I lost my hair during my 1st cycle of FEC in Sept 08. My hair did start to re- grow after Christmas but it is taking so long and is still far too short and fuzzy (for me) to wear without my wig
I am 65; do I have to become reconciled to being a bald old lady - or does it just take longer if you’re older? I find it really depressing and that (and the lymphoedema!) are really stopping me from ‘moving on’
Hi Topsymo
I am having a similar problem and at 63, having read your thread am wondering if age is affecting us. I lost my hair in September 08 after the first cycle of AC. Mine also started to grow again after christmas but is very slow and very uneven. I have had the sides cut a couple of time to try and make it look right because the hair on the top of my head is growing at a snails pace. However it is growing.
Oh to have a fringe again!
I have given up my wig and just keep it all flat and brushed forward like a pixie cut. It will do for now - I just avoid looking in the mirror too often.
Take Care
Andie
Hello Topsymo,
My hair also came in very fine and fuzzy, and thicker at the back and sides than on top. I don’t know how brave you are feeling, but I bit the bullet and shaved it all off again at that point. It felt quite drastic at the time, but the regrowth was much more even and felt thicker, so I was very pleased with the results. I shaved my hair in January, and have just had my first haircut this week, so the growth was still slow, but I have been wigless since mid March. Regarding age, I am a little younger - 50 in a few weeks.
Good luck,
Julie
Hi Topsymo
Know the feeling! I lost my hair in July 2007 after the first FEC. I was 55 at the time. It wasn’t until June 2008 that I was able to go out without a head cover of some sort and it was very very short. Still short now as I keep it that way, but thickening up much more now. I think it is a matter of patience. If you reckon on a year before it is half way reasonable again you won’t be far wrong. Bet you stare at it every day too, like I did!!!
Don’t despair. It will come back.
Love and best wishes
Dilys
xxxx
Hi,
I lost my hair this year for the 3rd time I am 57 I had my last taxol in March my hair is very short 1/2 inch but it was very uneven and I hd a cut 2 weeks ago it feels really soft like a new born baby. I started back on taxol yesterday so I think it will gone by July.
I find if I put a scarf on a bit like a headband it looks o.k. it just takes away that refugee look softens it, if you know what I mean.
If you can by lanolyn from chemist this may help.
Love Debsxxx
Thank you all for your comments & encouragement- I think you are right Dilys that it will take a year for my hair to be anything like it was before- ie short and pretty thick.
I think you may be right, Julie that the 'best 'thing to do would be to shave it off and start all over again - but I just can’t face it!
I live in a village and have kept my BC (and bald head) pretty quiet- only a handful of people know about it and I would like it to stay that way.
I went out in a hat on holiday in May but at home I just can’t face people I know without my wig- my face is no good for bandanas/scarves etc and hats aren’t much better.
Thanks for the tip re lanolin Debs- I will try that and also go back to my hairdresser- I haven’t seen her since August and I guess she could do with my business!
Andie- I too never thought I would miss my fringe so much; at the moment couldn’t even manage a pixie look at the front
the day after my last tax in Dec, I noticed hair on my head. It has grown back thick and curly. But iwas told by my onc before my first chemo that it would be a year before it would be back to how it was. My hair was shortish and I dont think it will be back to normalfor a good few months yet.
The worse part of this illness is the waiting, for results,tests, side effects nails and hair to return. It is hard to be patient
I read somewhere that shaving it all off doesn’t help.
I’m 63. My hair started to grow back after the second Taxotere, but it took ages. I had to wear wigs and hats for 8 months and it was about 11 months before I had a decent head of hair. I believe that having Herceptin for a year also slowed it down.
I took ‘Hair and Nails’ tablets throughout. I also used ‘New’ shampoo by Lush which is supposed to promote new growth and probably doesn’t do anthing but it smells gorgeous. I also used Nioxin which many of the women on the US bc sites recommend. I doubt if any of these actually made any difference but it made me feel as if I was doing something to help.
Once it started growing back I used to keep going to the bathroom to keep looking at my head in the mirror - dozens of times a day !
Good luck everyone.
Anthi x
I took Kelp tablets because of the state of my nails but found that my hair definately grew quicker. Worth a try?
hello all you ladies with or without hair problems, this isnt advice,just an observation. When I was on F.E.C.chemo the comment that most people made was "your skinsnever looked so good". It took a while for the penny to drop,the reason was that apart from losing all my head hair,Id lost all the downy bumfluff off my face. My hair is slowly growing(minus my fringe!) but the fluff has come back more than before,thank God its blonde or Id look like a were wolf,and strangely enough my nails were beautiful on chemo,now thryre dreadful.
Anthi, glad I’m not the only one! I’m constantly checking my head and even tho everyone around me assures me that my hair is growing quite fast, I have to look for myself and, as I look so often!!! it’s not as noticeable… Pat x
Hi All
I lost my hair too after first cycle of FEC in November, it started growing back in February while on Tax but it is oh so slow. I used to tint my hair before as quite grey (I’m 59) but now it is coming through white! If it was dark it might look as if I had more hair!! I find it too hot now though to wear my wig and have bought some cheap cotton hats.
Andie- My hair is growing more at the back and sides and very slow on top like yours I guess it can’t all grow at the same rate.
How is everyone doing for eyebrows and lashes? Mine have started coming back but again quite slowly.
pp
Hi there
I was on the Tact 2 trial last year, finishing Epi in Sept and then starting Xeloda. My hair started sprouting straight away once I was on Xeloda in Sept. Now I have the poodle look! It’s come back very thick, dark but very, very curly. I can’t do anything with it and I hate it! It won’t lie flat and just sticks out everywhere. Today I’ve been to the coast in the breeze and resemble a ‘wild woman’.
I find it very fustrating as, in the great scheme of things, I should be happy to have hair, but not this hair. It’s not me and I now avoid mirrors. I just wonder how long it will last.
It’s just another reminder!
Mal
Hi Mal,
I was on the TACT 2 trial a year ahead of you and like you, my hair grew back curly… only I liked it! I’d always had poker straight hair and quite liked having a bit of body in my hair. However, after a few cuts, it gradually lost the curl and eventually went back to my normal texture, pre-chemo. Only difference is that I decided I didn’t want to put any nasty chemicals on my head any more, so it’s now very grey!! And actually… I LIKE IT!! And I have frequent comments on how good my hairstyle is, whereas pre-bc, I got no comments 
Hey… something good came out of the whole experience!
Ali x
Sorry to butt in but thought this might be a good thread to stick my nose in if you dont mind i have started a new thread too.
If anyone has has Taxotere and hasnt had their hair grow back (after 3 months) can you please pm me ASAP.
I have a meeting tomorrow and i need to take all my research with me so please contact me if its happened to you.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Pineapple
Just to say hallo and wish you well. Did you get a decent wig in Selfridges?
Much love
Dilys
xxxx
Got 2 lovely ones!
The first one is really fab, its a shaggy long permed blondish one attached to a head band. It really suits me and everyone loves it. The only thing is when we left the shop (house of frazer) my hubby says to me
" the one with the headband?, theres and old (infact she is probly dead by now) porn start that wears the same one!!!"
so every time men look at me i think they are thinking i am an old bloody porn star! anyway, how does my hubby know
The other one is just like the one i got over here so have 2 to choose from which is great.
I am saving the bills to give to SA when and if it goes to court.
shirl X
Just saw this thread and thought I would post my comments.
I’ve had 4 lots of chemo and lost my hair 3 times. I have almost finished this course, Taxotere stopped 2 months ago but still on Xeloda. My hair started to grow after 3rd Tax but each time seems to take longer. It is very white and curly. Can’t wait for it to grow more. Now that warm weather here can’t bear wearing wig so have plucked up courage to go out “bare headed” unless going somewhere special. Going to wedding on Friday and dread having to keep it on all day.
I finished Taxotere before Christmas. Now June and still very short, although it’s quite thick. It seems to just grow upwards like Bart Simpson rather than downwards, so I’m going to have to have it thinned out. Feel a bit silly, I’m 53 but I’m having to use some gum to make it a bit spiky, otherwise I look like a toilet brush!
Love and best wishes Jilly
Hi everyone, I finished tax end of april. No one except by hubby had seen my head wigless. I felt it screamed CANCER and would scare my sons[both adults]Well I now have half an inch of white hair around the sides and a little less on top. At one point none on top I looked like my Dad.On sunday i bit the bullet and showed my younger son my ‘hair’. He was so surprised and said he thought it looked quite good and that i should ditch the wig. Feeling a little braver i also showed it to older sons wife. She too was full of compliments. I suppose neither of them would have said ’ jesus woman get yer wig back on’. but I feel happier that i will at least be able to bare all around my family.Maybe close friends are next. I am not sure I am ready to scare the living daylights out of my grandaughter [18mths] just yet.From shouder length brown hair to a white covering may be too much for her.I’ll give it a couple of months yet I think. take care kitty xx