Hair loss

 I started losing my hair around the 2nd week after my first round of 5FU & Mitomycin. I had thick hair and it started falling out by the hand fulls and continued through the end of treatment. I lost 1/2 to 2/3's of it (some spots were thinner that others). I refused to shave it - if the drugs were going to take it, I wasn't going to help them. :-) It did not start coming back until about 6-8 weeks after the last treatments. I finished chemo/radiation in March of this year and my hair is now very thick, very wavy (it was straight before) and a shade darker. Of all the side effects of this treatment the hair loss was one of the most bothersome for me.  I think it was a visual realization that there really was something "wrong" with me.  Don't get me wrong, the mouth sores, diarrhea and burns were bad too but this really bothered me.  The good news is the hair will grow back! 

...for a man to talk with women about hair. But forgive me ladies, I will still give my input.

I went through the same radiation and chemo most of you did. I didn't notice any major hair loss on my head, but by the end of treatment some of my pubic hair fell out, which is of course is not a bid deal. I don't know if this was from the chemo or radiation.

Now I'm going through IV chemo which is the same like Xeloda (5-FU) and Oxaliplatin. I noticed some minimal hair loss sofar And my doctor said it will not be noticeable.

I believe there is one more factor that can add to course hair or hair loss. And that is nutrition. Radiation and chemo messes us up. It demages your appetite, the absorption of nutrients and in case of diarrhea or vomiting we can lose a lot of nutrients and vitamins.

I think taking Vitamin A and E and other vitamins plus keeping yiurself hydrsted could help to maintain the quality and quantity of hair and if it still falls out, to regenerate.

Laz

All my life I've had thick wavy hair. Different styles/lengths. During treatment for anal cancer (2.5 yrs ago) it got VERY thin. I never shaved my head but my pillow case was covered every morning. At the time it was chin length so just kind of wore a head band thing. Within weeks of finishing treatment it came back as thick, and wavy as ever and as a plus a bit LESS grey! Then, a year later was treated for breast cancer, again did not loose it all but it thinned and when came back was thick but much less wavy. Now I keep it no longer than chin length but change styles frequently. I am on some long term breast cancer meds so that may be contributing to the loss of waves......but still less grey than 4 yrs ago!! Sometimes I wonder how people would be if like legs, chins, arm pits, we all, men and women shaved their heads always?????

I did not have any hair loss during radiation and Xeloda. Recently I did 3 rounds of Folfox IV and I'm losing some hair, but mainly each hair got really fine and thin. I've had long hair in the last couple of years. It is noticeable to me and my wife, but I dont think strangers notice it that much. I won't do any more treatment before surgery so I hope it recovers before I start 5 rounds of  Folfox again.

Laz

Squirrel_Hill_Amelia said:

to avoid hair loss - just do radiation, not chemo?

I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with rectal cancer, and the doctors are going to test the degree of invasion before deciding whether to do surgery first or shrink the tumor by radiation and chemo.

It is important to me to avoid hair loss. 

Presumably they do the radiation plus chemo because of some synergestic effect. Presumbly there have been scientific tests with adequate data samples to show which gets the most bang for the buck in shrinking the tumor - chemo or radiation.  What if the pt refuses chemo and just does radiation?  Anyone know actual data on results for that?  How does it impact long-term survival rates?

Also, somewhere I read a possibly crackpot idea that if a pt packs their head in ice during the chemo infusion it will prevent hair loss. the doctors allegedly don't like the idea because they claim the cancer cells will "hide" in the hair follicles.  Anyone know about this?

If I am going to eventually croak, I intend to meet St. Peter at the pearly gates with my hair intact. I get the impression that the doctors optimize for extending life, without regard to the crappy quality of life the patient may have due to the treatments.

The colorectal surgeon claims that hair loss is not a side effect of whatever drug they would intend to give me, but my husband thinks he is lying.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Believe it or not, you've got cancer. Hair loss is difficult, but the tried and true method of getting rid of this cancer is to do radiation AND chemo. The chemo may or may not cause you to lose your hair but as Martha said, it will grow back. Life does not. Please listen to your doctors and get the treatment you need.

Squirrel_Hill_Amelia said:

to avoid hair loss - just do radiation, not chemo?

I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with rectal cancer, and the doctors are going to test the degree of invasion before deciding whether to do surgery first or shrink the tumor by radiation and chemo.

It is important to me to avoid hair loss. 

Presumably they do the radiation plus chemo because of some synergestic effect. Presumbly there have been scientific tests with adequate data samples to show which gets the most bang for the buck in shrinking the tumor - chemo or radiation.  What if the pt refuses chemo and just does radiation?  Anyone know actual data on results for that?  How does it impact long-term survival rates?

Also, somewhere I read a possibly crackpot idea that if a pt packs their head in ice during the chemo infusion it will prevent hair loss. the doctors allegedly don't like the idea because they claim the cancer cells will "hide" in the hair follicles.  Anyone know about this?

If I am going to eventually croak, I intend to meet St. Peter at the pearly gates with my hair intact. I get the impression that the doctors optimize for extending life, without regard to the crappy quality of life the patient may have due to the treatments.

The colorectal surgeon claims that hair loss is not a side effect of whatever drug they would intend to give me, but my husband thinks he is lying.

Any feedback is appreciated.

You are certainly entitled to your own opinions and to make your own decisions, but you asked for feedback, so here's mine.  If I was told, as I was, that the chemo is extra insurance that the radiation will have maximum effectiveness by making the cancer cells more susceptible to the radiation, then I would not hesitate to receive both the chemo and radiation.  I think vanity should be put aside when one's life is on the line.  Hair grows back--mine did.  Sure, it took awhile and for some time, I looked like I had the mange, but a ballcap covered that.  I could have worn a wig, but chose not to.  I would hate for you to go through radiation without chemo, then learn somewhere down the road that your cancer had returned or was never completely gone from the initial treatment.  I'm sure at that point you would be regretting your decision.  Rumor has it (and I cannot confirm this) that Farrah Fawcett chose to not have chemo so she could keep her locks.  We know how her journey ended.  There are no do-overs, so I think doing things the right way in the beginning is a no-brainer. 

I urge you to visit the website for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and register.  This will give you access to the most current treatment guidelines for anal cancer or rectal cancer, whichever it is that you have.  You will see that the concurrent chemo/radiation is standard protocol.  I seriously doubt that the group of esteemed doctors who compiled those guidelines were  just making this stuff up.  As for your doctors lying to you, if you feel that way, then I would say a second opinion is in order. 

Please note that not everyone loses their hair when they receive Mitomycin and 5FU, the two drugs commonly used to treat anal cancer.  No one knows until they get treatment what the fate of their hair will be.  However, it's only temporary if it falls out.  Even if it wasn't, I would still do the full treatment.  I guess you must ask yourself which is more important to you--surviving or dying with a full head of hair.  I can guarantee you that St. Peter doesn't give a damn if you go through the pearly gates with a full head of hair or bald as a billiard ball.  Your statement about eventually croaking struck me as almost amusing.  We're all going to croak someday, but most of us prefer to hang on to life as long as we can.  Sorry to be so blunt, but I really think you need to think about this.  I wish you luck. 

Squirrel_Hill_Amelia said:

to avoid hair loss - just do radiation, not chemo?

I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with rectal cancer, and the doctors are going to test the degree of invasion before deciding whether to do surgery first or shrink the tumor by radiation and chemo.

It is important to me to avoid hair loss. 

Presumably they do the radiation plus chemo because of some synergestic effect. Presumbly there have been scientific tests with adequate data samples to show which gets the most bang for the buck in shrinking the tumor - chemo or radiation.  What if the pt refuses chemo and just does radiation?  Anyone know actual data on results for that?  How does it impact long-term survival rates?

Also, somewhere I read a possibly crackpot idea that if a pt packs their head in ice during the chemo infusion it will prevent hair loss. the doctors allegedly don't like the idea because they claim the cancer cells will "hide" in the hair follicles.  Anyone know about this?

If I am going to eventually croak, I intend to meet St. Peter at the pearly gates with my hair intact. I get the impression that the doctors optimize for extending life, without regard to the crappy quality of life the patient may have due to the treatments.

The colorectal surgeon claims that hair loss is not a side effect of whatever drug they would intend to give me, but my husband thinks he is lying.

Any feedback is appreciated.

I was told by another cancer early on: "You can't cherry pick and choose cancer treatments." If you want to have a chance, doing it the way it has been done successfully is the only sane choice.

Once a few clumps of hair came out I got my hair cut short very short. It's not like some chemo's where eyelashes and eyebrows fall out. We are lucky for the treatment we have to take in comparison to other cancers.

I got lots of compliments on my very contemporary hair cuts from people that had no idea why I had my hair cut so short and cut so often. I also died it red! That was fun for me.

You are not your hair. Why have hair on a corpse? That's what could happen if you don't do what you need to do to keep yourself alive.

We are here for you. We all hated to lose our hair but I am two years post treatment and am so happy most of my hair was replaced with my new hair which is much nicer than what I lost. I am alive and feeling the best I have felt in years. Anything that happens to my health the first thing I do is blame the treatment but without the treatment I doubt for very long at stage 3 I would have had anything to complain about today. To have been diagnosed in time was nothing short of a miracle and I have to remind myself to be grateful for being this side the ground.

We come here to complain mightily sometimes but we are still coming here because we can help others from having gone through what you are facing and offer hope that it does get better.

It gets better:-)

Hang in there!

Sincerely,

Sandy

Squirrel_Hill_Amelia said:

to avoid hair loss - just do radiation, not chemo?

I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with rectal cancer, and the doctors are going to test the degree of invasion before deciding whether to do surgery first or shrink the tumor by radiation and chemo.

It is important to me to avoid hair loss. 

Presumably they do the radiation plus chemo because of some synergestic effect. Presumbly there have been scientific tests with adequate data samples to show which gets the most bang for the buck in shrinking the tumor - chemo or radiation.  What if the pt refuses chemo and just does radiation?  Anyone know actual data on results for that?  How does it impact long-term survival rates?

Also, somewhere I read a possibly crackpot idea that if a pt packs their head in ice during the chemo infusion it will prevent hair loss. the doctors allegedly don't like the idea because they claim the cancer cells will "hide" in the hair follicles.  Anyone know about this?

If I am going to eventually croak, I intend to meet St. Peter at the pearly gates with my hair intact. I get the impression that the doctors optimize for extending life, without regard to the crappy quality of life the patient may have due to the treatments.

The colorectal surgeon claims that hair loss is not a side effect of whatever drug they would intend to give me, but my husband thinks he is lying.

Any feedback is appreciated.

PLEASE don't let the fear of hair loss dictate your treatment!!! I cried my eyes out and was so upset over the thought of losing my hair after I was diagnosed. I'm not sure what kind of chemo your Dr's are planning, but I doubt they would lie to you... Do research on the drug they are recommending.. Some chemos make you lose your hair; others do not.  The chemo for anal cancer did not cause me to lose all my hair. It got very thin and had bald spots. I got it cut really short and wore a wig when I went anywhere for a while. But when summer came, I got sick of it, and just went with the short, short haircut with some bald spots. It was amazing to me that I wasn't as self-conscious as I thought I would be, and people did not stare like I thought they would..... Don't lose your life over your hair!!! You are worth so much more than that!!!!