Question about the Hair thing again..

[Maryanne]

I posted this in the wrong section. I posted under newcomers (duh). But I did some good responses. Iam just passing it again, need more feedback. Thank you to the people who did respond.

Question: this is about the hair thing again. Joel had his chemo today for 5 hours and all went well.

His doctor claims that he will lose his hair in about 5 days. Now the doctor says he should shave it now as his counts will be down and it is better to shave it now. What does that mean?

My question, don't you buzz it off or do you have to use a razor? Is it dangerous to use a razor? Isn't the doctor being a little over protective.

I am concerned that maybe he will not lose all his hair and just have it thinned. So why do that now Unless the doc used a extremely aggressive taxol that he knows this for a fact.

Just a little confused. Any comments on this. carbo/taxol was done.

Maryanne

[jcawork]

Hi,

I suffered from very serious low white blood counts, so this stuff I know about.

Even a small knick from a razor w/ counts are low can cause life threatening infections. For me, I wasn't to shave my legs, cut my nails, get a manicure or ped, work in the garden etc....

Nothing that can cause a break in the skin etc....

Its felt very strickt and stupid at the time, but I didn't get any infections.

I buzzed mine short, then it fell out. I cleaned it up by shaving it bald (w/ my counts were okay).

Good luck and use plenty of Purell on the hands. Thats helps a lot too.

Jen

[Tami]

I was assured that mine would fall out. I had several different chemos (at different times) one that I had was the carbo/taxol combo. They told me to cut it short as it's always been long so it wouldn't be such a shock but I just couldn't do it. even though my counts went way down (enough that I couldn't get chemo that week) it never completely fell out. I didn't have to shave my legs (woohoo!) as I lost body hair and my hair thinned big time and maybe it would have looked better if I were bald but I just kept babying it and I never lost it. I can see where the docs coming from.. I mean if you are going to shave your head you should do it now and not risk the infection but regardless of how much I lost I wasn't going to shave my head.. what feel out was what fell out. so it wasn't an issue for me. I think it's a personal thing. If you don't want to wait and see or live with obviously thinning hair and you know you will evenutally shave then do it now. If you want to wait and see and don't think you'd consider shaving your head at any point then I'd just let it go and see if in fact it does all come out...

[Addie]

Any shaving to be done...should be done w/ an electric shaver. Like Jen said, a regular razor is risky for a wee nick or cut that could let in infection.

Most people lose enough hair that shaving the rest off seems a good idea. Mine came out in clumps over two days....so we had a head shaving/pizza party and a good friend shaved the rest off!

This go-round with chemo, my hair was JUST coming back in again after some preventative brain radiation....and now....it doesn't know if it's coming or going!! Some of what was there when I started chemo again....has grown a bit longer....and some of the rest of it has come out!!

But I'm NOT shaving it this time. I've been bald for nearly a year now. I wore my hair VERY short most of my adult life. I've got cancer. I don't care if people stare at my "duckling's butt" head.

But I do miss futzing with my hair....twirling a bit around my finger when I'm thinking.

Okay...my tangent is over. But wait this out if you wish...see how much of hubby's hair falls out. THEN decide whether or not shaving the rest is a good idea....but DO use ONLY an electric shaver.

[TAnn]

I have gone through the hair loss thing 3 times. My first treatment was Taxol/Carbo. It didn't start to fall out until the week before the 2nd treatment. I was stubborn and didn't want to shave, hoping that it would just "thin". Well, mine fell out in clumps, but it took days and days. It was miserable taking a shower because my hands would be full of hair, and I really looked ridiculous. When I finished that chemo regimine, I had a short break and my hair started coming back in. It was looking pretty full and then I was put on Taxotere. This time as soon as it started falling out, I used an electric razor to shave it. It saved me the days and days of agony of "waiting" for it to all fall out.

The 3rd time, I had been on Iressa for quite a few months and my hair was actually back, for real, I was even getting it hilighted! But then I had to have whole brain radiation and the slow fall out started again, so once again I shaved it.

For me, I found that shaving with an electric razor was the best, it really is a trauma for your hair to be falling out in big clumps day after day. It's been 6 1/2 months since that radiation and I finally have a little fuzz. I would really like to have hair again, but since I haven't had any for pretty much 2 years now, I probably would have a hard time with the blow dryer!

Good luck,

TAnn