No hair loss on TC?

ifyoucandream

Hi Ladies,

I'm just curious...has anyone experienced NO hair loss while on TC?  I just finished TC #3 5 days ago, and still have small strands of hair on my sides.  And they're not loose or anything!  The scalp is more bald because whenever I remove my hat or scarf, the scalp hair comes out with it.  After TC #2 I did gently remove lots of loose hair, but now I'm thinking that if I just didn't touch any of my hair during that time, I might have alot more hair today!!

lrr4993

I never lost all of my hair.  I always had some coverage all over, particularly on the lower half of my scalp.  It was not enough to allow me to go without a wig though.  

ifyoucandream

Hi Irr4993,

Thanks for answering.  It just kills me that I might have made my hair loss worse than it had to be.  But two of my docs said, "you WILL lose your hair."  So I figured since I was going to lose my hair, why not get rid of the ones that are lose anyways!  But yeah, I agree that my top is so hairless, I would still choose a wig or hat.  Did you shave your hair or just let it fall out naturally?

lago

I went out on this unusually windy day last fall. My hair just started to fall out a couple days before. When I came back in my part was 1"  thick from hair loss. I wore a headband for about 2 days then it really started to come out. Wore scarves after that.

If the hair lets go it lets go. It's only a matter of time.

lrr4993

I let mine fall out naturally.  I did not have the heart to shave it.  

JeanneR

When did it start to fall for you all? I am at 17 days since the first treatment and I still did not start to loss my hair. I have cut it really short (1"). However, my scalp is somewhat sore in the back of my head and I am assuming that this is a sign that something is about to happen? But so far it is all, I had expected it to start falling by day 14...

lrr4993

I started shedding at 14 days and on the 17th day about 80 % of it fell out in one shower.  It was shocking and horrible.  I was not sure I would get over it, but was fine by the next day.  LOL.

ifyoucandream

Mine never fell out on its own.  I gently removed loose hairs without tugging, mostly because they were tickling my arms and also, I didn't feel like picking them off the floor, table, etc.  Right after tx #2, I was at 50%.  The following 2 weeks I gradually "peeled" off more.  I did find some older threads here where some women said they never lost all their hair on TC. 

DiDel

I had some crazy long strands that I trimmed and fuzz all over...even kept my eyebrows..until about two weeks after my last treatment. All fuzz, brows and lashes...GONE.

ifyoucandream

Jeanne,

I've read that it's different for each person and for each tx regimen.  Most women say they lose hair around day 14-17, some are later.  For me, day 22 was the first noticeable loss.

sptmm62

I did not lose all my hair either, most of it but not all.  I went to my second treatment with my own hair, it was a couple of days later (my treatments were every three weeks so I guess that is about day 23 or so) that my hairline had gone so far back and hair began to thin so much that I began wearing scarves. I cut my long hair short and donated it right before beginning chemo, and let it fall out on its own.  Mostly it came out in the shower.  I did entertain the thought at first of not washing my hair to stem the loss but decided that was too gross..LOL.  Interestingly enough, I did shave my head a couple of weeks after finishing chemo so that when my hair did start to grow back in, it would all be growing in at once.  I didn't want to have the hair that remained mixed in at a different length from the new hair. 

ifyoucandream

sptmm62:  I also kept my hair-washing to once a week, but since the weather got hot, and I think hot flashes are coming on from the chemo (??) I really need to wash!  My little strands of hair look so skimpy, but with the scarf over my scalp and the sides of the scarf hanging, I'm disguising the skimpiness!

 didel:  thanks for the warning....that I might still lose more hair after tx #4!  Oh well!!

Cyborg

I didn't lose ALL of my hair. I have a few hairs. My eyebrows and lashes are still intact. I am heading into by fourth infusion on Tuesday and that will be it for the chemo ( I hope). Then onto rads. Lost my hair between day 14 and17.

debbie6122

By week 2 on TC i lost most of my hair, it started getting matted and ratty looking so DH shaved it, by week 3 i had no hair on my body at all. My eyelashes actually fell out on 3 different occasions, even after my tx's were done. I know a lot of woman are having great success with the cold caps, one of them is my friend and she didnt lose any of her hair, so now she helps woman with the cold caps and is making a living off of it.

Merilee

I lost most of mine but had stragglers  left behind. I think it was about 2 1/2 weeks after my first TC. I also went out in the wind and just let it go and imagined all kinds of negative things going with it like resentments, hurts etc....It was actually very freeing in a strange sort of way. Now I have the stragglers growing a bit and patches of fuzz starting. I am 10 days past my last TC.

JeanneR

Day 18 after first treatment - My hair is definitely falling now. It is weird, but I feel release...I was starting to wonder if the Chemo was actually working on me. Thanks all for your postings, they really help me, these forums are helping me to keep my sanity.

kathylyon

I had my third treatment 10 days ago and I still have some hair.   Like side burns and some on top of head nad nape of neck.  Very thin however and I obviously need to wear a wig. 

ifyoucandream

Here's a new one...I noticed some crustiness on my scalp, so I scrubbed more than usual during a hair wash.  Now I have less hair but considering that I'm heading into tx #4 with hair, I guess I'm ok.  Anyone have crusty scalp? 

Meekone

I had a full head of hair going into the second round of TC.  By the 35th day.....a week before my 3rd round long strands started coming out but it was only if you messed with it...combing in the morning I wouldn't have dreamt of taking a brush to it. 

By that weekend we went to try on wigs and the friction of taking wigs on and off just ate up my hair line and edges,  Because it looked so bad after that I and because my head became extremely tender I shaved it soon after.  I believe I am one of the lucky ones, I have about 10% of my eyebrows and eyelashes.  Just enough eyebrows so that I can still fill them in with a eyebrow pencil and they still look natural.  (that was my biggest and worst fear....Eyebrows so I feel blessed to have kept a little of them)  Eyelashes on the other hand is another story.........I am a very fair skinned African American and I always had sandy brown to blond eyelashes so the few I do have don't even show up and you can't really put makeup on them cause it looks silly.  Also there are not enough eyelashes for false eyelashes to adhere to so I just go without.

Juliann1

I began to lose my hair from TC three weeks after my first chemo of four. I brushed out a clump of hair and decided to shave it and put on a gorgeous fake hair wig. I paid $600 for it...shampoo and shake...dries naturally overnight.

I had a double mastectomy and look amazing with the reconstruction. My hair is growing back three months from my last chemo. Interestingly, my eyelashes and eyebrows fell out two months after my last chemo but grew in within two weeks after. So weird. Best wishes and chin up.

Moderators

Dear Juliann1,

Welcome to the community. Thanks for sharing your story. We hope that you will stay connected here on the boards. The Mods

Suesfineart

Hi. I'm five days after my second TC treatment of four and it appears that I still have all of my hair. There is no sign of it thinning. I did shave it after the first treatment because my scalp was so sore I couldn't comb my hair or even touch my scalp. The shaving alleviated the scalp pain immediately I'm wondering if it will stay. I still have to wear scarves since I shaved it... kind of confused.

Bonnie7

Hi there,

Hope you are feeling as well as can be! I understood doxyrubicin was the main catalyst in hair loss, I lost my hair from day 11 all gone approx 2 weeks later from memory (last year, it all passed in a haze!) . Good news....it started growing back during taxol and I was able to work through with almost no side effects other than joint-muscle aches and twinges - taxol does not cross the brain barrier hence hair 'come back'! Cyclophosphamide I understand also crosses the brain barried (sorry!) but hair grows quickly again and you can get onwith yr life - best of luck and sending good vibes yr way!