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Kent Cass said:

Kristyn
Fear not, girl- you'll be okay. The above advice for Emend is correct, as is having a prescription of Compazine in the ready. I did not do as Rush advises, in that I waited until feeling sick before taking. Worst time was after more sleep than usual, and when I'd first wake-up, due to bad saliva build-up. Only had a couple minor bouts with the vomits, and hope your experience is no worse. And, my hair only thinned, along with losing some in the back at the bottom.

The best advice I can give is to stay Positive. You might think this'll be difficult, but it can be done. BOTTOM-LINE FACT: YOU ARE GONNA SURVIVE THIS (so get used to it!), and that single fact can be the foundation of everything for you, as you keep your main focus on that light at the end of the treatment tunnel. This is 2010, and great progress has been made. And, not only will you survive, but your post-treatment life will be entirely acceptable, if you let it be. There might very well be rough times ahead for you, but know that many of us have also experienced such times. For me, I kept my Drs. well in the loop as to how I was physically doing, and they provided all the help I needed to get thru the rough times. Would advise you doing the same. You will be okay.

Believe

kcass

Hey, KrystynRuth
I had three rounds of Cisplatin and didn't lose my hair.
The radiation did temporarily kill my beard, and it nuked some of the hair on the back of my head so I had this sort of Moe Howard/Ish Kabibble (if you know who he was) thing going. But a few months out, my beard came back -- though I'm now shaving it off -- and I have a full head of hair again.
But when you're fighting cancer, hair ought to be the least of your worries.

--Jim in Delaware

D Lewis said:

Didn't lose my hair
Hi Kristyn

I had the eight weeks of radiation with three rounds of Cisplatin for base of tongue cancer with mets to lymph nodes on both sides. So, they gave me pretty high dose Cisplatin (100 ml/m3 or however it is expressed). They told me my hair would fall out. It didn't. Look up Cisplatin on line. Hair loss is not one of the big side effects of this chemo.

I didn't lose my hair. For a lot of folks here, they didn't lose their hair either, with Cisplatin. My hair did thin out some. It got really brittle and dry, and I would see a lot of it in the drain when I showered. I decided to hold off on buying a wig till it appeared I would need one and I never did. I did cut my hair short, because it wasn't so pretty, and it was easier to care for, and it seemed to look less thin when short. Never got any bald spots. Never had scalp show through.

Radiation to your throat and neck will cause the infamous "radiation bands" of hair loss at the back of your neck. It makes your hairline higher in the back. I was told that hair lost to radiation would never come back, but mine seems to be.

I am three months out, and it really took about ten weeks before my hair started growing back in. I just had my hairdresser cut off all the old dead treatment hair. I ended up with a brush cut that is almost as short as Demi Moore's in G.I. Jane. Just wear big dangly earrings and you can pull it off.

Don't freak out because you have to have chemo. It is one additional step to make sure that the cancer has not and WILL NOT spread further in your body. The anti-nausea meds available now WILL keep you from puking your guts out. I felt lousy for a week after each round, and I needed to take my anti-nausea meds for about six days after each treatment, but I swear, I never puked even once. Didn't even feel nauseated. Ate less. Lost a few pounds. Laid around and read or napped. Lived through it.

Hang in there, you strong, brave woman, you! You CAN do this! You will come out the other end, and you will pick up your life where you left it off, and go on!

Deb

THAT'S WHAT I WAS TOLD TOO
I start my Chemo and Radiation in about 8-10 days. I was told pretty much the same thing. Not really any issue with hair loss regarding the Cisplatin. My Chemo Doc has said these days the expectation is NO VOMITING. I will have access to the best anti nausea medicines on the market. I think the Radiation I will receive to both sides of my neck will yield the more severe side effects. I have always shaved my head and wore a goatee. I was told that if I keep the goatee, parts of it may not grow back if the radiation is close to it.

I decided to go for "the big guns" as far as treatment is concerned. Surgery which i alreday had, bilateral neck radiation and chemo. I have my attitude as a small short term price to pay for a long term of healthy living. I also have my self prepared menatally to have the worst case scenario with the side effects. I figure if it is actually not as bad as I thought, that is just a bonus.

"live long and healthy regarding of the short term price to be paid" live to see your beautifull daughter graduate highschool, get married and start a family. Your mom gets to be a grandma and receive all of the happiness associated with it. I know it hurts to see your mom cry about what you are going through. It is perfecly normal, she is a mom and you are her baby. I have been through it with my mom and mother in law, it killed me to see it, but I know they care very much for me.

BE STRON AND POSITIVE, YOU WILL MAKE IT THROUGH THIS!!!

BEST!!

Mike

Didn't lose my hair
Hey there kirstyn. I didn't lose my hair. It just went a little thin. I did noticed that I lost some at the back. Like an undercut from where the radiation must have hit. But other than that I still had my hair. My profile pic is four weeks post treatment. I hope this is helpful. I also had wigs ready and waiting and never had to use them. Hope you experience the same. Love and happiness to you and your family xxxx

D Lewis said:

Oh, Yeah, and ...
I just had my three-month PET-CT. ALL the cancer is gone. My Stanford Doc says there is a greater than 95% chance that the cancer will NEVER come back. It was SO worth it. You WILL get to live the rest of your life.

Deb

hair loss
See my comment below.