I'm just posting this in case it'll help someone not freak out.
When I started chemo, my hair fell out as I expected.
After my 4th cycle, my hair started coming in-eyelashes, eyebrows, hair everywhere. My infusion nurse warned me that it might fall out... It DID, about a week before my 5th cycle.
A week after it fell out, it started coming in-even thicker and faster. I braced myself and 2 weeks after my 6th cycle it fell out again.
That last falling out was Sunday, day before yesterday.
I know it will come back again fast, I know it will be thick, I know I'll need to be patient... And I'm praying that it will be insanely curly.
I just wanted anyone on chemo to be aware that this might happen, if my nurse hadn't warned me I would've gotten all excited and then been horribly crushed when it fell out.
Peace, BE
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Hair-Fell out THREE times
- By Brown_Eyes
- Posted June 16, 2009 at 8:18 pm · 27 replies
- In Side effects of treatment
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27 replies
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- By up2late
- Posted June 17, 2009 at 8:09 am
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Thanks for the warning, it does help to be mentally prepared for that. I just finished #4 and have some stubble growing in. I don't know if I want to shave it again or try to save what I can! <grin>
I have been surprised at the lack of info on hair that is really available to us. So far, I haven't lost eyebrows or lashes, but I check each morning.
- By Brown_Eyes
- Posted June 17, 2009 at 11:17 am
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My eyelashes and eyebrows went very fast at the beginning of chemo! I have a few eyelashes hanging in there, refusing to give up, but the eyebrows are completely, totally gone. I have a good bit of hair hanging on too. Each time it has fallen out, a bit more has stayed... By next week I'm hoping to see the next new batch :)
I wish there were more information too. I think we can all help by adding to it.
Take care :) BE
- By Brown_Eyes
- Posted June 17, 2009 at 11:20 am
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Also, after my stubble was dense enough when it started growing back, I wanted to keep it. So I went to Target and bought an $18 pair of Wahl clippers so I can trim it myself for a while till it gets too long. The first time I cut it, I had to use the 1/16 of an inch attachment :) But I had all these random long hairs like half an inch long that needed trimming....
- By Amethystmd2559
- Posted June 17, 2009 at 11:47 am
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LOL! I hope mine comes back insanely curly too! I have always had such straight hair, it would be nice to have some curl! My eyebrows and lashes are hanging on right now, but when they do fall out, it isn't growing back, just getting thinner and thinner.
Bobbie
- By Shamrock2009
- Posted June 17, 2009 at 2:49 pm
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I just finished Taxol/Carboplatin cycle 6 on 6/8. At this point I still have peach fuzz on my head but no back forth growth as you have had. I lost some eyelashes and eyebrows after cycle 5. So we shall see what the next week or so brings. At about 6 weeks after the last treatment hair should be "stubbling" back through--hope it is curly also!
I have been an oncology nurse for over 30 years and always thought I understood how exciting hair regrowth was for my patients now I know first hand!!
- By katelynsmamaw
- Posted June 17, 2009 at 5:44 pm
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My hair came back curly till it got so long. Now just back to normal..
- By JanLP
- Posted June 18, 2009 at 4:28 am
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Shamrock, I just want to tell you how much I respect the work that oncology nurses do. One of my best friends is also an oncology nurse. She works at the treatment center where I go but she will not administer my chemo because of our relationship. She is absolutely amazing with her patients as I am sure you are. The nurses that have helped me through this journey the last 4 years are incredible. I have never seen a group of women and men who have such dedication, compassion and understanding for what their cancer patients experience. I am sorry you are now living it first hand. I hope your nurses are as good to you as mine have been to me. Their TLC got me through some rough times. BRAVO TO THE FIND ONCOLOGY NURSES OF THE WORLD. I hope you get healthy very soon.
Jan
- By shirlmac
- Posted June 18, 2009 at 11:27 am
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I am waiting to begin losing my hair for the first reocurrence. the first time after the fifth cycle of treatments I was slick as a whisle all over, I mean every where. No hair.
It came back fuller and healthier. Some curls and body. Hate to lose it again, but Oh well, what will be will be.
- By Shamrock2009
- Posted June 18, 2009 at 3:11 pm
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JanLP,
Thank you for your reply. Some of the nurses caring for me I worked with over 20 yr ago at FCCC and I know it is difficult for them. However, just as you I cannot put my closest friends through this.
Fortunately since I knew who were the best docs around my area I was able to feel very comfortable choosing who to trust for good care.
For the the past 15 yrs I have work in oncology clinical trials so I really have a lot of questions for my poor physician regarding my study--lol.
- By JanLP
- Posted June 20, 2009 at 2:24 am
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Shamrock, I am waiting for my trial to begin. I was admitted in April but the logistics and rules governing all of it are so stringent. Obviously they don't worry that I have been off chemo for the trial for over a month and my counts are escalting and now over 6600 and ascities is building up and making me somewhat uncomfortable. Mine is a Parp Inhibitor Trial. Which trial are you doing and has it begun. Details details. Would love to hear.
- By Shamrock2009
- Posted June 22, 2009 at 12:49 pm
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Hi JanLP,
The study I am enrolled on is GOG 0218 for first line treatment--Taxol/Carbo + Avastin/Placebo. I will now go on for 16 more cycles of Avastin or Placebo every 3 weeks.
I looked at the information that you originally posted and you said that you needed measurable disease to enroll on the PARP study. I know that it is stringent but that is the only way they can tell if we are responding to the study treatment in a Phase ll or lll study. Has that happened yet?
Hang in there!!!
- By Brown_Eyes
- Posted July 11, 2009 at 5:20 pm
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Okay, quick update. It's a month and almost two weeks after chemo. 6 weeks basically.
My hair is now about 1/4 of an inch long, some of it is longer, and thickening very quickly. It seems to be kind of coming in kind of in waves--so there are longer layers, medium layers, and a new 1/8th inch which is pretty thick....
My eyelashes and eyebrows are strange in a sort of humorous, although slightly annoying, way. My eyelashes are way thicker and are somewhat longer on the right side. My eyebrow hairs are twice as thick on the left side.... I'm hoping they'll even out sometime soon. It's kind of hard to do the eyebrow pencil thing when one side is twice as thick as the other....
All other body hair coming in too, just not as excited about it :)
Anyone know how long it takes for the baby fine fuzz to turn into real hair? I'm wondering how long it'll take before I can tell if it'll be curly.
- By mawmaw4
- Posted July 22, 2009 at 6:51 pm
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Well, 6 months after last chemo, my hair is about 2 1/2" long, my eyelashes came back with a fury and indeed looked like feathers, now this week I have noticed them thinning out, this is crazy, and quite discouraging. My hair did come n curly, but I am thinking that might change too, I don't know. I am discouraged about the eyelashes but I read on here that some people experienced that after a few months from the last chemo. I do feel like this stuff is rumbling still around in my body still, with bones acheing, etc. I am seriously considering a chemo flush and studying about that online. Any help there. info, from anyone?
Bev
- By Brown_Eyes
- Posted September 18, 2009 at 10:25 pm
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I saw a post asking about hair growth, so thought I'd update this....
Last week when I trimmed my hair it was just about 3/4 of an inch long. I've trimmed about 1/8 of an inch off several times when it's gotten super fuzzy and been all different lengths, so it'd probably be at least 1/2 inch longer right now if I hadn't trimmed it.
Also, it's SUPER thick and growing pretty fast. And, to my extreme excitement, this week it Finally started sticking out all over and showing partial curls in some places :)
It's also exactly the same color it was before treatment, but I'm only 32 so I guess I wouldn't have expected it to come back in a different color.
Hope this info helps someone...
- By Brown_Eyes
- Posted September 18, 2009 at 10:34 pm
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Forgot to mention in my post above: this is about 15 weeks after my last chemo, May 30, 2009.
- By verlinda
- Posted September 19, 2009 at 7:01 am
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Bev,
I did a chemo flush about a year and a half post-chemo. I wish I'd done it earlier. On the other hand, maybe the residual chemicals killed a few more cancer cells still lurking.
The amount of "stuff" lurking in my colon was unbelievable. I had a very gentle detox, added drops to water three times a day. It began acting on day 3 or 4. The first two days I stopped up the commode twice with the amount of waste that came from my body. The detox made it a very comfortable process. You know how even the mildest stool softeners/laxatives can still be somewhat uncomfortable. It was one of the best things I ever did.
- By cubsmom
- Posted September 19, 2009 at 8:29 am
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October 14th will be a year since my last chemo. I just had my first haircut on my insanely curly, ridiculously dark, hair. The cut helped out immensely. My oldest Son used to call me Ronald McDonald if that helps. As soon as she cut layers into the insane curls, they tightened right back up. Prior to chemo, I had 16 inches of my insanely straight, very light brown, hair cut off. After years of "doing" my hair each morning, I now have to "undo" it. Oh, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...Also, beware, as hair comes back thicker, it also comes back very dry. Whatever the type, it comes back!! Enjoy experimenting girls.
- By mrynorman
- Posted September 19, 2009 at 11:52 am
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My hair just started falling out 2 days ago and today it is coming out in handfuls. I only have done 1 treatment 2 weeks and 2 days. It is annoying. My hand hurts and then I go to touch it and tons more hair comes out. My question is should I just shave it off or wait a little longer. I have very thick hair. My back was itchy so I took off my shirt and my goodness there was so much hair.
- By Brown_Eyes
- Posted September 19, 2009 at 12:19 pm
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If you shave it too short you won't be able to grasp it to get it off and it'll feel like splinters in your scalp-I learned that the hard way. I would cut it to about 1/2 an inch, so you can still pull it gently if you want to.
- By lifeisgrand
- Posted September 19, 2009 at 12:23 pm
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Mrynorman... it's pretty predictable when the hair will go... 14 days after the first treatment... and when it starts there's no stopping it. Ask yourself whether you want the aggrevation of it coming slowly or do you just want to get it over with. After two days of clearing the drain 5 times during my shower, I handed my husband the clippers and said have at it. Word of warning though, I didn't lose every hair. Some of the very fine younger looking hairs stayed with me the whole time. Not much but I think of them now as my loyal friends who didn't desert me in times of trouble... haha...
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