Just need a bit of direction

hi fozdawn. its a tough question re hair loss and chemo. it never effected me at all  as a male it would not have mattered.  as a female can understand your worries. chemo seems to effect everyone different. some one will be along with there views soon. i am been treated for none small cell lung cancer

Hi

So very sorry that you find yourself on here.

I was diagnosed with SCLC in August 2011 and started chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the October. I was told in advance that the chemo (etoposide and cistplatin) would result in full hair loss. Prior to the diagnosis my hair had always been my crowning glory and I thought I would be hysterical if I lost my hair. The lung cancer diagnosis immediately changed my perspective and the prospect of losing my hair became very low on my priorities. My approach was to take control of the situation; got my hair cut short, got a prescription for a wig which my hairdresser cut  for me. I also bought some nice scarves/hats for the days I didn't want to wear the wig. Because the wig was a good match for my natural colour and usual style, only the people I told knew it was a wig.

If you have been told that you will lose your hair then  I am sorry to advise that it is likely to happen a couple of days after this next cycle of chemo, so best be prepared. Don't try to hang on to it; all you will be doing is delaying the inevitable. Take today to get organised; tomorrow you need a prescription from your Oncologist for the wig, book your hairdresser appointment etc. My hospital is a cancer specialist hospital, so it has a wig dept; if your hospital does not have this facility then have a look on line for somewhere near to you where you can go to choose your wig. Of course you can always choose not to have a wig. 

I believe that the important thing is for you to take control of this situation; you do not have a choice as to whether you lose the hair or not but you do have a choice at how you deal with it. Please try to focus on getting through the treatment, your hair will deal with itself and I promise it will grow back.

Good luck with the chemo. The positive is that SCLC does respond well to chemo.

Kegsy x

Hi Dawn, I have lost my hair on my present treatment and am embracing my new look.  I have a wig which I wear occasionally ( not a match to my real hair  ) but mainly I wear scarves tied turban style and beanies with a straw hat.  My friends all know my situation and love the new look.  Strangers will look and then look away. Shop staff and various other people I have dealings with are friendlier and more helpful! Where's the down side - set yourself up to go chic and sophisticated and wear with pride,  you're not suffering, you're fighting this thing  - be proud to have the badge.

Wishing you all the best 

Albondigas x

Hello Dawn, I too am new to this site so just thought I'd say 'hi'. I cannot help with the hair thing but I share your fears, it feels that on top of everything else you have to lose your hair as well. I hope you get sorted with wigs and scarves soon. I have a doctors appointment at 4, when I will be told what I have,  had chronostophy done last week so have been living a nightmare waiting. I see that you posted early morning, it's hard to sleep and nights are the worst with sweats and not sleeping aren't they? I hope we can talk together and maybe be a small comfort to each other, everyone on this site is so kind and helpful and it's so nice to talk to people in a similar situation. 

Thanks for the response and yes I'm normally up about 4am cos I can't sleep. 

I'm not worried about losing my hair cos I've got used to that idea over the play few weeks. I just didn't know how to go about getting a wig. 

Good look with the diagnosis at the docs today. 

Hi Dawn,

I thought that I would say hi too. I am always awake about 4am and I am not on any steroids. I think mine might be anxiety related? Did you wake up early before diagnosis or has it all been quite recently?

Great that you are part way through treatment, lets hope you get a great response.

Bob

Hello, just reading your response to Dawn, you seem so positive, you say your treatment was in 2011, a long time ago so it seems everything went well. Sorry to ask but there's nothing on your profile so don't know your story, I hope it's a successful one. Just been told bad news that I will need chemo and radiotherapy so devastated and numb. Doc has prescribed something to calm me down, has anybody else had this?

I was told chemo not radiotherapy. Don't let it get you down. Beat it with a big stick.

i had both chemo then radiotherapy.  i had very few issues. for radiotherapy i even got picked up and dropped off again for 4 weeks. skin issue because i didn't use moisturiser as told. 

Hi Nanna Jude

Given your reference to 2011 I am assuming your post is aimed at me.

No need to apologise for asking, I am always happy to answer any question you may have.

Yes I was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) in August 2011. Although the cancer was extensive it was classed as 'limited' i.e only in one lung and no spread to any other areas.  I went through chemo (etoposide and cisplatin) alongside 33 daily sessions of high dose radiotherapy. Because chemo is not good at getting through the brain lining and SCLS likes to travel to the brain, about 6-8 weeks after the chemo/radiotherapy combo I also had 10 preventative sessions of radiotherapy to the brain; this was quite low dose radiotherapy. I finished the combo treatment just before Xmas 2011 and a scan confirmed that the cancer was 'stable'. Now trust me 'stable' is very good news as it means there is no sign of any active cancer.   So far, over 7 years on, there has been no return of any active cancer cells. Other than the preventative radiotherapy to the brain, to date I have not received any further treatment.  I do still have 6 monthly check-ups, which I find re-assuring and they allow me not to worry about my cancer in the interim periods.

Please try not to get too stressed over the proposed treatment. Having a treatment plan in place is good news, and it will not be half as bad as you probably think it will be.  Treatments have improved greatly over the 7 years since I had mine and they are now a lot kinder. New treatments are coming on stream all the time, and lung cancer is no longer the automatic death sentence it once was.

I hope this helps to alleviate some of your anxieties.  What type of lung cancer do you have?

Kegsy x