Thank you for the info about the costume.Ithought i might buy a swimming hat to go swimming,probably look silly but id much rather do that than let people see my thinning hair wet.
Jackie xxxx
I think this “rant thread” is brilliant - sometimes you dont want to be cheery, or be grateful, or be positive, or look on the bright side, or think about those worse than yourself! Sometimes you just want to say whats really going through your head, and as has been pointed out, unless youve been through it, all people see is you looking good and having a good hair day (wigs always look fantastic!)Some of the side effects may seem minor to others (like the loss of nasal hair so your nose pours water without giving you any notice, like the wee thing, the indigestion, the diarrhoea, the sore feet …oh, I could go on & on)
So, keep it up ladies, lets be the “Grumpy Old Ladies” and say what we really think!!
(but to contradict myself - im allowed! - my hair grew back last time, did take quite a while, but after about a year was in better condition and thicker than it had been previously - hold onto those thoughts 
Girls, (Naz especially) this is from a boys point of view…
I went out for lunch with Lucie today, 4 weeks after her last chemo.
Please believe me when I say, it didnt matter to me that she wore her hat indoors, or that post surgery she still had a cracking figure.
Absolutely no-one batted an eyelid at us… they may have if I were dining alone, or were trying to control the 4 kids on my own… just take strength in the fact that you are getting through this, and that you have so much else to look forward to.
There is a good ending to all of this, its just a hard journey.
You have the love and thoughts of so many people that you can put all of this behind you and eventually look back on it and say “Do you know what… I beat that” …
xx
No more to say…
^ That’s a lovely post and very upbeat.
i hated having no hair, but now its all back it annoys me that i have to pay to have my eyebrows waxed!its not that long ago i was bold,
What a huge relief to come accross this forum today. I am undergoing chemo, just had 2nd treatment last friday, lost my hair last weekend. Hit an all time low yesterday, cried all day. felt like screeming at anyone who just looked at me!!Can’t find the energy to get dressed, or walk with my lovely dogs… Hate everyrthing about my body and the way I feel, can’t imagine ever feeling “normal” again. Thanks ladies, it,s good to know we are going through it togeteher.
All i can say is once you finish, in my experience,your hair grows like stink all over your body! I was amazed how much was back in just 4 weeks after the last chemo.
Regardless of it being temporary, it still sucks. People who say that mean well but have no idea at all how hideous you feel.
I dont like the hair i have now as it is uncontrollable and stands straight up but i have my eyelashes, eyebrows and other bits and ive lost 2st of chemo weight. It just takes time. I finished all treatment in November so not that long ago.
Keep going ladies. It does get better slowly but surely
XX
Just to say i bought 2 swimming costumes from m & s but not tried them out yet.
Interesting a couple of you mentioned the wee thing??? does anyone know why and will it be normal again?
Hi northernbird
Just wanted to say I always had a really, really bad, tearful day 4 or 5 days after chemo - same each cycle. I wonder whether it was coming off the steroids? Once I realised it was a pattern, it made it easier to cope with - made sure I was on my own for the day to wallow in the misery! You may find this is the same for you, and hopefully it will only last a day or two.
Hi all
just a word of encouragement for all of you going through this - I finished 4xFEC in November, had the cold cap and kept most of my hair although it thinned very much on top - three months on and it’s growing back with a vengeance - lots of new hair amongst the old, I’ve had it highlighted and cut and it looks great. I lost all my body hair - can relate to the soreness and wee thing entirely (all back to normal now) - this was the area that grew back the quickest (couldn’t believe it - from bald to the opposite in a couple of weeks!) and now back to normal everywhere. Now have to shave again :o(
Friend of mine lost her hair and it has all grown back curly and grey/white but it looks fab - really jazzy. So don’t despair, ladies, it is amazing how quickly the time passes and you’ll look back on things in amazement that you really went through it all.
One thing I can’t do, though, is lose the blo*dy chemo fat I put on - very frustrating.
all the best
Helen
Thanks Guys for your honest and supportive responses.
It is so good to be able to say how you REALLY feel on this site, makes me feel so much better knowing that others are feeling the same , or have done at some point during their journey.
I guess i have had a bad week this week with the whole self image thing, every day has been hard, but i have held it together for kids and OH.
It does not matter how many times people tell you that you look well, or the wig looks great, it makes no difference to how if feel inside, i don’t know why,it just doesn’t.
Anyway, just home from tax number 2, so a cup of tea and a sleep for me i think.
Thanks once again for your honesty and words of support.
All the very best you you all…we are all amazing!
Naz xxxx
Hi
Does hair still grown back after Chemo and when you are still on Herceptin?
xxxx
Hi
My photo is of me in my wig as I am bald. My children think I look the same which is true, same colour, same style.
The wig is itchy though so I wear a hat or nothing.
xx
mine started to grow back after I had finished the FEC and during the Taxotere. Lost more eyelashes and brows with the Tax (but not completely) but hair on head started sprouting. I was never completely bald. I’m on herceptin and I had read on here that your hair grows back slower, but not in my case. I finished my chemo at end of Nov and have already been for my first trim. It is very short, but I’ve got used to it and my head is a lot warmer. Your right girls, it does stink, but believe me it will pass quickly and you will be surprised how quickly you bounce back after chemo.
much love
xxxx
I grew to resent my wig as it looked so good…felt like a bug on my head tho!
I have been recommended a product from Kerastase called Specific Stimuliste that helps hair to grow back quicker. A friend of my sisters who had chemo and lost her hair used it and swore by it. Not sure if it really works but I’ve ordered it from Luxury Hair Care.Com. You just massage it in every day and it’s supposed to stimulate hair growth. Will try anything to be honest as fed up wearing my wig and desperate to feel and look like the real me again.
Will let you know if it does actually do what it says on the tin!
Yes do let us know Paris, as if it works i will be the first to try it i can tell you! xx
I lost every single hair on my body and looked soooo like my old dad it was freaky. And yes, it sucks big time.
That was then. (I had my last chemo in August 09). Now I have a funky short do which takes years off. Like Jayney, I found Herceptin doesn’t seem to have slowed my hair growth at all. I haven’t updated my avatar photo because the technology has me beat. I also took part in a product trial for Wella Professionals which was a serum. It’s now available in Wella salons. I honestly don’t know if it made it grow any faster but it felt and looked thicker.
About the “wee thing”. You lot had me laughing 'till I cried. I’d forgotten about that. Yes it goes back to normal when you get your hair back. Makes you wonder about those women who get the whole area waxed doesn’t it?
About the swimsuit. I just bought a really nice one from Nicola Jane in their sale. I wondered how it would look because I have a very heavy prosthesis but it looks great.
Final word of warning. Don’t be alarmed when your newly grown eyelashes and eyebrows fall out again. According to my optician friend (when I phoned her in a panic) they all last about 8-9 weeks then are replaced by new ones. If they all grow in at the same time it follows that they all fall out again at the same time. It takes a while for it to settle down apparently.
I hope tomorrow is a better day for those of you still at the sh***y stage.
Jan xxx
Jan thats very reassuring as mine thinned out and ive lost the end of both eyebrows! They look a little better but thinner than when they grew back.
Phew!
Leucite I’m amazed you went from bald to the opposite in a couple of weeks. My last chemo was 18th December. I had some very fair fluff appeared on my scalp about 3wks ago, it’s now gone very dark in places, but not all over so to me it looks dirty. It feels sort of like felt. I don’t see any brows or lashes yet,& no hair ‘down below’ either. I can only assume it acts as a directional funnel for the wee. I’ve also thought often about those who have all this hair removed as a fashion statement. You never hear of them discussing the ‘wee issue’.
Anyway I have to say that my gentleman friend really likes this bit.
(Haven’t discussed the ‘wee issue’ with him though-there are limits).