Advice please, hair loss with Chemotherapy treatment

Poor you. Really hope the treatment goes well. My daughter -48 - is halfway through chemo (chemo every 2 weeks for 16 weeks) and started losing hair just after second session. She'd already had her (very thick) hair thinned out and cut - so she's now got a very very . short hair cut and she's ended up looking just like her younger brother, which I'd never noticed before!! She's taken to wearing lots of pretty silk scarves tied round her head. She's been told her hair will grow back thicker and curlier when the chemo is over - could be interesting as she's always had so much hair!! She had her eye brows semi-tattooed before the chemo, which seemed a very good idea. She had the dreaded ice-cap for the first 2 chemo sessions, but that didn't stop the hair loss. She was told that about 50% of people lose 50% of their hair. Not that that helps you in any way....just hope you get through it all as best you can. Everyone seems to react differently. Sending positive thoughts and love

Didn’t want to pass by without wishing you all the best

I've lost my hair twice due to chemo and the best advice I can give is to have your hair cut short or shaved before starting treatment. The first time I had chemo I wasn't prepared for hair loss and I found it very upsetting as my hair came out in handfuls and got everywhere. Even going out on a windy day was risky! Obviously, check with your oncologist to see if the chemo you are given will cause you to lose you hair before shaving your hair off.

I did have a wig (free with an NHS voucher) which I've seldom worn and prefer my collection of colourful scarves from eBay which I tend to wear 1940's style. My hair is starting to grow back now - it's still very short but I'm no longer bothered about what I look like and feel quite liberated.

There's plenty of help and advice out there for you jeanie - I found Macmillan a good source of information. Also, if you have a Maggie's centre where you live I would recommend you popping in to have a look round - you don't need a specific reason to be there-it's a very calm environment and there is always someone who can answer your queries and address your concerns.
I hope everything goes well for you

DH has had 30+ rounds of chemo. It depends on which drugs they use. At first he kept his hair but when they changed the regime his hair fell out in clumps before becoming totally bald. It grows back if he has a break from chemo before the regime restarts. Losing his hair really was upsetting as he had long hair. Best wishes. Hopefully your side effects wont be too bad.

I haven't got any advice to offer but wish you all the very best, take care.

Just to add to my comments above.
I felt rather pressured to try the cold cap. As though I wasn't trying hard enough if I didn't even give it a go. Once I explained that to husband and grown up sons they were very supportive of me not trying cold cap.
It's unpleasant and adds time to an already long process.

RedRidingHood my husband was a devil. There where always 2 ladies with the cold caps on this was October 2023 to January 2024. And they looked like jockey caps. So he always asked them what race they where in and the name of their horse they said it made their day him asking even though he was cheeky as they didn't feel self conscious because of him . Plus they played along with him and thought up the most outrageous names but it made everyone laugh. One lady kept her hair but the other one lost hers. But they where on different chemos and strengths.

Blood cancer patients are not allowed a cold cap.

I had breast cancer my hair is short and spikey I had it cut shorter still after 2nd round of chemo scalp was very itchy and hair loss so oh shaved it ,I did get a wig but mainly wore scarves and chunky wool hard if it was cold, I also bought a couple of skull type hats for sleeping my head got very cold . Hair started growing back same colour and wavey think Judy Dench it's now back to original but thinner ..I wish I had thought to have eyebrows tattooed mine are very thin now . Best of luck.

My dd had her beautiful long blond hair shaved before she began extensive chemo. It was online to make money for a cancer charity.
She didn’t bother to hide it and mostly went out bald, I admired her strength and confidence, though occasionally when it was very cold, wore a scarf.
As to cutting your long hair first, yes I would advise doing that.
Good luck with it all.

Your hairdresser will become your best friend as they are very used to helping clients with cancer. I had mine shaved off when I started losing it, and my wonderful hairdresser kept it under control until my hair grew back to normal

I've always thought that in that situation I'd get a very short brush cut and dye it pink or maybe purple until it fell out.