Dear all - I finished all my chemo 4 weeks ago - the last Taxotere was 9 weeks ago (after that came a nightmare of alergic reactions cumulating with 2 x CMF ending for good 4 weeks ago) and there is no sign of my hair returning. The hair that stayed with me during chemo is growing but nothing else - I spoke to the nurse yesterday cause I was in hospital anyway and she said oh give it another couple of weeks - and then what ???
Anyone else still waiting on their hair to return ? If I saw any sign of growth I would be encouraged and stop moaning to everyone ! getting quite stressed about it cause I did read somewhere that tax can make you lose your hair forever and given that I reacted badly to Taxol and then to taxotere I am worried
I think it’s still a bit soon so try not to get too worried. Mine didn’t start growing back for about 6 weeks after treatment. My hair is usually very fast growing and thick but it slowed right down. My eyebrows took even longer than the hair on my head.
I’m now 6 months down the line and my hair is back to super thick and glossy.
When I had chemo, I finished Taxotere in the early June and it was October before I had a very short crew cut style, just enough to let me expose my head. I was also on Herceptin at the time which is known to slow hair growth.
Hi fin chemo 8months ago norm have my hair bleached but when had strand test done went gold as my hair is really dark now was just wondering if anyone else had bleach wat it looked like thanks
Hiya, I finished chemo (taxotere)early dec, followed by rads during Jan. My hair is now about 1/2 long, took a while to start growing, I was also getting worried. It is coming back all grey so I am sitting here with a colour shampoo on (herbal one, no chemicals allowed yet) as the wig is getting a bit warm (gorgeous day in Plymouth today) so I’m going to brave going out bare headed - well, depending how the colour turns out, will be washing it out in about 10 minutes! As for the other parts of my body - what a pain having to shave my legs again! Eyebrows and eyelashes are coming back, can just about use mascara!
Hang on in there! make the most of not having all the hassle of having hair! I saved a fortune over the last few months!
I spent so many months waiting for hair. In my case the honest answer was a year before I could go out in my own head. Lost it in July 2007. Faced the world very very short for a dear friend’s Civil Partnership in June 2008. But spent a lot of time in between looking and waiting. Mine by the way was always a bit thin (aka fine) but nonetheless.
Just trying to say, do not beat yourself up! It gets there when it does.
I had my last chemo just over 4 weeks ago. My hair had started to regrow 3 weeks prior but not all over. I now have what my OH and daughter call ‘chick fluff’. Worst thing is it is coming through white!!! (I was blonde before and was hoping for the darker return everyone informs you of!). It used to gorw quite quickly at least a cm every month but it is hardly moving now.
My stepdaughter postponed her wedding from May until the end of August because of my dx, chemo I have just finished and rads I am about to commence and also so I would have a decent covering of hair in time but at this rate I will still be in a bandana!!! Still could be worse at least it is making an appearance - And I quite like the Dame Judy Dench look
Don’t worry Leigh, mine did that, white & wispy, like a halo with the light on it lol. But it very quickly turned a very dark grey, still with some white wisps on top, & a stubborn white patch at the front which took longer to change. On Friday, my hairdresser put half of a Naturtint on it, as I thought it would be better all one colour (& not grey), which has worked really well, & cut off the last of the wisps.
Hi
I finished chemo last Thursday and an desperate for my hair to return, not to mention brows and lashes!
RECS i hope that you read wrong about TAX and hair…
I am sure your hair will be here soon enough…i am waiting with you!
I finished 8 doses of chemo (4 EC & 4 tax) and had to wait 3 months before ditching the wig and in some ways that was too soon. I looked quite startling. Two months later it looked a bit better but still too short to be comfortable. Now 2 years later my hair is very thick, growing at a good pace but still slightly wavy (it was really straight before). Unfortunately my eyebrows have not completely recovered.
When my hair started coming back it was patchy with two bald spots in the front. Once it had grown a bit I had my neighbour shave it all off again so it would grow back more evenly. It was hard to do as I was so delighted to see any hair but I’m glad I did.
Since then I’ve been popping to a barbers for a trim. As I said before I’m now 6 months on and had first full hair cut a couple of weeks ago.
It’s now a nice short cut and very thick. I was surprised though by how slowly it came back but now it seems to have started growing more quickly.
It did come back much more grey and as I have dark hair I decided to henna it and used a red brown. I’m so pleased with the result. I had to leave it on for 4 hours but really worth it. I’m not going to use any other dyes now.
when the Breast Buddies went to Centre Parcs in january there were 3 of us who all finished chemo the same week in november… i had the longest hair it was about an inch by that time, jayney had a very short covering about half an inch long, and gina had none.
but now we all have hair, ginas is still very fine and mine is over 2 inches and in need of a cut LOL
Does anyone know if it is safe to dye your hair once its growing back after chemo/rads? My hair is about an inch long and has comethrough quite grey. I decided to put a semi permanent colour on it. I got a Nice and Easy one with no amonia, however when I tell people they gasp in shock and say I shouldnt have done it. No one has told me i.e doctor/consultant/breast nurse not to do it so I’m panicking now that Ive done something wrong!
I’m sure it will be fine - don’t panic ! I was told not to use permanent dye for at least 6 mths after chemo but if you have and there have been no effects I’m sure it will be fine. If you are really worried you should call the hospital I am sure they will put your mind at rest.
I put a semi permanent dye on as soon as my hair was long enough - like yours it came in very grey - and I have had no problems whatsoever. Think the important thing is not to use one with ammonia so don’t worry just enjoy. I remember the delight at going out first time with no scarf.
I did try a Daniel Field colour (ordered through the web site) but it didn’t “take” on my hair. Then I bought a 99p Superdrug Wash in Wash out conditioning colour, it’s in a tube so you just need to use a bit at a time, I put it on every few days or so. i went for quite a dark brown (chestnut) as my hair is only about 1" long so the darker colour makes me look as though I have hair! I have had no problems (eg irritation) from using it. It covers the grey pretty well too though, as I said, it needs to be topped up every few days.
I finished chemo early November and my hair also grew in with more grey than I remembered!(obviously was just kidding myself as I dyed my hair all the time before I lost it!)
I used a couple of semi permanent colours that didn’t contain ammonia, just from boots, they worked well and I haven’t had any ill effects. My surgeon just told me to do what I liked! (that was in response to my eldest daughter’s appeal to bleach my hair white blonde …I resisted!)
By the way, it was over two months after the last chemo before I had any hair to speak of and then I just braved the no wig look as I found it too itchy. My eyebrows were able to be reshaped by New Year’s Eve but then I always had much too bushy eyebrows aand they needed to be tamed.
Thanks Dae for the info on Superdrug’s hair colour in a tube…I’ll look out for it. Clairol. of course, do the touch up packs but thay are just as expensive as the whole head pack…doesn’t seem right!
