TAC chemo

You liked Janice then? Yes she's to the point but brilliant I love her. I'm doing TCH so I don't know about yours. Forget about cold cap you don't need that on your head on top of everything else. You'll be fine believe you me, I loved my hair so much but I'm fine being bald and I love my bandanas. I got mine in pink ribbon over reputations hairdressers in Johnstown road cabinteely I found them great and people thought it was my own hair . Roches in the city centre comes highly recommended.

None of it is easy but we will be fine xxx

Thanks Mary,

Am a bit scared now. It all sounds awful when they pile up the side effects......
My tumor was only 9mm in the end! Something so small causing so much trouble!
If I was hoping for a lighter dose I was very much mistaken.....
They're going at this with a vengeance and I don't like it one little bit!

I had TCH as well. I have Janice and I think she is great, I think you need someone who will give it to you straight, she is the only one I trust in there.

Got my wig in roches in kimage, they were super, so experienced and so familiar with everything. I got a really light wig, with lace in the top so tha you could see my scalp through it and it was breathable so my head didn't get too hot. They gave me all products to take care of it and a beanie hat for when I was t wearing it. But honestly I could have worn my wig all day long with no probs.

My hair is growing back now, but I think I will keep the wig handy for another while, it's so easy to throw on honestly you get used to it, it's not the worst thing and it's not permanent.

We are very lucky to have Janice she's fantastic. My father is left with severe pins and needles a year and a half after getting chemo because they gave him too much, looks like it'll never improve. Someone slipped up but he didn't have Janice. They give you the whole shebang as they want to make sure it never comes back which is good. Neadie STOP WORRYING ABOUT YOUR HAIR honestly it's not that bad and I loved my hair. Trust me it's not the worst thing that could happen.

www.headwear4hairloss.co.uk/
Very good site for bandanas I bought a blue and black Anna hat and then ordered the different accessories. To go with different things. I love them and a woman asked me today (she didn't know me) where I got the lovely hats and she didn't know I was havin chemo

I know, but I have REALLY curly hair and it took me 4 years to grow it to an acceptable length. I don't think I could go through all that again. And its all the horrible side effects they read out to me.....
Help!!

I know neadie it's a bit daunting but if you've thick hair cold cap doesn't work. It'll grow again I promise. I've only one chemo left and if I survived you will too and we are here to help and the doctors and nurses are brilliant. When are you starting?

It will all kick off the first week in January....in a way I wish it was sooner- just get it done to be damned......

I just wasn't expecting the regime to be so harsh - it gave me a shock to be brutally honest! And the fact it's going on for 18 weeks is a bit of a bummer too......

Sorry for the moans, I just wasn't expecting it to be so harsh and long!

I started mine 10th September and was due to finish Christmas eve but had my hitch. How many and how often will it be? It'll go by and it will come to an end. I know I'm lucky and I'm on the right side of it but the first two were fine and I lived life normally just had the two bad dates in 3 and 4 and I lived my life normally when I could. It's not all doom and gloom honestly . It's like a roller coaster you glide along and then hang on for dear life at the scary bits but don't forget you will have great support both from here and the hospital so don't despair we're all still here. Xxxxx

6 rounds every 3 weeks. I asked if I could get them fortnightly as a dense dose, but I don't think that's possible.....

Same as me and believe you me you need that third week as you have to get good again before the next dose . You'll enjoy that third week as you'll be able to do normal things because youll feel well

Hi Neadi

I also have the ACT and look at me I am doing okay on it all like yourself every three weeks - when do you start? Hopefully maybe on a thursday same as me? I have 4 by AC first then 4 by T

Seriously try the guy I went to for the wig he was fantastic and he shaved me as well and he is so nice and caring and looks after you so well. http://hswigcentre.ie/

Only advice is - your gonna lose the hair so try accept it - I waited too long with my own hair and it was traumatic when it fell out I should have got it shaved around a week earlier. I would advise to do it a couple of days after first chemo.

The hair doesnt really bother me wear the wig when out but also instead of that wear hats etc.

xxx

Thanks Dee!

Would you believe I'm here having my hair done for Xmas- the last one for a very long time....

I know hair is such an insignificant thing to worry about in the greater scheme of things, but through the surgery we were putting it on the back burner as it were - the hair thing that is.

Anyway I just have to face it head on now....

Xx

Hi Neadi
Everything you've been saying all along reminds me so much of myself a few months ago. And now you say you have really curly hair! Me too! Or was me too. I know just what you mean about having to take years to get length into it.
Try not to worry about it too much. It is horrible when it starts to fall out but once it's gone, you just get over it. It's sort of a relief that it's another thing over with and you can just stop worrying about it then. I waited too long to get it shaved, I just couldn't face it but I think it would have been much better to go ahead with it earlier.
I tried so hard not to cry in front of the kids but the stupid thing that I couldn't stop myself crying over was looking at all my curly hair shampoos, conditioners, anti frizz etc, you know yourself the amount of stuff curly hair needs.
One tiny positive with no hair is months of frizz free days

One prob for us curly haired gals is that the market for curly hair wigs is small. I couldn't find what I wanted and didn't like my new wig at all to start with but got so used to it. I even bumped into one of the girls from my hairdressers one day and she said "OMG, you are so lucky,you still have your hair!"
So it's pretty good although more like loose curls than the tight spirals I had. I got it in Roches in Kimmage. They will order in whatever you want and you don't have to take it if you don't like it.
One last thing, I also ordered a 14 euro wig off the internet as a spare. If you type in "curly hair wig" into ebay you will see it. It looks just like what I wanted. However, the real thing when it arrived, looked like rats tails! I gave it to the kids for Halloween
Good luck with it.
Jo x

Thanks Jo

I just bawled today when I came home from the hairdressers, I just can't believe this is happening....

Jo, has your hair started to grow back? Was it the same as before? I'm just so scared that it's never going to come back after all this....

Hi girls,

Josephine, I loved your description of the cheap wig.

Neadi, I used to have long straight hair. Now I'm discovering anti-frizz products for the first time. I used to wonder who used them before

I worried and worried about my hair not growing back but of course it did. It is certainly not like African hair now but it is curly. This time last year my hair was falling out. By Christmas it was gone. It started growing back by February when I started the Taxol part of the treatment. It grew slower on top and very fast at the sides. Mid June I abandoned my wig and scarves.

The texture and colour are pretty much what I had before - apart from the curls. It's soft and in good condition, not at all wiry. There are a few white hairs but I had a few before treatment too.

I have already had 3 haircuts! You won't believe how pampered you feel going for that first haircut. It was just amazing. Definitely something to look forward to.

Neadi, did you get any further news on the conflicting biopsy reports by the way?

Thinking of you all.

Hugs

Kath

Oh I put the frizz in anti frizz- if only for a few more weeks.....

Yeah, finally got every thing (I think!) from pathology:

Lump was only 9mm(originally thought to be 1.5cm) IDC, grade 2, with 3/27 affected nodes.

Reason I had to have mastectomy was because of a papillary (benign but pre cancerous) lump under my arm pit. Surgeon found further papillary cells under my nipple when everything was analysed....

Which is why I dont get why oncologist is giving me such a harsh chemo plan, from what I can see from the net ( bad idea!) is normally given to women with ILC or inflammatory BC! Is it my age? Or the receptor status? My lump was 80- 100% er+.

Confused/ annoyed/ scared.com!!!!!!!!

Hi Neadi - Sounds like I'm jost a bit ahead of you in this process.... I'm on TC - and had my first chemo this week.....I'm still hanging in there - wasn't so bad first few days exept I managed to pick up a throat infection & so had to go on an antibiotic - feeling a lot better again today after sleeping pretty much the clock around yesterday....

Hate not being well - feel like a complete whingebag!
L

Hi Neadi,

think it's the strong ER+ that's dictating the harsh chemo. I also had very strong ER+ markers. I had Inflammatory & was also HER2+ so had 1yr Herceptin - 1 whole year on oncology ward is no fun!!

Thanks amaryllis (love the name) and funky chick.
Maybe this won't be so bad.....

Hi Neadi
I had 4 AC every two weeks followed by Taxol every week for 12 weeks. My hair started to fall out on the way home from hospital after my 2nd AC, so it was 2 weeks to the very day when I started to get follically challenged.
I am now beginning to think I need my head examined because it seems that I am the only one here that couldn't wait to see what I looked like bald. Unfortunately my children didn't feel the same way about it but it's all history now! I know you might want to hold onto your own hair but it is just so annoying when it starts to fall out - I preferred to get it shaved off before I had to ring the plumber to come and clear my drains.
I started AC at the beginning of May and then started Taxol at the beginning of July and by the end of August my hair had made great inroads into beginning to grow back.
If you are buying a wig, or for any of you lovies that have just got a wig, I have special shampoo and conditioner for wigs that I have used twice.... I would be delighted to give it to someone and save ye a few bob because it wasn't exactly bought in a buy one get one free pack!!!
Maybe PM me if anyone wants it. I'm certainly not planning on holding onto it in case I need it again!!!!!

thanks- may well take you up on that x

Hi Neadi
Your diagnosis is very similar to mine and I had AC X 4 every 2 weeks and then taxol X 4 every 2 weeks. They told me at this age they like to throw the kitchen sink at it to make sure we are around for a very long time and also we are young enough to take it, as in we haven't many more age-related problems going on.
I just hated it and worried about every little thing but now the chemo is done, I'm glad I had it and threw the kitchen sink at the bugger!

As for my hair, it's impossible to tell how it will be yet. Its only 6 weeks since last chemo. I noticed the first few ribs before taxol ended. Its still only a few mm.
Kathleen, I was glad to see you wrote that your hair was slower to grow on top. That's exactly what I'm finding and was worrying a bit. Unfort, I see no colour except the 50 shades of grey

Jo x