Hair loss question with TCH

Kathleen09 · 05-14-2012, 06:08 PM

Hi everyone,
For those of you on TCH or who have had TCH, can you please let me know when to expect hair loss to begin? I was told about 15-17 days into it when on AC-TH, but I wasn't certain if the timing was the same with TCH. My sister is as prepped as she can be - she basically bought out the wig boutique

, but she was just wondering on timing because she is working through chemo and wants to plan ahead as much as she can.

Thank you so much on behalf of my amazing sister,
Kathleen

Jackie07 · 05-15-2012, 01:22 AM

Hi,

Here's a link about hairs after TCH (some mentioned about AC - notice the C in TCH is Carboplatin, and the C in AC is Cytoxan): http://her2support.org/vbulletin/sho...ir+loss&page=2

There are other discussions - you can find them using the 'Search' button on the top bar.

As for myself, I'd had FEC (containing anthracycline - similar to the AC regimen) in 2003 and TCH in 2007. I still have hair - though quite thin, and I think it's mostly inherited from my Father because we (including my oldest sister and three older brothers) have the same oily skin. The only one who's not affected is 2nd sister who probably is the only one inherited the hair from our Mother who's had full head of hair up till now even at near 90. I've also inherited Mother's early 'gray' and possibly cancer genes - she is a 15-year NHL survivor

Oh, about 'how long'... I believe it was in the middle of the 2nd infusion (about the 4th, 5th week after starting chemo) when my hair began to fall off. I think a hat or scarf is a better choice at that time. I always put a small silk scarf inside my wig to protect my scalp. Silk is wonderful - it keeps you warm when it's cold outside and keeps you cool when it's hot.

chekmark · 05-15-2012, 04:25 AM

I was told around 14 days when I started the tch combo and at exactly 14 days it started to fall out. I shaved it that same day. I did not want to watch it fall out. Good luck.

snolan · 05-15-2012, 08:18 AM

Mine started to fall out the second week also. Just shaved it right then. Bald is beutiful

Kellennea · 05-15-2012, 08:40 AM

Same here... 2 weeks. My hair was pretty long, so I shaved it and donated it to Locks of Love before it started falling out, I didnt want to deal with that emotionally. Good Luck

AliciaB · 05-15-2012, 12:09 PM

Two weeks for me. BTW, I didn't shave it to the skin.I am on Chemo 3 out of 6 and I still have some hair.granted it looks like I am a balding man, nut I still have hair, sparse as it is. I am planning to straight razor it close to June. Then I am going to get a henna crown.

Pray · 05-15-2012, 10:43 PM

I also started to lose my hair the 2nd week on TCH. It only took 5 days for 90 percent of it to fall. Good luck and Gods blessings to you.

KsGal · 05-16-2012, 05:26 PM

I started seeing groups of hair on my pillow and on the shower wall at about 15 days. I had my son shave my head because I couldn't deal with the hair being all over everything. Then, strangely and kind of ironically, it ended up not falling out. It thinned, but never fell totally out. I just did my last treatment today, and I almost have a pixie cut going for me. The hair is a different texture tho, that I am not enjoying much, and seems to be somewhat curly which it was not before.

CoolBreeze · 05-16-2012, 07:58 PM

I bought out the wig boutique too - it was a mistake because I could.not.stand to wear a wig. Way too hot and itchy and it feels entirely different on a bald head then on one with hair.

On TCH it began at day 19 and was gone by 23. It goes FAST when it starts.

I'm on Abraxane now and I still have hair. 90% lose it but not me. It is coming out but so slowly compared to TCH.

Vicki revised · 05-18-2012, 12:51 AM

Ditto everyone else, but I'll add that my underarm hair was the first--it just stopped growing. I had my hair cut very short to prepare for the loss, and as soon as it did on day 10 (and it comes out in masses) my stylist shaved my head. The least affected was the hair on my arms.

05-19-2012, 09:23 PM

I finished TCH on April 24th. My hair started falling out exactly 17 days after my first TCH treatment. One day it was normal, the next day in the shower I had handfuls of hair coming out. After three days of that I had my husband buzz cut it. For about a week I lived with it but my scalp/roots hurt. So on my 46th birthday I shaved it clean and it felt a lot better. I have a wig but never wore it, preferring hats in the winter and scarves.

A month after treatment is done and I'm impatient... I really want my hair back NOW. its getting warm out and scarves are too hot, especially with these damn hot flashes!

Good luck to your sister. My sister was my ROCK through all this.
Lisa

Cheryl D · 05-20-2012, 01:32 AM

Just like everyone else has said 10-14 days on TCH, I went and got mine shaved and it wasn't so damn annoying. Also couldn't stand wigs and just used hats and scarfs and it was winter in Australia.
Cheers,
Cheryl

BonnieR · 05-20-2012, 01:01 PM

KSGal, what you are experiencing is called "chemo curl". For some reason our hair often wants to come in curly. It will revert to the usual eventually. Although mine is thinner than it was before cancer.
During chemo my hair did not come out in clumps. It was just a gradual thinning until I looked a bit ostrich-like!
Keep the faith

Vicki revised · 05-20-2012, 07:33 PM

Any idea I had of being an exotic bald woman was destroyed when my stylist shaved my head. I always have had great thick hair--the envy of the family, and underneath were 10 cowlicks and one ugly scalp with dents resembling the surface of the moon. It didn't look this bad in my baby pics. LOL

Sheila · 05-21-2012, 04:46 AM

This is a timely topic for me since my first Taxotere was 11 days ago and I too am on fallout lookout....Taxol removed my hair, but I was on it so long my hair actually started to return...we'll see how Taxotere fairs in comparison...any bets?

Kathleen09 · 06-02-2012, 05:51 PM

Thank you so much for all of your reply's. Her first treatment was on May 24th so this week it will start I'm sure. She continues to be amazingly brave. I have so much respect for all of you and I'm in awe of your strength. Being by my sisters side through this has taught me so much.

margo · 06-03-2012, 01:23 PM

My hair began falling out during week three.

Best wishes to your sister during her treatment.

LuckyLinda · 06-07-2012, 08:11 AM

My hair started falling out, silently and prolifically, on day 15. Curiously, I had scalp pain---super sensitivity---beginning at about day 10 after my first infusion. The scalp pain, and accompanying headache, lasted for about 3 weeks, well after all of my hair was gone. A friend shaved my head at day 17 because hair was shedding everywhere. Like so many others, I couldn't bear to wear my wig---way too painful. It was like having a steel garotte tied around my head. I was looking for major narcotic pain meds! I'm happy to report that by the second month I could wear a wig comfortably for a couple of hour at least. I definitely prefer scarves and hats except when I going somewhere special. And the wig is suffocating in warm weather. Everyone is different. I have friends who wear them to work for 8 hours at a time. Good luck.

Kathleen09 · 06-07-2012, 09:21 AM

Thank you all for your answers. Today is day 14 for my sister and she hasn't seen too much hair come out yet, but she does feel it thinner and she says more comes off in the shower than it did before. We are shaving her head today - I'm leaving in about 10 min to pick her up. Today is another milestone we'll conquer together.
My thoughts and admiration are always with all of you....
Kathleen