hair question please help!

krisrey

Hi Everybody,
I have a hair question. To tell you all the truth I thought I was pretty much done with hair issues since my chemo ended Sept 03. My hair came back really fast and thick. Different color and different texture at first but it pretty much turned back to normal.
Here is my question. I noticed the other day that I had not needed to shave my legs or my underarms for what seemed a few weeks. Then a week later I still noticed I didn't need to at all. Now I notice my eye lashes and eyebrows really thinning out again. I am starting to freak out about loosing my hair again. Has this happened to anybody? Should I worry about loosing my hair on my head again???
I thought I was done with hair issues now I am really scared. At least the first time was explained by chemo, what could explain this?
Thanks all for your help.
Kris

mc2001

Hi Krisrey,
I have had that same issue. When I was a few years out of chemo/rads, I noticed the hair on my body thinning out. My chest hair, facial hair, and the hair around my *unmentionables* thinned out a lot! I also became concerned. But I talked to a friend my age that also had leukemia and his hair thinned out too. But, my body hair came back to normal volumes. So, I think this is a late response to therapy. If you are really bothered by this, I suggest talking to your Dr. It can help. Take care. God bless.
-Michael (leukemia survivor)

krisrey

mc2001 said:

Hi Krisrey,
I have had that same issue. When I was a few years out of chemo/rads, I noticed the hair on my body thinning out. My chest hair, facial hair, and the hair around my *unmentionables* thinned out a lot! I also became concerned. But I talked to a friend my age that also had leukemia and his hair thinned out too. But, my body hair came back to normal volumes. So, I think this is a late response to therapy. If you are really bothered by this, I suggest talking to your Dr. It can help. Take care. God bless.
-Michael (leukemia survivor)

Hey MC...
Thanks for the post. You know how easy it is to freak out at the smallest things once you have experienced cancer. I don't really care about my body hair, I have very little anyway, but didn't want to loose my head hair again. I seem to get focused on these stupid things,(although they don't seem stupid at the time) it turns into an obsession (sad face). All I could think of is pulling clumps of my hair out again and I was freaking out that this was going to happen without chemo...
I really appreciate your response.
I remember you from the chatroom, which I have not been on in quite some time.
Take care MC...maybe I will catch you in chat!
Kristen

mc2001

krisrey said:

Hey MC...
Thanks for the post. You know how easy it is to freak out at the smallest things once you have experienced cancer. I don't really care about my body hair, I have very little anyway, but didn't want to loose my head hair again. I seem to get focused on these stupid things,(although they don't seem stupid at the time) it turns into an obsession (sad face). All I could think of is pulling clumps of my hair out again and I was freaking out that this was going to happen without chemo...
I really appreciate your response.
I remember you from the chatroom, which I have not been on in quite some time.
Take care MC...maybe I will catch you in chat!
Kristen

Hey Kris,
News Flash!... these are not stupid worries! They are very real. And if a woman tells you ... "Just be thankful that you beat cancer".. tell them to take a flying leap! Also, we immediately think that there is a serious underlying problem causing this, so I totally understand. Thats what concerned me. When I would be in the shower, and while I was scrubbing away.. I noticed my body hair coming out. Now.. I am by no means a sasquatch, but still.. when you see that hair come out.. its scary! Yes, hopefully we can catch each other in chat. Of course... I would rather "catch" you!... hehe.. *wink* Ok... talk to you later

krisrey

mc2001 said:

Hey Kris,
News Flash!... these are not stupid worries! They are very real. And if a woman tells you ... "Just be thankful that you beat cancer".. tell them to take a flying leap! Also, we immediately think that there is a serious underlying problem causing this, so I totally understand. Thats what concerned me. When I would be in the shower, and while I was scrubbing away.. I noticed my body hair coming out. Now.. I am by no means a sasquatch, but still.. when you see that hair come out.. its scary! Yes, hopefully we can catch each other in chat. Of course... I would rather "catch" you!... hehe.. *wink* Ok... talk to you later

Thanks MC for the kind words. You make soooo much sense and now I feel so much better! Now I am ready to try to put it behind me and get on once again with my life!
Take care MC...and I love it when you visit the bc board...keep coming!
Kristen

martyzl

Hello Kris,

Geez, feel like I am walking into a private chat! *teasing grin*
I've been concerned about the same thing. My chemo ended Dec. '02 and I was just mentioning this to my husband who had noticed the reduction of body hair as well. I still have some but nothing like I used to and it is finer, etc.
Now, of course, I am sitting here pondering- is it because the cancer is back? (In the months before dx, the hair on my head was falling out at an alarming rate!), is it because I just gave birth nearly 4 months ago? (one can lose a certain amount of hair after the end of pregnancy) or is it because I just turned 40?!?!? *wry grin*
Granted, I don't miss the "normal" amounts of body hair but every time I lose hair from my head (where it is still very thick)... I wonder and try to calmly rationalize it. *smiles*

I look forward to hearing others' reports on this as well!
Meanwhile, let's look at the good side of this... less time wasted shaving or thinking "hmmm, I really should shave.." *smiles*

~marty (who doesn't worry about shaving much anyway... *grin*)

lynne40

Hi Kris, I am 18 months out from my last chemo and I posted quite awhile back about this same problem. Not the body hair thing but every 2 months my eyelashes fall out and regrow then the process repeats! It is very annoying and troublesome yet I've been told it is chemo related and could continue for a few years!!! Yikes! Also my stamina has never really returned and stayed. I'm a type A, hyper and high energy but since treatment I've really slowed down(must be old age!!) Oh well you are not alone just another of the crazy things we go through with no real known cause! Hugs,
Lynne

zoebee

lynne40 said:

Hi Kris, I am 18 months out from my last chemo and I posted quite awhile back about this same problem. Not the body hair thing but every 2 months my eyelashes fall out and regrow then the process repeats! It is very annoying and troublesome yet I've been told it is chemo related and could continue for a few years!!! Yikes! Also my stamina has never really returned and stayed. I'm a type A, hyper and high energy but since treatment I've really slowed down(must be old age!!) Oh well you are not alone just another of the crazy things we go through with no real known cause! Hugs,
Lynne

Hi-
I finished Taxol October 04... my eyebrows/lashes grew in really fast, within just a few weeks once they began. And my hair on my head which was straight and thin, came back thick and curly.
In the last week I've noticed that my eyebrows are going again. I'll see the dr. next week and I guess talk to her about it, but it is reassuring to know that things like this "just happen". That my case is not so different from everyone elses. I just started taking Tamoxifen so I wonder if there is a connection? Hope I don't lose ALL my hair again, but I guess if I do, at least I didn't huck all my hats.