Of hair regrowth after chemo ....

Hi thank you for that.  Makes me feel that perhaps it will return.  I did shave it off before it all fell out.  I was expecting it to return quickly as the first time I had b cancer it returned very quickly.  But I guess TAXOTERE is a different drug.  I will try not to panic.  My son tells me this.  I will update you if that is ok? Regards. J x

you sound like you need a hug

21 years clear of the breast cancer is pretty impressive and rotten luck it came back. 

I managed with a wig throughout treatment but once my hair did start to grow back it kept slipping so I went out with my new slate grey bob and nobody recognised me, even people who knew me quite well, it was very strange indeed. 

you're going to need to be patient and stay calm

my hair started growing around the 8 weeks mark but mostly at the back rather than on top, from memory I went without the wig around Easter time and I'd finished chemo on Christmas Eve 2015.

the eyebrows still haven't returned, which is annoying rather than devastating 

try and eat a nice balanced diet with plenty of variety, chemo strips out every vitamin and mineral and you need to replenish 

Carolyn

xx

Hi Carolyn

Thank you for your message.  I guess on the one hand I am not lucky and the other I am.  I escaped death last July when I broke 4 bones in my pelvis.  They had to do a very new radical operation and I couldn’t walk for about 6 weeks at all. Then I came home with a Zimmer frame.  I need another operation to remove a metal plate that saved my life.  It is still uncomfortable.  Then I discovered the breast cancer had returned.  And this is not the first time I escaped death.  The first time was over 30 years ago when through an inept infertile ‘expert’ who implanted eggs into me for IVF, it went badly wrong.  It turned out to go into sepsis and I had peritonitis.  I escaped death.  I needed a hysterectomy and of course there went my chance of having another child.  And then some years later the first round of breast cancer came.  So I am lucky and not lucky.  That is life.  On a personal level life has been miss, rather than hit!  I didn’t get it right.  But I do have a lovely son.  I have a grandson too.  Another positive, I had a good career and became successful in my field.  But this illness yet again, is depressing.  I will get better and I will recover.  I just have to be a bit more patient I guess.

I do hope you are well.

J

x

morning  

I can't remember where I heard this but someone said you have to develop a bad memory for the bad things. 

it's my new mantra.

I wouldn't claim to be the best at being optimistic but it does make sense that if you focus on the good stuff you will be a bit more cheerful generally. 

You do seem to have picked out the good bits to focus on, your son and grandson, your professional career. You have good things around you. 

Back to the point of the post, I know that in the summer my hair and nails grow quicker and stronger. Sunshine seems a precious rarity at the moment but vitamin D is a life saver and it only takes about 10 mins per day to top it up. 
I try and walk 6000 steps per day and most days there is a teeny bit of sunshine. Without looking like a lunatic it's up to us to dash out and expose ourselves. 

Whilst I was going through chemo my potassium was incredibly low and I was suffering noticeable difficulty picking things up, specifically a chocolate bar on the table, potassium is linked to close motor control, dexterity in your hands. If I'd said to my GP I can't pick something up off the table I doubt he'd have prescribed eating a banana. Potassium is also linked to low mood. To up my vitamin and mineral consumption I had to chop up fruit and hide it in porridge, also adding things like nuts and seeds and a bit of maple syrup. 

your body needs to heal and replenish, once that's sorted I'm sure your hair will sprout back

you did it before, you can do it again (insert cheerleader)

Carolyn

xx

hi 

I am doing my best here.  I have a video consultation with my oncology in 10 minutes and will go over stuff with her.  The cancer nurse at the hospital has said some very destructive things to me which has panicked me. The nurse said and I quote 'your hair will be very fine you are much older this time round'!  She also said 'you do know that you are an increased risk of other cancers now'!  When I asked when my immune system would recover, she said 'it won't'.  Her comments panicked me like crazy and I know I could call Pals and probably will because she will be saying these things to other cancer patients, but in the meantime I am going to discuss with the oncologist.  

Yes I have some positives, I am self sufficient, I have a son and a grandson and another new baby will be here in July which is great.  I just want to be well now that is my only goal.  

I guess anyone here has been through the mill, and I wish everyone good health and happiness.

Hopefully, I will be fine.

Thank you for all positivity.

J

Hi there, are you on Letrozole or similar? This is not want you want to hear but I am one year 3 months on from my last chemo and my hair has not come back properly. Yes I do have some but quite sparse along top. I’m wondering if it is the Letrozole. I was put on it exactly 3 weeks after last chemo so I feel that my body didn’t get a chance to recover properly. May be worth asking your BC nurse, mine is going to try to get me an appointment with a dermatologist although I’m still waiting...perhaps Covid related? Just a thought. x

Hi

No i was only on TAXOTERE.  Now on nothing.  Hair is sparse but I guess it is still early days.  My BC nurse was horrendous so I will in future speak to the other one there.  They won’t let me see a dermatolgist for quite a few months yet.