Well there goes the hair!

[teri3]

Looks like my hair isn't going to hang in there with me, that's ok I don't like a quitter any way LOL. What did you ladies on here do when you started losing your hair? Did you wait till it just all fell out? Did you shave it? If you shaved if so when? I still have hair and have thought about getting it cut much shorter, but being the practical person ( Ok I'm cheap LOL) that I am why cut it if it going to fall out any way? But hope springs eternal and maybe I'll keep enough that I can get by with a short cut, I have natural curly hair so that will hide some thinness. Any advice welcome! I off to look for hats.
Thanks
Teri

[midlifemom]

Teri, sorry to hear about the hair. That can be tough emotionally for us gals.

When my hair started to thin too much, i modeled a scarf and a hat for my husband. He said to go with the hat cause the scarf screams cancer patient, but the hat does not. I did not 'look' sick at that point. Now that I'm no longer so healthy looking, i wonder what he would say.

Anyway, i still haven't shaved my head. I have enough hair in back, behind my ears, to stick out from my hats although only an inch or so. I think it looks better. Unfortunately, not enough hair in front for bangs.

When buying hats, i fould TLC to be good. Their hats seem to be a bit deeper, so you can cover your whole head and your forehead instead of just sitting on top of your head.

Have fun shopping!

[teri3]

Thank you for the advice I'll check out TLC. I'm not really upset about the hair loss I think it will have a bigger impact on my family then me.

[crc2007]

TLC = ?
Good luck with the hat shopping.

[teri3]

TLC is TLCdirest.org the American Cancer society's web site for cancer produucts.

[midlifemom]

Thank you for the advice I'll check out TLC. I'm not really upset about the hair loss I think it will have a bigger impact on my family then me.

Great, maybe you can get the family to foot the bill (a nice gift certificate?) For some hats, wigs, scarves.

[midlifemom]

TLC = ?
Good luck with the hat shopping.

Tlc = tender loving care
Tlcdirect.org
Items for cancer patients

[crc2007]

Thanks for info Teri and Mom

[Pita]

Teri
Hi Pita, unless you lost your hair before on Folfiri and avistan you possibly might not loss all of it. I started it a week and a half a go and still have all my hair. I know it's just one treatment but I'm hopefull

This is a comment you made on a post of mine. Guess it takes 3 weeks, bummer...

How are you feeling on the Folfiri and Avistan?

[Jachut]

I thought about this a lot - thinking about cancer was way too scary so I focussed on how I'd handle losing my hair instead.

I know for me, I'd be a wig wearer. I am pretty fussy about hair. I am happy to spend $200 on a cut and colour every six weeks. I blow dry and straighten daily. I am blessed with terribly difficult hair - fine and frizzy but everyone says I have the best hair! They don't know how damn difficult it is to make it behave and how I long for wash and wear hair (which I've never ever had in my life) So, I was even kind of looking forward to having a break from it, to have perfect wig hair every day. I also wouldn't hesitate to spend a LOT of money on a very good wig. I was ready to shave it off at the slightest sign of it falling out and go for the wig.

As it happens, I didn't lose any hair at all, it didn't even thin. But that's how I know I would have handled it - celebrate perfect effortless hair. I don't even care if it looked a big "wiggy", I was going to have some time off washing, styling and regrowth colouring!

[midlifemom]

I thought about this a lot - thinking about cancer was way too scary so I focussed on how I'd handle losing my hair instead.

I know for me, I'd be a wig wearer. I am pretty fussy about hair. I am happy to spend $200 on a cut and colour every six weeks. I blow dry and straighten daily. I am blessed with terribly difficult hair - fine and frizzy but everyone says I have the best hair! They don't know how damn difficult it is to make it behave and how I long for wash and wear hair (which I've never ever had in my life) So, I was even kind of looking forward to having a break from it, to have perfect wig hair every day. I also wouldn't hesitate to spend a LOT of money on a very good wig. I was ready to shave it off at the slightest sign of it falling out and go for the wig.

As it happens, I didn't lose any hair at all, it didn't even thin. But that's how I know I would have handled it - celebrate perfect effortless hair. I don't even care if it looked a big "wiggy", I was going to have some time off washing, styling and regrowth colouring!

Oh, one of life's ironies.

[CatHair]

One of the first people I told after the initial dx was my hairstylist. Seriously -- after spouse and siblings, I called Caroline. At the time I had no idea what lay in store, but I told her I would need her help getting through everything if chemo was in the works. She was fantastic, so supportive. I had a regular haircut appointment coming up that next week anyway, and she told me to arrive 15 minutes early. When I got there she gave me a glass of wine and pulled up on her tablet a bunch of cute shorter cuts (I'm also a curly head) she had researched, as examples of what would look great and yet be shorter than my usual style in case the follicles started turning loose. And she said, "If you get chemo and if your hair starts falling out, just come after work with a girlfriend and a bottle of wine, and we'll shave your head. You will totally rock the bald." That was genuinely comforting, to know I had such support! She was part of the marvelous "posse" of friends and loved ones who took care of me and my family in every way.

In the fearsome weeks between discovery and final diagnosis, I also shopped for earrings that would look really cool on my head with no hair. That exercise was good in that it helped me acknowledge the reality of the scary situation while also taking control through retail therapy.

I ended up choosing surgery that while more serious than the less-invasive procedure, removed any need for chemo-rad. So I kept my hair. But I also kept the comforting knowledge that my excellent hairstylist had my back. I also kept the earrings.

Wishing you all the best!

[teri3]

[quote][/quote]This is a comment you made on a post of mine. Guess it takes 3 weeks, bummer...

How are you feeling on the Folfiri and Avistan?

My hair didn't start coming out till this last Monday, I had my infusion Tuesday. Seems like some one else posted that they started losing hair in the time frame. Still have pretty much hair si I'm remaining hopeful that I'll keep some of mine

I'm feeling pretty good actually. The first week I had a horrible headache but it went away and hasn't come back, this time around I've had heartburn pretty bad but I'm out running around enjoying my life and kids.

[BeansMama]

My hair thinned enough I had visible bald spots so I opted to go with a pretty short buzz cut.

I wear either a bandana or a hat depending on my mood. I got a couple of hats I really like from TLC. I made sure to go with the ones made from soft cotton because I am one who sweats quite a bit. They are very comfortable.

[Lee]

My hair thinned some, butt mostly was frizzy. After chemo, when my hair started growing out you could see where the frizzy line was. At one point, I got a short hair cut and no more frizzy hair.

Good luck,

Lee