Hair today, gone tomorrow?

The one thing most people know about chemotherapy is that it makes your hair fall out. The reality of that is a bit more complex. For example, it depends on what kind of chemo drugs you're having. Jen started on EC (epirubicin and cyclophosphamide) on October 22nd. On Cup Weekend she looked like the first picture. A few days later, two weeks into that first cycle, hair started falling out - at first a few strands, and then serious amounts. So we decided to cut it off ourselves, and Jen had her first number one haircut - the second photo. By this time she'd gone online hat shopping (hats specially designed for people having chemo) and started a scarf collection.

The first major decision, made some time before that, was not to use a wig. If you know Jen well, you'll understand that choice as being part of her general attitude of 'tell it like it is'. In summer it's been good not to have to get overheated (quite apart from the hot flushes that came with the later chemo). However it wasn't and hasn't always been an easy choice. It's more confronting for other people, and it draws more attention. If you're male and have lost hair on top, as I have, the step to no hair doesn't seem as far (though I suspect it wouldn't be easy). But for Jen hair has always been an integral part of her appearance, and long hair has many uses and variations. If you've been around to see us, you'll know that Jen usually likes to have nothing on her head inside, and we'll hope you'll adapt to the change.

But with the EC chemo, all Jen's hair didn't fall out. On her scalp it grew back slowly, and she eventually got tired of that and shaved it properly. Eyebrows and other hair generally remained. Then with the change to second line chemo on December 10th (gemcitabine and paclitaxel), there was another shift. Jen's eyebrows and eyelashes started to go. I found it took a little while to adjust to the reading of her face, as prominent eyebrows are an important visual cue. Even now there is a patchiness - most of the hair would go, but one stubborn bit would remain. For a while Jen had a strip of hair down the front of her shins when it had gone elsewhere. The third photo shows Jen at Christmas time.

So what lies ahead? After the end of this phase of chemotherapy, Jen's hair will probably start growing back, although I have no clear idea how long this might take. In some cases it grows back curly when it was straight before, and even the colour might be slightly different. You never know what will be around the next bend....