Hello all,
I’m 12 days post 1st chemo (3 x FEC-T followed by 3 taxotere) I know my hair will start to fall out over the next week or so but was wondering what the likelihood is that i will also loose my eyelashes and eyebrows.
I have also read that your hair starts to grow back whilst still having chemo with taxotere. Is this the case? I would be grateful for any feed back on this.
Big hugs to all,
Stella
My eyelashes and eyebrows fell out - the lack of eyelsahes meant my eyes watered alot… they have now grown back although the left eyebrow is still pretty sparce…
I had 4 x ac 4 x tax and my hair started to grow back after the 1st tax - i had my final chemo late oct 2008 and my hair is now a few inches long…
Theresa
Stella, like you i have same regime of 3 fec, 3 tax. my hair stared to fall out about day 19 after first fec, hung on to a few wisps for a while thengot rid or it! Even thought i tried the cold cap. Eyebrows and eyelashes started to go a bit later. my eyes water too but have eysdrops to help. Having my last tax today and my hair has started to grow back, head is a bit like a kiwi!!!
hope all goes well for you
love debs xx
Hello all,
My experience bears out the others here - I had 4 EC then 4 tax, and yes I lost all my hair and eyebrows and lashes. My hair started to regrow during the taxotere, but quite unevenly, so I bit the bullet and shaved it all off again in January this year. It is now (2 haircuts later) about 2 inches long, and very curly. Having no brows and lashes made showers a nuisance as the water ran straight into my eyes, but both are growing back now - but it does take a time. I finished chemo in December 2008, and 9 months down the line have eyelashes that are almost back to normal, but very sparse eyebrows that I can feel rather than see. Thank goodness for eyebrow pencil!
Julie
p.s. I really must change my profile photo, as the long blonde hair went over a year ago!
Hi Stella,
I had 4x Taxotere. My hair did start to fall out after 1st but I didn’t shave it all off until after 2nd. I lost all eyelashes but kept my eyebrows.
I am now 6 months post treatment and have had my haircut 5 times!My hair started to come back just after Tax finished and it has grown so quickly.My eyelashes came back very quick and now are thicker than before.
It is awful losing your hair Stella, I invested in loads of hats and two wigs,one blonde,one brunette so you can imagine I had fun with them. I was blonde before but now am brunette as everyone complimented me on my brunette wig! So a whole change of colour and style for me. I am driving my hairdresser crazy at the moment as I can’t decide on what style to have.
You will get through this, my hair was my pride and joy and I had never worn a hat in my life, good luck with your treatment and please feel free to Pm me at any time
Take care
love
Brenda xxxx
Hi Stella,
I have put for you below the link to the area of our website which covers hair loss and the ‘Headstrong’ service which I hope you will find helpful.
breastcancercare.org.uk/server/show/nav.778
The helpline service may also be able to give you further information on this. Calls to the helpline are free 0808 800 6000
open Mon-Fri 9-5 and Sat 9-2
Hope this helps. Kind regards,
Jo, Facilitator
Hi I had 6x taxotere with carboplatin And herceptin my hair completely came out 2 weeks after 1st dose, eyebrows and eyelashes came out gradually over next couple of sessions. I am now 6 months since last dose and hair is about 1 inch long having come back a different colour so next week I will go into work a brunette having been a blonde before.
I chose to wear lots of different colour scarves matching them with what I wore.
Saved a fortune on shampoo ,conditioner and hair cuts.
I had my last tax at the beginning of August, and I now have a sparse covering of what my darling OH calls “bum fluff.” It’s about a centimetre long, very fine and a lot of the follicles don’t seem to be making any effort at all. I’m finding it very difficult to be patient - I’m constantly checking whether it’s grown any more, and I’ve worked out which mirrors give the best light to see it!
I wore scarves at first, and sometimes my wig, but I began to find both uncomfortable - and I’ve heard that hair grows best when it isn’t covered. So I started to go out baldy-headed - just walking the dogs in the park at first, then shopping, now back at work. I tend to forget all about it, but I do find that people are incredibly nice - if I drop anything it gets picked up immediately, people smile and say hello, shop assistants are super-helpful. I’d almost be tempted to keep it like this. Almost…
Hi
Had my 1st chemo a fortnight ago (4 x fec followed by 4 x Tax) I was violently sick on the Wednesday evening/night and the following Thursday. Had to go back to the hospital on Thursday to be rehydrated. After each chemo you have do the side effects increase and get worse with each session that you have? Do you have the same side effects each time? I am so worried about my next lot of chemo (Next Tuesday) really dreading it.
Thanks. Karen
hi wills1
i had 3 fec 2 tax i was v sick on first fec but the hos do sort that out and give you anti sickness tabs they change them to they find one that works but with me by the time they did that i had fin fec but you do sometimes get diff s e on diff ones so hope your second one goes better dont be afraid to ask and just tell them what went on and how you have been gd luck laura
hi wills 1
sorry chemo knocked you about, i had 6 lots last year. i too was very sick. but after a few different anti sickness tabs they gave me one called emend. it was great , made it more bareable, worth asking for. it isnt a nice experience, but believe me you really do forget about it. i found i used to drink lime juice and had a piece of dry bread by my side which i picked at. take no notice of the scare stories about each one getting worse, i used to find each one was different, and with a bit of luck, next one might not be as bad, but do be prepared, rest lots spoil yourself on your good days, u deserve it. take care x
Hello Karen
Try not to worry about the chemos, it isn’t pleasant but make sure you ask your chemo team for anti sickness before they administer chemo, they have some good anti sickness stuff and if they know you are suffering they really can help, unfortunately as everyone is different they do tend to wait and see how you are getting on before doing anything. You have enough going on don’t add to your stress. As everydaymatters, says make sure you treat yourself on your good days.
rhian xxx
My eyebrows never came back![3 yrs later].Try not to worry about the side effects of chemo just concentrate on the main effect which is to try to eliminate any lurkers in your system.Good luck love.
Vx
MY lashes started to fall out after number 4. My brows are sketchy too. To be fair, i still have a fair few and i only have one more cycle left. I use a liquid eye liner for my top lids and a brown eyeliner for my brows and lower eye lids and i think-who knows!-ive mastered it ok!!!
People are probably fallin around laughing at my masterful eyebrows but personally could give a damn as chemo is doing its job and this is just a cruddy side effect that can be overcome!
good luck
S
Hi, my hair started to fall out at the end of first FEC, and then lost most of body hair gradually 2nd to 3rd FEC. Eyelashes went 1st tax, and eyebrows thinned. Someone suggested Benefit browzings and it’s fantastic (although a bit expensive), hardly anyone thinks that I’ve lost most of my eyebrows! Tax stopped early because of side effects (neutropenia and nerve damage) 6 weeks ago, but no sign of hair re-growth yet. Eye watering a massive problem and didn’t realise how important nose hair is! But very small price to pay.
Love Alice x
Im due for my 4th lot of FEC in a couple of days.My hair started to fall out on the second week after my first chemo.It actually made my scalp sore so i lasted about a week and then went and had a crew cut at the hairdressers.I felt that eased me into the inevitable total hairloss.I kept the crew cut for a week but every morning there was so much hair on the pillow i eventually got my husband to shave it all off.
I personally didnt like the feel of the wigs.Also with the numerous hot flushes i’ve been getting i dont think i could have coped with a thick,hot head of acrylic hair!
I bought a couple of nice,easy to tie,scarfs from suburbanturban.co.uk, not cheap (between £30-40) but i have had a few comments about how nice they are.
I noticed a few weeks ago that my underarm hair has gone so thats a huge plus point.I do also seem to have lost my pubic hair underneath,not at the front (hope thats not too much info) which has felt a bit strange especially when i’m hot because ther is nothing there to absorb the sweat (agian,sorry if this is too much info).
So far i havent lost eyelashes or eyebrows.I have deliberately not worn mascara since i started chemo.I just felt i didnt want to be rough on my lashes each day trying to remove makeup.I do still have 3 FEC to go so who knows,i may loose them.
One plus point about loosing my hair is that i take half the time to get ready to go out!
All the best.
K x
The UNI QLO store do some great little cotton beanies/hats, like a bobble hat but cotton, and i picked up a couple that were reduced in price ( £5.00) when my head was bald yet i couldn’t handle anything too warm on it due to the flushes.
A make up artist told me to use brown eye shadow and a brush for eyebrows, never a pencil as that can be a bit harsh adn give a gretta garbo effect ha ha
i wax ( too much info lol) and the best bit of it all was the money i saved when i lost my hair all over not having to wax.
rhianxxx
Hi - I am about to start chemo for the first time and am “planning” by way of taking my mind off things - I will get Epi /CMF and wonder has anyone ever tried false eyebrows - false eyelashes I get but eyebrows I wonder about they look great on the web and I would imagine easier to apply than painting them in - any thoughts ? thanks
PS this site is great - thanks for all the posts they really help 
x
Hi RECS , my make up artist friend let me try them but i felt i looked like groucho marks, even if you have thick eyebrows which i didn’t they can take a bit of getting used to. there are LGFG ( Look Good Feel Good) sessions available ask your BCN and they have loads of tips on make up etc. But i found a brush and brown eyeshadow was really good not as harsh as a pencil. For Hair Trevor Sorbie has an initative for women facing hair loss because of illness /treatment take a look at his site.
rhian xx
Hi
I’m glad I’ve found this thread! I’ve never been a very ‘girly’ girl at the best of times, I can’t really blow dry or straighten my own hair :-((not that I’ll have to worry about that for much longer!!)
I’m really fine with the whole hair loss effect - and like you Rhian, am looking forward to a few months without the painful eppilator routine!!
My big concern is that I’ve got a family wedding at the end of the month and haven’t got a clue where to start with the eyebrows! Are there any diagrams/tip websites that give an idiots guide to making yourself up? I’m only bothered for this one day, and am terrified of looking like a clown on the photos!!
Cheers, and good luck! xx