Hope your enjoying the weekend and especially the glorious weather,Bristol has been basking in sunshine for a week or so now.
Tomorrow my daughter is going to shave my few remaining bits of hair off. Knowing this was an inevitability doesn’t make it any easier and I am freaking out inside.
I’ve suffered with body image issues for over 40 years and strangely it’s only since being diagnosed with breast cancer last month and having the numerous scans and examinations that I have had to talk about it which has helped. I am anxious that losing my remaining hair may put me back to where I was before.
My treatment p!man is chemo 6 cycles of which number 2 is on the 16th then surgery,then radio therapy.
Does anyone know if my hair starts growing back after chemo ends will I lose it again when I have radiotherapy?
Sorry this is a bit of a downer of a post, I have been staying really upbeat and positive up to this point.
On the plus side I left some of my hair around the garden for the birds to use in their nests.
Sparkle54 Get a bit of make up on before your daughter shaved your hair It does make a difference I shaved mine without my face on and felt better when I’d put my face on Sending you it’s a hurdle that you will get over in your own way and in your own time Do what’s right for you It can be tough to not recognise yourself in the mirror, it was hard for me and I’m sure others found it hard too but look deep into your eyes when you look in their mirror, you are still there You are amazing and beautiful and I just thought of it like a catapillar going into chrysalis phase before coming back out as butterfly once chemo was finished I don’t know if this helps I am sending you big Lots of for tomorrow Shi xx
I didn’t go for a shave. I had a no 6 and absolutely loved it. There’s a picture of me grinning like mad because I hadn’t realised what a beautiful-shaped head I had! You never know, you may like what you see. And if you don’t, presumably you have a good wig by now (I only wore mine about 5 times). It’s the hair falling out that undermines, I believe. I confess I was unmanned by the loss of eyelashes but stubborn ones, like in my eyebrows and my head, stayed on to the end. And I still put mascara on them, even when I was down to 5 lashes in total. Thicker-framed glasses helped me.
I also felt infantilised by the loss of pubic hair but found that more amusing than upsetting.
In answer to your question, radiotherapy doesn’t affect your hair. It will start regrowing once the effects of the last chemo wear off, maybe three weeks. I felt a thick stubble of lashes that were totally invisible but my heart soared. They grew fast and thick and then fell out as a fresh growth came along. Head hair will grow either at its usual rate or a little faster and it probably will be thick and incredibly soft. I would stroke my head, like stroking a pet! Then come the chemo curls. No matter how straight your hair, initially it’s likely to grow in whatever direction it chooses and it may be a different colour too - some find it’s a lot darker, some lose white hair to steel grey… A good cut will keep it under control till the curls grow out.
I just would like to say that one of the most beautiful women I know is suffering with secondary cancer in her early 30s. She is completely bald and accentuates that. She positively glows with energy (I was like a zombie during chemo) and optimism. There’s something inside her, besides the cancer, that makes you want to smile. I felt and looked like s*** but I really didn’t care. Maybe both approaches work. I hope you find an approach that helps you accept the inevitable and go with the flow. Emotional health is as important as physical health at this stage of treatment.
it’s not a downer of a message - it’s honest and vulnerable.
I don’t think anything prepares most of us…even digging deep and reminding myself I’m more than my physical appearance it’s not easy is it…in fact that is a total understatement, it is very tough, very. I see it a bit like a grief…having to lose something that helps us feel like ‘us’ and attachment to ourselves as we were.
there’s so little time between diagnosis, treatment, surgery that there isn’t much processing time is there…no wonder we’re feeling a bit all over the place.
Shaving my head is also something I’m currently considering and it’s not easy…I know people might say it’s only hair…it’ll grow back but it doesn’t feel that way…
I ordered a wig from Mila on amazon…they take a while to arrive but it’s my current back up plan if I have to shave - the other is to put my makeup on every day and to do things/distract myself with ‘me’ things so I don’t dwell too much on not feeling good enough which I’ve struggled with most of my life (in terms of physical appearance).
i don’t think there’s an easy answer to any of this as it’s not an easy time and it’s not made easier due to current circumstances.
All I can say is massive hugs…I get it…I’m with you in the fear and wish things weren’t this way.
For myself (as I said) I’m recognising it’s a grief, a loss and all I can do is try to deal with each moment (happy or sad…or however I need the feel in that moment) and know that if I’m sad I’ll again feel ok enough…
it’s a hurdle that you will get over in your own way and in your own time Do what’s right for you It can be tough to not recognise yourself in the mirror, it was hard for me and I’m sure others found it hard too but look deep into your eyes when you look in their mirror, you are still there You are amazing and beautiful and I just thought of it like a catapillar going into chrysalis phase before coming back out as butterfly once chemo was finished I don’t know if this helps I am sending you big Lots of 
