taxol question #2 - hair loss

[KayeR]

Hi. Another question about taxol.......I have had 5.25 infusions - infusion # 3 - I had an allergic reaction to it and couldn't complete it (thus the .25). And I haven't lost my hair - it has definitely thinned but I still have a full head of hair. I notice the thinning but I'm not sure others would unless I pointed it out or they studied my hair. My question is - did any of you not lose your hair while on taxol? I take weekly taxol for 2 out of 3 weeks. Just wondering if its possible I could sneak by without losing it all.....I have purchased a wig just in case, but would love to get by without wearing it! I'm preparing for the loss but hoping for the best.

[turtle]

hi- I had a similar reaction with Taxotere- I only lost about 50% -60% of my hair. It started falling out after my 2nd infusion. I thought I'd be proactive and cut it very short- didn't shave my head, but close. I lost more with each infusion, I had 5 (TCH) , but I for sure would not have needed to cut my hair like that. I'm glad to hear of someone else this has happened to! You may get lucky and not lose it all-

good luck and best wishes to you-

turtle.

[sarah]

mu hair looked like a new born baby, so looked too bad to go out without a scarf, hat or wig on. I liked losing all the hair on my legs and arms and that has never really returned which is great. my hair came back, thicker (and it was already thick) and softer.
Hope your hair stays and you don't have to wear your wig.
Hope they find a way for you to tolerate your infusions and get you healthy.
health and happiness
sarah

[jml]

I lost all of my hair on the couple occassions I have been on Taxol, but I have a friend didnt lose any of her hair on Taxol and another that lost only about 50% of her hair on Taxotere. She cut her hair shorter & wore a wig on special occasions, but since finishing treatment her hair has grown back in nicely.
I've been on 14 different treatment lines over the past 10.5 yrs with Stage IV disease & have lost my hair on 4 occasions thus far. I will be starting taxotere in the upcoming weeks for disease progression and will likely lose my hair for the 5 the time.
Ironically, I didn't lose my hair while on Ixempra but fully expected to.
I'm crossing my fingers that luck may be on my side & offer me a little grace, let me be responsive to Taxotere AND keep my hair.
That being said, there's no way to know if you might be one of the "lucky" ones.
I have found that losing your hair to this disease doesn't get any easier or stop people from trivializing the situation by suggesting "Buy an electric pink wig!" or "But you look great with short hair," or my personal favorite "You totally rock that edgy look!"
Also, I know of two women who used the ice caps during their treatment to preserve their hair, vasoconstricting the blood vessels to the scalp & preventing chemo from reaching the hair follicles. One was successful , the other not so much. It looked like a pretty grueling, uncomfortable process and don't think it would ever be an option I would choose. Also, I don't think it's very well supported by Oncs.
.
Best of Luck & Keep the Faith~

Jml

[karen z]

By the time I had Taxol I had already gone through AC. During AC I lost nearly all my hear. I grew a little back during Taxol- not a lot but I could tell the difference.

[KayeR]

Thank you for your replies!

Turtle - I almost cut my hair short when it started falling out in the shower, but I decided to keep it shoulder length and wear it in a pony tail. My part in my hair is the most noticed thinning area, so by pulling it back in a pony tail, I hide the part. I also bought a hair piece to wrap around the pony tail which adds a lot of volume.

Sarah - I had my allergic reaction to taxol on my 3rd infusion. On the next infusion, they loaded me up on steriods and I made out fine. Since then, they have just given me the normal amount of premeds and I've made out fine. Kinda crazy. My nurse blames it on a full moon.

JML - Thanks so much for your response. You are one of my heros, surviving MBC for 10.5 years! I will pray for your positive response to taxotere and no hair loss!

Karen - Yesterday when I took a shower, I shaved my legs and I was still getting hair coming off my legs. Surprised me! I'm hoping that if there is hair still growing on my legs (however slow), maybe before long, I will have hair growing again on my head - even on treatment!

[Cathya]

Hi;

I too had lost all my hair on A/C before I began taxol so no help there. The worse side effect I had with taxol was the pain which began a few days after the infusion and lasted for 2 or 3 days. I used to have to crawl up the stairs to bed at night and take 2 tylenol 4's every 4 hours. It was brutal....but temporary and here I am NED so I can't complain.

All the best to you all,

Cathy

[Manish]

Hi,
My wife lost all her hairs when she started with Chemo (NOT TEXOL). Since she started onTexol and herceptin, she started getting her hairs back. She already had 6 cycles.
Manish