Hair loss

jadav1956
jadav1956 Member Posts: 95 Member
in Ovarian Cancer #1
Hi all !! I am 2 weeks and 1 day out from my first chemo tx. My scalp has been very itchy and tender. My hair is starting to fall out. I noticed a lot in the drain from the shower this morning. I am going to have a shaving get together this weekend !! My bloodwork has been all good. My ca125 started at 4500- down to 1651. I am supposed to get it checked monthly before chemo. My next tx is 7/14. I am on carbo/taxel. I actually feel pretty good right now and have managed to return to work part time. I don't know how long this will last, but am very optimistic. I still have a little numbness in fingertips and toes, but so far that seems to be the worst of it. I remember reading in a previous post to take senekot and stool softener the day before a tx ? I also read something about L-glutamene ? I would like more info about these please. Thanks Jackie

Comments

  • lauripiper
    lauripiper Member Posts: 28
    #2
    hair loss
    Definetley take stool softener, milk of magnesia, or laxative. The day before is not a bad idea but definitely start the day of a treatment and stay on it for several days. If you let the constipation creep up on you it will be painful. I was told to never let a day go by without a bowel movement.
  • upsofloating
    upsofloating Member Posts: 466 Member
    #3
    The L-glutamine is to help
    The L-glutamine is to help with neuropathy issues - that numbness and tingling in your fingers and toes. I finished carbo/taxol over 3 years ago and although way better now I developed significant issues with neuropathy that can actually continue to get worse up to 6 months post chemo. I thokught at the time it was just a short-term side effect like nausea, fatigue, hair loss - I had not done research. So do let chemo nurses know you have symptoms. Of course they told me they could cut dose back but I declined that remedy! Just wish I had had more info of it as a potential longterm side effect to be proactive in treating.

    Hope you continue to do well and can continue with part-time work as it is so good to get away from just dealing with cancer issues.
    Annie
  • mopar
    mopar Member Posts: 1,972 Member
    #4
    KEEP UP YOUR GOOD SPIRITS!
    It may be difficult sometimes, but your positive attitude is very helpful in getting through this.

    Yup, that scalp tenderness was my defining moment - I knew my hair was ready to go. Second time I had to go through chemo I decided to just shave it off before I had to see my drain get clogged! As for the constipation, my doc had me take Colace or Senna S a couple of days before and for about a week after. It's not even a bad idea to take it on a daily basis so you don't have to try to 'chase' the problem. Keeping up fluids and high fiber foods (when you feel like eating) is certainly helpful, but it's something everyone on chemo deals with and is not pleasant if you have days and days without relief.

    L-Glutamine (powder form is more cost effective) and Vitamin B-6 were both helpful for my neuropathy.

    Would love to continue to hear from you, Jackie and how you are doing. Congrats on that wonderful CA125 drop! Sending hugs and prayers!

    Monika
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #5
    mopar said:

    KEEP UP YOUR GOOD SPIRITS!
    It may be difficult sometimes, but your positive attitude is very helpful in getting through this.

    Yup, that scalp tenderness was my defining moment - I knew my hair was ready to go. Second time I had to go through chemo I decided to just shave it off before I had to see my drain get clogged! As for the constipation, my doc had me take Colace or Senna S a couple of days before and for about a week after. It's not even a bad idea to take it on a daily basis so you don't have to try to 'chase' the problem. Keeping up fluids and high fiber foods (when you feel like eating) is certainly helpful, but it's something everyone on chemo deals with and is not pleasant if you have days and days without relief.

    L-Glutamine (powder form is more cost effective) and Vitamin B-6 were both helpful for my neuropathy.

    Would love to continue to hear from you, Jackie and how you are doing. Congrats on that wonderful CA125 drop! Sending hugs and prayers!

    Monika

    I am a fan of Miralax,
    I am a fan of Miralax, myself. It has absolutely no taste or texture. I mix it with Crystal Lite. And it works great.

    Carlene
  • RGW
    RGW Member Posts: 60
    #6
    Hissy_Fitz said:

    I am a fan of Miralax,
    I am a fan of Miralax, myself. It has absolutely no taste or texture. I mix it with Crystal Lite. And it works great.

    Carlene

    Taxol/Carbo
    I agree with the B6--it really helps with neuropathy. I still take 100 mg twice a day & find if I stop, then I get some tingling (I finished chemo September 2010). Don't shave your head down to the scalp, it's better to just crop it very short, like a crew cut. You don't want to get folliculitis, an infection of the hair follicles. Or, you can get ingrown hairs.

    I took Taxol/Carboplatin for uterine cancer (one that looks like ovarian and acts like ovarian, so is treated like ovarian). I was able to continue to work full-time, with just a day off for chemo infusion. Try to to time your chemo infusion so that your "bad" days fall on the weekend.

    Good luck!
  • Tina Brown
    Tina Brown Member Posts: 1,036 Member
    #7
    Hello Jackie and welcome to the board.
    Hello Jackie and welcome to the board.

    Wow that is an amazing reduction in your numbers after only 1 treatment :)Your itchy scalp is a prelude to your hair coming out and it is a good idea to get it shaved as it is not nice to keep finding hairs all over the place.

    I am pleased you are feeling good and managing to work part time. I was able to continue my part time work throughout my treatment. You will get progressively more tired after each treatment but if you rest up as much as you can in between work you will be OK.

    Can't offer any help about the stool softener etc as I didn't have that problem.

    Take care Tina xx
  • mdctknits
    mdctknits Member Posts: 4
    #8
    L-Glutamine
    Hi - you asked about L-Glutamine...My gyn/onc recommended it before I started chemo. You can buy a big container of the powder online at vitacost.com & it's not too expensive. I use the Jarrow brand, which you can also buy at Whole Foods. I stir 2 or 3 scoops a couple of times a day into juice or water; it has no taste at all, & has helped me a lot. I have only intermittent tingling in my hands & feet, and actually my feet really only have that pins & needles feeling when I wear real shoes instead of sandals. This is my excuse to wear flip-flops to work!

    Sounds like you have a positive attitude & that will also help you a lot! Being able to continue working will help also.
  • carolenk
    carolenk Member Posts: 907 Member
    #9
    mdctknits said:

    L-Glutamine
    Hi - you asked about L-Glutamine...My gyn/onc recommended it before I started chemo. You can buy a big container of the powder online at vitacost.com & it's not too expensive. I use the Jarrow brand, which you can also buy at Whole Foods. I stir 2 or 3 scoops a couple of times a day into juice or water; it has no taste at all, & has helped me a lot. I have only intermittent tingling in my hands & feet, and actually my feet really only have that pins & needles feeling when I wear real shoes instead of sandals. This is my excuse to wear flip-flops to work!

    Sounds like you have a positive attitude & that will also help you a lot! Being able to continue working will help also.

    lucky you
    Dear mdctknits

    Wow! I am glad your gyn/onc knew about L-glutamine! I just wanted to add that (because it is an amino acid) you will get best results by taking the powder on an empty stomach. Amnio acids are the building blocks of proteins and if you are looking to get a therapeutic benefit from taking a single amino acid, then put it into your stomach ALONE.

    I remember this by thinking amino acids "like to party" and will try to "hook up" with other amino acids when they are all in your stomach together (amino acids are mostly found in animal proteins: meat, fish, eggs, dairy and also nuts).

    The best time is to take the L-glutamine upon arising and waiting about 20 minutes before eating (add 10 minutes if the amino acid is in a capsule). Otherwise, wait about 2 hours after eating to take L-glutamine.

    Another long-term side effect of the platinum-based chemos is hearing loss. The researchers are more concerned with children who are treated with these drugs. I have been using alpha-lipoic acid for that because of the sulfur compounds in it (thiol groups) and the ringing in my ears has cut down a lot. Acupuncture helped the ringing, too.

    I probably should have posted this somewhere else rather than under "hair loss."

    take care,

    Carolen

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