Had to shave my head today

2

Comments

  • DebbyM
    DebbyM Member Posts: 3,289 Member
    #22
    CypressCynthia said:

    I never thought I was a vain
    I never thought I was a vain person, but I remember vividly when my hair fell out in clumps. I cried my eyes out.

    The great news is that, after 25 years, I am still here! And my hair did come back just fine. Hang in there! Big hugs.

    Sending lots of hugs!
    Sending lots of hugs!
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #23
    mardibra said:

    Hair growth
    It started growing back pretty quickly. I had hair after one month but it was spotty. It did not grow back evenly. So, I couldn't go without a wig (at least I didn't think I could) until late july. Even in July, I would only go topless on the weekends while amongst friends. I finished chemo in march so it was a good few months. So, it will be 7 months for me in another week or so. I'm finally ready to ditch the wig full time. You should take pictures once a week. That will help you see the progress.

    I never went thru this as I
    I never went thru this as I never had chemo. I just want you to know that my heart goes out to you as I can imagine how hard this must be. I bet you are still gorgeous!


    Leeza
  • Ctine70
    Ctine70 Member Posts: 150
    #24
    jnl said:

    I never went thru this as I
    I never went thru this as I never had chemo. I just want you to know that my heart goes out to you as I can imagine how hard this must be. I bet you are still gorgeous!


    Leeza

    Leeza
    Thank you, you put a much needed smile on my face today.
    I am glad that you didn't need chemo, I hope you are doing well
    Hugs Christine
  • Noel
    Noel Member Posts: 3,095 Member
    #25
    motherof6blessedchildren said:

    Same story with me <3</b>
    My heart goes out to you as well! I had just cut my hair short after having long hair since high school; it was the worst experience thus far with the exception of losing my oldest son. I was semi prepared but not fully and I didn't want my husband to see me like that; because we were just married 4 months prior to being diagnosed. We've been together almost 2 years but I too, had been out riding on the motorcycle all day with him, to come home to a hat full of hair. Jumped in the shower and it was coming out by the handfuls. He was fast asleep so i scurried all night not wanting to wake him up; made myself sick for nothing...He shaved it before we had to leave that next morning and reminding me i looked beautiful!! Men like that are rare to find, and I feel and pray for each and everyone of you out there suffering this aweful disease...<3 hugs</p>

    This disease is awful. I
    This disease is awful. I pray for a cure and wish they would come up with something, anything new to stop it.

    Praying for all of you too that are going thru chemo now,


    Noel
  • sea60
    sea60 Member Posts: 2,613
    #26
    Noel said:

    This disease is awful. I
    This disease is awful. I pray for a cure and wish they would come up with something, anything new to stop it.

    Praying for all of you too that are going thru chemo now,


    Noel

    Sending you hugs!
    I know it's so hard. I too cut my hair and was mentally prepared...but it's just so hard to accept. I think for me, seeing my hair fall made my cancer so much more real. From surreal to stark reality.

    I was strong until that day. My son was there and I couldn't muster the strength to be strong so I cried in his arms.

    At the end of this October, it will be 7 years since that time. You're hair will grow back. And you'll be a much more stronger woman with much more gratitude.

    Blessings and strength to you,

    Sylvia
  • DianeBC
    DianeBC Member Posts: 3,881 Member
    #27
    Jean 0609 said:

    I completely understand
    I was more upset about losing my hair than my boob. Just remember, it might be hard at first, but it will grow back. Can't promise how it will grow back though. I really liked my hair when it started growing back. It was short and sassy. Got a lot of compliments. Plus it was so much easier to take care of. Hang in there.

    xxxx,
    Jean

    Prayers and hugs for you!
    Prayers and hugs for you!
  • Wendy Joy
    Wendy Joy Member Posts: 51
    #28
    Ctine70 said:

    Pictures
    I actually have been taking pictures with each stage of haircuts. I use to have really long hair and starting cutting it shorter before chemo
    I heard that after chemo your hair comes back really curly is that true?

    My chemo ended April 20th
    My chemo ended April 20th and now my hair is really cute and super curly!!! I never had curly hair in my life. I wear a head band in it. It changes every week. Last week I was saying I was a chia-head. Now I actually like my hair. It is the best feeling to get hair again and the curls feel like a little, fun gift for going through it all.
  • Ctine70
    Ctine70 Member Posts: 150
    #29
    Wendy Joy said:

    My chemo ended April 20th
    My chemo ended April 20th and now my hair is really cute and super curly!!! I never had curly hair in my life. I wear a head band in it. It changes every week. Last week I was saying I was a chia-head. Now I actually like my hair. It is the best feeling to get hair again and the curls feel like a little, fun gift for going through it all.

    Smiles
    Your post made me smile. I heard that about chemo hair comes back curly. I had really curly hair as a kid and wonder if it will come in straight now or curly lol
    Thanks :)
  • desertgirl947
    desertgirl947 Member Posts: 653 Member
    #30
    I think we all dread that.
    I think we all dread that. I remember when my oncologist told me that the pathology reports indicated that surgery and a pill were not going to be adequate, I needeed chemo and radiation. Of course, he told me some of what I could expect, as chemo was going to start two weeks after our meeting.

    I was more unsettled at the prospect of losing my hair than of any other side effect of chemo. I was told that my hair could start to fall out around my second infusion. It did.
    I already had a few hats and a wig handy, as I ordered those as soon as I knew I was getting chemo.

    My husband and I were going to be going to a family reunion at this time. I decided the day before we left that since I was shedding so badly, I would have my friend Becky come over and give me a buzz cut, close to my head. She and another of my friends were there at the time told me I have a nice-looking head. I said that at this point, I looked like an Olympic wrestler.

    This was not an easy thing to do, but I had no control about my hair -- and I knew it. I told myself to just deal with it. I did. Around the house I went hatless/hairless, but when I was out, I grabbed something to cover my head. I wanted to think that those kept people from "knowing." I did not want anyone to ask me questions or feel sorry for me. Losing my hair meant that what I viewed as a private battle now was public. I was not in control of who could guess my lot.

    At the reunion, my family all had hats/wigs they brought with them, and we had a family picture taken while we had our heads covered. None of them lives near me, and so this was a way they could show their love and support.

    I made it through the AC portion of my treatment and then bristles grew back on my head. I thought it meant my hair would begin to return, and early. Wrong. The bristles stayed, and nothing else grew. I made it through the AC and I still had eyebrows and eyelashes. I thought that I wasn't going to lose those afterall. WRONG! Soon after I started the Taxol, I lost my eyebrows, eyelashes, and nose hairs. I had to remind myself again, JUST DEAL WITH IT!

    I finished chemo in mid-July. Here it is October. My eyebrows, eyelashes, and nose hairs came back quickly. My head hair started out slow, but sudden picked up the pace. Now I am at the point where I am deciding whether or not to give up the wig and hats.
  • kacee999
    kacee999 Member Posts: 110
    #31
    Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't Fuzzy Wuzzy
    I lost mine about day 14 and my husband shaved it too. My BIGGEST fear through it all was that I'd have some weird shaped head to deal with. No so. Very nice and round. I have to tell you, not having hair for 5 months was INVIGORATING!!!!!!!! I hate to admit it, but I LOVED it! I began by wearing long dangly earrings all the time. It's a great look. I invested in tons of fashion scarves and learned how to tie them many ways. You can also wear MORE makeup. In this day and age, bald on a female is not the SHOCK it was 20 years ago (thank you Sinead O'Connor!). My hair has been growing back for about 3 months now, and I really don't know what to do with it. I have chemo-curl, so it's basically just a little wavy curly mess. I let it do it's own thing...it's still very short...and continnue to wear lots of dangly earrings!
  • kacee999
    kacee999 Member Posts: 110
    #32
    Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't Fuzzy Wuzzy
    I lost mine about day 14 and my husband shaved it too. My BIGGEST fear through it all was that I'd have some weird shaped head to deal with. No so. Very nice and round. I have to tell you, not having hair for 5 months was INVIGORATING!!!!!!!! I hate to admit it, but I LOVED it! I began by wearing long dangly earrings all the time. It's a great look. I invested in tons of fashion scarves and learned how to tie them many ways. You can also wear MORE makeup. In this day and age, bald on a female is not the SHOCK it was 20 years ago (thank you Sinead O'Connor!). My hair has been growing back for about 3 months now, and I really don't know what to do with it. I have chemo-curl, so it's basically just a little wavy curly mess. I let it do it's own thing...it's still very short...and continnue to wear lots of dangly earrings!
  • kacee999
    kacee999 Member Posts: 110
    #33
    kacee999 said:

    Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't Fuzzy Wuzzy
    I lost mine about day 14 and my husband shaved it too. My BIGGEST fear through it all was that I'd have some weird shaped head to deal with. No so. Very nice and round. I have to tell you, not having hair for 5 months was INVIGORATING!!!!!!!! I hate to admit it, but I LOVED it! I began by wearing long dangly earrings all the time. It's a great look. I invested in tons of fashion scarves and learned how to tie them many ways. You can also wear MORE makeup. In this day and age, bald on a female is not the SHOCK it was 20 years ago (thank you Sinead O'Connor!). My hair has been growing back for about 3 months now, and I really don't know what to do with it. I have chemo-curl, so it's basically just a little wavy curly mess. I let it do it's own thing...it's still very short...and continnue to wear lots of dangly earrings!

    Sorry guys....
    My computer burped so this came in multiples. My bad.
  • kacee999
    kacee999 Member Posts: 110
    #34
    Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't Fuzzy Wuzzy
    I lost mine about day 14 and my husband shaved it too. My BIGGEST fear through it all was that I'd have some weird shaped head to deal with. No so. Very nice and round. I have to tell you, not having hair for 5 months was INVIGORATING!!!!!!!! I hate to admit it, but I LOVED it! I began by wearing long dangly earrings all the time. It's a great look. I invested in tons of fashion scarves and learned how to tie them many ways. You can also wear MORE makeup. In this day and age, bald on a female is not the SHOCK it was 20 years ago (thank you Sinead O'Connor!). My hair has been growing back for about 3 months now, and I really don't know what to do with it. I have chemo-curl, so it's basically just a little wavy curly mess. I let it do it's own thing...it's still very short...and continnue to wear lots of dangly earrings! AND I get MANY compliments!
  • Fairemewell
    Fairemewell Member Posts: 28 Member
    #35
    Ctine70 said:

    Smiles
    Your post made me smile. I heard that about chemo hair comes back curly. I had really curly hair as a kid and wonder if it will come in straight now or curly lol
    Thanks :)

    Childhood returning....
    Hang in there!
    My hair started falling out about one week after my first chemo session. I had already had a hair appointment two days after the first session and like you I had my hair cut short in anticipation of the falling out.
    I choose to view the no-hair situation as a great excuse to purchase some new hats. I love hats and at my wife's and a co-workers suggestion we implemented "Fun Hat Friday" unofficially of course, at my work.

    I did not loose all my hair but with it shaved to the shortest setting, I was for all practical purposes bald. I must admit I was surprised that my head was not nearly as badly shaped as I had anticipated.
    I also had something to compare to as my sister had breast cancer two years ago and she had the cutest, nicest shaped bald head I had ever seen. (thank goodness she is doing very well now.)
    Anyway, my hair decided to start growing back in before I was done with the third chemo session. I was going every three weeks with that Chemo. I am still doing chemo but a different one and this time I am going weekly. My hair is slowly growing back in, it is about 3/8 inch and the bright straw-blonde color it was when I was a young child.

    Most of my friends and family who have gone through this have had their hair come back softer and with more body. I hope this is the case for you as well.
  • Ctine70
    Ctine70 Member Posts: 150
    #36
    kacee999 said:

    Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't Fuzzy Wuzzy
    I lost mine about day 14 and my husband shaved it too. My BIGGEST fear through it all was that I'd have some weird shaped head to deal with. No so. Very nice and round. I have to tell you, not having hair for 5 months was INVIGORATING!!!!!!!! I hate to admit it, but I LOVED it! I began by wearing long dangly earrings all the time. It's a great look. I invested in tons of fashion scarves and learned how to tie them many ways. You can also wear MORE makeup. In this day and age, bald on a female is not the SHOCK it was 20 years ago (thank you Sinead O'Connor!). My hair has been growing back for about 3 months now, and I really don't know what to do with it. I have chemo-curl, so it's basically just a little wavy curly mess. I let it do it's own thing...it's still very short...and continnue to wear lots of dangly earrings! AND I get MANY compliments!

    Get ready quicker now
    Now that I am bald I find getting ready in the morning is much quicker I guess that is one good thing lol
    Thanks all for your support
    Hugs Christine
  • Noel
    Noel Member Posts: 3,095 Member
    #37
    Ctine70 said:

    Get ready quicker now
    Now that I am bald I find getting ready in the morning is much quicker I guess that is one good thing lol
    Thanks all for your support
    Hugs Christine

    You have such a great
    You have such a great attitude Christine! You are truly an inspiration!


    Hugs, Noel
  • Ctine70
    Ctine70 Member Posts: 150
    #38
    Noel said:

    You have such a great
    You have such a great attitude Christine! You are truly an inspiration!


    Hugs, Noel

    How sweet!
    Thanks Noel that is so sweet I think of you of you as my inspiration too!
    Hugs Christine
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #39
    Ctine70 said:

    Leeza
    Thank you, you put a much needed smile on my face today.
    I am glad that you didn't need chemo, I hope you are doing well
    Hugs Christine

    Yes, I am doing well.
    Yes, I am doing well. Thanks Christine! I know I read on your other post about your 3rd chemo, and, I am wishing you well with it today. The finish line is close!


    Hugs, Leeza
  • kacee999
    kacee999 Member Posts: 110
    #40
    I LOVED being bald!!!!!!!
    My husband also shaved my head 14 days out. My ONLY fear was that I would discover I had an odd shaped head and be embarassed. Not so! It's round a pretty symetrical, so I was ecstatic!!! I actually reveled in my baldness. I got TONS of scarves from online and learned how to tie them many different ways (you can learn a lot from the middle eastern women who wear headscarves on a permanent basis!). I invested in a BUNCH of long dangly earrings. After a while I quite wearing scarves except in public. My husband commented after a few weeks (of calling me "Lex Luthor" and "old baldie") that he actually LIKED the look! You gotta work with it. Increase the makeup, go for the BIG earrings, have a ball with scarves! I just passed on my veritable trunk of scarves to a lady who was just diagnosed and preparing to go through chemo too. She was thrilled with them.

    Oops...sorry, didn't realize I had already replied above...my bad
  • Rosemarie810
    Rosemarie810 Member Posts: 3
    #41
    My hair started coming out
    My hair started coming out in clumps the night before my second chemo. So my niece was nice enough to come over to shave my hair and her and my daughter tought it was funny when they posted a picture of me with a mohawk on FB, she finished shaving it after that. Like you I cut my hair really short, but losing it didn't bother me as much. I looked in the mirror one afternoon halfway through my chemo and found that my eyebrows were gone that hit me. Treatment has ended and it is now 3 weeks later and my hair is coming back in. So there is a bright spot.

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