I’m Nikki, I’m 33 years old and in November was diagnosed with Triple Negative BC (stage 3). I’ve just completed 3 months of Paclitaxel and Carboplatin with concurrent immunotherapy which was rough. But I cold capped throughout and my hair stayed strong.
3 weeks ago I was started on AC chemo alongside the immunotherapy. This has absolutely destroyed me, and after a stay in hospital for neutropenic sepsis my hair has finally started to give up this week and is coming out in clumps - so distressing.
As well as it falling out every time I touch it my scalp is really, really painful.
I’m just looking for some advice as to what to do, should I just accept defeat and shave my head, do I let it continue to fall out, or do I get it cut shorter? It’s currently shoulder length.
Honestly, any advice or pearls of wisdom would be amazing
Hello lovely, I have the same diagnosis as you, Triple Negative and the same treatment plan. I finished chemo at the end of Feb.
My experience was that I shed quite a bit at the start of Pac/Carbo, it then settled down and then I had another big shed once I started EC. After the first EC I also lost my eyebrows and eyelashes. However, I found that again everything settled down after the first cycle and I didn’t have any further big sheds!
In fact by my last cycle, my eyebrows & eyelashes were coming back, and I’ve got lots of regrowth on my scalp.
Before starting chemo I had a shoulder length bob, which I had cut down to a pixie cut. I had a hair cut last week, so about 1 month after finishing chemo because it was still growing in places & I looked like I’d been electrocuted!
I would say persevere, you’ve come this far & you might find after this lot of shedding it settles down again. Or consider getting it cut shorter to take some of the weight off (I think the pulling of the hair causes some scalp irritation).
You’ve got this lovely, it’s a long old slog but I’m really starting to feel myself again & you will too. (And I say this as someone who had a DMX on Tuesday!! )
