Hair loss

Hi, I had 6 cycles of chemo, 3 cycles of EC, 3 cycles of Abraxane. Hopefully somone will come along who had the same drugs as you. It may be different types of drugs affect hair differently. 

However, my oncologist told me I would loose my hair 2-3 weeks after chemo and I remember I just didn't believe her. I had my fiancé give me a buzz cut just days before my first cycle. I don't exactly remember the timeframe now, but by 3 weeks I had lost most of my hair and looked like a fledgling. I actually began looking forward to the humpty dumpty look which in my opinion looked better.

Loosing all my hair including eyebrows & eyelashes (I didn't brave the cold cap) did make me feel less pretty and feminine. But when I looked in the mirror I was reminded of my strength, I saw a strong woman and I gave myself many such encouraging pep-talks in front of the mirror.

My last chemo was 5 Aug and my hair is now growing out again. My eyebrows & eyelashes are coming on nicely.

Wish you luck on your journey and hope chemo goes well for you x 

V

We are strong arnt we. 
Sounds weird but every morning I’m wakening and it’s the first thing I check is for hair loss. 
Hope your well and thanks for replying. 
Julie

It tends to be the way that we find out our strength when we're really pushed to the limit, but most of us I would wager are so much stronger than we think we are.

A few tips regarding chemo, not hair related: drink plenty water, especially before, during and after a cycle. I was a bit dehydrated a couple times I came to the chemo unit and the nurse found it hard to fit me with a cannula as the veins in my hand just wouldn't cooperate. Once my hand ended up like a pin-cushion because they had to try so many times and my veins were sore and achy for a while. This could have been avoided by drinking lots of water.

Another tip: take notes, a small notebook and a pen comes very handy especially when you're dealing with a bit of chemobrain.

My chemo experience was that it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be. I had a bit of nausea, a bit of fatigue, the most noticeable thing was an odd chemical taste in my mouth and some reduction in appetite for about 1 week of each cycle. All in all the side effects were mild. Hopefully they will be for you too. x

V

That’s great because I was the same on my first visit ref the needles they struggled so thank you for that. 
Cheers for your tips I appreciate it. 
Julie 

I read somewhere that you start to loose your hair 14-21 days after your first chemo. I have a cold cap so it’s a bit slower on my head. However I gave myself a fright in the bath when I realised the little bit of body hair I did have when I got in was no longer attached!!! That was around day 21. 
Wishing you well

xx