayak! Thank you! I just hear so many horror stories about this whole process. It is so refreshing to hear from someone who has been through this and that it is not as bad as I am being told. I even have a handwritten paper from the MO herself telling me all the side effects from the AC that I definitely would have. So far I have had none of it. Hopefully I'm not going to eat my words come Friday when I have #3. Thank you everyone for your wonderful support. I was a total basket case when this all started for me in July. Thanks to everyone on this site, a lot of my fears and worries have been eased a million times over. Very much struggling with the hair loss and the length of time this is going to take though. I won't be completely done until April.

Anonymous

seq24 - I did well on AC. After AC #3, I noticed nail darkening. Dark black polish for all remaining chemo treatments kept that from spreading. I did feel tired during Taxol from the steroids messing up my sleep.

Have you seen the thread for the Weekly Taxol group? Here's a link to my post with some recommendations:

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...

Kayak2

seq24 - I think that some of the people who have a harder time with taxol, are people who want to finish up faster, so they do the dose dense regimen. Instead of spreading out the treatments over 12 visits, they cram the same overall dose into four visits, so there is a greater likelihood of more side effects. Also, if you had no side effects from AC 1 and 2, there is no reason to "expect" side effects from treatments 3 and 4. I did not find the effects to be cumulative. Hair loss, on the other hand, was a huge deal for me.

anotherNYCGirl

Seq and Kayak, - I had the dose dense taxol, and still felt that it was easier than the AC!

Hair loss remains an issue for me. Although it grew back, it is much too thin. I think that is due to my being post menopausal, and also having many long doses of anesthesia for numerous procedures.

Myraknits

Serenity, your brows are fab!

Jill, love the hairdo. You look so cute! I'm back to 3 earrings in 1 ear and 2 in the other. Couldn't wear them during chemo so it's fun to put them back in

I used my blue hair chalk today to go to rads. I'm easily entertained.

For those of you taking biotin, how much do you take? My nails are crumbling and flaking so I want to add it to my regimen.

Tessio

I have 10 months of curly growth. I'm extremely thankful, but don't know how to style curls. Advice, thoughts? It is a mushroom of curls. Lol!

BellaV

Tessio, mine is the same! I have been using headbands. Straightening doesn't work.

I would like some advice, too. Maybe the answer is is to wait for more length but then we'll have a full fledged Afro. Hah

JustAgirl33

I tried to look back as far as I could and I didn't notice anything about this....but.... Did anyone have their hair start to slightly grow back during their chemo? I just finished six rounds of TCHP chemo (Taxotere + Carboplatin + Herceptin + Perjeta) (September 28th) Around round 4 or 5 give or take I started growing a little bit of hair fuzz. It's about 1 to 2 inches long now. It's not thick or completely filled in, but it's there. I was just wondering if this happen to anyone else? I worried that in a couple weeks it will all fall out and I will have to start over. I can not wait for my hair to completely grow back!!

Tessio

BellaV, I've tried head bands too. The other day the lab tech called me Joanie loves Chachi!

We will have to pick our fros out for Halloween

Peachy2

BellaV and Tessio, I'm sporting the same kind of look at 11 months pfc. Mine is super curly above my forehead and it stands up straight, and less so everywhere else. It looks like a bad home perm. Waiting for a little more growth before going to the hairdresser for help.

LovesToFly

Thanks ladies. Tessio you look fab. Myra I worte all my earrings throughout...hmm.

I started growing hair during taxotore.

Smurfette26

My hair is a mass of unruly curls too. So tempted to have it trimmed but I will only have to start growing it out through this wild stage again.

Cwhitney

justagirl33, my hair started to grow back too in between. I am also on Taxotere, Herceptin and Perjeta. I was nervous with the Taxotere with the permanent hair loss commercials. My husband and kids really notice it because they see me from behind. I never went completely bald so the hair that stayed is growing. It definitely is not thick normal hair but I'll take it. I have one more round until I'm done with chemo and I can't wait to see what happens! I never lost my brows or eyelashes.

ThinkingPositive

You all look great!!

JustAgirl33

Cwhitney, Good to know I'm not the only one. I didn't really lose all my hair either. I sometimes wonder how much hair I would have had if I didn't shave it in the beginning. Those commmericals really scared me as well. I even mentioned something to my doctor and she said not to worry that my hair will definitely grow back. ONE MORE ROUND.. that's awesome!!! GOOD LUCK! I was so excited to be done with mine. even though it's only been a week... I'm still over joyed! I lost almost all of my eyebrows and very little of my eye lashes.

So you got your surgrey first then your chemo? I'm doing it the other way around. If you don't mind can I ask you some questions about your surgrey? I find out when mine is scheduled next week. I must admit it's been the only thing on my mind lately... Thanks.

brithael

Here is a compilation of my hair odyssey. The first picture was taken Feb. 6 - two days before PFC. The last picture on October 4th- almost exactly 8 months. I have had a couple of haircuts to clean up the neckline and am going in next week for another. My hair is very curly and grey - used to be straight and red (dyed.) But I have hair, and for that, I am grateful.

BlueKoala

my eyebrows are coming back with a vengeance. After months of drawing them in, I am now wondering whether they were really this wild and woolly before! I have never waxed or even plucked my eyebrows, now I am wondering whether I am going to have to start

hanley50

Blue - Mine came back in it seemed overnight! I had no eyebrows and then I woke up one day and was like "what the heck is this??" They were crazy! Very thick and all over the place. I had to have them waxed around maybe 8 weeks PFC. So crazy. They were longer than the hair on my head!

Maryann

Cathytoo

Brithael...love your hair. Hope mine looks that good in three months

molliefish

for all the curly haired heroines...... I have tried a number of products since I too have tried blow drying straight and hated that. I tried this product sample I got my daughter when we ordered I'm Sephora. (They give you three small samples when you order $50 or more online). It works really well. Minimal frizz, nicely defined curls. Bumble and bumble anti humidity oil gel. A little dab'l do the trick. Wash the hair, don't rub dry just wrap it in a towel. I read a lot about what causes frizzy hair and how to handle it. This stuff is pretty dear but you only need a dime size dollop to do our short hair anyway. Should last til it's long enough to need something else.

hanley50

Brithael - Thank you for the pic compitation! You're looking great! Do you plan on going back to red? I'm mixed grey/dark brown but have always dyed blonde with blonde highlights. I miss it!

Maryann

brithael

hanley50 - not sure about going back to red yet. I'm 67 years old, so the grey is right for my age, but I do miss the red. I may do it when it gets a little longer.

My eyebrows came back all over the place too! I had them threaded which I had never done, but liked the outcome, so I may continue it in the future. Right now, I'm just plucking the wild ones.

My eyelashes are finally starting to get longer. I had just about given up on them. Yet my right eye is much better than my left - go figure.

LimnoGal

Ladies-anyone else have sideburns (for lack of a better term)? I have some very soft, very light, and In certain unfortunant lighting, very impressive sideburns. I'm about 15 weeks PFC. Still very much in the phase where it seems nearly sinful to remove any hair, but WTH???

Imkopy2

Myraknits- I take biotin 10k mcg...I think it has def helped in growing my hair.

Tessio- love the curls!

Justagirl33-my hair also began to grow back while doing taxol. One more round of chemo, congrats! I just finished mine last Monday and let me tell you what a feeling of relief it is to have that behind me. Rads begins in 2 weeks. I did surgery 1st then treatment, what would you like to know? I have a friend who did treatment first and then surgery...both of us had BMX with tissue expanders. Hopefully they are giving you some time to recoup before surgery

Cwhitney

just a girl33, feel free to ask me any questions about anything. Private message me too if it's easier!

THDailey

What is biotin? I am starting to lose my hair well it's thinning and I am thinking of shaving it. But I have been using organic shampoo and conditioner to help with the fullness and growth. I am 12 days out from first chemo round. I think I worry too much about my hair and eyelashes falling out. Overall my attitude is good but boy I don't like losing the hair, sure none of us do Stay strong and really learned a lot on this site.

seq24

Has anyone ever considered, or actually had hair extensions after chemo? I was reading about a couple of places who specialize in that for chemo patients and they only require your hair to be an inch long to do it. I know it is very expensive, but to me it would be worth it to have my hair back. I'd even fly out of state to one of the places if necessary.

I have one more AC infusion then start Taxol. I still have about 1/4 of my hair left, it is very thin and I have not shaved it, just cut the longer part in my neck. I had AC#3 on Friday and #4 on the 21st. The nurse seemed certain that these last two infusions would take the rest of my hair, although another one said earlier and even my MO that I may not lose it all. I've never heard of anyone not losing all of their hair on AC to be honest though. And that it definitely everyone is saying will grow back on Taxol. Thoughts?

LovesToFly

I have not considered extensions. It's a lovely thought, but I just cannot afford it. That said my hair is now at the point that I look nothing like a cancer patient, I look like I have a short edgy haircut. I don't love it like this, but it will grow and I am learning to tolerate it. it's a completely different look for me... I get compliments all the time on my hair now, from people that do not know I had cancer (and strangers)!!

Imkopy2

THdaily- biotin is a supplement for hair, skin and nails, I started taking in while on taxol but check with MO before starting. Wishing you luck on chemo

BlueKoala

seq24 - I lost ¾ of my hair over the course of 3 or 4 days after the first AC, but no more. Then I lost ¾ of the remainder over a few days after the third Taxol. Then I shaved the rest.