Hair biopsy results in

Double Whammy
Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
And there is still no definitive answer. I do have some hair follicles - we knew that. Afterall, I do have some hair. What they saw under the microscope are some follicles in the telogen (resting) phase as well as in the anagen (growing) phase. Just not very many of them. The dermatologist said my biopsy results are consistent with those of the cases of permanent hair loss from Taxotere that have been reported, but they don't know whether I have permanent hair loss or not. I can try Rogaine (the male version) and I think I will give that a 6-month trial. If it works, then I'll to decide if it's worth it or not to stay on it. If it doesn't help, then I'll know it doesn't help.

Bottom line is I'm either going to grow more hair with or without Rogaine or I'm not. Swell.

Honestly, I'm ok wearing wigs and hats and as long as the Taxotere killed the nasty cancer cells, this is a small price to pay. It's the not knowing for sure whether or not this is the way it's going to be that just makes me crazy. So I think for the sake of my mental health, I'll try the Rogaine and see what happens in 6 months. I do worry about being a daffy old lady with her wig on backward some day, tho.

Suzanne

Comments

  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    Suzanne,
    Suzanne, you are such a beautiful woman -- if you do end up as a "daffy old lady with her wig on backward," I am certain you'll simply start a new fashion trend!

    :-) Traci
  • AngieD
    AngieD Member Posts: 493
    Well, darn, Suzanne! Still
    Well, darn, Suzanne! Still no definite answer. Of course, you're right, no cancer beats no hair every time! Unless there are side effects, sounds like Rogaine is worth a try.
    If it's any consolation, some days I feel like a daffy lady with my wig on crooked---
    Angie
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    You are certainly beautiful
    You are certainly beautiful in your photo! I am sorry that you are having to deal with this and I pray that your hair comes back fully. I love your positive, kick butt attitude!
  • linpsu
    linpsu Member Posts: 747
    Beautiful
    So sorry to hear about your hair problems, but you look absolutely stunning in your wig!
  • SIROD
    SIROD Member Posts: 2,194 Member
    Side Effect Listed
    Dear Suzanne,

    I am very sorry that you did not have a definite answer to your hair question. Another six months... well, hopefully Rogaine will work.

    I do like your attitude!

    Anyway it is better to be a daffy old lady with her wig on backwards than not being one at all.

    I do hope that the drug Taxotere does list lost of hair as a possible side effect of the drug. It is so unfair to not know what you might have to endure when there are so many other drugs they can give you.

    Wishing you a spurt of new hair with Rogaine.

    Doris
  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
    TraciInLA said:

    Suzanne,
    Suzanne, you are such a beautiful woman -- if you do end up as a "daffy old lady with her wig on backward," I am certain you'll simply start a new fashion trend!

    :-) Traci

    I agree with Traci!
    Sue :)

    I agree with Traci!


    Sue :)
  • Double Whammy
    Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
    SIROD said:

    Side Effect Listed
    Dear Suzanne,

    I am very sorry that you did not have a definite answer to your hair question. Another six months... well, hopefully Rogaine will work.

    I do like your attitude!

    Anyway it is better to be a daffy old lady with her wig on backwards than not being one at all.

    I do hope that the drug Taxotere does list lost of hair as a possible side effect of the drug. It is so unfair to not know what you might have to endure when there are so many other drugs they can give you.

    Wishing you a spurt of new hair with Rogaine.

    Doris

    Wig is good
    and I'm going to get another style in the same color. My own hair really never looked this good!

    Thanks for the encouragement. It is what it is and I do keep this in perspective.

    Suzanne
  • missrenee
    missrenee Member Posts: 2,136 Member

    Wig is good
    and I'm going to get another style in the same color. My own hair really never looked this good!

    Thanks for the encouragement. It is what it is and I do keep this in perspective.

    Suzanne

    That's the way to keep a positive spin on this, Suzanne
    If all else fails, enjoy the fact that you don't have to sweat through blow drying, curling irons, flat irons, hair coloring, etc. Not to mention the expense of upkeep. And the others are right--you are flat-out beautiful regardless.

    Hugs, Renee
  • Mitzi333
    Mitzi333 Member Posts: 511 Member
    missrenee said:

    That's the way to keep a positive spin on this, Suzanne
    If all else fails, enjoy the fact that you don't have to sweat through blow drying, curling irons, flat irons, hair coloring, etc. Not to mention the expense of upkeep. And the others are right--you are flat-out beautiful regardless.

    Hugs, Renee

    Whatever!!!...
    You look GREAT, regardless!!! Enjoy your sassy wigs, hats and scarves. As long as you're feeling good and the Beast is gone, that's what really matters. All is not loss... There's hope, those slow growers and napping follicles will wake up. I'll keep you in my prayers.

    {{{Hugs}}}
    Mitzi
  • StaceyPMD1121
    StaceyPMD1121 Member Posts: 65
    Hi Jazzy Lady


    Hi Suzanne,

    I hope that you get rapid results with the Rogaine. I am about to start chemo June 8th and the first thing my onc said was in 1-3 weeks after my first round I will lose my hair. My chemo cocktail is TAC Taxotere, Adriamycin (Red Devil), and Cyclophosphamide. I heard this morning on the Today show a new cancer chemo drug called TMDI which is a less toxic chemo cocktail. TMDI is experimental and is supposed to target cancer cells only and not healthy cells making chemo easier. Well, Praise Jesus I hope the trial goes well. I will pray that you see some results soon. Thank you for sharing. By the way, I thought that was your real hair in your photo that is why I called you Jazzy Lady because that cut fits your beautiful face well!!!

    Peace,Blessings, & Hugs,
    Stacey
  • Frankie Shannon
    Frankie Shannon Member Posts: 457
    I don't think you will ever
    I don't think you will ever become a daffy old lady,you made my day with that comment.It sounds like you have a good plan,i agree 6 months is long enough to see if Rogaine works our not.That way you will know for sure and can get on with wigs or no wigs.I will think good thoughts for you.
    Hugs Frankie
  • jamiegww
    jamiegww Member Posts: 384
    Suzanne
    I am hoping and praying the Rogaine works for you but one of my favorite memories about wearing a wig was the day I forgot to put it on. I was halfway to my rad appointment when I realized my head felt much cooler than usual so I reached up and discovered I had forgotten to put on my wig. I had a couple of hats in my car for emergencies (it's funny what we come to think of as emergencies) so it really wasn't so bad but I remembered them taking my picture when I started the rads and they asked if that was how I would look for every visit. I found myself appologizing for not looking that way that particular day.
    After that I put a big sign on the inside of the front door "WIG". Please continue to let us know how you are doing.

    HUGS!!!
    Jamie
  • Heatherbelle
    Heatherbelle Member Posts: 1,226 Member
    Suzanne! I dont come on here
    Suzanne! I dont come on here very often anymore but I certainly do miss you :) I hope the Rogaine works for you, but my friend you are so beautiful that you could walk around with a lampshade on your head and still look stunning!
    xoxo
    Heather
  • madsters1
    madsters1 Member Posts: 120
    Good grief! I am SO sorry
    Good grief! I am SO sorry tohear that! It was presented to me as a very rare SE. If you don't mind my asking, how long has it been since your last chemo and how long is your hair. My last chemo was the end of Jan. I now only have barely two inches of hair, although I do see it growing just sloooow.
  • rallendorfer
    rallendorfer Member Posts: 244
    I also didn't know that it was a possibiltiy
    I thought that the hair grew back all of the time. I am sorry to hear this for you. But I have to agree with the others about your look. The wig looks great, and you will be beautiful with or without your real hair...but we all know how you feel and wish it to grow back for you thicker and lovelier than ever.

    I bumped my head on the side of the car while I was cleaning it and didn't know the darned wig slipped and I looked like my head was screwed on backward when I finally looked in the mirror. I used to volunteer at the animal shelter before all of this and could envision one of the rambunctious pups grabbing my wig and taking off!! hahaha And I have this terrible desire to grab the top of the wig and pull it off when my fun-loving supervisor says he likes my hair these days! and cross my eyes and stick out my tongue too! hahaha

    Love you,
    Rebecca
  • kellyk123
    kellyk123 Member Posts: 23
    We are in the same boat!
    It will be 3 years in October since my last chemo and I don't have enough hair on my head to cover my scalp. The hairs I do have grow, but they are fine and you can see through them to my scalp. I also have spots in the back that are so thin and sparse, they look like male pattern baldness. I did the hair make-up for a while but got tired of the mess in my bathroom,on my pillow, in hands if I or anyone else dared to touch my hair.... and my hair still looked not so good.

    I have been wearing wigs since last November. I now shave my head so the wigs go on better (I use glue and tape and it is not fun to have that stuck in your hair, no matter how little you have). Most of the time, it has become a new way of life and I accept the fact that I will never have my own hair again. Other times, I get angry and depressed and think "why me"? I have been off the tamoxifen for a year and it had no effect on my hair growth. Almost 9 months ago my ovaries woke back up and I started getting my periods again so the lack of estrogen is not to blame for the hair loss either.

    Everything now points to the taxotere. I have tried Nioxin, Rogaine, Biotin, Ovation, Emu Oil, going off tamoxifen, coming out of menopause, meditating, and scalp message. I have spent thousands of dollars on hair cosmetics, vitamins, solutions and wigs. It is great that taxotere may have killed all my cancer cells. I just wish I knew there was a stronger possibility for permanent hair loss than disclosed so that I didn't waste my time and money with all the products which promised to help my hair grow back. By not disclosing the higher incidence of permanent hair loss to people getting this treatment, the drug company secures their own profit margin at the patient's expense. This does not even come close to the cost to our self-esteem and healing when we wonder why we still look like we are getting treatment years after it ended. I continue to look in the mirror and feel like I am still in the fight. I will need to purchase and wear wigs for the rest of my life at my own expense. The insurance companies cover 1 wig over your entire lifetime. Well, that's a shame cause they sure don't last that long.

    Yes I am alive, but I still think I should have been told the truth about what this drug does to us so I could be a little more prepared and, more importantly, not blame myself and wonder why is MY hair not growing back like the doctors said it was supposed to. "Everyone's hair grows back"....they would assure me. "I've never known anyone who didn't have their hair come back"....they would claim. Well, now they do!
  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
    Tons of hugs!
    Oh Suzanne I was so hoping for positive answers for you! Since I've been face to face with you on several occasion's I can attest to the fact that you are indeed a Stunning Stella with a great heart and resilient spirit and I know you will conquer those pesky follicles one way or another. I imagine you either with a luscious head of hair or the fun one with multiple wigs for different moods! I most certainly hope the Rogaine works for you, you will be in my prayers!

    Hugs,

    RE
  • natly15
    natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
    RE said:

    Tons of hugs!
    Oh Suzanne I was so hoping for positive answers for you! Since I've been face to face with you on several occasion's I can attest to the fact that you are indeed a Stunning Stella with a great heart and resilient spirit and I know you will conquer those pesky follicles one way or another. I imagine you either with a luscious head of hair or the fun one with multiple wigs for different moods! I most certainly hope the Rogaine works for you, you will be in my prayers!

    Hugs,

    RE

    I concur, you are absolutely
    I concur, you are absolutely stunning with or without hair. I find that my hair at the top of my head is much thinner and I have a bald spot in the back of my head. My hairdresser said I'm not going bald, but my hair is much thinner and straighter since chemo.

    I like the various wigs idea and yes, your attitude is wonderful.
  • Different Ballgame
    Different Ballgame Member Posts: 868
    You can be a different woman with each wig!
    Dear Suzanne,

    One great advantage to wearing a wig is that there is no time spent each morning in styling your hair. Yes, you do have to have your wig washed and set, but I am guessing that is once a week or once every other week.

    Then, think of the different women you can be with each wig. You have a beautiful face and a stunning smile. The wig will compliment those features.

    Lots of Hugs,
    Janelle