Preparing for BALD

This is a personal choice for you.  There is no right or wrong.

I waited until my scalp was hurting really bad - felt like I had a too tight ponytail in it for 24 hours and felt immediate relief when I had my head shaved with clippers.  That morning my hair had started to fall out in clumps if I ran my hand through my scalp.

To make it easier on me I had my hair cut short right before starting chemo so that I could get used to a different look as my hair was midway down my back.'

I never got the "shiny" scalp look and it all depends on the shape of your scalp as far as how you will look when you are bald.

I did buy 7 wigs - all different shapes and colors so that I could find some sort of positive thing about losing my hair and yes....I had fun with my wigs especially the really long ones.

My scalp never hurt..I cut my hair short before I started chemo. After my second AC chemo it stated to shed..I waited about 5 days and then decided it was time..It looked horrible..called my husband at work and said tonights the night..bought a new shaver and sister came over..we had a dew drinks,and my husband shaved it to a qtr inch..luckily I never had the pain..I did biymy wigs before I shaved it so I didn't have to go while I had no hair

Oh ..one thing to add, I used a baby wash by aveeno for my scalp all during chemo..I was looking for something gentle and without fragrance..and ended upon the baby isle..it worked out well for me..and one bottle lasted the whole 6 months of chemo..I was so happy to throw it away once I was done..but it served me well

When my hair fell out, my head got a little prickly feeling, it sort of hurt, my brother got me a silk pillowcase.  Eventually the feeling went away.  I went to a wig store especially for women with cancer, they would say so in the phone book.  I got a very soft night cap in my favorite color, and I wear it all the time around the house.  I also got a stretchy-material already-made scarf affair for when I go to the grocery store and casual activities like that, just wish I had bought two, and it's so easy to put on and takes care of the situation.  I also have a really cute hat that I wear as often as the scarf.  I only wear my wig when I go out to eat or something special like that, but it sure looks good, but can cost right much... some cancer clinics have a bunch they can give away to you.  My hair is now just starting to come back in, a kind of shadow, and it itches I assume from the hair.  But whenever I shower now, which I HAD been using my regular Dove soap on my head because it's so convenient, I now see what the others have said here about shampoo and conditioner might be a better solution now that my hair is coming back.  I just put my regular lotion on my head like I do the rest of me.

was anyone shopping there? http://stores.tophairwigs.com/StoreFront.bok

with 200$ covered I feel it's a joke.

can I still go to 'look good...' after first chemo I needed almost 2 weeks to feel able to drive, although going out, where is a crowd is terrifying me.

I wasn't expecting my hair to come out when I was in the shower.  I thought I would wake up one day and there would be a lot on my pillow.  I had a very short haircut anyway but I was very surprised that it happened that way.  My hairdresser had already offered to buzz me when it was time.  It was 8:00pm on a Sunday, but she met me at the salon and cut me down in 3 stages, made me look in the mirror after each stage and then got it to the GI Jane shortness.  This worked very well to prepare me.  About a week later, even the little GI Jane hair was gone.  My picture is the day after the buzz cut.  I had 5 or 6 wigs, which I had bought ahead of time.  Mostly, I wore turbans and at night a sleep cap.  The wigs were way too hot and they irritated my scalp.  There were a few days when the little tiny buzz cut hair was coming out, that it itched a lot.  I used aquaphor all over my head and it helped, but it was messy.  When my hair started to grow back, I bought an infant hairbrush because a real hair brush was too hard.  I just used soap on my head instead of shampoo.

Bella, as you see everyone does it differently! I didn't buzz my hair. Most women do it either because they feel more in control or for comfort. I felt that if I were to shave it before it fell out I would be giving in to cancer instead of dealing with things as they came.

However, for me there was a very BIG difference. I am an Orthodox Jew so for religious reasons I have been covering my hair since I was married so I didn't have to worry about how it looked. My hair had been long before chemo and I had it cut shorter (about ear length) when I started chemo so it wouldn't be too messy.

I always use Dove soap and that's what I used on my scalp during chemo. When I started rads I was told to use baby soap so since I only had the barest bit of fuzz I used that on my head too.

I started a thread called "wig advice" which is pinned at the top of the chemo forum. I put lots of stuff about buying wigs, taking care of them, etc, and loads of women added good advice, too. You might find it helpful.

Best of luck with the chemo.

Leah

You can do 'Look Good' anytime during treatment. I did mine after chemo while doing radiation (I wish I had done it sooner as I learned alot of good tips that would have helped eariler too). You can do it even if you 'just' have radiation.

In terms of discomfort, you don't need to cut your hair or shave your head until it starts falling out.  Jancie's description is perfect - a too-tight ponytail - but in my experience the discomfort stops as soon the hair is cut or shaved.  I would wait until it starts falling out, because it doesn't always, but that's just me.

But!!  I do recommend this, very highly:  as soon as you get rid of your hair, get eyelash extensions.  Big doe eyes makes bald look beautiful!!!  I think most of us do get thinning eyelashes and brows, but generally quite a bit later than the hair on your head - 5 months later, for me. 

I got my hair cut very short (like about 1") right when I started chemo- DD AC/T.  When I got that "too tight ponytail" feeling and the hair started to fall out, I had my DH buzz it down to about 1/4 inch one evening at sunset on our patio.  I used a lint roller to clean up the loose hairs for a few days until the fallout stopped.  I have "chemo white stubble" over most of my scalp, unlike some who are truly completely bald.

My eyelashes and eyebrows held up until I started DD Taxol.  I have about 3 lashes left on each eye and a hint of eyebrows.  I've got one Taxol left. 

I didn't lose all my hair anywhere else.   I have no armpit hair, a bit of arm hair remains, had to shave my legs twice, and about half the hair in the nether region remains.

It's so different for everyone, just like all the other SEs.

Psheer, the chemo seemed to *give* me granny hairs on my chin and lip, I guess from my (very brief) "chemopause".  

Jancie, that truly sucks, but it's hilarious!!  

I never went bald anywhere, but had sparse slow-growing hair - until I started Taxol from A/C, then my hair took off like a shot and grew WAY faster than normal.  I was very happy that I didn't have to wait for chemo to end to start getting hair back.

I let my kids cut my hair every day for a week.. shorter and shorter, ending up in a mohawk which lasted about 2 hours.  it was kind of fun.  Being bald is unusual but not that bad.... i wore baseball caps and scarves and only wore my wig twice.  It's a great way to educate people ... people were so sympathetic and nice to me.

May your hair return quickly.  Mine has.  It seems it was years since I was bald but in reality only a couple years.  Sorry you have to go thru this.

I think of going out in a ballcap as "playing the cancer card."  You get a few sympathetic looks and many people become aware.  Last night we were in an Italian restaurant having a pizza, and it was chilly in there.  Another couple came in after us, and said something to the waiter about it being too cold.  She pointed over to me and said she knew that I was cold.  Turns out she did the BC chemo thing last year.  We chatted for a few minutes, and I noticed her hair had returned quite well.  She did say she struggles with the curl every day. 

The back of my neck gets really chilly - gonna have to start wearing scarves around my neck for protection...lol!  Winter is going to be a real challenge!

Michelle

I bought two of my wigs from that TLC catalogue from the American Cancer Society in the 200-300 range, and they were both quite pretty.  

Of course, after a few weeks of trying wigs and hats and scarves, I just walked around bald (actually there was sparse fuzzy gray stuff but you couldn't see it really).  It IS wearing the cancer card in general, but frankly I didn't give a rat's @ss, I hate anything on my head except hair.  I had people flirt with me, I had many smiles, and I had several women who were obviously wearing wigs ask me questions about going "topless".  Many people admire you for walking around bald, it's as simple as that.  It says that you are confident, it says that there is no stigma attached to you and you don't have to hide your head.

Having said all that, I did it because stuff makes my head itch.  LOL  Seriously, I have always disliked hats.

But the point is, as much as it's *not* ok to lose your hair, which we all really do understand, you don't have to worry about it.  You can let it go, let it be, and roll with this.  You can wear a wig, a scarf, a hat, hats with bangs, or go bald and it is all ok.  It really is.  

I loved my soft sleeping cap that I wore at night.  It was very thin material so the heat could escape out of my scalp.

I kept it which is good because now I use it to cover my head when I deep condition my hair and don't want my dh to see me with a shower cap on.   I put the shower cap on first and then the soft sleeping cap.