Still loosing my hair

[Carolengy]

Hi there guys!
My hair is still falling out abnormally, even though I finished my 14 week treatment close to 5 weeks ago, It's been 8 weeks since I started noticing this side effect, my other ones have improved slowly eg. I'm able to sleep without any med. I am able to tell when I am really tired because of a so-normal activity day, and when I am going through a peggy-spell (pegetron moment) in other words, I am not having very many periods of dizziness. Anyhow if someone has gone thru this, please let me know, and some advice on what to eat, or use to help my hairgrow back (I hope it will) which is very damaged, what is your opinion on Rogaine?
Greatly appreciated!

[Drarig]

My hair started falling out Week 18 and it's still falling out.  (I'm 33/48) I could be wrong, but it seems like there is less hair in the drain the past week or two.  If I straighten my hair, I lose alot of hair when I'm drying it, but at least I get 3 days that I don't have to wash it or do anything with it.  If I let it go naturally curly, it looks like sh@t the next day & I have to wash it.  Not sure if drying every 3 or 4 days is worse or the daily washing & curl gels...   I'm just happy I had super thick hair prior tx, because if it was thin, I would be looking for a wig now, too.

[Carolengy]

Yeah! I guess that loosing my hair is nothing compared to all the other sx that we've gone thru, is just that even though I've gone thru a short period so far (Knock on wood), the treatment hit me very hard, so of the 18 weeks I was suppossed to go, we ended on the 14th. When I started the treatment I was about 106 Lbs. and I'm 5 feet tall, I took 800 Mlg. of Riba daily, and .05 of interferon (I think)
I keep reading about people geting some Meds, helping to cope with Anemia, My Dr.talked to me about this once, but he never mentioned it again or prescribed anything for me. At the end of the 14 week  period, I got some blood works done again, ATC, some other ones that I never understood, Potasium, Cholesterol, and Thyroid, then I was shipped to my Family Dr. and he told me that everything looked ok. I have to go see him again in NOv. so I will mention to have my Thyroid checked again, another thing is that I never lost or gained weight, or so my scale says, but people tell me that I look like I put on weight, Am I just puffy?, I still find that when I get hungry, my dizzy spells get more pronounced, as soon as I eat kind of get better, sometimes I think is just my imagination.
Thank you very much! you really make difference, I use to be very ashamed about this, but since I've found this site, I guess that I shoudn't be, it is only one of those many burdens in life.

[SixtiesSage]

While I was on treatment, I read on Daniels list that lost hair grows back thicker after tx is over. Never confirmed it, and not sure if it is true.
Also remember reading that inf makes the liver a bit more resilient to damage weather you clear or not.
Old wives tales??

[settecasi1]

Mine got really thinned out and grayer. It straightend out as my hair is really thick and wavy. Months after the 24 TX was over it came back and is wavy again.

[mycoldfeet]

sounds right to me. Didn't exactly know why, but remember reading it did lol, but Rogaine is way too expensive not to work for her. Talked to a few that tried it, I'm too cheap and hate carrying a comb anyway. Have a great Day NY.    Donnie.

[amommy]

Hi :)  I am about 5 months post right now, and my hair fell out until about 3 months post, then it slowed down.  It WILL get better!!  I only did 20 weeks so we were both short timers.  I lost about 70% or more of my hair during my tx.  Hang in there for a few more weeks, it should noticably slow down!

[stangshelly]

i am week 28/72 and noticed this past month the hair thinning alot. i usually have nat. curly,thick hair..well now its thin,real thin and i spoke to someone who lost all of their hair and after all meds clear body her hair grew back thicker and curlier then ever, so there is some hope. i know don't wash daily,use creme rinse in between and just rinse,no pulling up or on hair, silk pillow case and a shorter cut. but i still have not had mine cut..used to be long and full now looks straggly..yuck, wearing more hats when in public thank god winter is coming lol...:)

[westslope]

Really glad to see this! Guess I've always been kinda vain about my hair. I'm male, 48, and a redhead. Got to the point where there just wasn't enough left to mess with, and what little there was was so dry, straight and crackle-y brittle. Weekend before last, I had finally lost so much that I wrote it off to our own little version of chemo, swallowed my vanity and RELUCTANTLY buzzed it. I'm week 21 of 48, so best get used to it I suppose, but it ticks me off enough to make me that much more determined to see this through!

[NYgirl]

Said: I have read that tx can cause hormone problems,


Because of the thyroid - I'd imagine.

[NYgirl]

LOL yeah i use a brush myself (although God knows I wonder WHY at this point!)  ;)

It's just one of those sides we have to deal with - I wouldn't try the Rogaine either because who really knows what THAT might do to treatment or the virus you know?

So we'll all just be bald and combless I suppose! ;)

You have a great night!

[mycoldfeet]

For some people it grows back as full, doubt if fuller, but after a year might look like it. Now interferon has shown to improve existing liver damage if the virus or alcohol or whatever is causing the inflamation is removed, but will not make it more resilliant for future damage.

[goldyn]

You only had to do a 14 week treatment lucky you....I started tx with 3 heads full of hair and now have lost about 65% or more im on week 45/48 im thankful it has slowed down now I have a lot of grays, but this is a form of chemo so no wonder we lose it...

[Pdilly]

I have not lost any hair yet as I am only on week 3.  I had my hair cut to shoulder length in prep to get it cut shorter in a month.  I normally have always had med long hair so short hair will be different for me.  Gosh...Short and curly...ugh!

[motheroffour]

Carol have your doc check your thyroid function if you haven't had it checked lately.  Although my husband is the one treating for Hep C, I know that hypo and hyper thyroid issues are common in treatment.  I'm hypothyroid and my first 4 symptoms were depression, fatigue, my feet/legs felt like I had lead boots on, dry skin and hair loss.  I can't imagine how someone on Hep C treatment could figure out whether to attribute those symptoms to the Hep C treatment or to thyroid issues. I was also at that time diagnosed as lightly anemic. I've been on thyroid since the birth of my first son 18 years ago and although I dislike putting chemicals into my body, thyroid really took care of my symptoms and is easy to manage and I'd be a mess without the medication.

[Algernon]

My hair fell out more after TX than it did on TX.  That lasted at least 8 weeks.  Then it started growing in like crazy (looked a little crazy for a while too--thick AND sticking straight up into the air).

I doubt there's much you can do to speed it up.  Just wait for that magic morning when there's no hair running into the shower drain!  Soon!

[NYgirl]

Well I'm on week 55 of 72 and my hair is just gone and the little bit that's left is so totally FRIED I can't stand it.

I got a letter from my doctor and am going to go find a wig (supposedly with the letter the insurance will pay up to $500). I don't need a real dandy wig like that but SOMETHING!

It doesn't matter what outfits I match together with the shoes and bag and earrings and makeup and spend an hour getting ready each morning for work.....when it comes time to leave I can't get away from the fact that my hair is DREADFUL.


I was hoping more than ANYTHING that like others Ive read in here it would grow back great.  Maybe it just takes a little more time for some.

Are you having your thyroid monitored at all because THAT TOO can cause the hair to fall out (believe me between the interferon and thyroid problems............I'm a frakking MESS)

Good luck, you aren't alone :(  but :)

[mycoldfeet]

I have read that tx can cause hormone problems, I don't know exactly why it causes hair loss, but it happens with men and women, I lost a lot my 1st 48wks of tx and turned the rest gray, got some back still stuck with the gray, Rogaine is normally used for hair that is not recieving enough oxygen and nutrients for the folicles by dialating blood vessels in the scalp,(Rogaine was originally a blood pressure med) Now I have mine cut very short (I'm a guy) for my second round. I would talk to a dermatologist, or even an Oncology nurse to see what Chemo patients use post tx.