Hiya,
Just trying to find out if the rumours where true that hair could start growing before you have your last Chemo treatment - and if you were lucky for the hair to grow – did it stay or when you had the next treatment did it magically disappear again?
Its not that I miss my hair or anything lol - but any information would be great.
Thanks
Hi
I had 3 Fec and 3 Taxotere and my hair did start growing back after the first Taxotere.It is now about 6 inches long and I actually had it coloured today.(last chemo was Sept 2010) I have also finished a year of Herceptin which I understand can cause slow hair growth.
My friend on the other hand had the same chemo and hers didn’t start growing til a few months after the last chemo.
Hope you are as lucky as I was!
Tracy
x
Hi there
I’m another who had decent hair growth on tax. Started after my 1st cycle + never fell out again. Seems about a 50:50 chance fingers crossed 4u
tina x
Hi,
hair grows on the cmf half if you have epi/cmf chemo
Good luck. I had the cold cap and never went completely without hair.
Lily
my hair started growing after my 4th FEC. I have just finished my last one and it is still hanging on x
Hi,Im on ec chemo going to have my 3rd one on thur. My hair dropped out week 3 of my first ec then started to grow again and hasnt dropped out this time xx
I’m like beardie. I stopped shaving my head in the shower when the bristles on my chin decided to make an appearance and had to be pulled out with the help of a tow truck! That was a bit of a while after FEC4, and I didn’t shave my head from then on.
It grew a bit, and was a bit “loose” for a while after FEC5 and FEC6. 4 weeks after finishing chemo it was about half a cm long and patchy, but now it’s over a cm, not patchy, and while I still look like a convict it won’t be long until it just looks like a really severe crop. (I hope.)
I don’t want to sound like a damp squib, but I am feeling pretty down about my hair growth. I finished FEC/T in mid Feb and my hair started growing after my 5th. It has been very slow and is now perhaps 1 inch all over, but very fluffy and lacklustre. I have coloured it with a ‘no ammonia’ colour and it is probably fine. However definitely not a 1/2 inch growth per month for me. I feel compelled to do without wig at this stage but really don’t like the ‘new me’ without it.
Sorry, I just feeling a bit sorry for self. Had 11th herceptin today and clinic ran 3 hours late. So, home and kanckered and with hair that makes me look so old. Not only do I look it, I feel it. Achy knees, wrists, you name it…
Good luck, everyone, I hope your hair growth is rapid and your recovery swift. J.
Hello
yes my hair also started to grow after FEC number 4, black and curly - it had previously been fine, straight and fair. After 18 months its now dark brown straight and thicker than what I started out with. A lot of us seem to get something different to what we lost, but I think many of us just enjoy what comes. Good Luck xxx
Hi,
I shaved my hair off after 1st chemo as it started coming out at the back, but in hindsight I dont think i would have lost it much as I have had to shave it off every 3/4 weeks throughout chemo, my last one was 3 weeks ago and my hair is about 6mm all over, 80% grey and just stands up on end, would love it to go curly as it was completely straight beforehand.
Jo x
Hi
I was so down about my hair after chemo - it was like corkscrews. But now over 3 years out, it’s back to normal.
Don’t worry - it will get better.
Mal
I lost mine 2 weeks after 1st EC chemo. Mine started coming back when I switched to Taxotere but it was slow growing. very, now I had my last chemo on the 2nd August and it’s coming back better now, still not enough for a coverage but it’s grown quite a bit.
I’ve been using Alpecin shampoo and liquid btw.
Mine started growing back just over half way through, very fine and wispy to start with, and some of those long wispy bits did come out, but the majority remained, and it is now thick and very nastily curly - like tight ‘finger waves’ and I absolutely loathe it!! I didn’t have too much of an issue having no hair - hey ho, baseball cap and bandana and I’m having chemo so what do you expect? - but now that I’m back at work and ‘just’ on tamoxifen, I want to look as normal as I now feel… and each time I look in the mirror I am just revolted by this weird hair… that came back 80% grey, to add insult to injury!!!
I’m hoping that as it gets longer, the curl starts to drop out a bit… I like curly hair, but this isn’t cute curls, this is like someone has put tight rollers at random intervals all over my head… believe me, NOT a good look - but it’s too long to wear bandanas with, really - so I’m going with these wired ribbon things, just to break up the waves and detract attention from them…
Mine has stubbled up really quickly since FEC3 and I have shaved it to keep it short and was told by a chemo sister that it would be good to shave it one last time 3 weeks after my last chemo which will be in 3 weeks time and then let the hair grow normally. this apparently gives it time to get all toxic chemo drugs out of follicles??..
So I’m going with that. At the mo its looking very dark on top with the stubble and white at the sides. don’t know if it will translate to straight or curly??!
Trip, long time no see. hope you are ok apart from the fed upness of your hair. I also do not want to hang about with curly grey old lady hair and have decided I will dye it all sorts offunky colours tillit gets back to my normal shoulder straight, (maybe with straightners now!!)
Wandyx
Wandy, I didn’t bother with that last shave, and very glad I didn’t, as I have my convict haircut a bit earlier than if I’d shaved. I don’t see the point in what was suggested to you, as the hair itself is dead anyhow, and shaving it off isn’t going to do anything to the follicles, just keep you bald for a few more weeks. Glad to hear it’s thinking about making a return, and SO good to see you functioning well enough to get on the computer!
Soon as I went on Tax, my hair started to grow back on my head. Now after 4 lots of Tax it’s about an inch long. Still no eyelashes or eyebrows or (other areas) but it’s a start.
Ann x
Morning,
A belated thank you to everyone who answered my question. It seems some people are lucky and have some regrowth and some don’t until after treatment.
I am using the cold cap at the moment but seem to have thinned quite a lot under the FEC part of my chemotherapy - I am hoping that once I change to TAX that my hair will start to grow a little so that it won’t be quite so noticable… Although I am worried that my new hair will be grey and my hair that I have kept will be brown so will I be sporting a skunk like hairstyle – the joys of chemo!!
Have a great long weekend everyone and thanks again
xx