hair again

ohilly
ohilly Member Posts: 441
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I am posting an update on my hair with a question: I had my last chemo on June 20, 2008, and my hair started to grow back around the beginning of Sept. My hair is short, but now covers my head completely, but my questions are: will the texture ever go back to what it was? It is still very fine and thin, whereas before it was thick, fast-growing, and coarse. Also, I still have a little bald spot (easily covered with hair, though) on the part side - will this eventually fill in? I should mention that I am on Femara.

Any feedback will be appreciated - I know I am obsessed with my hair!

Ohilly
«13

Comments

  • Eil4186
    Eil4186 Member Posts: 949
    #2
    crowning glory
    Hi Ohilly! you are not obsessed--just concerned about something that is very important to all of us girls! It sounds like yours is making good progress. I would assume that eventually it will be like it was before chemo. Mine was always thick, straight, and coarse. It came in very curly, thick and coarse. Now more than 2 yrs later it is starting to straighten in the back and I use a flat iron on the rest because I have tired of the curly look.

    Hang in there, your follicles could still be a bit in shock and the first step is to have regrowth, now it will be just a matter of time before the texture will be restored:0)
    Eil
  • mmontero38
    mmontero38 Member Posts: 1,510
    #3
    Your crowning glory will
    Your crowning glory will come back and you are not obsessing. Mine came in fine and sparse, then it turned extremely curly, then it went back to its original texture. My hair is now the same as on my picture. It took a long time though so give it some more time. Hugs, Lili

    PS: I'm also on Tamoxifen
  • Derbygirl
    Derbygirl Member Posts: 198
    #4
    My hair is growing slowly
    My hair is growing slowly but it does cover my head now. I finished chemo on 10/31/08 and I take Femara also. At first the new growth was sparse but during the last month new growth was thicker and texture appears to be like before chemo. No balding spots. The color is greyer than before, but I can take care of that. What I can't do is make it grow faster. I guess we have to be patient.
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #5
    Eil4186 said:

    crowning glory
    Hi Ohilly! you are not obsessed--just concerned about something that is very important to all of us girls! It sounds like yours is making good progress. I would assume that eventually it will be like it was before chemo. Mine was always thick, straight, and coarse. It came in very curly, thick and coarse. Now more than 2 yrs later it is starting to straighten in the back and I use a flat iron on the rest because I have tired of the curly look.

    Hang in there, your follicles could still be a bit in shock and the first step is to have regrowth, now it will be just a matter of time before the texture will be restored:0)
    Eil

    Straight
    Wow, Eil, your hair was straight before? How interesting. Mine was really straight and coarse, so I wonder if it will come in curly as well. For the record, I LOVE your hair in the photo. It looks so lush, and the color is to die for. My secret ambition has always been to have red hair like that.

    Mimi
  • tasha_111
    tasha_111 Member Posts: 2,072
    #6
    Derbygirl said:

    My hair is growing slowly
    My hair is growing slowly but it does cover my head now. I finished chemo on 10/31/08 and I take Femara also. At first the new growth was sparse but during the last month new growth was thicker and texture appears to be like before chemo. No balding spots. The color is greyer than before, but I can take care of that. What I can't do is make it grow faster. I guess we have to be patient.

    Hair
    Hey. Mine came back in a horrible shade of "Old Person Grey" and real thin and whispy.....I was furious! About 2 weeks later I noticed it darkening and getting thicker by the day (Yeah, just like myself..LOL) Now it is an uncontrollable thick curly mass, I look like a scarecrow but I am determined NOT to have it cut, It needs to GROW.....It is better than it was, just shorter and that will sort itself out sooner or later. By next month I will look like "Cousin IT".. you'll have to offer me food to see which way round I am facing!
    Just Sayin'
    Hugs J
  • Wibby
    Wibby Member Posts: 27
    #7
    Same Problems with my Hair
    Hi Ohilly,

    I finished chemo. on June 7, 2008 - a few weeks before you did. I seem to be having the same problems that you are. My hair is very fine and thin now but was coarse and thick before. I also have a bald spot - actually two of them - one at my part and the other in the back. My hair was slightly wavy before but it's crazy wavy now. Since it's so cold where I live (Maine: -12 degrees F this morning), I wear a heavy hat every day. When I get to school I have worse "hat hair" than the students - it sticks out in every direction. I'm so vain that I wet my hair down when I get to school so it will look somewhat presentable. It does have a mind of its own, though! I'm not on Femara, but am taking Tamoxifen.

    Thank you for bringing this topic up - I was wondering if I was the only one with a hair obsession!

    Libby
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #8
    tasha_111 said:

    Hair
    Hey. Mine came back in a horrible shade of "Old Person Grey" and real thin and whispy.....I was furious! About 2 weeks later I noticed it darkening and getting thicker by the day (Yeah, just like myself..LOL) Now it is an uncontrollable thick curly mass, I look like a scarecrow but I am determined NOT to have it cut, It needs to GROW.....It is better than it was, just shorter and that will sort itself out sooner or later. By next month I will look like "Cousin IT".. you'll have to offer me food to see which way round I am facing!
    Just Sayin'
    Hugs J

    Cousin It
    What a funny image -- you have to post your Cousin It picture!

    Mimi
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
    #9
    HAIR - if it wasn't important there wouldn't be a play about it.
    I posted to Moopy, but I'm reposting here. I finished chemo in summer. The best thing about chemo wasn't the kindness of the nurses, or the support of my family and friends. No, UH-UH, not at all. The best part was that I lost ALL my hair. Even those nasty stray hairs that began appearing on my chin (and sometimes on my cheeks) a couple of years ago. OK, that sounds shallow and it isn't even the truth about no chin hair being better than all the support and love and prayers. But there was a bright side to this loss of hair thing.

    Now I have hair everywhere. Uh hem. Even places I would rather not have it. At first my head hair came in pixieish, fine and wispy and not very thick. Now it's short,thick, and very curly and people pet me as if I'm a poodle. One person told me that what I have is "chemo curl." Since I haven't worn my hair short since I was 12 years old, this hair growing back business has been kind of fun (except for those darn chin hairs, and having to shave my legs, etc.).

    I've heard that after a couple of years the curl goes away and your hair resumes growing the way it did before chemo. I wonder if your hair will start to curl when it gets a little longer?
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
    #10
    tasha_111 said:

    Hair
    Hey. Mine came back in a horrible shade of "Old Person Grey" and real thin and whispy.....I was furious! About 2 weeks later I noticed it darkening and getting thicker by the day (Yeah, just like myself..LOL) Now it is an uncontrollable thick curly mass, I look like a scarecrow but I am determined NOT to have it cut, It needs to GROW.....It is better than it was, just shorter and that will sort itself out sooner or later. By next month I will look like "Cousin IT".. you'll have to offer me food to see which way round I am facing!
    Just Sayin'
    Hugs J

    Old Person Grey ...Ouch!
    Mine was more grey at first too; now it seems like it's darkening. Julia - your posts are the best and they brighten my day. Thanks.
  • ohilly
    ohilly Member Posts: 441
    #11
    Wibby said:

    Same Problems with my Hair
    Hi Ohilly,

    I finished chemo. on June 7, 2008 - a few weeks before you did. I seem to be having the same problems that you are. My hair is very fine and thin now but was coarse and thick before. I also have a bald spot - actually two of them - one at my part and the other in the back. My hair was slightly wavy before but it's crazy wavy now. Since it's so cold where I live (Maine: -12 degrees F this morning), I wear a heavy hat every day. When I get to school I have worse "hat hair" than the students - it sticks out in every direction. I'm so vain that I wet my hair down when I get to school so it will look somewhat presentable. It does have a mind of its own, though! I'm not on Femara, but am taking Tamoxifen.

    Thank you for bringing this topic up - I was wondering if I was the only one with a hair obsession!

    Libby

    what kind of chemo
    Libby, since you seem to be having similar problems with your hair to mine, I wondered what kind of chemo you were on? I had four treatments of Taxotere/Cytoxan.

    Ohilly
  • survivor51
    survivor51 Member Posts: 276
    #12
    Shirley Temple
    Yes, mine came back and now it think and curly and yes it is that gray but of course I'm could retire at my age. I have the best time with it because all I do is wet it in the morning and shake it out. I never comb it. I do have one of those head dryers...note I did not say blow dryers. It keeps my curls in tack so I don't feel like a muppet. It is quick and easy and drys in about 4 minutes. I found that if I use conditioners and dry it, it isn't as good so I just shampoo and dry. It doesn't even mess up in the wind. I use to have long hair but now just keep it short. At school when it was just coming in, I quit wearing my wig. Needless to say, I teach middle school and the kids and I had a great time. Many times I would go down the hall and both adults and students would ask if they could touch it. It felt like a babies and then the rumor was if you touched my head students would make good on test. The students would come by and knock on my door..."I have a really hard test today, my I get some good luck". Each day as I arrived home, I would jump in the shower and scrub down because the kids just clung to me. It brought me much laughter and it allowed people to realize it is the beauty within. The word "bad hair day" was much mentioned by staff and students and they felt OK when they didn't look "perfect". It does get better so just hang in there. Angela
  • Wibby
    Wibby Member Posts: 27
    #13
    ohilly said:

    what kind of chemo
    Libby, since you seem to be having similar problems with your hair to mine, I wondered what kind of chemo you were on? I had four treatments of Taxotere/Cytoxan.

    Ohilly

    Chemo
    Hi OHilly!
    I had six treatments of Adriamycin, Taxotere and Cytoxan. It must be the last two that did me in although I've heard that Adriamycin isn't very kind either. I'm just hoping that the drugs did what they were supposed to do - get rid of any stray cancer cells. I was stage IIA with two 1 cm tumors, numerous DCIS and 1 lymph node with cancer out of the seven removed.
    I wish you much hair - in the right places!
    Libby
  • mmontero38
    mmontero38 Member Posts: 1,510
    #14
    lynn1950 said:

    HAIR - if it wasn't important there wouldn't be a play about it.
    I posted to Moopy, but I'm reposting here. I finished chemo in summer. The best thing about chemo wasn't the kindness of the nurses, or the support of my family and friends. No, UH-UH, not at all. The best part was that I lost ALL my hair. Even those nasty stray hairs that began appearing on my chin (and sometimes on my cheeks) a couple of years ago. OK, that sounds shallow and it isn't even the truth about no chin hair being better than all the support and love and prayers. But there was a bright side to this loss of hair thing.

    Now I have hair everywhere. Uh hem. Even places I would rather not have it. At first my head hair came in pixieish, fine and wispy and not very thick. Now it's short,thick, and very curly and people pet me as if I'm a poodle. One person told me that what I have is "chemo curl." Since I haven't worn my hair short since I was 12 years old, this hair growing back business has been kind of fun (except for those darn chin hairs, and having to shave my legs, etc.).

    I've heard that after a couple of years the curl goes away and your hair resumes growing the way it did before chemo. I wonder if your hair will start to curl when it gets a little longer?

    Lynn, mine came in curly and
    Lynn, mine came in curly and lasted all about 6 months then it started coming in straight. Though I loved my curls, unfortunately they didn't last for me. Hugs, Lili
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #15
    survivor51 said:

    Shirley Temple
    Yes, mine came back and now it think and curly and yes it is that gray but of course I'm could retire at my age. I have the best time with it because all I do is wet it in the morning and shake it out. I never comb it. I do have one of those head dryers...note I did not say blow dryers. It keeps my curls in tack so I don't feel like a muppet. It is quick and easy and drys in about 4 minutes. I found that if I use conditioners and dry it, it isn't as good so I just shampoo and dry. It doesn't even mess up in the wind. I use to have long hair but now just keep it short. At school when it was just coming in, I quit wearing my wig. Needless to say, I teach middle school and the kids and I had a great time. Many times I would go down the hall and both adults and students would ask if they could touch it. It felt like a babies and then the rumor was if you touched my head students would make good on test. The students would come by and knock on my door..."I have a really hard test today, my I get some good luck". Each day as I arrived home, I would jump in the shower and scrub down because the kids just clung to me. It brought me much laughter and it allowed people to realize it is the beauty within. The word "bad hair day" was much mentioned by staff and students and they felt OK when they didn't look "perfect". It does get better so just hang in there. Angela

    Great story
    So sweet. I love this story. This just shows that there can be fun and laughter in any situation. Good for you and your students!

    Mimi
  • Irishwhispers
    Irishwhispers Member Posts: 96
    #16
    mimivac said:

    Great story
    So sweet. I love this story. This just shows that there can be fun and laughter in any situation. Good for you and your students!

    Mimi

    I truly got a chuckle reading
    all these Hair stories!!! Im driving the BF nuts..lol I get home from work and Rip off the Wig and I say to him does it look like it grew anymore??? LOL
    He always says yes!! LOL Smart man!! The funny thing is the cowlicks ommmmmggg!!! I have a huge one right smack dab center in the back and one in the front that has to be the worlds teeeeeeniest ever known...I have to say .. I adore it.. lol
    The color is funny ... like a lil fieldmouse brown with hints of grey ... and I just cant wait til I get it to stand up with some Gel !!!!!!! LOL
    I had very thick and very curly hair before Chemo... seems like its coming back in thick and curly .. so far all I know is its about 1/2 inch long ....lol hard to imagine at the begining of all this my hair was so long.

    Did anyone else ever wonder if your wig was hindering new growth??? LOL Just a thought!!

    Keep smiling!!!
    Hugs
    Trish
  • Aortus
    Aortus Member Posts: 967
    #17
    WAAAAAHHH!!!
    Poor Moopy's hair is finally starting to fall out on Day 20. As always, she is being incredibly brave about it. If there wasn't 2" of sleet on the ground here in Springfield, MO (classes are cancelled today so I have the day off) we might take her for a buzz cut.

    Right now I am (as Moopsy's Baldness Coach) brushing her hair every so often to snag as much as I can before it hits the floor or the pillow or anything else. This may have the added advantage of making the hair loss seem more gradual. At least it's a dumb little ritual which will hopefully make this ordeal less painful.

    Typically, Moopy is making wisecracks. Best one yet is "Now you have *four* shedding animals in the house instead of three." Thanks again to all of you Sisters in Pink for sharing your funny hair stories and helping my beloved Kitten (and me) by making us both laugh aloud over and over again. The Moopster's hair will come back. Mine won't. If that's the worst gripe we have about life at the moment, we are having a great day.
  • mmontero38
    mmontero38 Member Posts: 1,510
    #18
    Irishwhispers said:

    I truly got a chuckle reading
    all these Hair stories!!! Im driving the BF nuts..lol I get home from work and Rip off the Wig and I say to him does it look like it grew anymore??? LOL
    He always says yes!! LOL Smart man!! The funny thing is the cowlicks ommmmmggg!!! I have a huge one right smack dab center in the back and one in the front that has to be the worlds teeeeeeniest ever known...I have to say .. I adore it.. lol
    The color is funny ... like a lil fieldmouse brown with hints of grey ... and I just cant wait til I get it to stand up with some Gel !!!!!!! LOL
    I had very thick and very curly hair before Chemo... seems like its coming back in thick and curly .. so far all I know is its about 1/2 inch long ....lol hard to imagine at the begining of all this my hair was so long.

    Did anyone else ever wonder if your wig was hindering new growth??? LOL Just a thought!!

    Keep smiling!!!
    Hugs
    Trish

    Don't know Trish since I
    Don't know Trish since I barely wore mine. Hated the darn thing. Love ya, Lili
  • Irishwhispers
    Irishwhispers Member Posts: 96
    #19
    mmontero38 said:

    Don't know Trish since I
    Don't know Trish since I barely wore mine. Hated the darn thing. Love ya, Lili

    Hahahahhaaa
    I am just not that brave to go without it...
    but it wont be long now.. I have to share this with tho!!! ROTF... Today I went out to start the car... without IT!!!!! and no hat... LOL so that must mean ...
    I am getting close to letting go of mine.
    Love ya !!!more than my luggage!!
    ~Trish~
  • Irishwhispers
    Irishwhispers Member Posts: 96
    #20
    Aortus said:

    WAAAAAHHH!!!
    Poor Moopy's hair is finally starting to fall out on Day 20. As always, she is being incredibly brave about it. If there wasn't 2" of sleet on the ground here in Springfield, MO (classes are cancelled today so I have the day off) we might take her for a buzz cut.

    Right now I am (as Moopsy's Baldness Coach) brushing her hair every so often to snag as much as I can before it hits the floor or the pillow or anything else. This may have the added advantage of making the hair loss seem more gradual. At least it's a dumb little ritual which will hopefully make this ordeal less painful.

    Typically, Moopy is making wisecracks. Best one yet is "Now you have *four* shedding animals in the house instead of three." Thanks again to all of you Sisters in Pink for sharing your funny hair stories and helping my beloved Kitten (and me) by making us both laugh aloud over and over again. The Moopster's hair will come back. Mine won't. If that's the worst gripe we have about life at the moment, we are having a great day.

    Moopy sounds very special
    and fortunate to have you by her side!!!
    and to just let you in on a little secret.. I first went & had it cut short, when mine started falling out.. it was hurting ..like the dickens... so I thought..ok .. maybe buzzin it is a good idea...
    so I went .. I picked up the clippers.. and had a riot and a half with making little designs ... and doing some real whacked out looking cuts... it truly was a BLAST.. because I knew no matter what I did to it .. it was all comin off and I got a "do over" *wink wink* no thanks to Chemo.. but it still was fun... if it was going to fall... I was going to be the one to chop it!! :-)

    Lots of love & hope to you both
    ~Trish~
  • Marcia527
    Marcia527 Member Posts: 2,729
    #21
    Aortus said:

    WAAAAAHHH!!!
    Poor Moopy's hair is finally starting to fall out on Day 20. As always, she is being incredibly brave about it. If there wasn't 2" of sleet on the ground here in Springfield, MO (classes are cancelled today so I have the day off) we might take her for a buzz cut.

    Right now I am (as Moopsy's Baldness Coach) brushing her hair every so often to snag as much as I can before it hits the floor or the pillow or anything else. This may have the added advantage of making the hair loss seem more gradual. At least it's a dumb little ritual which will hopefully make this ordeal less painful.

    Typically, Moopy is making wisecracks. Best one yet is "Now you have *four* shedding animals in the house instead of three." Thanks again to all of you Sisters in Pink for sharing your funny hair stories and helping my beloved Kitten (and me) by making us both laugh aloud over and over again. The Moopster's hair will come back. Mine won't. If that's the worst gripe we have about life at the moment, we are having a great day.

    I had one of my sons buzz
    I had one of my sons buzz mine. No one else would do it. I always wanted to try my hair really short so it was interesting when it started growing back. I actually kept it pretty short for a couple of years. Now I'm back to chin length. It did grow back curly at first but time straighten it out. Now it's exactly like it was before chemo. It's actually hard to remember when I didn't have hair. Take lots of pictures if you want to remember it. Most of mine are with caps or hats tho.

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