stupid question time - anybody not lose all their hair?????

I lost all my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. I did not mind the hair (wigs, hats, scarves, etc.) or the eyebrows (pencils work miracles) but the eyelashes were hard. However, a little eyeliner on the top does help.

If you are going to take A/C, you will probably loose all your hair. But it is not the end of the world. I wore wigs at first and now I just wear a ball cap. Store clerks are really nice to me. I get to move to the front of lines in grocery stores. I play the cancer card and enjoy the little perks. God knows there are enough down sides to this disease. People feel good when they help you and I enjoy letting them feel good helping me.

Debbie 

Hi Mary:

Depends on what regime you are on?  CMF don't lose it, it can thin, but unusual to go bald.

Good luck!

I have the same as you and I got CMF,don't know what your dr. has recc'd for treatment.  My onc first said the ACT, but I said I did not want to be bald or sick, so he said CMF was reasonable.  I had 1 (slightly over) cent., no nodes, I have no idea what grade, estrogen receptor positive.  her2-

I have a ton of very thick hair, which did thin a bit in the front but not so  you'd notice.  I will be on treatment number 4 next chemo.

Good luck to you.

love

annie

You mean there is a choice!?!?!?!?!? I just went last week and cut my hair short (took off 11 inches) in preperation of losing it all. Oh well.... I did donate it to locks of love so it was for a good cause. Just wish the back of my neck wasn't so darn chilly now lol.

I'm not sure what I will be put on just yet..... I suspect I will be starting into that faze the beginning of may and really not looking forward to it :O(

I didn't loose every bit of my hair, I had a little buzz left and it started regrowing, very little regrowth though after 3rd treatment of A/C.  I'm now on taxol just did 4th treatment and so far nothing has changed. I still have eyebrows and eyelashes...so far.

Teresa

Hi Mary,

I lost my hair with the Adramycin and Cytoxin 3 weeks after treatment.

The Next time around and (I hope not for you) I had Navelbine--which back then 2002--it stated--thinning of the hair--I am on it now and it states--loss of hair-- and I have lost some.  I have been on Herceptin and there is no loss of hair with this one.  When you know what Chemo you will be on, ask your Oncologist if it will take your hair out--all of the meds do not.  I have had Xeloda, Tykerb and no loss of hair.  I hate the wigs--that is just me--got a lot of compliments--I think it was trauma from the beginning and I still don't like them, but had to wear one recently as Taxotere took out my hair.

So bank on nothing--ask all the questions you need, for all you need.

Good Luck!!

Linda C

My twin had CMF 15 years ago and didn't lose her hair.  I had AC/T and lost mine. 

Depends on what chemo drugs you are getting. 

I, too, didn't wear a wig, hated it, but stuck to baseball caps and turbans.   I didn't wear anything around the house, just when I went out. 

I did CMF...Cytoxan,Methatrexate(sp) and 5FU (how I love the name of that one). I did lose all my hair...thinned out alot but still had a light layer on my head.

Hi RavDeb,

Are you saying you did not loose it all?I shaved mine in preparation for AC and Taxol. I would be thrilled to keep my fuzz throughout this ordeal. I've had two AC treatments and still have quite a thick fuzz.

LA

ME ME ME!!!!

not sure if you have it in the USA but I used scalp cooling and kept almost all my hair through 4 chemos including epirubicin and taxotere, the worst my hair got was with cmf following epi, the treatment was tablets and the scalp cooling only works with iv treatments.

It involves wearing a helmet chilled to at least -5c, I wore it for around 1 - 2 hours before iv then the same afterwards, it works by stopping the blood flow to your hair folicles while the chemo is in your system. It may not always work and lucky for me I had great results with it never needed to wear a wig or a hat, just had to give my hair lots of tlc, no blow drying, dying, and didnt over brush it, and bottles of leave in conditioner!!! (The photo on my avatar is taken not long after my taxotere treatment)

It was time consuming and uncomfortable but my long (bottle) blonde hair stayed put and was worth every second of it!!

Sue xx

I didn't lose ALL my hair, either.  I got 4 txs of Taxotere & Cytoxan.  I got this 'receding hair line' thing happening, and overnight, white fuzz appeared...  Then in spotty areas, I lost the rest of my hair, but there always seemed to be hair covering my  head.  I looked like Sluggo! 

It didn't start really growing til about 3 weeks after my chemo was finished.  Now, 6 months later, it is about 4 inches long!!  I got chemo curl and I'm LOVING the curls!

Good Luck!

Harley

I am doing Carbo/Taxol/5FU. I lost all my head hair, most of my 'bikini' hair, but after three treatments, still have brows and lashes. Not sure if this convenience will last, but am enjoying it. I will be doing 9 more treatments so time will tell...

Wigs itch. What sadist designed these scratchy itchy caps? Also my head is shaped like an ancient Egyptian queen's with bulging occiput, and the wigs sort of slide around.

When this is over I will wash them carefully and find a place to donate them.

Trouble is I have gotten many compliments from people who don't know I am on chemo-they LOVE my new hair

I did not lose all my hair. 4AC 4Taxotere. I buzzed my scalp before chemo because I was told I would lose it all but it never did fall out. What I buzzed remained, but after the 4AC it started growing just a bit. I am just done with last taxotere and it is 'almost' long enough to put between fingers.