Does hair loss go in cycles?

[jdwithhcv]

I started tx in early September '07.  In late December I began to get a funny feeling in my scalp (hard to describe except to say that my hair hurt) and around New Years hair started falling out.  It continued to fall out for 6-7 weeks, then stopped, leaving me with really thin hair.  I've been dealing by "mixing it up" with scarves, hats, wigs, etc. (never went so far as to get that berka yet)

Two weeks ago I got that feeling in my scalp again, and sure enough, last week hair began to fall out again.  Same as last time, its falling out in double handfuls every day in the shower and I find hair everywhere!!!  (I know, boo hoo, poor me - but I really thought I was done losing hair.)  I'm in week 33 of tx and was actually starting to regrow some tiny hairs so I hoped that the falling out phase was over and maybe someday I'd look normal again.  

Has anyone else gone through these cycles of hair loss?  Will I have any hair left at the end of tx?  Does it keep falling out after tx?  Maybe I should just give in to it and shave my head.  Here I am 2/3 of the way thru tx and looking forward to the end - what the *%^> is going to happen next?  Should I get that berka after all?

Any input would be welcome, besides I just needed to whine about this!

[Deb_c430]

Mine has, I originally started this in Nov, seemed almost immediately it started, then same thing sort of slowed down,  

When I went to daily injections in Jan, it started again and for awhile I thought wow  mange has come!  Then it slowed down again,  that is why against all advice i dyed, for a week it made it look thicker. Today I noticed the dye is already fading, and moe big chunks are coming out.

I get that sore head also and itch? holy cow! So dry and flaky. Black is not a good color for me any more!  

I also started getting those little cork  screw hairs that stick straight up! So I kind of thought maybe the worse was over!

I also been using scarves and when i feel saucy go red! LOL,  thanks to my friend I have an option! I do not recomend dying it,  

I been wondering about one of those turbans like hedy lamar and the old hollywood stars would wear!  NO berkas!  

A good friend, who went svr on infergen, told me she really started loosing hers when she was 24 weeks and went und,  So fingers crossed.

Hugs
Deb

[meki]

I'm one year post (plus a little) and my hair is just starting to get back to it's 80's bush mop fraggle rock style... LOL!

I'm back to looking like a muppet that needs to be brushed.

Hugs - and hoping your hair starts growing as soon as you are done with the TX.

And yeah --- hair loss goes in cycles... Methinks hormones and other evvvvvvvveeeeeeeel things are happening inside - and the TX causes the hair follicles to jump out!

LOL!

Hugs,

Meki

[charm27]

Your so right. Was just thinking the same this past Sunday. I lost more hair on Sunday than in the past few months?? Globs and globs fell out. I had to change the pillow cases 3 times in 24 hours? It first started 3 months after I lost a little it was thinning...then every week or two I got this sweaty itch feeling on my head and my hair was coming out in clumps again. Then it stopped now it started again bad...So far 35% is gone but all in one spot on the top of my head. Im down to only washing my hair once a week as digusting as that sounds, otherwise I would be Telly Savalas by now, And I cannot use conditioner it makes it worse.
So m just wearing thick head bands that cover the top of my head.
A tophat would be nice to but Im not dressed for the occasion lately.
Here's to bald is beautiful!!

[madfogs]

after 2 months on treatment my hair was thin and loosin too.when i told my doctor he told me that it will be normall again.but i cut it very short and bought a shampoo to strengt the hair and after few days it got better,altough my hair got normally 3 months after treatment,also dont forget to brush your teeth even 3 times daily cause my teeth ware weakend sometimes too.i wish this can help you too and good like.

[jdwithhcv]

Dancing bald virus killing zombies, that's us!

I was planning to break down and color my hair but I hate to do anything that makes more fall out.  Too bad, most of what's left is gray (white really) so it looks extra thin.  I'll just live with it, I guess.  But if it gets much thinner I will shave it and start fresh.

[Deb_c430]

that is exactly why i dyed it!     It looked so sad and thin, the color looked great, thick even,  doesn't last though!

I have thought about shaving also, but i think it would be worse, I would look like a mouse, all big eyes!  
a fellow
Dancing  bald virus killing  zombie,  from the land of stench!

[Mikkimoe]

Mine started thinning when I became chronic 8 months ago (Enbrel helped it along). Now that I have started tx it went totally straight (was real curl) and feels like a little baby's hair. I keep it braided in the back with a stripe of neat material braided in to make it look thicker. i keep it like this for 3 or 4 days before redoing it and wash just once a week. Am picking up some Nioxin today.

Here is my girlfriends site who makes great scarfs for folks like us (she beat breast cancer). She has some great wigs she is going to loan me.

http://abonitascarf.com/   The Michelle one is named after me :-)

[frijole]

mikkimoe - those scarves are cool.  I love the Michelle.  I used Nioxin throughout treatment and thought it helped.

I thought the hair loss ran in cycles too.  Mostly for me I lost hair between weeks 12 & 24.  After that, it was just then and terribly straight.  I actually grew to like it that way.. Different than what I was used to.  During the height of the loss, I used to line those hairs up (my hair was short - about 1 1/2 ") on the shower wall in groups of 10 like littel soldiers.  When it got up to 100 I quit counting!

Such is life, eh?
frijole

[katstoy52]

You know this tx just sucks period. I used to be vain, now I'm just humbel. Glad to be alive. Yes your hair is going to fall out, but it will grow back. I've been off tx for 3 weeks now and my hair is still falling out. But the good news is new hair is growing back. The important thng is to slay that Dragon, and send him back to hell where he came from...

[sfwandwow]

mine is coming out slowly but i got plenty to go around my head.. but look on the bright side BALD IS BEAUTIFUL LOL LOL............

[nygirl7]

I lost about 75% of mine. Same as you really thin but never "bald".  I just had this wicked split ended dried up thin hair. I finally started to wear wigs all of the time to work and it helped my ego a LOT.

I'm not 15 months post treatment. My hair is about 6" past my shoulders on my back. It came back in a dull color and very straight but it's INCREDIBLY healthy!  It's like getting a hair "do over".

Hang in there.  Like everything else in treatment it just sucks incredibly when you are going through it but it does end and come back to normal.  Try to think of it like the less hair you have the less damage you have in your liver or something. Try to visualize the fibrosis just going away and it will make you remember WHY you are doing this and how even though vanity is CRUCIAL...your life is much more important than your hair.

(PS MY heart breaks for you because I know how you feel....I remember it all too well but it DOES stop!)

[jdwithhcv]

Thanks everybody.

BTW I keep meaning to ask, does the carpet match the drapes for anyone else?

jd

[meki]

Nah- that had no freaking problem.

I mean - it was like someone put miracle grow down there --- on my legs... Under my chin and my eyebrows and eyelashes.


It was whacked.

LOL!

Meki

[CockSparrow]

When I first read "Does hair loss go in cycles?"
I was going to say nah it falls out in clumps.
But then thought perhaps I shouldnt.
CS

[jdwithhcv]

nah it falls out in clumps - Too right!  
How about you - carpet match the drapes?  Funny, I never thought to ask a guy about that.
jd

[Lady Lauri]

carpet match the drapes?.......

Always thought that was so funny :) Tho don't think guys dye much? (do they CS? Think your too young to know,lol.)

I lost about 50% in thickness, but was very lucky in had a lot of hair. People can only tell it's thinned and was also lucky it was 'even' loss-no bald spots. 8 weeks post tx, it's just stopping shedding. Funny tho, it seems thicker too??? (than at end of tx, not pre-tx)

Sorry jd, it hurts :(, no matter how 'vain' one is or not. Especially as your so close now , 2/3rds, whooo hooo! Whine all you want!

LL