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Listen--you don't *have* to get a wig!!!  I wasted over $300 on a lovely
wig, and then found I simply couldn't tolerate wearing it.  Too heavy, too
itchy, just too damned uncomfortable.  I suggest you lay in a supply of hats
and/or bandannas and wait until after your hair actually falls out before
you shop for a wig.  What is tolerable now may not be tolerable on a bald
scalp.

Best wishes, Eva (whose hair is e-v-e-r---s-o---s-l-o-w-l-y growing back)

The next few months will be no fun but doable, don't be too hard on
yourself! I found the hairloss harder then the surgery. Best of Luck, alex

Hi Moz,

First, here is a big <<HUG>>. You can do it. Chemo is pretty crappy, but
it's tolerable. At first the hair loss bothered me a lot, but as time went
on, I got used to it even to the point of going out completely bald.

It was in the summertime and it was so hot that year. I hated the expensive
wig that I spent $600 on and refused to wear it. When I got cold I wrapped a
cotton scarf around me head, and when I got hot, I bared it all and held my
head up high.

My theory is that we want to cover our heads because we are not ashamed of
how we look, but we worry about how other people will perceive us. It's a
woman thing because lots of men go bald all the time and love it.

Nana23

Hi Moz,
I'm sorry you are having to anticipate your chemo.  I did a whole year of
CMF, three weeks on, three weeks off.  I also lost my hair and hated that
aspect.  But knew that I was temporarily trading hair for the best possible
chance to beat the cancer.  People weren't shaving their hair off back then
(22 years ago), so I picked it off the pillow and rinsed it down the drain.
I did wear wigs, and men's cotton handkerchiefs when I got too hot.  I went
to work each day, so the wigs were important. After buying the first one,
that looked like my own hair (color and style), I decided that I might as
well have some fun with them, so I got a couple more---very different than
my own style.  People closest to me knew all about the mastectomy and chemo,
so they didn't care if "my look" was different daily. The curly permed one
fooled my surgeon and the lady who sat behind me in church for that year!

Sending wishes for the hair loss "hurdle" to be manageable for you, Moz.  If
the medication is affecting hair follicles, it's certainly also affecting
stray cancer cells.  My very best to you.

Barb

hiya, Moz -

Nobody can tell you what's gonna make you comfortable, and we're
getting ready to go through at least part of this again as Deborah's
started losing her hair again.  Hopefully with the Navelbine she's
taking she won't lose it completely, but it's beginning to come out
after seven months on this treatment.  Don't believe we've ever done
Navelbine this long so this hasn't happened before.

A lot of people will tell you to go without the wig - and that'd be my
choice too, but only you can decide what makes you more comfortable.  I
will say that I did enjoy kissing Deborah on top of her bald head when
she was sitting down - she's taller than I am so I had to catch her
when she was seated - and that for us, an assortment of scarves and
baseball caps worked just fine.

I've only seen her wear a wig in public once or twice - once was at a
friends' wedding when she didn't want to divert attention away from the
bride and groom.  Other than that she was about as comfortable as one
can be with no hair, I guess.

I was (and still am) extremely proud of her.  She wore bandanas and
baseball caps as kind of a badge of honor, and I figure if even one
person ran out and got a mammogram because they saw her bald head it
was all worth it.

I don't know if you can skip the wig or even if you want to - but
please do whatever makes you the most comfortable and to hell with
everybody else.

BTW - I think you'll also find out exactly why Goddess gave you nose
hairs.  I won't elaborate, but I figure that'll make some of the women
on the list grin a little.

Hang in there - you can do this.

hugs -

allan

Dear Moz,
    I did buy a wig when I first lost my hair in 2000 with A/C, I didn't,
however lose my nose hair at that time only after the second session
with Taxol, when I lost every hair on my bod. I do know why the Goddess
made nose hair..Allan. But I digress.
    The wig I bought was a synthetic and was VERY!!! light weight. I did
fool the Onc. as he questioned why I hadn't lost my hair, when I told
him I had he was surprised. the maker was Noriko, and I didn't even have
to have it styled as it was perfect. cost about $130 US..IIt is now
starting to show some fuzz and if I was to wear one again I wouuld get a
new one. Here in the desert it gets very hot and I found it not
terribley uncomfortable. I only wore it when out in public, I wore a
kerchief or nothing at home. To me it was kind of like wearing a pink
ribbon. If I didn't have BC I would be proud to wear one, but since I
have BC I don't like to advertize. I didn't want people to pity
me...because I have a disease. MY kids have bought me pink ribbon hats,
t-shirts, sweatshirts and a pin and I just can't wear them...That's just
me...anyway, there are nice wigs out there and if you want to wear one,
do....Pat from Apple Valley...

Hi Moz,
My  friend had chemo. She looked stylish and comfortable with a nice printed
bandana. Besides a bald head often looks good in combination with a Kaftan
( a loose printed tunic). I know this is not so much about the looks, as it
is, about the apprehension of going through it.

It might be better and even comfortable to shave off the scalp before the
hair starts falling. This is psychologically coming to terms with the side
effect. The hair always grows back quickly after the chemo treatment which
is good to look forward to.

During the chemo cycles, it is important to take plenty of fruit and vege
juices. If coconut is available, coconut water is a great nutrient and
coolant.

My best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Sanchez

Moz,
I'll warn you now, this is going to be long. I'm kinda windy [just ask
Tim heehee!]
Hi dear. First let me say I'm very sorry that you're having to go
through this it definitely s*cks big time...but as others have posted,
it's not fun by any stretch of the imagination, nothing anyone would
pick for a hobby, but very "doable".
I had chemo in 99/00 and didn't loose my hair completely, just thinned,
way more then I liked, but no one but me made much of it.
I had a recur in 11/02. I started chemo in 1/03. I did 6 months of
chemo, 4 AC and 4 Taxotere, finishing in 6/03. My hair hung in till the
middle of Feb...because I babied it. But I got to a point where I
absolutely could not stand it any longer.
I had it cut half the length I wore it shortly after my surgery in
11/02, and again right after chemo started. It was advice I will
cherish for a very long time. It's a process that gets you "ready" if
you can ever be ready for something like this to happen.
Then like I said I got very tired of "dust busting" my pillow everyday
and shaved it off myself. I felt so much better.
Strange as it sounds it was very freeing. I didn't have any trouble
with being bald. I got through it WAY easier then I thought I would. It
shocked the bejeebers out of me, that's for sure. I'm usually such a
whoozie about this stuff.

Well, now that you need eye glasses I probably should end this....
You take care there dear and I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
God bless
annie

You can cover all the rest of what's going on with clothing, but once
you're bald, what's going on with you is right out there.

Like others have said you can do whatever you feel is the right thing
for you..My wig was THE best thing I ever did for myself.
I was much more comfortable when I was at home, knowing that when I did
have to go out, I had my wig. It made things MUCH easier for me.
I had many tells me "I like your hair cut that way"  "I like your hair
that color [red tints in the wig] I was very lucky it was the first wig
I tried on and had it within 2-3 weeks of ordering it.
MIne was also synthetic [sp?] and was very comfortable to wear.
I won't lie we had some very hot/humid days here and it got yanked off
THE very minute I hit that door.

I was told if you are going to get a wig, then go before there's any
hair loss, so they can get the best match to your own hair, unless you
want to go wild and crazy and get something other then your own color.

Hello,
and best wishes for the next months. I was on EC for the first 4
treatments and tolerated it fine. Session was on Friday and usually by
Tuesday I was at work. The advice about raw veggies is wise, it depends
on how your immune system will cope. I read in a paper that Omega 3
fatty acids would improve chemo efficiency and overall health (I was
afraid of the epirubicin toxicity for heart), so I tried them. I don't
know if they had a part in it, but my white cell counts never dropped
so low that I had to skip a treatment, and I didn't have throat sores.
The traditional sources of 'blood' (horse steaks, liver) aren't of much
help, because it's not the iron that's lacking.
As per nausea, a nurse had told me that a sip of Coke helps... well,
not for me. A spoonful of icecream was better, but take care not to
overtreat yourself - I gained a lot of weight.
Hair: I'm the odd one on this. I never cared much for the hair, shaved
it pretty short at the start of the chemo and then went for the Yul
Brinner look because what little hair was left was making the skin feel
sore. It was winter, so I wore a rabbit skin ushanka outside and woolen
caps or bandannas in the house, and I never got looked at twice.

HTH
Chiara