Hair loss from Folfox?

Trubrit

Coloncancerblows said:

My doctor's office said the

My doctor's office said the first session will be a very long day (not sure why).  They'll give me my pack and it takes 46 hours to run it's course and then I go back on Friday for them to unhook it.  Seems very weird to me sleeping with meds  going thru my body.  They said I could shower with it as long as I covered it up so that might be a challenge.  I've got my bag ready to take with my Ipod, Ipad and Kindle.  My husband isn't a reader so he'll probably just look at me while I have headphones on.  lol   I plan on going to my first session with my "colon cancer blows" t-shirt.  It has a blue blowfish on it and very cute.     Side effects are the part I'm dreading.

Long but not bad

I'm usually in the infusion room around three and a half hours, so music, reading, and food pass the time. 

There are many others there too, and I love it when we get talking. It can be quite uplifting and happy.

I cannot feel the meds going into me at all, though I do feel a funny sentastion in my throat and I can taste the chemo immedietely. 

The bag isn't so bad either, though I am SO SO SO glad when its unhooked. I hate to feel confined by anything.

I usually take a bath and try not to get my port area wet. 

Really, the only problem I find with the chemo bag is when I have it by my side on the couch, then I get up and forget its there. OUCH! 

You'll be so happy to get that first session over, then you'lll know exactly what to expect the next time.  Its normal to feel apprehension about something you have never experienced before. 

I go on Wednesdays too, so I'll think of you while I'm getting my chemo juice for the week. 

Good luck!

Fucc

relaxoutdoors08 said:

Hair on Folfox

I had hair thinning but it seems like losing hair as it falls out.  Don't buy the wig yet.  I thinned at the top and was hoping it would grow back dark and thick like my cousin who had breast cancer but instead it filled in but was white  with a very baby fine texture.  Some on Folfox did not lose their hair at all so best advice is to wait and see.

NB

My hair has thinned a bit. It
My hair has thinned a bit. It was falling out the most around round four and five of folfox. I am now at round ten and it seems to have stopped falling out. I did not need a wig, however, upon recommendation from my hair dresser I bought this powder that you can put on your scalp to kind of fill things in. I can't recall the name, but I use it on my hair part. It actually makes a huge differenc and makes my hair look much thicker. I found it at a beauty supply store.

renw

Coloncancerblows said:

My doctor's office said the

My doctor's office said the first session will be a very long day (not sure why).  They'll give me my pack and it takes 46 hours to run it's course and then I go back on Friday for them to unhook it.  Seems very weird to me sleeping with meds  going thru my body.  They said I could shower with it as long as I covered it up so that might be a challenge.  I've got my bag ready to take with my Ipod, Ipad and Kindle.  My husband isn't a reader so he'll probably just look at me while I have headphones on.  lol   I plan on going to my first session with my "colon cancer blows" t-shirt.  It has a blue blowfish on it and very cute.     Side effects are the part I'm dreading.

The reason the first session

The reason the first session is long, is because they administervall the various IV's separetely and more slowly. This is to check for possible alergic reactions. On subsequent session they may administer two IV's concurrently and will infuse at a faster rate so these do not take quite as long.

Coppercent

Everyone reacts differently to the chemo

Don't stress over how you will react to the chemo. Everyone is different. I had my port put in on Tuesday. Got my first chemo the next morning was done by noon then went into work. Since I was on a tight time schedule I chose to drive myself. It was too inconvenient to meet up with anyone. My sweet sons thought they should be there to support me and each went once. They learned quickly it was boring and it was a good time for me to get work done. So they realized it was better to spend time with me when we could go out and do something fun.  I worked everyday and only took off the morning of infusion. I hated the chemo bag because the ones they use at my center are so big. There was no way to hide it at work but everyone got used to it after awhile.  Good luck it is better after the first one because you know what to expect. The unknown is alway the worst for me.  

 

lilacbrroller

Trubrit said:

Thank you

for the food advice. I need to get  grip on my eating habits and eat a little bit more on the healthy side.

As a bird watcher, I also love your picture/avatar.

bird

thanks Trubrit - it is, as you probably know already, a lilac breasted roller, a magnificent little bird!

lilacbrroller

Coloncancerblows said:

Karin,
I stole my username

Karin,

I stole my username from a t-shirt I bought! haha  OMG...I hope I'm not down for 6 weeks because I'm going back to work on the 25th.  That's my six weeks from having my tumor removed.  Where I work they're very understanding and if I have to miss 2 or 3 days a week then I'll take it unpaid.  I'll get the pack unhooked on Friday's so I'm hoping i can recoop on Saturday and Sunday's and be ready to go back to work on Monday.  Ugh.....not looking forward to it at all.  I have my gloves ready and heard that about the fridge/freezer.  It's going to be challenging eating things at room temperature when they're normally cold.  I guess no more coke Iccee's for me.  Darn!

name

wear that t-shirt with pride.   enjoy your hot orange juice!  

 

Yeah, everybody has a different reaction to chemo.  don't sweat it. For the first few months I was whacked, but then I went back to work half time (week at work, week telcommuting) and now i"m walking 10,000 steps+ a day.  good luck. 

Glammom

Coppercent said:

Everyone reacts differently to the chemo

Don't stress over how you will react to the chemo. Everyone is different. I had my port put in on Tuesday. Got my first chemo the next morning was done by noon then went into work. Since I was on a tight time schedule I chose to drive myself. It was too inconvenient to meet up with anyone. My sweet sons thought they should be there to support me and each went once. They learned quickly it was boring and it was a good time for me to get work done. So they realized it was better to spend time with me when we could go out and do something fun.  I worked everyday and only took off the morning of infusion. I hated the chemo bag because the ones they use at my center are so big. There was no way to hide it at work but everyone got used to it after awhile.  Good luck it is better after the first one because you know what to expect. The unknown is alway the worst for me.  

 

Hi I just had my first

Hi I just had my first treatment yesterday and I'm feeling ok. Tired bad taste in mouth and a little acid reflux last night.  I slept worth my infusion fanny pack around my waist no pulling or tangeling.   My question is if you we're going to get sick (vomiting ) from it would it happen after first treatment or can it happen at aany point like the hair.   They gave me anti nauceaous Meds in Iv yesterday a d a prescription at home but I was just wondering and same twitch the neuropathy    Thanks this site it's really great your all so supportive and encouraging!

Fucc

Glammom said:

Hi I just had my first

Hi I just had my first treatment yesterday and I'm feeling ok. Tired bad taste in mouth and a little acid reflux last night.  I slept worth my infusion fanny pack around my waist no pulling or tangeling.   My question is if you we're going to get sick (vomiting ) from it would it happen after first treatment or can it happen at aany point like the hair.   They gave me anti nauceaous Meds in Iv yesterday a d a prescription at home but I was just wondering and same twitch the neuropathy    Thanks this site it's really great your all so supportive and encouraging!

I've been pretty lucky as

I've been pretty lucky as nausea and vomitting has been quite limited. It's actually gotten better as it moved on. For me, the few times it hit me werdecree evening of day two and the morning of day three. After that it got better. Take the meds as directed. I did miss them a few times which probably contributed to the nausea and vomitting. For me the worst thingduring chemo is constipation like I havenever had or ever imagined could be possible.  I now manage this with laxatives. Although it still gets bad sometimes. 

annalexandria

My hair was fine on FOLFOX...

and hopefully yours will be too.  I did lose every last bit of hair on the second chemo I did (don't worry, it's not one they normally use with crc!), and it was pretty awful.  Weird how hard it can be, for men and women both, to lose their hair.   AA

hippiechicks

Glammom said:

Hi I just had my first

Hi I just had my first treatment yesterday and I'm feeling ok. Tired bad taste in mouth and a little acid reflux last night.  I slept worth my infusion fanny pack around my waist no pulling or tangeling.   My question is if you we're going to get sick (vomiting ) from it would it happen after first treatment or can it happen at aany point like the hair.   They gave me anti nauceaous Meds in Iv yesterday a d a prescription at home but I was just wondering and same twitch the neuropathy    Thanks this site it's really great your all so supportive and encouraging!

Hi...I sure hope you have

Hi...I sure hope you have good luck as many do with your treatments.  As for me, my first was fine...felt great, but by treatment 2 I was violently ill just hours after I came home.  I tried the first script, zophrane I believe, it did nothing to help. I took the second one as they precribed, and that one seemed to help.  I however became so dehydrated from sleeping so much and being so sick that I needed to go to the hospital for fluids.  This also happened on treatment 3.  By treatment 4, I was put on Aloxi prior to treatment via drip and that took care of the violent sickness.  I was still very nauseous and needed to have crackers with me or Lorna Doone's at all times.  As soon as it hit, I would eat a few of those and feel better.  That would last for 4-5 days after the treatment...then I would do my best to eat well and keep the wieght on. 

The neuropathy is more of a cummulative thing...the cold sensitivity hit me right from treatment one, but the true neuropathy did not hit until half way throug...then got progressively worse and lasted for several months after treatment.  I also needed to have dose reductions to get through all the treatements.  

Good luck to you!!

hippiechicks

Coloncancerblows said:

Thank you.  I'll look for

Thank you.  I'll look for that free wig program.

The hospital I went to also

The hospital I went to also had a wig program ... the nurses should be able to give you the dates they visit if they offer one. 

My hair thinned and broke a lot! I would wake up with it all over my pillow and it would fall out if I put my fingers through it. I did not need a wig, but my hair also changed from curly to straight.  I had cut it very short so not to have a huge change. I think the part that was the strangest thing for me was how sensitive my eyes became to light...which I think was partially because I lost and had thinning eye lashes.  I wore sun glasses all the time.  Even in the house, my eyes would hurt that badly.  

We used my hair as a science lesson here...if we looked at one of the strands we could actually see where I began treatments and how it changed (the actual hair gets thinner) each week that went by.  Not a bad chemistry lesson!

tachilders

annalexandria said:

My hair was fine on FOLFOX...

and hopefully yours will be too.  I did lose every last bit of hair on the second chemo I did (don't worry, it's not one they normally use with crc!), and it was pretty awful.  Weird how hard it can be, for men and women both, to lose their hair.   AA

I had no hair loss with 12

I had no hair loss with 12 treatments of FOLFOX, and I'm still taking 5FU with no hair loss.  I asked the woman who normally cuts my hair if it appeared to be thinning (I have thick hair), and she said no and that it was really healthy.  In summary, not evrybody has hair loss with FOLFOX....

Glammom

tachilders said:

I had no hair loss with 12

I had no hair loss with 12 treatments of FOLFOX, and I'm still taking 5FU with no hair loss.  I asked the woman who normally cuts my hair if it appeared to be thinning (I have thick hair), and she said no and that it was really healthy.  In summary, not evrybody has hair loss with FOLFOX....

Thanks !

Thanks !

Goodhikers

Coloncancerblows said:

My doctor's office said the

My doctor's office said the first session will be a very long day (not sure why).  They'll give me my pack and it takes 46 hours to run it's course and then I go back on Friday for them to unhook it.  Seems very weird to me sleeping with meds  going thru my body.  They said I could shower with it as long as I covered it up so that might be a challenge.  I've got my bag ready to take with my Ipod, Ipad and Kindle.  My husband isn't a reader so he'll probably just look at me while I have headphones on.  lol   I plan on going to my first session with my "colon cancer blows" t-shirt.  It has a blue blowfish on it and very cute.     Side effects are the part I'm dreading.

Showering with 46-hour pack

Currently starting session five folfox: still have hair, minor thinning (fingers crossed).

Quick comment: I found a plastic clothes pin bag on Amazon in which I place my 46-hour unit (inside a gallon plastic bag, of course). That way, I can hang it up on the shower rod and have my hands free.  Great improvemen!