Hair Loss

[sph0611]

I did my 19th shot of peg last night. I have 5 more to go. I've dealt with the Incevik rash, the RIBA rash, the mood swings and the fatigue but believe it not I'm having the worst time dealing with losing my hair!  I've been shedding my hair slowly throughout treatment but the last three weeks its coming out by the handful. I know we are all different but can anyone tell me will I lose it all?!  It is so fragile now I'm afraid to wash it or even gently run a brush through it. I'm determined to finish treatment (I've been undetected since week 2) but how long does this continue and will it grow back. This is just the final slap in the face from this nasty virus.

[sph0611]

Diana66, what a lucky girl, no hair loss. I'm jealous. I just got back from seeing the trial nurse coordinator. I knew going up there I was going to continue with treatment though i told myself this was it. She reduced my peg from 180 to 135. I think just to keep me going. I have 3 more injections so I'm just going to do it. My new mantra is BALD IS BEAUTIFUL. yikes.

[Diana66]

Well, I am at the end of week 19, I did not loose any hair
It got really dried and it thinned

But I always said I can't care less if it is falling

I mean, what better chance do I have to do a Sinead O'Connor, shave it, go with Gothic make up

Hehe, I was trying to make the most of it, but instead i still have it all

Don't give up right now at the end. The hair will still fall for couple of weeks and it will take a while to grow back

As pooh said: keep the eyes on the prize !! Not long to go now and yes 3 weeks can make a difference, you are doing the short course anyway.

[sph0611]

Thanks everybody for the info and advise. I'm now in the middle of my 21st week. My hair has gotten so much worse in the past couple of weeks. I can't even touch it without strands coming out. I have a lovely bald section on my left side. My mood is just awful and I could cry at the drop of a hat. My skin,scalp and eyes are so dry it's painful. I left a message for the study coordinator today saying I've had enough. I'm so conflicted. Would 3 more weeks really make that much of a difference? I've been undetected since week 2. This isn't like me to quit but my vanity is getting in the way. This is really the hardest thing I've ever done.

[pooh55811]

Keep your eye on the prize. Hair loss is temporary. SVR is permanent. Even when I looked like a very ill Loris (and that was AFTER I finished Tx) and ventured out only to see the dermatologist, I kept telling myself that "this too shall pass." It did pass, LOL, not quickly enough to satisfy my vanity, but it did pass.

The side effects are hell; I am the first to admit that. However, attaining SVR dwarfs everything else and puts it in perspective. SVR is truly a new lease on life. I feel better than I have felt for 20 years. Hang in there (as I know you will). You are almost to the finish line. The prize is in sight.

[sph0611]

That's just how my ponytail looks now. I agree it is depressing. I can't help wondering if this rapid loss the last three weeks has something to do with being taken off the ribavirin for a week due to the rash and then going back on. Before being taken off it was shedding but not to this extent. I feel so shallow about making this such a big deal but I can't help myself. I guess vanity is one of my charming qualities. LOL I'm trying to stick with the program but this is tough.

[his3707]

by the eot 48 weeks on tripple incivek, when I pulled my hair back in a stubby pony tail, it was about as thick as a regular sharpie marker. I had nice hair before treatment.. Very depressing.  I am 10 mo post treatment and it is getting better by the week now.  So it has taken some time but it will come back.

[pooh55811]

I don't know if you will lose all of your hair or not. Most do not lose all of it.

I used a wide toothed comb, not a brush, during Tx, and combed it very very gently. I also just put the shampoo in my hair but did no scalp massage or any hard rubbing, just gently sort of put the shampoo over the hair and then rinsed it out. I also had my hair short, in a pixie. I lost about half, I guess, but not in clumps.

I think my hair shedding slowed down almost immediately after Tx ended or soon afterwards. I am now almost 26 weeks post treatment and I think I am back to normal in terms of hair loss (ie not much). I always had rather fine thin hair and that has not changed but I don't think it has filled in a lot where I lost it it yet. I mean, it does not seem as thick as before Tx (even though that was not thick). I do believe it is a little better because it does hold a little more shape now than it did. Of course, I only very recently started using the hairdryer again and that helps it hold shape. I was afraid to use heat on it up until recently.

From what I have heard and read, your hair will grow back. It may take a little time, but it should grow back. One thing I have read is that sometimes straight hair grows back curly. One thing I noticed is that my hair is darker than it was and there is a lot less grey in it. I never had a lot of grey anyway, except for the very front. But now all of my hair is not only darker than it's normal coloring but I also have a lot less grey hair in the front. That was a side benefit from Tx that I never expected, but I will take it. LOL.

[rk2761]

Oh - and good luck finishing treatment. For me, that last month was the longest and most emotionally stressing. Not only did I feel at my worse, I was really conflicted about quitting. I was sick of being sick, but scared to stop.

rk

[rk2761]

Based on my own experience (36 weeks on treatment) it won't get better until you are off treatment a few months. Mine got progressively worse and three weeks after tx it was still really bad.

It stopped falling out at about month two after treatment and now, at month 4, it's growing back.

So it comes back, but it takes time.

rk