My chemo nurse warned me that my head would start to tingle before my hair started to fall out. I am only 8 days post first chemo but my head had been really uncomfy all day today. Did anyone else find this happening so early in the cycle and should I expect my hair to start falling out any day? - I thought I would have another week. I do pick up my wig tomorrow and have found a hairdresser who is going to cut it to suit me so I will be prepared.
Its sadly normal. Your head will feel quite tender and any pressure on it can feel a bit sore too. Its a bit early for your hair to fall out- its normally 15+ days after first.
Wash it with baby shampoo and perhaps space out the washes to preserve your hair. Towards the end i didnt wash it as it was dry as a bone and i had a party to go and wanted my hair!
Good luck
S
Does the tingling go away once the hair has fallen out? And is it relieved by shaving your head, as at the moment I am so tempted to get the clippers out!
Yeah it does. The tender head thing remained for a few days after i shaved my head tho so wasnt an instant cure. The ache of the hair pulling at your scalp is obviously relived when you shave it but i found a prickly head on the pillow a bit of a bugger until i got used to it ( and the stubble fell out!)
take care
S
Thanks for the advise. Give a day or two and I may have to bite the bullet.
I’d agree with what Evie has said. I shaved mine off at 21 days post FEC#1 and it relieved the ache, and the stubbly bits washed out after another couple of days.
I started to get tingling and pain in my head/hair 10 days after my first lot of Epirubicin. Between day 14 and 17 my hair was falling out and a trail was left behind me! I shaved it off (no.1), pain was less but I had to wear a headscarf in bed as I caught on the pillow! The stubble didn’t fall out, it just sat there. It was only rubbed off by my hats and scarves and when I dried my head after a shower.
Good luck x
my head started aching around day 8, when it started trailing after me and didnt know wether it was the dog or me, it came off, it was still tender but no where near as bad and i found it strange that seen so many peopl with total bald heads but my stubble seemed to stay, not enough to whip wig off but was a faint shadow. on plus point my hair started to grow when on tax, so after finished in september, by dec i went out with a grade 1 for a few days!
I had Taxotere and Cyclophosphomide on Tuesday so only on day 3 now and my head is extremely tender today, am hoping my hair will hang on till after Xmas tho, fingers crossed!!!
ive done my 1st FEC 3, due another next week. My head has been feeling really tender for a few days, and has started to fall out today. Not sure whether to cut it all off now, or see what happens. I did the cold cap .
eva
I had my 2nd FEC yesterday. My head started to itch and tingle about a week after the first dose and I lost all my underarm hair overnight on day which was interesting! I am using the cold cap and my hair started to thin on day 20 (so 2 days ago) but as my hair was very thick anyway I still have a lot left so it doesn’t show as yet.
My chemo nurse said it will continue to thin over the next week but if I’m lucky it may slow down after that and hopefully I’ll keep some. We’ll see - it’d be nice to still have hair for Christmas!
hair still falling out, so my hubby cut it down to a number 2 for me this morning. Makes me feel more in control, somehow.
eva
I don’t really know what to do with my hair. The hair dresser would prefer to cut my wig after I have lost my hair, or when I have it shaved as it will be a better fit, however looking at other posts I am likely to lose my hair either Christmas Eve or Christmas day (day 17/18), and I want to have the wig ready for then. Do I go ahead on Wednesday and have my hair cut even shorter or keep my fingers crossed that my hair hangs on until after Christmas?
Hi - find your hairdressers approach all a bit odd - wigs are widely used by folk with lots of hair ! I still have some (a short boys cut really) and my hairdresser cut my wigs on Wednesday- I found the experience quite encouraging really cause he cut them and combed them and generally tugged away and my wigs didn’t move so that gave me some confidence.
good luck - we won’t need them for long … 
I have only just caught up with this thread and comment because my experience was different. When I was on taxotere I got the tingling/soreness and thought despite using the cold cap my hair was going to fall out but it didn’t! I am glad I didnt go as far as shaving it off unnecessarily.
Dawn
xx
Hi,
Im due 4th FEC on xmas eve and still have some hair, so glad I didnt have mine shaved. I havent used the cold cap and wasnt expecting to keep my hair for this long. It does tingle a lot (bit like pony tail head!) and night times is like lying on a scrubbing brush!
I dont have enough hair to go out confidently but under a hat you wouldnt notice if I brush it forward like a combover!My wigs slide around a bit too and hairdresser says it is because my own hair is a bit slippery and they fit a little more securely once all the hair has gone. She gave me a stocking type thing to put on my head first but I feel like a bank robber!
karen xx
I gave in today and had my head shaved. It was getting so painful I found it hard to lie down last night. I surprised myself and only had a few tears once the wig was on. My daughters have now been helping me get used to the head scarves and have chosen some more for me. I need to experiment with the wig as it gave me a headache after wearing it for a while - I think I will be keeping it for special occasions only.
I had to see my onc today to sort out what is happening with my next chemo as I was so sick last time that I ended back in hospital for 2 nights with severe dehydration. This time they are going to give me anti-sickness by IV before coming home, and I will then have 7 days of ondansatron, and another one that you put under your tongue. Fingers crossed that it works this time.
Caroline