hair loss

Still hanging on to long back, sides and front but totally bald on the crown and at the back (top of) … just so fed up … I know in the scheme of things, its a minor irritation but its really getting me down now. I love my wigs and bandanas but I look longingly at ladies with long hair … do they even realise what it feels like to lose it???

Awww Angie :frowning: i’m totally feeling for you. I feel the same about mine. Although i’ve still got a head of hair at the moment, its one of my greatest fears… and my children’s. I do try to stay lightheartned around the children and family just trying to make jokes of it but i know deep down it will really effect me when it happens :frowning:

We’ve got to stay positive and not worry about the hair. Hair will grow back but we don’t want the cancer to grow back. I know its hard to think positive when you feel so down but you’ve got us all going through exactly the same as you.

Hugs for you xxx

When it got to the point where I had hair patches rather than bald patches and it was falling out like mad, I scissored the longer bits short and then got out the electric razor.

What got to me was looking in the mirror and seeing a granddad looking back.

At least I have a head of hair again, 2 1/2 months after the last FEC, even if it’s very short, but it’s going to be a long time before I look like me again.

Shroomie, WHY do we have to stay positive? Have you been got at by the pink and fluffy police? If you want to feel miserable about losing your hair, then go right ahead! It is a BIG side-effect, and affects how we feel about ourselves and how others see us so we have every right to be miserable about it.

That said, it’s not a life-threatening SE and won’t see us dragged into the oncology isolation unit, but it still sucks.

I have taken to accosting my youngest daughter who still has lovely long hair that’s the same colour and texture as mine, and laying her hair across my head, just so I can remember what it feels like to have hair on my scalp. Perhaps a bit pathetic, and it does make me sad, but at least I get to have hair again for 30 seconds…

Hi sweetie,

You know, when i was first diagnosed and told I would need chemo the thing that really made me cry was the thought of losing me hair… a bit shallow I know when life threatening horrors were infiltrating my system… but its true. I tried on bandanas to see what they might look like balling my eyes out. My hair started to come out 20 days after my first fec in handfuls, so I went to my hairdresser and had it buzzed down to a number 4 all over. It stopped hurting, I felt that I had taken control back. And it didnt look that bad. When all those little bits started coming out and getting everywhere (about a week later) I shaved it off completely and just wore bandanas and started dressing like a hippy! I just thought, this is my badge of honor, stare if you like I don’t give a poop! My hair starting growing back when I started tax, and now 3 weeks after my last tax its about 6mm all over. The time has seemed to pass so quickly. My hair is the least of my worries right now, I can’t imagine myself with hair now! I don’t know what I am trying to say really, just as Choccie said, have a good cry about if you want, its quite normal, and as Shroomie said… it will grow back. And just think you can grow it back into any style your heart desires!!! xxx

lizzyspain - it was what got me the most, too! I cried buckets over the thought of losing my hair, but when it started falling out, I was amazed at how calmly I sat there pulling chunks out (a part of me was watching myself, thinking “why am I so calm?”)

What I can’t believe is how many adverts there are on TV and everywhere for shampoo and hair care products! I just never noticed before.

Fran.

I too wasn’t happy (to say the least) about losing my hair when dx, I was more worried about that initially than the mx (and the boob ain’t going to grow back either - bizarre reaction I know).

I held onto my straggly bits at the back for a long time and I took the plunge and shaved the stubborn ones off just over a week ago, (refusing to shave my legs now though in protest) and I feel so much better looking at the ‘baldy me’ instead of the ‘gollum me’ now.

I’m slowly making friends with my new look, spend most of the time without anything on up there but haven’t braved going out ‘naked’ up there as yet - partly because my face is quite tanned, but my head is white and looks quite odd. I’ve made a point of showing everyone that comes to visit my new head, only because I’m sure they’re wondering what it looks like under the bandana and I put them out of their misery.

I’ve only been out with my wig on 3 times (and I feel more self-conscious with it on) and called in on my sister last week and it was the first time my 2 and a half year old nephew had seen it - he didn’t recognise me at all and once he realised it was me (took a few mins of intense staring), he could only come out with ‘have you had your hair cut’ - aw bless him, he’s only seen me in bandana’s so far. His usual greeting since my ops has been ‘Hello Auntie Beverlie, have you got a sore arm’ and then he kisses my hand better - this really warms my heart each time he does this, so the wig/hair comment I wasn’t really expecting and made us chuckle - he’s on the ball though eh?

Bev x

I’ve got a brown face and white head too! Does look funny! Happy to be bald round the house, but I’ve not had the courage to go out like that yet, though I did take my wig off in the chemo suite yeseterday (too hot) and a coupld of the nurses quietly gave me the thumbs up sign! It IS emotional to lose hair - it’s to do with our identity, our pride, and it felt to me like “coming out” must feel. I feel that everytime I go out in a bandana or scarf, I am announcing to the world that I have/have had cancer… and I found that hard. Now that I’ve taken control of the gollum bits and had a No 2 done, the wig generally is more comfortably than the scarf regime, because I don’t like having my ears covered. I am getting used to the slightly different me, and most people don’t notice that it’s any different… Hang on in there - the emotion has to come out at some point, and things like hair loss seem to be triggers… Jane

Thank you everyone for all your support … it really helps to hear your feelings and I know I’m not alone in this. Unfortunately I had a tiny blip a couple of weeks ago when I read an article in the Washington Post by a breast cancer victim called Noreen Fraser. She has set up a cancer foundation in the states and writes a regular article for the Post. She is having chemo orally and has an amazing head of hair. This particular article was entitled I WISH I WAS BALD. I’m afraid I read it after a blocked plughole full of hair! Here’s what I wrote:

Please dont wish you were bald. I also have breast cancer, have had a mastectomy and am undergoing chemotherapy with the cold cap, in the hope that I may save my hair … but alas, my hair is falling out and I am almost bald. The hair that is left is dry and horrid. I wear a wig most of the time - I don’t want to to look like a victim to this disease. I want to look like me. I want the old me back before this cruel, awful disease took my breast and hair away … took my sanity and my life. I hate being bald. Please dont wish it. For those that are, its a truly difficult thing to come to terms with.

She replied with an apology.

Good for you! I wonder if she was thinking that if she was bald she’d get more sympathy? Doesn’t work like that does it? But WELL DONE!

I miss my hair too, The only time I like being bald is when it’s really hot.
I miss that I don’t look like me and I hate such a visible sign of cancer.
I’m annoyed that it’ll take ages for me to grow it back to shoulder length.
It makes me feel really unfeminine.
I wonder what my hair will grow back like and I worry, I had really nice hair. I can see some of the stubble is grey.