Last Epi tomorrow

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Hi Ladies
I have my 4th and last Epi tomorrow before moving onto Xeloda tablets for 4 cycles (thank goodness as my veins started to feel really sore!). I have managed to keep a reasonable covering of hair, although I do get a handful out each time I comb it and scared to wash it! Can anyone advise for how long after the last Epi I can expect my hair to still shed and then when it will start to grow back?
I would really appreciate your views.

Thanks,

Carol

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Hi Carol

I lost all my hair with Epi but it started to grow back after about 3 - 4 weeks after last Epi cycle. Hair growth was really slow and it was 9 months before I was able to venture out without a wig or scarf. After Epi, I then had 20 rads and 4 cycles of CMF. My hair is only about an inch and a half long at present but since discarding the wigs and scarves, I have noticed that my hair is growing in quicker than it did during tha CMF period.

With regard to your veins, you should notice an improvement quite soon. My veins were quite sore towards the end of Epi but are fine now. My last Epi was in September 2006, then 4 cycles of CMF and now on Herceptin and the nurse is still able to use the same vein for this.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards

Margaret

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Hi Carol,

I hope your fourth and final epi goes really well tomorrow. I too am on the TACT2 trial but am on arm 2, so although I finished my epi a few weeks ago, there’s still loads more needles for me! Anyway, my hair started to grow back as soon as I had my final epi, albeit very very slowly. After now having had one full cylce of CMF everyone around me keeps commenting on how my hair is growing back quickly but I can’t see it myself, well, not the way they make it sound anyway! The strangest thing though, my eyelashes that had remained intact throughout all 4 epi’s have recently decided to do a dissappearing act!! They’re just starting to grow back again now and are sooooo long, I resemble a Giraffe!!

Anyway I hope No4 treats you well. Epi No 4 was defo the best for me, so much so that I was starting to wonder if they’d done it right! I think a lot of it was psychological though as I was just so pleased to be free from the red stuff!

Take care,

Kelly
-x-

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Thanks Margaret and Kelly for your words of experience.
Hopefully when I wash my hair at the end of the week I’ll still have some left! Ooh, I still have eyelashes & eyebrows left so I wonder whether they’ll stick around after this 4th Epi?? Although I shaved underarms & legs about 4 weeks ago now no stubble has re-appeared - if only that stayed that way!!

Thanks,

Carol

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Hi Jackie
I’ve been watching the news re the flooding and hope you yourself are not feet under water! I know Cheltenham fairly well - I did a lot of work at the racecourse last year and the beginning of this year. I’ll be interested in how you yourself gets on with Xeloda also - I got on well with Epi (except for the veins) with very few side effects so hoping Xeloda goes as well.

Carol