chemo curls

kathy1308

I did finish a round of PARP Inh and then a round of taxotere. My hair super curly, kinky nd sticks up. Will it ever relax. I have ben out for almost 10 months and see no improvements and actutually see it gratually getting worse. My hair sticks up and have afro style to it. Used to have straight hair. I have seen a lot of pics of people post chemo and frankly no one looks as bad as I do. I am wondering may be I have this problem b/c I had both types of chemo. Did any one have a similar problem. Need your insight.

kira1234

Kathy1308, I'm in the same state, just look at my picture. Oh well at least I have hair!!!

kathy1308

I know but people keep telling me that it will get better. I really did not need taxotere round of chemo but I was not told about the side effect and off course the combination of both has never been tested so I dont know why they recom it to people???

livinglarge

I too had straight hair.  Have this Shirley Temple thing going on.  Everyone says it's cute (they are trying to be nice) but it is a mess if you ask me.  Can't do a thing with it so getting ready is snap.  Thought about shaving my head to see if it would grow back straight, but DH didn't think that was a good plan.

Even my onc commented on it and said it would take another year to go back to the way it was.

With that said... I pray this is my biggest problem in life.  I have hair (even if it is funky) and I am alive so all is well.  

Claire_in_Seattle

Hi Ladies,

One of the major benefits of this whole experience is that I now go to the professionals to get my hair cut.  I have also learned about using products.

I too hated my hair at the 5-12 months post chemo.  It was fine uber short, but later on, I just hated it and thought I had the hairstyle from hell.  Going to the salon a couple of times helped enormously.  Then one day, it was a lot better.  I actually like the way it looks now.

So first, I would say, find someone who works with short hair and get it trimmed and shaped.  That made a major difference.  Then I bought the stuff they recommended.  Also a major difference.

Finally, I colored my hair from the get go.  So once I had microns of fuzz emerge, haircolor went over the "dead mouse pelt".  Haircolor improves texture as well as the obvious other benefit.

Having said all this, still one more year until I get the hair style I really want.  But I am on my way and look like myself once again.

Good luck.......and get thee to a salon! - Claire

KSkier

I love my chemo curls!  Straight as an arrow for 40++ years, all that money and time wasted on perms, hot rollers and curling irons, now I have the hair I always wanted!

Of course, I'm going to lose it again....but not today!

livinglarge

I just really like the easy of having the curls.  Wash and go.  But it is starting to look a little raggy so I think it might be time for a trim.

yellowdoglady

I call that my poodle hair.  It grew out curly, curly, curly.  Now, after three trims and a couple of years, the poodle hair is down around my shoulders and it's growing out straight again above it.  I'm hesitant to cut it off because that was my happiest hair ever.  I had HAIR!  I got into headbands and barettes to tame it, but I HAD HAIR!  I told everyone it just went from one stage of awkward to the next, but I loved having my hair back.  Before all this, it was far down my back.  I cut and donated over 19 inches of hair and still had enough to hit my shoulders for three weeks before I lost it.  When I cut my poodle hair, I'll save it in a box.  In my wedding pictures, I had only poodle hair, but lots of it.    

KSteve

Gotta love the headbands.  I couldn't survive without them!  If you would have told me a year ago that I'd be excited to have this crazy, curly, short hair, I would have called you crazy!  I also had long straight hair one year ago.  But here I am, and so glad to not have to wear a wig anymore!!  What a journey this is!

Kathy

yellowdoglady

KSteve,

I so agree.  I never could get into wearing temporary hair because it never looked right to me, so I just went with headscarves, and the wilder the better.  Too tired to bother, well the pre-tied ones are just awesome.  Pull one on and go to work.  My Dad's cousin knitted me a bunch of cotton night caps in all colors too.  But we all prefer our own hair, I think.  As soon as I could call mine a pixie cut, I was back out in the air again.  The mass of curls that came next was a surprise, but a welcome one.  Who complains about too much hair after having none at all?  Not me.

I was ready to donate all that headgear when I heard from a high school friend who lives in Australia that her young daughter in law had just been diagnosed and could I offer any advice?  I did, and I packed up all that stuff and sent it on around the globe with a note saying that it was lucky for me and I hoped it would be for her too.  So far, so good.  She's completed chemo and is in radiation now and will be done in a month.  She's holding up beautifully, and with two small children to worry about that's a tall order.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the hair comes back and returns to normal in time.  The energy comes back, and you will feel good again.  Really good.  The stamina takes a bit longer to rebuild, just like anyone who has had to conserve energy for a while.  But you have the essense of it.  You are still here and have your own hair and the worst is over if there is any justice in this world.  All we can do is to do everything as right as possible and stack the deck as best we can in our favor.  Usually that is enough.  Most of us live long and prosper after what we've had to do.  TNBC is more than a nudge.  It's a three alarm wake up call, and so we generally rise and shine and get busy.  We complain little and accomplish a lot.  

Congratulations a bit in advance on your one year anniversary and for being well with too much hair.  Even the wildest hair is a good trade off for the alternatives.

KSteve

Well said, yellowdoglady!  Sums up just how I'm feeling.  Happy to feel good again, happy to have survived the year and happy to have kicked cancer's A*#!  I really can't see the good in spending time worrying about my future.  I'm just going to live every day as if I'll be here until I'm 100 (after all, my grandma is 98!).  By the way, I have a 1 year old golden retriever who has been my buddy through this whole ordeal.  He makes me laugh on a daily basis.  That's what life is about!

I love the idea of passing on the hats/scarves.  I will do the same.  Like you said, they were lucky for me, so I may as well pass on the luck to others!

Thanks for posting . . . you made my day!

Kathy

yellowdoglady

KSteve,

The yellowdogs are the most patient things to have around when you are sick.  My baby is about 4 1/2 years old now.  It's hard to be sure as he was a rescue hound.  But he refused to leave my side when I was sick.  And even now, he won't go to bed until I do.  Those beautiful  dogs are so smart and so good.  And all they want is to be a part of it all.

Glad to hear that you are doing very well.  Most of us do get over this and go on with our lives.  I make a point now of doing something amazing every year to make up for the years I didn't.

Passing the headscarves is a really empowering thing.  When I did that I felt so good.  Out of so much difficulty came an opportunity.  I'm watching the progress of the sweet girl who came after me, and she is doing really well.  My Dad's cousin who knitted so many pretty night caps was delighted that her lovely things had traveled so far.