Ive had my final docetaxel last Monday and noticed my hair is growing, is that normal? I'm worried the chemo isnt working if my hair is growing. Saying that my mouth and tongue is so sore and I feel awful.
Your hair growth is perfectly normal. Mine started coming back after the firt5round of docetaxel and within 6 months I a really good covering of hair. As bizzare as it sounds, I'm seriously considering getting hubby to buzz it off while the hairdressers are closed. At least I know what it'll look like. The mouth is another problem. Keep using the mouthwash. I went through a period when I couldn't stand anything in my mouth and lost almost 2 stone and this was a month after my final chemo.
Hi Julie i am on weekly Taxol since last year August and my hair is growing back since end of January this year and I am still in chemo.I cant explain why but it doesnt mean that the chemo is not working.My latest scan showed tumor shrinkage so its working.I am really happy I can get of the wig hopefully soon.
Charlieandlola Hi there, I’m 13 weeks post docetaxel and hair just started growing around 2 weeks ago!
As for your sore mouth, ask your doctor to take a look as I had really bad oral thrush and couldn’t eat or drink...ending up in hospital on a drip for a few days until one doctor discovered the reason. I was given Nystatin and a mouthwash (Difflam) and also a rinse called gel clear I think. Worked a treat. Don’t suffer in silence. x
I had chemo from August to November 2019, 2 cycles of EC followed by 4 cycles of docetaxel/herceptin/perjeta. All of my hair fell out after the first cycle of EC, but it started growing back once the docetaxet/herceptin/perjeta started, and I had a good covering of short hair all over my head by the time the chemo finished. Five months on, I now have a full head of curly thick hair, which is about 4 inches long. The fact that my hair grew back during the second chemo regime definitely didn’t mean that the chemo wasn’t working, as my MRI scan after Cycle 5 the chemo showed a complete pathological response, with the tumour having disappeared. This was confirmed by the pathological report following my surgery after chemo. So I don’t think that you need to worry about the hair growth - it seems to be normal for many of us!
I think everyone is different I had my last chemo on the 13th March and although I can’t see the hair on my head as I have a hair replacement system, I have no hair on my body, although I think I noticed a bit of growth on my legs today! I still don’t have many eyelashes and most of my eyebrows have gone, but I had them tattooed so it still looks like I have brows. I don’t think it means the chemo isn’t working. I have really thick hair normally, is yours thick or fine?
In terms of your mouth ulcers, I feel your pain. I didn’t have my last chemo (FEC-T), as my mouth ulcers were s9 awful. I couldn’t speak as it was too painful, I lost a lot of weight and it even hurt to drink.
As Bramble22 said I also had oral thrush after my 4th treatment, although I didn’t realise what it was, I had to call the doctor out and they gave my Nystatin and I used Difflam but they didn’t really help . For my 5th treatment they reduced it to 75% and gave me some oral thrush medication (instead off the Nystatin) to take prior the chemo starting and for the two weeks after, mouth ulcers were no better, presumable because of the accumulative effect of the treatment. Nothing worked for me and the gel rinse stuff is flavoured aniseed which I cannot bear the taste of.
As with all these things some things work for some and other times they don’t, def worth getting everything though for your next treatment as it may well work for you.
