hi
starting chemo 22nd July. not sure I can cope with losing my hair so
can anyone advise when best to shave it off. am unclear how many days in would you recommend
many thanks
Hiya, I’m trying to remember when it starts coming out, I think it is usually around the time of your 2nd dose of chemo. All I remember is hoping and praying my hair would stay put for a big works reunion I had, literally as I was stood there talking to my old friends, I was shedding hair and trying not to touch it. When I got home that evening, I was so sick of getting hair in my mouth, down my chest etc that I shaved it off.
Good luck with it all, this horrible part will be over with soon.
Paula xx
Hi Jenben
I used the cold cap but unfortunately it didnt work for me, 3 weeks after nig clumps were coming out when I ran my hands through it, all over bed etc.
I put up with this for 24 hours, was finding the bald spots very distressing and decided to shave it all off anyway, at least I’d tried.
I admit that I do now hate having no hair, as I feel unfeminine and its too hot to wear the wig most of the time, only wear it if I go out on a rare night or I dont want to be looked at, which does happen with the bandanas.
I would leave it until it starts distressing you xxxx
I think Paula is right. It was about the time of my second that it started to fall out for real so I shaved mine off. After I had got over the shock it wasn’t too bad because it doesn’t stop you eating, going out and having a good time. If you decide to go for wigs there are very good ones around. Mine was very light. I finshed my last FEC on Feb 2nd and have nearly 2 inches of hair. It soon returns! I also got my own hairdresser to do it for me. At the salon they treated me with kid gloves and have been lovely
jane x
Thank you! Will see how it goes, just getting bit panicked about what paula was saying and get caught unawares! Its a tough call whenever like el says. Maybe just before 2nd treatment, it will be whilst visiting friends in Cornwall. Hate this cancer today
I cut my long hair really short a few weeks before starting chemo, this was great as my kids got used to it and I went through all the questions about it in advance. I had chemo on Monday and when I woke up on the Thursday of the following week it started to come out. I had a cry and then called my friend with clippers, we all went into the garden and he shaved it off. (he happens to be a gp and said i was like doing a really strange visit!) I had all sort of problems with spikey stubble and ended up using a razor to wet shave BUT I was So pleased not to experience it falling out everywhere. It was definitely the best thing to do for me.
check out suburban turban for cool headwear, I got some great hats from them and never wore a wig.
good luck with the chemo.
Thanks nem. Have bought 2 hats from suburban turban they are fab if not a bit pricey. My daughter just been to London and brought me some back from Camden Market. Not sure about a wig but my 9 yr old is determined I have one, so may have one form when she panics.
by the way this photo is of my hair 9 months from last chemo with no cutting. It was totally straight before!
My hair started to fall out the day before we were due to travel to France on holiday (day 14), which was during the third week of my first FEC. I remember being on the plane and the lady next to me put the air-con on and I was reading my book watching my hair fall into it!
About two days later I just couldn’t stand the hair clogging up our hosts shower or worrying about it falling into my meals so I sat in their garden and had it shaved off. For me, it was the best move I made - very liberating.
I didn’t wear a wig and only wore hats to begin with to go to Tesco or during the first weeks back at work which is a secondary school. As soon as the students and everyone else got over the initial shock I hardly ever wore anything on my head.
Once treatment had finished it didn’t take long to grow back. My profile pic was taken just two weeks ago and as you can see it’s doing ok.
Karen
Ps: My hair has always been dead straight and has also regrown curly!
Hi Jenben, starting my chemo FEC-T on 14th and like you worried about the hair. I am goin away on 23rd and wondering whether to shave it off before I go. I have a lovely hairdresser who will come to my house with the clippers and she is going to have a go at my wig to make it more like my hair. My children keen for me to have the wig as I would be more like the mum they know but I think from a comfort point of view a hat and scarf seem more appealing. Hoping I feel well enough to attend the Race for Life as my girlies running their socks off for me! 
Hi, my hair started to come out after my second FEC, I had to wear a hat to bed it was coming out so fast, got on my bloody nerves and my husband would wake up with a mouthful of my hair. So one day I had my hubby to shave it off with his hair clippers. He had given himself a number 1 just the day before. We went out to Tesco that evening, I took the plunge and went out with nothing on my head, glad I did that as I felt comfortable enough to go commando throughout my treatment. We must have looked a right pair both with shaved heads, oh well
Kids are so funny, one little boy came up to me in the post office much to the dismay of his mother and said “why haven’t you got any hair?” lol Other that that nobody really took much notice.
I finished my chemo the end of May and my hair is growing back really fast now. It looks like it’s the same colour as before and it’s straight not curly thank goodness
So you may find that it gets so annoying having hair all over you and you scalp aching that you’ll want to get it off??? Everyone’s different
Emma x
my grandson just said you’ve got no hair and i said thats right but it will grow back when Dr make you well has finished with me. He just accepted it and now rubs my head to feel the regrowth he’s only 5 but he makes me strong. Chris
People are always rubbing my head, I’m convinced it’s helping it to grow back faster lol
Hi Jenben,
I had long hair cut into short bob before chemo started, first FEC on 23rd May and hair started to come out slowly around day 20, for FEC2 I still had hair at back but wore a scarf as went thinner on crown. (My piccie is from 9th June - day 18 after FEC1) I eventually had enough of the hair demise as it felt a bit like slow torture and shaved the rest off on 27th June, 5 weeks later.
I didn’t use coldcap and I didn’t have a sore head whilst it was shedding, it seemed for me to be a long process and wish I’d shaved sooner as each day I just seemed to look a little worse, and that was my motivation to get shut. I actually coped much better than I thought I would and I was dreading the hair loss more than the boob loss - strange but true for me.
Everyone is slightly different in their motivation to shave off and I agree, shave off when you feel you’ve had enough or when it starts to distress you.
Bev x
Thank you all for your help. It’s such a lonely process sometimes and it really helps to know you are not the only one out there. Saw women at different stages today at clinic, some bald, others growing back, and some with not great wigs to be honest. In a few weeks time when it has gone I am sure it will be easier x
Hi jenben im also having my first chemo on 22 july 10.30am maybe we can hold cyber hands for support.
I shaved mine off on about day 17 of first fec. i got home from hospital & it was coming out in clumps, so decided that I would decide when Im lost my hair. It was hard & I still find it in some ways the worse thing I have gone through, but Ive finished chemo now & waiting for it to grow back. I never went out without my wig on, which everyone even my doctor said was so real looking that they would never have known it was a wig.Do what is right for you at the time & good luck Lesley x