» Copied from a Cancer Blog online
»
» "My hair is changing -- again. It started out perfectly straight, blond,
» and shoulder length. Then it came tumbling out, thanks to the chemotherapy
» drugs adriamycin and cytoxan. Four months later, it was back -- curly,
» dark, and way too short for my liking."
Hi, I underwent chemo (Adriamycin, Cytoxan & Taxol), but I was triple negative, so I was never given Tamoxifen. In other words, my cancer was hormone-negative for both estrogen and progesterone. Does the lack of estrogen markers in my cancer make a difference for treatment for hair loss?
I wish I had your problem. Short will grow. Curly can be straightened. Dark can be lightened. My hair never grew back fully after chemotherapy when I had aggressive breast cancer at age 28. It's now been 2 years since I finished my last round of chemo, and there has been no change. I used to have long, thick, straight, shiny hair down past my knees and received compliments wherever I went. Now I feel embarrassed even to go out and be seen in public. I hate hats and bandannas. I hate feeling like I want to hide. My self-esteem has plummeted and I feel like an old lady before my time. You can see my scalp and it looks like a bad comb-over, even though I haven't - there isn't even enough hair _to_ comb over, as it's right along my hairline, crown and temples. Looking in the mirror is a constant, heartbreaking reminder of the ordeal I suffered during chemo, surgery and radiation. I don't want to look like a supermodel. I just want to look my age again.
I'll never forget the time my doctor walked into the room, took one look at me and, without even saying hi, said, "So the hair never grew back, huh? That happens sometimes. Well, if it hasn't grown back by now, it never will. Maybe you should look into getting some Rogaine or something." It was almost as much a slap in the face as my original diagnosis (delivered to me clinically and offhandedly by a bedside-mannerless resident).
I'm having a hard time finding survivors in my age group to compare my experiences to. I hear that younger women with breast cancer ironically take the treatment even harder. I can't speak for anyone else, but with residual pain that makes moving difficult, chemo-induced menopause and still living with a chemo brain cloud, it certainly feels that way to me.
I'm so glad I found this site. Thanks so much!
atarunomiko is located in SOCAL and he is available to meet: YES
email hairsite@aol.com to arrange a meeting. |
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