Wigs

Hi Portview

I am sorry to hear that you have started to lose your hair after your first chemo. I started to shed around 14 days after my first one last year. However much you are prepared, it can be a tough time. If you do find you are struggling then please do reach out for support on here as there are many of us who do understand. 

When I had my wig fitting I was given an appointment to come back the following week for mine. I also had to have the colour ordered for me. However at my hospital the wig lady and hairdresser had a regular Wednesday schedule. I would be very surprised if they didn't call you when it arrives but there would be no harm in giving them a call to arrange to collect it.

I was given a free wig stand but if they do not give you one they are available on Amazon and are inexpensive. They also have the stretchy wig caps if needed.

Jane

Thank you I might give them a wee ring and see if it has come in yet. Also will I loose hair all over my body or just my head? I knew I would loose my hair but didn’t expect it to happen so soon and at the rate it’s coming out at. 

Hi,

I lost 2 thirds of my hair in the space of a morning.  This happened about 5 days after my 2nd chemo.

I was alone at home as more and more started to liberate itself.  It wasn't a good day, I warned my husband before he came home from work to save him the shock.

Yes there is the potential to lose all your hair.  Some you may appreciate, other parts you may not.

Personally I have not had to shave my armpits or legs since around May,  and my pubic hair is extremely sparse.

My eyebrows have been steadily thinning and are now all but gone.

However, the hair on my head is starting to return now and I've noticed the odd old-lady whisker on my chin (I didn't want those back, thanks!).  I'm still on chemo, but a different type to when it fell out.

The thing no one told me, until I was on here is that you may also lose the hair in your nostrils which makes your nose quite runny.  I always have a hanky on me these days.

At the end of the day, I know why it's happening and there is a reason I'm going through this.

I've been making myself feel better by reasoning that it's a good excuse to try out new styles as it grows out.  I'd never have deliberately cut my hair short, so now it's gone there's a whole new world of possibilities.

Hi Portview

Good idea to give them a call. 

Hairloss will depend on which chemo drugs you are taking. 

I had paclitaxel and carboplatin. 

I did use the cooling cap but with that you still lose hair. I had shedding from around day 14 after my first chemo cycle. The first sign was a tender, itchy scalp. A few days later hair started to shed. I had the same sort of pattern after the rest of my cycles. About 14 days after chemo more would shed. In the end my hair thinned all over. I did however have some regrowth during this time. My biggest shed was in the first cycle and then a couple of weeks after my final cycle. Shedding stopped from what I remember around 6 weeks post final chemo. 

I lost all body hair around 14 days after first chemo. It sort of happened without me noticing. Eyelashes and eye brows took a little longer to go. Both were preceded by an itchy sensation. My eye brows thinned a lot but I still had a little left. With eye lashes it was lower lashes that went first. Lashes came back within a couple of weeks of chemo ending. Eyebrows sort of thickened up again without me noticing. 

I found it really hard at the time but looking back it was for a short time. My hair really started to regrow and thicken up quickly at around 3 months post chemo. A year post treatment it is shoulder length, wavy and healthy. 

With the hair loss on your scalp you might find it helpful to get a silky pillow case. I did and it helped and your scalp can feel really sensitive. You can also get soft jersey sleep caps that are supposed to be good. 

The other thing I found is that I didn't want to wash or brush mine in case it caused more to come out. But if it is coming out there is nothing you can do about it so gentle shampooing and brushing out any bits that have shed is the best way to go, otherwise it can matte and cause tangles.

I am sorry you are going through this, it is a really hard thing to deal with as hair is such a part of our identity. I hope that you can pick up your wig in the next few days and that it gives you confidence. My wig lady had a hairdresser who came along with her and would trim the wigs so they looked more like your own hair. I also experimented with clips and slides etc to get it how I liked it. My hair loss was in the summer but I remember thinking that if it had been in the winter I would have explored beanies and woolly hats more- as lots of people wear them anyway. You can even get some with hair pieces attached. My hospital also had a Macmillan volunteer who came once a week with lots of scarves and hats that you could try on for days where you didn't want to wear a wig- there were some really pretty ones. I remember sat in the waiting room one session and a lady walked in clearly having lost all her hair and she had her make up on with a sort of beanie type hat with a long scarf attached and I thought how glamorous she looked at the time. The scarf looked part of her outfit .

I saw this today and it might be worth a look.

(2) "If you look good, it helps you to feel good" - Community member Rhapsody's tips for hair, skin, nails and beauty during cancer treatment - Macmillan Online Community

Jane

You could lose hair everywhere. I did. While legs and armpits were a welcome loss other areas were not. 

You can lose nose hair which results in constant sniffing. Nothing to be done about that. On a slighter more weird note you lose pubic hair which to me resulted in irritation in the area especially on the sides where your legs meet your body. Avoid underwear with lace on the leg side and moisturise. Can’t stress enough the importance of comfortable underwear and socks. Probably my no. 1 expense during chemo. :/

Lol @ the whisker. Could have done without that too