I had my first treatment of Taxol and Herceptin on Thursday. So far just very tired and not much energy. My doctor said to plan on losing my hair but the nurses have said because of lower dose weekly treatments I might not. I know everyone is different but the not knowing is driving me crazy. Do most lose hair with the weekly Taxol treatments? I just want to know what to expect.
Hi Ram3,
So glad to see you here, although it is not under the circumstance under which one wishes to meet people, albeit virtually. I think I may have responded to you on another thread, too - with some information on your treatment.
You may wish to join the September 2016 starters thread, where women, who have started chemotherapy around the same time as you, share their experiences. It is a great place for support, rants and raves, tears and sometimes even laughter. Sharing ones experiences is so helpful, as one does not feel quite so alone and many questions, which arise and one does not want to bother the treatment team with - may be answered by others going through the same.
Here is the link
Hugs,
Sue xx
Hi again Ram3,
as to your question re hair loss - I have found the following information for you. It may not answer your question completely. As you say it is very individual in each case.
The information comes from the breastcancer.cor website:
QUOTE - Hair loss occurs because chemotherapy targets all rapidly dividing cells—healthy cells as well as cancer cells. Hair follicles, the structures in the skin filled with tiny blood vessels that make hair, are some of the fastest-growing cells in the body. If you’re not in cancer treatment, your hair follicles divide every 23 to 72 hours. But as the chemo does its work against cancer cells, it also destroys hair cells. Within a few weeks of starting chemo, you may lose some or all of your hair.- END QUOTE
Taxol is a drug, which is likely to cause hair loss.
QUOTE - Taxol usually causes complete hair loss, including head, brows, lashes, pubic area, legs, and arms -END QUOTE
QUOTE - The timing of your treatments will also affect hair loss. Some types of chemotherapy are given weekly and in small doses, and this minimizes hair loss. Other treatments are scheduled every three to four weeks in higher doses, and may be more likely to cause more hair loss - END QUOTE
So there is no definitive answer and it may be worth your while to be prepared with some scarves or hats initially. Should you experience itching or soreness of the scalp - this may be a sign that some of your hair follicles have gone ‘to sleep’ and you may experience some hair loss. How much - unfortunately there does not seem an answer to that.
Hugs
Sue xx