Postby rachelfromnyc » Mon Nov 18, 2019 5:03 pm
Resurrecting this thread because the hair issue is becoming more of an issue lately. Some background- I did 6 rounds of FOLFOX and had hair thinning after the 2nd infusion. No biggie, was manageable. Now I am on FOLFIRI and it's coming out a lot more. Currently on the 4th of 6 rounds but I am also in a chemo for life situation so its troubling. I know I have bigger problems but I always thought that the longer I can look and feel "normal", the better my mindset will be (and that is the hardest part). Some questions:
1. On FOLFOX and because it was summer, I washed my hair 2-3 times per week and hair loss wasn't too bad. On FOLFIRI, I'm actually pretty scared to wash so it's been once per week and I'm very gentle with it. But funny thing is, I got my hair cut for the first time since diagnosis and although I spoke to my stylist prior to explain, she washed it a little more aggressively than I normally would. And since then, hair loss has been noticeably less. Is it better to wash more frequently and scrub more? Maybe it's survival of the fittest and she got all the weak ones out? How often did you wash your hair while on treatment?
2. I noticed that as hair is falling out, new hair is growing in at the same time although not nearly at the same rate. No complaints, but its a little weird styling wise because my hair is now all different lengths. Has anyone else experience this and what did you do?
3. Not a question but an observation: my doctor and her team told me that complete hair loss is a possibility on FOLFIRI. But I've been polling the nurses who actually administer the chemo drugs and they said they have never seen it happen. And these are folks with many years of experience. And reading the message board, I guess each person's reaction is really different.
And lastly, if anyone else has new ideas/suggestions/recommendations, please do share. I did purchase extensions per another poster (thank you Gina!) in case of emergencies but have not used them yet.
Thanks,
Rachel
Dx May '19, one month after 37th bday
5/19: 3.4 cm tumor in transverse colon, distant lymph nodes, innumerable lung nodules
Moderately differentiated invasive adenocarcinoma
MSS, TMB 7.9, BRAF/KRAS wild
6/19 - 9/19: Folfox
10/19 - 2 new tumors in liver, switch to Folfiri w/ Avastin
3/20 - liver tumors no longer seen, primary tumor 0.9 cm, continue Folfiri w/ Avastin