Ladies does anyone kno the when your shave your hair do you go to grade 1 or 2 or straight completely bald. I’m getting close to the shave and have heard it can be sore so wasn’t sure what to do? Never thought I’d be asking this question!,
Kip 
Sending you ???and I went straight to grade 1 from the bob I’d had cut a month prior to chemo, I had waist length hair before that which I sent to little princes trust they use your hair to make wigs for children and give them to them for free, helped turn a negative into a positive. Also please my darling put your makeup on before you shave to grade one, put something pretty on too it’ll keep you looking and feeling beautiful while you go to the grade one, it’s liberating when you do it, you’ll ?too but keep ???you keep focused and believe you can do all this and you will, you all will ???
Shi xx
Great advice Shi. Thank you.
What day are you on Kip? Can’t remember…! At least you won’t be cold, but don’t burn.
I have really achy hips and back this morning. Probably the Injections. Just taken some ibuprofen but am wide awake. Oh well, seen another lovely sunrise. ?
?
Morning Kip
It’s not just me that wakes up ridiculously early for several days after chemo. I have been awake since about 3.30am. Might get up, catch up on Love Island and go in to work early. They’ll be lots of seats on the train then.
Sally
Sorry, ktk.
Glasses now cleaned.
Morning all,
So waiting between blood test and the next cycle of FEC at 10 am, have decided that I am not going to bother with the cold cap as have been loosing hair steadily for the past five days.
How did the shave go Kip? Hope you are coping and finding something nice to distract you?
I must say that my Hagan Das whilst watching love island has been a real escape for me, I wonder if they will keep it going till Oct when I finish chemo???
Anyway good luck to everyone this week, you are all doing amazingly and we will be through this before you know it!
Sending love,
Em
Xxxx
Hi All, thanks for the tips regarding the shave Shi, haven’t braved it yet but shedding like a cat today. Im trying to hang on until my wig is ready but not sure I will make it. Wasn’t expecting it to be so emotional, I thought I was ok with it but its really depressed me over the weekend. Lots of tears and fears at the moment… I think hightened by results of scans this wednesday… I’ll slap on the make up and go for it at some point… Hoping I will feel empowered once its gone!
Not sure who asked… but I am on day 15 today and the hair started coming out on day 11/12… I had noticed my head felt sore (like you had worn a hair band too tight) from about day 8-9 but the hair started falling fairly quickly from about 12ish.
Embolorry - good luck with the chemo today… another one ticked off, keep on with ice cream anything that helps is a plus!
Kip
xx
Hi
My hair started to shed about two weeks after first chemo. My biggest worry was my husband seeing me one morning with hair and then coming home to a bald wife, silly I know but these fears are sometime totally irrational. I got round this by getting him to do the shave. It was fine ? no tears, and it is very cool in this glorious sunshine. I do look like an emoji though! I have a fab wig from Noriko. The general consensus is that is better than my old hairstyle ? I’ve found my wig too hot at the moment so if I wear anything it’s my lovely chiffon chemo hats from Annabandana. Make up is also essential I’ve bought false eyelashes too, just got to master putting them on. On the plus side getting ready to go out is a breeze, I don’t miss the 20 minute blow dry every day!
Enjoy the sunshine ladies ?
Kip ??please don’t forget there is you bc nurse who is assigned to you, please ring them to discuss anything at all it’s what they are for to be another support on this journey, there is also the BCCF helpline who can listen, talk and support If you need it, it’s such a personal journey we all cope in our own ways. Luckily I was on the Oct chemo train last year with the crazy gang of amazing ladies and we also had May, july and sept ladies taking care of us and the super cc’s too. Every hurdle you leap over on this journey is a victory ladies, keep ???and believe, keep each other safe and ???be ??? have a ???And you’ll soon be ringing those ???in your units and don’t forget, shopping benders can be passed off as the steroid rush or you forgot you’d ordered it because of chemo brain ???Shi xx
Well done Kip ! (I am still jealous of your Velcro fringe). When I told a friend how upset I was at loosing my hair she told me a story of a woman she knew that was completely grey before chemo and then it came back without any grey at all… so I am holding on to that thought.
So I am back home, 2 down and 4 to go. It was so much better and faster today even though the nurses couldn’t get the computers to work and so couldn’t administer anything until they were working. No cold cap, so now no aching head (my head is large and I wore a medium last time, so think that contributed to my headaches).
Anyway all good, watching tennis from my sofa and plan to do nothing tomorrow and remember the next few days will be tricky.
Have also booked in for the looking good feeling good course as nurse told me they were great, but that’s not happening till after my next cycle.
My daughters will be home from school soon so will call on help from family for tonight.
Hope you’re all doing well ladies,
Em
Xxx
Hi ladies,
Well done on the shave Kip. I kind of feel guilty that the cold cap seems to be working for me. 2 down and no sign of any hairloss. Mind you I did go from halfway down my back to less than 2 inches beforehand to improve the strength and condition. I used to lose so much before when it was ling I was forever rinsing my hands when washing my hair. Washed it yesterday and lost about 3 hairs which is normal. I have bought a nice scarf just in case, couldn’t work out what to do with it bit whilst fiddling with it Saturday managed to do it quick well. Not bad for someone who is completely cackling handed.
After my very early start today I was on a train just after 6.30 and at work at 7.10. Worked through till 3 with a roast dinner in the middle (made sure I cooked loads of extra yesterday). Just home now so a busy day and I’m not that knackered yet. I hear the call of strawberries and ice cream.
Sally
Well done kip for the shave! It must of been so hard. Was just trying to read up on when it start going on FECT, tried talking to my fiancé’s children about it over the weekend as they are only with us then and they asked when and had to tell the I wasn’t sure. As we only get to see the at the weekend it may happen that I brave the chop when they aren’t with us, and they want to be here. Ended up in tears from me, them and my fiancé. You ladies are really brave and I hope on Wednesday at my 1st, I shown the same bravery you ladies do. Hope your 2nd session went well Embolorry xx
Well done kip ??little tip to share with you all and we all used once chemo and rads done is a shampoo bar from lush called new, it gets hair back on bonces really well and also rub a bit of Jamaican black castor oil onto bonce once a week too prior to washing, just to give you a bit of something to focus on. Lisa Marie keep ???the team of ladies you have on here will get you through this, you are ???and brilliant together ???Shi xx
Hi ladies,
Start my chemo on Friday and had my first weepy day since diagnosis on May 2nd, this isn’t like me , I feel sad and angry at the same time if that’s possible…
Poor hubby got it in the neck for having a sneaky sit down in the garden whilst I was busy cleaning everything in sight !!
Hospital every day except Weds which I am planning on using to have my hair chopped short, feel exhausted already…
Sorry for the moan , can’t sleep and have another CT scan ( head this time ) at 8.15 in the morning ?. Wig fitting at 1pm then oncology at 4.30 so a long day ahead, hopefully no more tears. I need to man up a bit ?
Enjoy the sunshine I am not even having to work so I should just relax and soak it up.
Best wishes to all.
Karen x
Morning Karen and all,
We are all allowed to moan, cry and shout as this whole business is unfair, untimely and horrible. I know there’s people (like my daughter’s, male swimming teacher) telling you to stay positive and strong but there are going to be many days when you need to let it all out and not feel guilty for it, just by letting your feelings out you will end up stronger. We alll need to find something to get us through, I just read Sally’s post about roast dinner and I started drooling, not to mention the strawberries and ice cream!!!
Good luck with all your appointments this week, it feels like a full time job doesn’t it?
Keep writing on here if you need to vent, we all do!
So I feel as though I didn’t sleep last night but also feel wide awake at 4am but not tired, sure I will be when my girls wake up…
No headache yet (hoping that getting rid of the cold cap will prevent the headaches from cycle 1), and feel okay.
My friend is bringing her friend round tomorrow who is Muslim and wears head scarfs all the time so she can go through a couple of ways of wearing them. Also bought a expensive bamboo beanie hat which is lovely and soft and I hope I can wear if all else fails?!??
Sally any roast dinner going spare, let me know!
Kip, hope you are doing ok?
Lisa, hope Wednesday goes well!
Shi, thanks for all your words of encouragement!
Sending love to you all,
Right try to sleep or get up and do something, that’s the question!
Em
Xxx
Morning Ladies, well had a tough old evening/morning in the end. Hadn’t realised just how emotional loosing your hair makes your feel (or me anyway). Had a bath last night, laid down and more little stubble came away… Sorry can’t remember who asked but I am on FEC-T and mine started going on day 12 of the first cycle, fully gone by day 15. This morning got up and looked like an old man in the mirror. Sobbed in bed, OH not good on emotions… told me its just vanity and that its not all about me! That made things worse, don’t think he knows just what is the right thing to say so is trying tough love today! Have just been out with hat on and velco fringe, felt like everyone was looking at me… probably not but felt like it. Getting wig today so hoping that boosts the morale. OH just rang and questioned why I feel worse about loosing my hair than loosing my boob… .difficult one to answer as I guess I see the hair more than the boob? Jeeze this journey is tough isn’t it.
Thanks for soap tips Shi… I’ll look that up.
Glad to hear you are feeling ok Embolorry, and good luck to those who are about to embark on cycle 1…its not as bad as you think…keep smiling… I’m trying too…Kip xx
Hi cdc1811
My own experience with hair loss was that it started with a weird skin crawling sensation around day 10 after 1st chemo, by day 14 it was coming out every time I ran my fingers through my hair so my OH shaved it off. The remaining stubble is now coming away day 14 after chemo no 2. Still have lashes and brows (for now). I was happy once it was done as waiting for it to go was horrid.
I don’t think I will ever be truly comfortable in my wig, it is a really nice wig but I do feel very self conscious in it and it is ridiculously hot!
Jacq x
Hello ladies - sending the coolest hugs possible in your directions
So far so good here, runny nose is today’s symptom. Hair still seems intact and I’m on day seven now, crossing everything that the cold cap will do its job. My hair is a short curly thick bob so I can take losing some. I don’t think I’ll be as brave as you ladies if the worst happens. Does anyone else use Argan Oil.
Enjoy what sunshine you can. I sat outside last evening for as long as I could. So lovely.
LJ
Hi all, yes my hair started with a strange crawling feeling, and my head felt sore (like you have had it pulled back too tightly) by about day 9-10 after first cycle. Then on about day 10-11 it came out in shreds when I ran my hands through and then by yesterday day 15 it was falling out around my ears and was impossible to put up with. Got wig today and it looks nice, takes a bit of getting used too, feels like wearing a hat… but its another option to wear. Feeling better about the hair loss today though, at least I’m not wating for it to happen. Its funny coz I thought I wouldn’t be bothered but it was/is horrible!
Got the big results tomorrow … bone scan, ct and heart… gulp… terrified… that’s the next bend in the roller coaster to negotiate…
Anyway have a good evening, enjoy the sunshine
Kip
Hi ladies,
Thank you for your lovely replies today.
Hope nobody actually melted today there was a moment I thought I would ?
Well today my mood is much improved after a long day. Saw oncologist and it appears another smaller lump is in there hiding away so I have the joy of another biopsy on Thursday. Nothing has changed apart from the fact that now they will remove the breast possibly both after chemo rather than conserve. At the moment I really don’t care about that one step at a time…
Keep on keeping on girls that’s all we can do ??
Have a lovely evening everyone
Karen x