Hair loss

Kammie
Kammie Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Following chemo and radiation, i was started on Femara. What little hair that had grown back soon thinned, and I havent had to shave in weeks, but that I dont mind. My doctor poo pooed it and didnt seem to think it was related to the Femara, but this keeps me from feeling as if I can put the cancer behind me. I have been switched to Tamoxifen since my ovaries are not wanting to sleep so I am hoping my hair grows better. anyone else had any similar experiences? Is it the medicine or just the decrease in estrogen? I am 49 and had no hair growth problems before.

Comments

  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #2
    Aw, Kammie, I'm not there yet...still in radiation...but I will ask around...
    Hugs, kathi
  • LesleyH
    LesleyH Member Posts: 370
    #3
    Hi Kammie,

    I am on TAmoxifen and my hair has grown back - all over. Even my eyelashes. My hair looks different = it's gray and dark instead of blond, but it is thick. And I have estrogen levels that are so low that they are undetectable. And I do know what you mean about getting hair. When I saw it growing, I was so excited.

    Hugs.

    Lesley
  • cruf
    cruf Member Posts: 908
    #4
    Hi Kammie! I didn't have chemo so can't say much about hair loss but I was on Tamoxifen for 5 years and noticed slight thinning of my hair. I've switched to femara since Oct. and have a definite thinning of my hair. Is it the pill doing it??? I think it's the fact that I'm in menapause from the meds and one of the side effects of menapause is hair thinning.So... is it the meds or the time of life? Whatever, I'm cancer free and guess I can take the thinning hair. Good luck to you. Hope things improve for you. HUGS!! Cathy
  • Susan956
    Susan956 Member Posts: 510
    #5
    I am on Arimidex and I haven't noticed too much of a problem. Of course I am just now getting enough hair that it is almost as long as my brother's who keeps his very short. I have noticed that I don't have to shave my legs more than once a month versus weekly before and it seems like my hair is growing back really slowly.

    I really do agree with you that not having your hair does make it hard to get the cancer behind you. I do believe that loosing my hair was harder than all of the other things that I had to endure.... I have recently ditched my wig and I am still really uncomfortable when someone (who doesn't know I was sick) comments on my cute cool summer cut.... To me it is still very butch looking... but better than wearing a wig in the heat.

    Hopefully, your hair will start to fill in and grow longer. I have met many surviors and it seems like they all have gotten their hair back...just must be a very slow process.

    Thinks like this have a way of teaching us patience. I finished Chemo on Nov 1st. So my first hope was to have some hair by Thanksgiving... then it was by Christmas,,, then it became by Valentine day.... I finally convinced myself that it was just too hot and by early March, I ditched the wig.... but I believe it may be this fall before I will really like the way my hair looks... but every day I see just a little more progress to getting back to my everyday life.... only maybe even just a little better... becuase I will have more patience, I will love my family and friends just a little better...and I will take the time to say things that I might would have let pass before.

    So Take Care.... and day by day hopefully your hair will grow.... it is just ever so slow.
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #6
    Susan956 said:

    I am on Arimidex and I haven't noticed too much of a problem. Of course I am just now getting enough hair that it is almost as long as my brother's who keeps his very short. I have noticed that I don't have to shave my legs more than once a month versus weekly before and it seems like my hair is growing back really slowly.

    I really do agree with you that not having your hair does make it hard to get the cancer behind you. I do believe that loosing my hair was harder than all of the other things that I had to endure.... I have recently ditched my wig and I am still really uncomfortable when someone (who doesn't know I was sick) comments on my cute cool summer cut.... To me it is still very butch looking... but better than wearing a wig in the heat.

    Hopefully, your hair will start to fill in and grow longer. I have met many surviors and it seems like they all have gotten their hair back...just must be a very slow process.

    Thinks like this have a way of teaching us patience. I finished Chemo on Nov 1st. So my first hope was to have some hair by Thanksgiving... then it was by Christmas,,, then it became by Valentine day.... I finally convinced myself that it was just too hot and by early March, I ditched the wig.... but I believe it may be this fall before I will really like the way my hair looks... but every day I see just a little more progress to getting back to my everyday life.... only maybe even just a little better... becuase I will have more patience, I will love my family and friends just a little better...and I will take the time to say things that I might would have let pass before.

    So Take Care.... and day by day hopefully your hair will grow.... it is just ever so slow.

    Ok, Susan...at least people say it's a cute summer do...they just stare at me, and you know what I do? Stare back! I think it's sort of like braces when you are a teen, you think that everyone is looking, but really they're not. I have had some of the best discussions when I've gone somewhere 'naked'. To protect my fragile feelings, tho, I wear a pink ribbon when I do this, so everyone knows what it is.
    I have not started my 5-year plan yet, just finished chemo 4 weeks ago...still rads to go. I know a friend that actually shaved her head again 2 summers AFTER her hair grew back, because it was MUCH cooler without it!
    Hugs, Kathi
  • wingingit
    wingingit Member Posts: 48
    #7
    Kammie,
    I was on tamoxifen for 18 mos before switching to Femara. This is when I started noticing a slight hair thinning. About 6 mos into the Femara, I had my ovaries out. Then the hair loss (along with loss of eyebrows) picked up. Its hard to tell what is causing the hairl loss--Femara, menopause, and one new thing--hypothyroidism. Fortunately, I had very thick hair which did grow back in after chemo. After adding Synthroid along with taking Femara a few months back I still have hair loss and about 10 eyebrow hairs left! It's so frustrating not really knowing what to without knowing the cause! Let me know if you find any answers...

    Krista

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