hair loss

jjezek4905
jjezek4905 Member Posts: 3 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I will be starting chemotherapy in 2 weeks. A combination of 5FU, Leucovorin, and Oxaliplatin once a week. Has anyone had this combination, and did you lose your hair??

Comments

  • debralla
    debralla Member Posts: 203 Member
    #2
    Hello, I am on this treatment . Plus avistan .
    I have had 7 treatments so far .I have not lost my hair ,But it has thinned out quite a bit .
    I think that is the case for most of us here.
    My onc nurse told me to use baby shampoo and to cut back on the hair products (ie...hairspray,gels.) I have not dyed my hair since treatment begin .and i would stay away from perms. But thats just me . I tend to lose some hair when I use to dye it so I dont want to risk it.
    Take care and god bless
    Debra
  • kerry
    kerry Member Posts: 1,313 Member
    #3
    Hi,

    I've been on 5FU, Leucovorin and Oxaliplatin. None of these therapies caused me to lose hair, however, I did go on CPT 11 and did notice about a 25% hair loss. Fortunately I have very thick hair so the loss was noticed mostly by me (and my shower drain).

    Good luck with your treatment.

    Kerry
  • KFalvey
    KFalvey Member Posts: 118 Member
    #4
    Hi,
    I took the same treatment, but only every other week, and had hair thinning also. The nurses and a friend told me about NIOXIN Scalp Therapy conditioner. You rub it on your scalp after shampooing, leave it on for at least 3 minutes before rinsing and it really helped reduce hair loss. You can get it in some hair salons but not beauty supply's. I got it at a Walmart salon. I've seen it at JC Penney's salons also. It cost about $25. a 16oz. bottle, but goes a long way. I only used 1 bottle while I was on chemo, and I have long hair. It was worth it. Took about 3 days before I noticed a difference, but it is also a very good conditioner. Doesn't leave your hair gooey or limp. Smells minty and tingles while on your scalp. Try it and I truely hope your chemo sessions go well with few side effects. Mine went pretty easy overall. I do have neuropathy in the hands and feet from the Oxaliplatin and it's been 6.5 months since I finished. Hopefully it will go away. Best Wishes, Kandy
  • jjezek4905
    jjezek4905 Member Posts: 3 Member
    #5
    debralla said:

    Hello, I am on this treatment . Plus avistan .
    I have had 7 treatments so far .I have not lost my hair ,But it has thinned out quite a bit .
    I think that is the case for most of us here.
    My onc nurse told me to use baby shampoo and to cut back on the hair products (ie...hairspray,gels.) I have not dyed my hair since treatment begin .and i would stay away from perms. But thats just me . I tend to lose some hair when I use to dye it so I dont want to risk it.
    Take care and god bless
    Debra

    Thanks so much for your answer. I will be having the 5FU, Leucovorin, Oxaliplatin every week for six weeks then off for 2 weeks. Did you feel really sick after your treatments? I have stage 3 colon cancer with ca in 3 of 13 lymph nodes. I think a support group is great. Good luck to you. Janet
  • JADot
    JADot Member Posts: 709 Member
    #6
    Hi there!

    I am on the same cocktail and so far there's no hair loss at all. The onc said it may thin out your hair a bit but hair loss is not normally associated with Folfox. I got my hair restyled short, so some thinning won't show.

    That said, this is a good time to try out some new hats just for the fun of it :)

    JADot
  • Susanbm
    Susanbm Member Posts: 61
    #7
    I had the same drugs every other week. My thick hair thinned tremendously but I did not lose it nor my eyebrows or any other hair! My onc told me that these specific colon cancer drugs don't normally make you lose your hair like some of the others. I also have stage III cc with 1 lymph node but I have finished my chemo. Good luck on beginning your treatment. My prayers are with you.
  • Betsydoglover
    Betsydoglover Member Posts: 1,248 Member
    #8
    Hi -

    I didn't exactly have the same regimen as you - had Xeloda, oxaliplatin and Avastin. But Xeloda is metabolized into 5FU. I had no hair loss at all for the first 4 cycles. For the last two cycles my shower drain noticed some loss and I had some hair tangled in my hands when I showered / washed my hair. But only I (and the drain) noticed.

    You will hopefully be ok in this regard.

    Typically colon cancer regimens are nothing like, for example, breast cancer regimens when it comes to hair loss.

    Best of luck.

    Betsy
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #9
    debralla said:

    Hello, I am on this treatment . Plus avistan .
    I have had 7 treatments so far .I have not lost my hair ,But it has thinned out quite a bit .
    I think that is the case for most of us here.
    My onc nurse told me to use baby shampoo and to cut back on the hair products (ie...hairspray,gels.) I have not dyed my hair since treatment begin .and i would stay away from perms. But thats just me . I tend to lose some hair when I use to dye it so I dont want to risk it.
    Take care and god bless
    Debra

    Deb -

    You DYE your hair? You mean it isn't naturally that hot pink and purple shade I saw the other day?? I am SO disappointed....

    :-)

    - SB
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #10
    OK... I'll tell my story here... it's been a while and there are new people on the board...

    I just had 5-FU and leucovorin. My onc told me there would be some hair thinning but I wouldn't lose it all. I'm a rather furry guy. I asked the doctor if we could just target the hair on my back. He seemed rather preplexed for a minute or two then informed me that it was quite impossible to "target" certain regions of my body. Ya know, some of those guys are pretty book smart, but they wouldn't recognize a joke if it hit 'em in the head with a 2x4.

    jjezek - I can't tell by your moniker if you're a guy or a gal, but if you're a guy, you can try wearing your hair cut close. Since I am a military guy I just cut it extra short and nobody ever knew any different (of course, they weren't cleaning my shower drain!)

    Cheers

    - SpongeBob
  • JADot
    JADot Member Posts: 709 Member
    #11
    spongebob said:

    OK... I'll tell my story here... it's been a while and there are new people on the board...

    I just had 5-FU and leucovorin. My onc told me there would be some hair thinning but I wouldn't lose it all. I'm a rather furry guy. I asked the doctor if we could just target the hair on my back. He seemed rather preplexed for a minute or two then informed me that it was quite impossible to "target" certain regions of my body. Ya know, some of those guys are pretty book smart, but they wouldn't recognize a joke if it hit 'em in the head with a 2x4.

    jjezek - I can't tell by your moniker if you're a guy or a gal, but if you're a guy, you can try wearing your hair cut close. Since I am a military guy I just cut it extra short and nobody ever knew any different (of course, they weren't cleaning my shower drain!)

    Cheers

    - SpongeBob

    Target the hair on your back - HAHAHAHA, lol! I am hurting here :)

    So SpongeBob is really Hairy Potter, lol!

    JADot
  • lfondots63
    lfondots63 Member Posts: 818 Member
    #12
    Hi There!

    I'm on the same treatment and the chemo nurse said that maybe thinning but not total loss of hair. I have mostly had nausea and diarehea. The other two annoying reactions are not able to drink cold drinks or food because it makes your throat hurt. I have just worked around that. I also now have the pins and needles in the hands from cold contact. The good thing is that I get out of a few "chores" around the house like the wash... Whoo hoo. That is what I have kids for right?? LOL

    Spongebob, the girls would love to target their "legs" for the hair loss and I am sure a few other areas...

    Good vibes jjezeknd if you have any questions e-mail me here.

    Lisa

Discussion Boards