Hair Loss

cmcl
cmcl Member Posts: 78
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I have one treatment left of Oxali/5FU/LEV. I did not lose all my hair. but lost a lot, it's very thin. I thank God I started with a good head of hair. It's really not noticeable to people who don't know me. I was just wondering when I'll notice it getting back to normal. I haven't had a haircut since July and colored since June.
Any advise?
Carolyn

Comments

  • nanuk
    nanuk Member Posts: 1,358 Member
    #2
    Carolyn: everybody's different, but my wife lost all
    of her hair during treatment, but got it all back and twice as thick and curly!(it was straight before) This was 16 years ago, and she was on 5fu.. Bud
  • Pewter
    Pewter Member Posts: 24
    #3
    Did they premedicate you with decadron (or other steroid) before each infusion? Steroids are well known to cause hair thinning. It was so significant with me, I had them stop the premedication. I was never nauseated, so I guess I didn't need it anyway.

    BTW I started out with thin, straight blonde hair, and although it didn't come back curly, it is thicker than it has ever been in my life.

    Good luck

    Pewter
  • chuckneddi
    chuckneddi Member Posts: 12
    #4
    I lost most of mine before the oxalplatin. I was on the camptosar. Then I shaved it because it was coming out in hanks. It is growing back in very thick, even though I am on the oxalplatin now. The color is darker, it isn't long enough to know if it is curly yet. BTW, congratulations on going to your last treatment.

    Michelle
  • cmcl
    cmcl Member Posts: 78
    #5
    Pewter said:

    Did they premedicate you with decadron (or other steroid) before each infusion? Steroids are well known to cause hair thinning. It was so significant with me, I had them stop the premedication. I was never nauseated, so I guess I didn't need it anyway.

    BTW I started out with thin, straight blonde hair, and although it didn't come back curly, it is thicker than it has ever been in my life.

    Good luck

    Pewter

    I do take Decadron as a premed, as well as a few others, and for a couple of days after treatment, but I REALLY need all the anti-nausea meds I can get. I didn't know that about those meds.
    How long did it take before you noticed your hair coming back?
    Thanks for the info!
    Carolyn
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #6
    Ahoy, Carolyn -

    Wooo-Hooo - last treatment! Go out and have a BIG sushi dinner to celebrate!

    My hair got pretty thin but I didn't lose it all. I love to tell the story about how when my onc told me I would probably lose some of my hair during treatments, I asked if we could just target the hair on my back. He didn't understand - oh well somtimes a joke is lost on people! Anyway, I'm a military guy so my hair is kept really short anyhow. I did notice that after about a month I was having to get haircuts more frequently. If you want a success story regarding hair, check out Stacy's (stacygleaso) webpage and look at all of her hair!

    Best wishes to you!

    - SpongeBob
  • efw
    efw Member Posts: 20
    #7
    I was on the same drugs as you and lost a bunch of hair, but like some others here, most people didn't notice it (although I certainly did!). My hair started growing back almost immediately after chemo. Now I'm to the stage where I have goofy patches of hair sticking out of my head (I'm 6 months out of chemo). I'm using hair gel to smooth it down.
  • pattieb
    pattieb Member Posts: 168
    #8
    Carolyn,
    So glad to hear you only have 1 treatment left. As far as hair right before my first chemo treatment I had my hair cut very short so if I was going to lose it it wouldn't be in large chunks as it was pretty long, but I never lost it and for the rads and 5FU I never lost it, now with the same as you are getting I still haven't lost it maybe because I can't take the decadron,also in regards to coloring I just let it grow in and it was a pretty white so I have decided not to color anymore. Good luck on your last treatment and kept in touch. Maybe its the air in Jersey lol
    Another Jersey girl
    Pattie
  • MelStar
    MelStar Member Posts: 31
    #9
    Congrats on only one treatment left! Isn't it great to be looking forward to the last one? I agree that everyone is different, but as for my own experience with hair loss, my straight, graying locks started falling out in March, in big wads--there was hair EVERYWHERE! But suddenly in July, as my mom and I were getting ready to go for my treatment,I asked her if it was my imagination, or was my hair growing back in? Indeed, it was growing back in. Now it's dark and curly, and it seems to grow faster than it ever did before.

    Good luck.

    Mel

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