a question regarding hair loss during recurrent ovc

ocalalaurie
ocalalaurie Member Posts: 34 Member
in Ovarian Cancer #1
I wanted to ask for anyones personal experience/opinion.
I am starting treatment for recurrent ovc. During my initial trtmt, I never shaved my head. I had it cut really short before treatment, then when it started to fall out it was gradual...clumps now and then. I just wore hats and scarves to cover and contain any "fly-aways"...rather "fall-aways". It never all fell out. I always had some fuzz here and there with empty spots here and there too.
My nurse/friend suggested I shave my head this time. Would like to know if I were to do that, will any of it try to grow during treatment? Will I have any fuzzy spots? My scalp was so sensitive last time that I dont know how I would handle shaving....would I have to keep shaving it? I imagine that once I shave it, it won't start to grow until I finish treatmt. Am I right?

Thank you :)

Comments

  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #2
    I cut my hair really short
    I cut my hair really short prior to treatment. Over the next few months I lost every hair on my body. No hair on my head, no underarm hair, pubic hair, eyebrows, etc. It did not, however, come back in nice and evenly as I had hoped. I have a sort of Kewpie doll look now - long strands on top and at the neckline. My bangs - or where my bangs used to be - are just 1/4 inch stubbles.

    Not all chemo drugs cause hair loss. I did 18 Taxol infusions, and Taxol, of course, is known for its balding effects.

    What kind of treatment will you be getting?

    Carlene
  • ocalalaurie
    ocalalaurie Member Posts: 34 Member
    #3
    Hissy_Fitz said:

    I cut my hair really short
    I cut my hair really short prior to treatment. Over the next few months I lost every hair on my body. No hair on my head, no underarm hair, pubic hair, eyebrows, etc. It did not, however, come back in nice and evenly as I had hoped. I have a sort of Kewpie doll look now - long strands on top and at the neckline. My bangs - or where my bangs used to be - are just 1/4 inch stubbles.

    Not all chemo drugs cause hair loss. I did 18 Taxol infusions, and Taxol, of course, is known for its balding effects.

    What kind of treatment will you be getting?

    Carlene

    Thank you:)
    Im doing
    Thank you:)
    Im doing cisplatin & taxol IP and doxil IV. I had taxol with both carbo and cispl before, and lost most of my hair, but not all of my body hair. I never had to shave my legs, and that was the best part! The last time, my hair was almost all gone except for a few fuzzy areas. Is it not normal then to have that reaction....to actually have some fuzz after taxol?
  • ocalalaurie
    ocalalaurie Member Posts: 34 Member
    #4
    ocalalaurie said:

    Thank you:)
    Im doing
    Thank you:)
    Im doing cisplatin & taxol IP and doxil IV. I had taxol with both carbo and cispl before, and lost most of my hair, but not all of my body hair. I never had to shave my legs, and that was the best part! The last time, my hair was almost all gone except for a few fuzzy areas. Is it not normal then to have that reaction....to actually have some fuzz after taxol?

    I also want to mention that
    I also want to mention that I dont mean to be "hung up" on my hair. I know it's the last thing I should have a care about. I used to have waist length hair before all of this. Before my recurrence, my hair had started to grow in and I was pretty excited. It is darker than usual, and no grays! It has a bit of a wave to it, which I love :)
    Also, when I had finished treatments before, my husband said to me one day "well honey, you know I never liked short hair". That was when I had told him that I liked how I looked with short hair and that I may keep it that way. Now that Ive had a recurrence, the thought of losing it all again really upsets me. I guess I am struggling this time with my self image/esteem. Please dont get me wrong, he is a wonderful husband....he's just a guy...and obviously not too good with timing ;)
  • Cafewoman53
    Cafewoman53 Member Posts: 735 Member
    #5
    ocalalaurie said:

    I also want to mention that
    I also want to mention that I dont mean to be "hung up" on my hair. I know it's the last thing I should have a care about. I used to have waist length hair before all of this. Before my recurrence, my hair had started to grow in and I was pretty excited. It is darker than usual, and no grays! It has a bit of a wave to it, which I love :)
    Also, when I had finished treatments before, my husband said to me one day "well honey, you know I never liked short hair". That was when I had told him that I liked how I looked with short hair and that I may keep it that way. Now that Ive had a recurrence, the thought of losing it all again really upsets me. I guess I am struggling this time with my self image/esteem. Please dont get me wrong, he is a wonderful husband....he's just a guy...and obviously not too good with timing ;)

    Hair !
    I have a feeling that when I have a recurrance I will not give up my hair as easily as the first time around.
    The first time I cut it short then shaved it when it was obvious that it was all falling out, but it grew back slowly all the while I was getting the carbo/taxol. Now it still seems like fuzz more than hair even though it has been six months since I finished the carbo/taxol. I think my being on Avastin is slowing the growth.
    Hang in there remind yourself of the big picture I'm sure you are beautiful whatever the legnth of your hair.
    Colleen
  • LaundryQueen
    LaundryQueen Member Posts: 676
    #6
    Cafewoman53 said:

    Hair !
    I have a feeling that when I have a recurrance I will not give up my hair as easily as the first time around.
    The first time I cut it short then shaved it when it was obvious that it was all falling out, but it grew back slowly all the while I was getting the carbo/taxol. Now it still seems like fuzz more than hair even though it has been six months since I finished the carbo/taxol. I think my being on Avastin is slowing the growth.
    Hang in there remind yourself of the big picture I'm sure you are beautiful whatever the legnth of your hair.
    Colleen

    Hair today, gone tomorrow
    Laurie: I shaved my head because I thought it looked better that way. I had to keep shaving it or else the stubble would be annoying under the wig.

    Lady Gaga's song "I am my hair" could be my theme song. If it didn't look good, I'd rather go without it! Hahahahaha!

    Thank God my husband liked me bald. He used to sit by me and rub my head like I was some kind of good luck Buddha.

    LQ

    My hair grew back mostly grey and wavy with a cowlick at the crown. It seems to be longer in some places than others (like Carlene described). Around my face, it looks like I have dark roots. It's the weirdest hair I've ever had. I stopped shaving it in January (my last taxol was in November) and I stopped wearing the wig in April.

    I've heard that it takes about a year off chemo to get your "real hair" back
  • Tina Brown
    Tina Brown Member Posts: 1,036 Member
    #7
    Hello ocalalaurie
    I did the same as you & had my hair cut really short because I didn't want to shave it. But it started to fall out in clumps and I looked like I had radiation sickness. So my husband shaved it for me. After a while it felt like I had stubble as I think it continued to grow a bit. Sometimes my head used to feel like it had velcroed itself to my pillow. My scalp was a little sensitive at first until it got used to being without hair. My husband shaved it one more time to get rid of the stubble and it never grew at all until I stopped the treatment. As soon as the treatment ended my hair began to grow back and I noticed it about 2 weeks later.

    Hope this helps Tina
  • Tina Brown
    Tina Brown Member Posts: 1,036 Member
    #8
    LaundryQueen said:

    Hair today, gone tomorrow
    Laurie: I shaved my head because I thought it looked better that way. I had to keep shaving it or else the stubble would be annoying under the wig.

    Lady Gaga's song "I am my hair" could be my theme song. If it didn't look good, I'd rather go without it! Hahahahaha!

    Thank God my husband liked me bald. He used to sit by me and rub my head like I was some kind of good luck Buddha.

    LQ

    My hair grew back mostly grey and wavy with a cowlick at the crown. It seems to be longer in some places than others (like Carlene described). Around my face, it looks like I have dark roots. It's the weirdest hair I've ever had. I stopped shaving it in January (my last taxol was in November) and I stopped wearing the wig in April.

    I've heard that it takes about a year off chemo to get your "real hair" back

    Getting your hair back
    I think we are all different and last year when my hair began to grow back (after my first chemo finished) I had chemo fuss from April until October. In October my hair was quite long and I had to go back on chemo so I had it cut short. All of the chemo fuzz was cut out & I had my own hair back & it looked lovely. Shame It all dropped out a month later. The point I am making is it only took me 6 months for my chemo fuzz to go and my own hair to grow through.

    Tina
  • ocalalaurie
    ocalalaurie Member Posts: 34 Member
    #9
    Thank you
    I wanted to thank you all for your comments. Im not able to get on the computer that often, so it usually takes me awhile to read responses. I am mentally preparing myself to lose my hair again, and doing better about it too. It was very hot here today, and I had almost constant hot flashes....so the thought of the breeze blowing over my bald head will actually be pretty refreshing :)
    Thanks all :)
  • ocalalaurie
    ocalalaurie Member Posts: 34 Member
    #10
    Thank you
    I wanted to thank you all for your comments. Im not able to get on the computer that often, so it usually takes me awhile to read responses. I am mentally preparing myself to lose my hair again, and doing better about it too. It was very hot here today, and I had almost constant hot flashes....so the thought of the breeze blowing over my bald head will actually be pretty refreshing :)
    Thanks all :)
  • ocalalaurie
    ocalalaurie Member Posts: 34 Member
    #11
    Thank you
    I wanted to thank you all for your comments. Im not able to get on the computer that often, so it usually takes me awhile to read responses. I am mentally preparing myself to lose my hair again, and doing better about it too. It was very hot here today, and I had almost constant hot flashes....so the thought of the breeze blowing over my bald head will actually be pretty refreshing :)
    Thanks all :)
  • kayandok
    kayandok Member Posts: 1,202 Member
    #12
    ocalalaurie said:

    Thank you
    I wanted to thank you all for your comments. Im not able to get on the computer that often, so it usually takes me awhile to read responses. I am mentally preparing myself to lose my hair again, and doing better about it too. It was very hot here today, and I had almost constant hot flashes....so the thought of the breeze blowing over my bald head will actually be pretty refreshing :)
    Thanks all :)

    hair loss
    Hi Laurie and welcome to the board, if I haven't already said that on another thread. I'm so sorry you are dealing with recurrence and the whole hair issue again.

    I have lost my hair three times, and all three times I shaved it off before it fell out, or when it started to. I found that it made me feel "in control" of my life as opposed to the feeling that I was in a car crash about to happen.

    Keep us posted, when you get a chance,

    kathleen

Discussion Boards