What happened to your hair on weekly Taxol?

Options
cloudynight
cloudynight Member Posts: 40
edited July 2015 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

Forgive me if this question has been asked before. If you had weekly Taxol (only) or Taxol/Herceptin (but no AC or other chemo), what happened to your hair? Did you lose it all? When?

I'm getting lots of conflicting anecdotes from my doctors and nurses, so I'd love to hear about any personal experiences from the ladies here.

Thanks all.

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Suladog
    Suladog Member Posts: 952
    edited June 2015

    Cloudy,

    I just finished Taxol/herceptin for 12 weeks, once a week and will continue to do herceptin until the end of Jan 2016. I cold capped and so did not lose my hair. There are a lot of ladies on the boards who have done it. My doctors at UCSF suggested it and it worked great with that protocol. I lost my eyebrows and eyelashes, (easily disguised) all the hair "down there" the carpets didn't match the drapes, I had hardwood flooring (nobody's business buy the husband and me) and have not had to shave my legs yet.

    If they don't mention it, ask about penguin cold caps aka known here as PCC. There are a lot of ladies who can give lots of advice and recommends, depending on where you are. I can show you what my hair looked like post chemo if you'd like.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cloudynight
    cloudynight Member Posts: 40
    edited June 2015

    Thanks, Suladog. I'm not really enjoying the infusions so far, and I've decided to not do cold-capping because I want to get each one over with as soon as possible. I'm pretty uncomfortable and anxious in the chair as it is; adding ANYTHING to the process is a bridge too far for me. Respect for all the ladies who've done it, though!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Suladog
    Suladog Member Posts: 952
    edited June 2015

    Cloudy,

    Yep, i don't blame you , it made for a loooong day , the chemo part was short the ice part was long. I had bc in my other breast 25!yrs ago and chemo and I wish there'd been cold caps then,

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • crs003
    crs003 Member Posts: 73
    edited July 2015


    Hi Cloudy,

    I am doing neo-adjuvant Taxol, so I have not yet had AC. My hair was VERY thick and long. I cut it to my about my ears before treatment. It started coming out in my fingers, hair brush, and shower around week 3 or 4 (I did weekly dose) in larger clumps. Around week 7 it looked like what I call Beetlejuice hair, thin halo strands, but bald for all intents and purposes. I didn't cut it only because I wanted to wear hats for the summer and its cheaper than buying a halo, and feels much cooler. Its going to fall out anyway in 4 weeks when I begin AC. Hope that gives you an idea.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cloudynight
    cloudynight Member Posts: 40
    edited July 2015

    Thanks, crs003!

    I've just finished #4/12 of weekly Taxol and I'm losing pretty rapidly. It looks okay, I think, but I'm not sure how much longer it'll last.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Nel138281
    Nel138281 Member Posts: 2,124
    edited July 2015

    Mine fell out. I did shave it all off prior to it all going. I used a lint roller to catch the lose strands before I shaved it. It helped with itching and not leaving hair all over the house! I read that idea someplace on these boards and it was great.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited July 2015

    I did 4 DD A/C and lost 'head hair' and 1/2 of eye lashes/brows 2 days after 2nd infusion. I did 12 weekly Taxol adjuvant starting 5 weeks after last A/C. The last of all hair on body 'left' quickly.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories