Can we talk about hair for a second?

Hi,

I shaved my head in June a couple of weeks after my first Taxol when my hair started coming out like crazy. I went out before hand and bought a really nice wig. It's really easy to just throw on with very little maintenance. I also got a free wig from ACS. I also have many scarves, but don't like to wear them out in public because they just scream "here comes cancer lady"! Sometimes I just don't want to be the cancer patient. Although now that it has been 6 months I am so sick of the wig and find myself wearing it less and less. I am 2 weeks out from my last AC and just so ready for the hair to come back. Just wish I knew how long it will take!

Good luck to you!

I think hair loss is the thing people most dread when they are about to start chemo.  I know I did.  My hair was long --- half-way down my back.  But, honestly, once it fell out, it was out and a non-issue from that point.  I am too hot natured to wear a wig and mine fell out in the summer.  I wore scarves some, but thought they were also hot.  Mostly, I just wore a ballcap and didn't worry about it.

A lint roller or better yet, a piece of duct tape pull that stubble out!  It is not attached, but just hanging out in the hair follicle so it doesn't hurt.

The lint roller doesn't hurt.  It's basically really wide masking tape wound around a cylinder.  It's good for lifting out those short hairs, but it's also good for picking up the personal "litter" you leave around the house -- like, on your pillow or the back of the recliner.  If the hair is still attached, the lint roller doesn't tug on it (it doesn't hurt).

It does look really weird, though, to be rolling your nearly-bald head with a lint roller! 

BTW, Amy, there are lots of threads about dealing with chemo-associated hair loss over on the "Chemotherapy" forum.  Some of them are "pinned" to the top of the thread list, I think, so you should be able to find them easily.

otter

Hi

I knew I would lose my hair- so right after my first treatment, I had the hairdresser buzz my head and I left there with a human hair wig--- very close to my own hair (which was shoulder length and very thick).  human hair wiggs are expensive, but I worked all through treatment and had not shared widely about my diagnosis- and I wanted to control that, not have it controlled by my hair.  My kids were 12 and 7 and I figured it would be easier for them too.. but really, it was about me.

I actually found the wig easy--I am lazy about my hair and I cannot tie a scarf.... so the hair was simple.  I loved never having to style it and not having to blow dry my hair in the am--- but I can tell you, the hair was the hardest part of all for me. I had small cotton caps from the hospital store to wear at night, but I never left the house without the wig on--- I eventually bought 2 and would have one styled every other week--- I really had a hard time with the hair, so decided to really treat myself to good wigs and good care of them.  On the last day of chemo, I had my husband shave my head completely bald (I had actually kept some hair) so that it would grow back evenly. 

I started wearing the wig in January and by June had about 1/4 inch of hair- so stopped wearing it and spent the next year with fabulous short curly hair that I loved.   

Today, my hair looks and feels exactly like it did before I started---- it really does all go back to normal....

Hi, 

I too have three kids and got a wig.  A good one and wore it three times.  I wish I had gotten two more cheap / fun ones from the catalogues since when I started to get my hair back the wig I had needed tape to stay on and then I really did not want to wear it - I was keeping any hair that came in.  I got it cut short and had friends send me scarves and hats.  My favorite and most practical was the 1$ bandana's since they tied just right (not too long), I could buy them to match outifts and they could be sorta fun for my kids.  We made some with tie dye together and sometimes they wore them with me in support.  Great kids!  Blessings to you.  You can do it.  I found most people thought I was glowing - little did they know it was the hot flashes!  

i started losing my hair around 2 weeks post chemo 1. I was shedding like crazy so i had it cut short to shoulder length. 2 weeks later, my work colleagues shaved it off for me at work, took awhile as i had a lot of hair but my scalp was super sore, it was itchy and i had enough so i said lets get rid of it! I bought 2 wigs, they were awesome in the winter! kept my head super warm. I didnt buy real hair wigs as they tend to be super itchy. So i bought synthetic ones. I wore bandanas too-mainly to the gym and yes they did scream out "cancer lady" but then im the sort of person who doesnt really care about what others think. Great thing about wigs is that you just throw them on and thats it. It is unfortunate that we lose our hair but when it grows back in its so soft and beautiful. My hair started to grow back in about a month after chemo ended so now i have around 2 inches of thick curly hair BUT im now losing it again as i have to have rads to the brain-its all good though! thank goodness i kept the wigs!

Depending on your chemo regimen, you may not lose all of your hair. I did 12 weekly Taxol and then 4 bi-weekly AC. My hair thinned a little but I kept it through Taxol and the 1st 2 AC's. Even then, I still had some around the temple and the nape of my neck. So, wearing hats was still doable. Then, AFTER treatment ended, it all fell out. I also kept eyebrows and eyelashes almost to the end. I have a very nice wig and no one can tell. But, it's itchy an annoying. So, I only wear it to work.

I cut my hair very short once  knew chemo was imminent. Then I had it cut even SHORTER right after the first treatment.  Then when it started to shed, my husband buzzed it with a trimmer with no guard (shortest setting).  I did TCH and it never completely fell out. It was actually UGLIER than being completely bald - this salt/pepper stubble all over my head. BUT when it was time to grow back, it came back a lot faster because I had a 'head start' (get it?).  I was also told that shaving with a razor is not recommended b/c you can get folliculiits (infection of the follicles).

I used a trusty baseball cap, some scarves and a wig for business meetings (occasional). I hated the wig - it was itchy. People ALWAYS complimented me on my hair when I wore it though - it was pretty funny - made me think that my 'real' hair had looked pretty bad before! (I didn't tell business associates about the bc so they didnt' know it was a wig.)

SINCE my hair grew back, I have gotten really into hiking. I bought a 'buff' at the hiking store. It is AWESOME and super easy to use and I wish I had it when I was bald. You can get them online (google: buff - and a few sites will come up)., in all kinds of patterns.  It is FAR easier than scarves and fits nice and tight. I wore it on a hike yesterday and pulled it up over my head b/c it was raining, and I thought AGAIN, "I wish I had had this during chemo."  They are around $20, not cheap, but if someone wants to buy you a present, ask for one.

Be sure to get something soft and tight fitting (like a baby's skull cap - cotton) to wear while sleeping. Your head WILL get cold.

Being bald was not such a big deal (to me, anyway). I found it sort of interesting. And SUPER FAST - you will see first hand why men are always ready to go places before we are - they just hop out of the shower and GO!

One more thing - the Amer Cancer Soc has a program called "Look Good Feel Better" which helps with wig/makeup/nail tips for women going through cancer treatment.  You can find their site online and search for a place near you. They give it once/month or so. Once you are into treatment, DEFINITELY go. Hard to believe, but it really IS a fun evening and you will learn a lot.

Re the kids - if you put on some earrings,a pretty scarf and a bit of makeup (so you don't look scary-pale),  I think the kids will be ok.  They really pick up on our signals more than anything. I have read about moms letting their kids buzz their hair and doing mohawks and all kinds of crazy styles as they cut it shorter and shorter. I don't know if yours are old enough, but that could be fun.

AmyLb,

Well you couldnt have had better timing, I am 19 days in and today my buzzed off hair is starting to fall out. It is a little unneving. A little sad, but I have been so emotional lately its not even funny. I buzzed it before my first treatment, and usually wear a bandana, but I got a really nice sythtic wig that if you dont know me, you dont know its a wig- and it does make getting ready alot easier and faster. I had someone else give me the same advice about a lint roller. My main problem with the wig is I tend to get headaches. I am kinda excited about it growing back in and never never having to dye it again. Best of luck to you!

Connie