Chemo Effects – Dealing with Hair Loss
Going down the path of chemotherapy after your breast cancer diagnosis is like throwing salt in the wound if you ask me. However, if you choose to take this step (as I did) then you want to watch this video on what to expect when you start losing your hair.
Type of Chemo
My protocol, from my oncologist is a 3 week cycle, total of 4 treatments (so it’s 3 full months) of Taxotere and Cytoxan. This chemo cocktail always causes your hair to fall out. It’s not a pretty sight but something I decided to document as I went along so I can show you what to expect. Surprises are the worst in our Breast Cancer fight and chemo is just another step that we endure and get past. I will continue to share my experience so you are not left in the dark. I also know that I had a “service” to do for you…and show you the “real life” effects of this type of chemo so you can be prepared.
The Look of Courage
In this video I am challenging you. If you are going through chemo for breast cancer (or you have in the past), I want you to share your pictures with me on Facebook. I call it our “Courage Shots”. Being reluctant to do this at first as I hate pictures, I came to grips that we are all in this together. While I show you this video, I have no makeup on, my face is a mess and my hair is falling out (how attractive, eh?!)…and then I’m bald. I realized I have the “Look of Courage”. We are all beautiful when we show our courage and our strength so let’s support each other!
Share on Facebook
Share your chemo/hair loss pictures (you will start to see mine) on Facebook
Please Leave Your Comments
I will continue to add value to my website and videos so I can help my fellow sisters get through your Breast Cancer diagnosis and all the effects that come with it (and the nurse navigator or doctors don’t necessarily tell you.)
YouTube Chemo Video
Check out this Chemo – Hair Loss Video on YouTube for more Breast Cancer videos
Topics:
Chemotherapy
Hair Loss
Breast Cancer
Chemo
Hi Sandy, Not bad at all! I think the hair was holding you back! I wonder if it is more tramatic for you to lose your hair quickly but know it will come back or for me to lose my hair slowly and know it will never come back. Only one more treatment left!
LOL, well that’s one way to look at it. Of course, there’s no saying mine will come back as it was getting thinner. Maybe a good nutritional makeover will help us both regain some hair. (Although the only hair I really want back is on my head, everything else has been kind of nice have less of.) 😉
My wife is bald as a cue ball too, compliments of the chemo- She has never been more beautiful in my eyes. Best wishes to you on this journey
Welcome Doug! Your wife is very lucky to have you by her side looking at her through your “lenses” especially when the chemo turns her personality into something neither of you recognizes (temporarily).
If she is willing, I’d love to have you guys like my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MyPersonalBreastCancerJourney and let’s add her to the “Courage Shots” album there. Let’s celebrate her courage with other fabulous, strong women as we move into survivor mode.
Hugs to you and her!
Sandy
Hello,
I was wondering what stage etc you had.I was a mammogram tech for 22 years and then moved from MA to AZ and found the news out here.I was so mad at myself because being a tech I felt I did it all wrong.I did have a mammogram every year from 35 on and never missed a year.I was diagnosed at age 58 and it has been 4 years.I felt something weird on the treadmill when I walked so I had a mammogram in between the year.My mistake was I went back to the same hospital instead of going to another place so close to where i worked and they had digital.How could I be so dumb ???Never asked for any ultrasounds even tho my breasts were so very dense and why didn’t the radiologist say I needed them every time.???That was so hard to let go,as they would have got it 8 months earlier .Well it was stage 2b with 2 lymph noes.I had a mastectomy and chemo.I worked through the chemo was just tired with bad heartburn.I now feel good but still worry off and on about it coming back.Please let me know more about you and thanks for letting me share.You are a great person to do this and I would love to do this also. Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
I am so sorry you had to go through what you did. I would think the most important thing is that you got the tests we were told to get (I also had a yearly mammography from 35 and I was diagnosed at age 41), and you also used your intuition. It is important to talk to your radiologist but most women don’t. Depending on the insurance you have, demanding other tests without the buy in from your doctors might not be covered so that’s another ball of wax, so to speak. I wouldn’t beat yourself up, it serves no purpose at this point. 😉 The good news is that you caught it and did what you needed to remedy the situation as much as possible.
I too have the fear of cancer showing up somewhere else which is why I thank the medical community (and will still go through the recommended visits as I get on Tamoxifen at some point) but I am looking at the holistic/integrative things to help my body to get in the optimal state so cancer will not thrive. I will share what I’m finding and bring in experts to help us so stay tuned. 🙂
To answer your question, I actually had stage 1 breast cancer (both invasive & not) from the results of my lumpectomy (mind you that was after the original biopsy that said atypical cells and that it was not cancer.) After an MRI, I was told I had 4 more tumors that had characteristics of cancer and that I needed a mastectomy. I talked with the radiologist who showed me the MRI on screen, the tumors and he did an impromptu biopsy on one of those other tumors and it showed cancer. I had stage 2 and it showed different types (like invasive, non-invasive, and other things that I have in a report but can’t remember.) from the pathology report after the mastectomy. So strange how there could be so much going on in one breast. I would have thought it would all be the same cancer even if it was multiple tumors. Who knew.
I would love for you to keep in touch and continue to share. You are a strong and brave women and I am so thankful that you were intuitive, fought and continue to fight your individual war on breast cancer. We are in this together.
Sending you hugs!!
Dearest Sandy,
First and foremost I must say that you are beautiful with or without hair! You are such an inspiration for all, not just women fighting breast cancer. You clearly show how to turn a negative into a positive by creating such a wonderful support group. You are a good mentor to show others how to keep marching right through the toughest of challenges. Most of all, you can show people how to not let their own ego bring them down, as that is the root to most of our suffering and pain in this world.
In our journeys, it is not the events we come into that is important, rather it is how we deal with them that’s pertinent. For every seemingly negative event that is brought to us, there is an equally positive blessing behind it; it may not be obvious at first, but believe me, it’s always there. This experience is affording you vast spiritual growth that you are as well helping others to experience themselves. Remember, you are always beautiful! Your beauty is not dependent on your breasts, hair, clothes, or anything external to the self. Your beauty is dependent on that Divine Soul of yours!
I can see this website quickly growing into a community of its own. Keep up the great work!
Kudos!
God bless!
Love,
Jacqui B. aka Mother Yogini
Thank you so much for stopping by Jacqui and taking the time to leave your comments. I couldn’t agree with you more about the wisdom you articulated in your feedback. There is nothing I can add, it was perfect. 🙂
I am also grateful that you are joining me on Facebook so we can spread the content I’m sharing together.
Life goes on so we either choose to give in or fight. While we’re here…why not fight?!
Love back to you Jacqui aka Mother Yogini,
Sandy