Taking Charge!

Ok, ladies...what do you think???  I'm going to take charge and go ahead and shave my head...before the chemo takes it.  Dr. said it's a guarantee I'll lose it...and it's about an inch below my shoulders.

I'm already starting with the very sensitive scalp, hurts to comb, dryness, and little "sores"...

[Kimchi]

I should have done it also before starting chemo...When it started to shed, I couln'd stand it any more and had the rest shaved off!!! When it started the second time (after a 6 week) break in chemo, i had shaved my head again...The worst part (in my opinion) is the eyebrows and eyelashe hair falling into your eyeball!!! Man that is most irritating!!!

[rmarie]

I did it two weeks after the chemo, it was falling out and I didn't like running my hands through my hair and having a hand full.  Goo for it.  I am with Kimchi it was the eyebrows and eyelashes, never knew eyelashes did so much, always was getting soap in my eyes.  Go for it, It will come back curly.  thinking of you.

[SimplyStar]

Leslee went in and had hers shaved,  after the first chemo, she happened to draw a hairdresser that had lost her Mother to OVCA, she asked Les if she was getting chemo, and when Les told her the story, through her tears, the gal was so understanding that Les told me , she felt she had a angel on her shoulder.  It has grown back now, curly and so cute.

[Angie_Lou]

Go for it!  Even though my hair was short to begin with, I had my head buzzed two weeks after my first chemo session, too.  The shedding was just too much to pick up and I certainly did not want to reach the clumping stage.  Buy yourself a wig that looks great on you and do it when you are feeling good, not after you started chemo.  You'll want it for "special" occasions.  You may want to try something totally hot & different (like those commercials, what stays in Vegas...)

I used my wig twice during the summer and everyone that knew I had cancer but hadn't seen me bald thought that I did not lose my hair.  LOL.

Although the hair will be gone, it feels like cowlicks are going in all different directions for a couple of days, especially when you are trying to sleep....or maybe it was just my cowlicks!  After the first week, the funny cowlick feeling goes away.

During the winter, I suggest you find yourself a very cozy, soft cap to wear to bed...it will help keep your head warm (until a hot flash.)

As far as my eyelashes & eyebrows, they lasted until my 5th chemo session.  So not all of us lose it all at once and they (eyelashes/eyebrows) came back really fast after I finished chemo.  I'm still waiting for my head hair to grow faster.

And so far, my hair (all 1 inch of it) is straight.  I'm glad because curls don't look good on me.  Not sure if my hair will stay straight, but so far, so good.   And, not sure if it's because I buzzed the fuzzy hair that started growing just after my Chemo ended, but I just couldn't stand that fuzzy stuff.

Of course, now that I'm off chemo, its back to shaving legs & underarms.  So, enjoy this one luxury of not having to shave those areas for the next 4 months.

Take care.  Angie

[coogeegirl]

Absolutely go for it...

I got my husband to take mine off after my first chemo when it started coming out and I felt like a cat shedding my hair around the place.

It is now back and very curly and when people ask my have I had something done to it I proudly say well it is chemo curl...

Good Luck to you

[Lafnatitall]

"Chemo Brain, "Chemo Curl"...a whole new vocabulary!  I told my husband that with me not being able to eat much, he was saving a boatload on groceries.  Then, when I lose my hair, I'll save a boatload on hair products including electricity!  Now I find out that I'll be saving on shaving products, too!  Woo-hoo!  There's ALWAYS a positive side!  

I love you ladies already...thank you so much for the amount of support you give me...even on the little things.

[Brownie3321]

Shave it baby!! I had a "shave Deandra's head" party at my salon and each of the stylists shaved a section of my head. There were cocktails involved and NO tears. These girls are my best friends, and were so supportive. I shaved mine before the chemo because I didn't want to see it falling out. My eyelashes/brows lasted till about the 4th chemo. With love, Deandra

[crecco]

You go girl!!!  Right before I started my treatments I got my hair cut real short. 12 days after my first one I put a wet hand on my head and it came back covered with hair. I went outside and cried for a few minutes, wiped the tears away and told my son to get the shears out. I sat on my sons kitchen floor while he shaved my head. And buy did he pay me back for the times that I cut his hair when he was little. He told me I had better sit still so he didn't miss. (once while cutting his hair, he moved his head and I knicked his ear. He has never forgot that) The he proceded to give me a mohawk and who know what else. Eyelashes and eyebrows were something I had never thought about. Mine stayed in for quite awhile.I was in the bathroom one day putting on some make-up before I left, and was having all kinds of trouble putting on my mascara. As my eyes are not real good anymore I wenmt to get my glasses to see what the heck was going on. Guess what? When you have no eyelashes, it makes it rather hard to put on mascara. Then I noticed that my eyebrows were almost gone too. They were both the last to go and they were also the last to come back. It took a lot longer than I thought it would before I had eyebrows that I could see again, and eyelashes long enough that I could put on mascara without poking myself in the eye. We may not like it at the time but as you begin to get used to it, if you can laugh about it, then you are doing great. I haven't seen anything from you today and was wondering how it went. Let us know.  Chris

[rubyellen46]

My plan is to try one of those really cute short haircuts that I was always too big of a chicken to try.  I love the new Renee Zeewelleger haircut.  When it falls out, it falls out.