Toni Rumsey on March 1, 2017 at 11:31 am said:

So true. I want my back my hair! I miss it tremendously, am envious of hair, and never feel like myself. I look older, hate my hats, and no matter what I try never look “right” anymore. I am sorry all of us experience this loss of our identity.

 

 

Karen Robinson(Canada) on March 3, 2017 at 1:15 pm said:

Well said “A melancoly anniversary”. You have expressed very well how it is for all of us who did not get their hair back from the chemo drug Taxotere.
It will be 5 years this summer since I saw my hair. I have next to no hair,no eye brows and very few eye lashes. I draw my eye brows in and that’s it . There is no way for mascara. I shave my head every day to rid it off the scant stubble .I see a cancer patient staring at me every morning.
I am so glad to have found this group. I AM NOT ALONE !❤

 

 

Christine on March 3, 2017 at 7:44 pm said:

Well said and exactly on point. The misery of our hair having been seemingly lost forever is a daily reminder of what we went through as breast cancer survivors. Those who got their hair back will never understand fully how we feel. It’s part of our identity and as women is particularly important, like it or not. I know adversity makes you stronger….so we must all be towers of strength!!

 

 

Erica on March 4, 2017 at 4:24 pm said:

Well said. If only those trolls could understand what we’ve gone through–and continue to feel every day of our “new normal.”

 

 

Marta on March 16, 2017 at 1:52 pm said:

Very well said. I still can not accept my new look and that serious side effect had totaly changed my life. It is an every day pain to see myself in the mirror.

 

 

Rachael on May 21, 2018 at 1:59 am said:

You have absolutely nailed it. I was once known for my lush long blond hair. Now, 5 years after chemo, I have dry thin patches of hair which stick up in mad Einstein tufts if left un-moused, unpowdered and unsprayed before I draw my eyebrows on.

 

 

Barb Huhn on May 21, 2019 at 4:49 pm said:

Thanks for telling your story. It makes me really sad. I want women everywhere to know that your story is true and that this is a serious issue. I was treated with Taxotere in late 2013 and early 2014. I was never told the facts about Taxotere and I was never given a choice to take another drug. I would have definitely chosen Taxol if I had been given a choice. Here’s the thing…I would be considered by most people be one of the lucky women who got my hair back. But there’s more to the story…
About a year or so after my hair grew back I noticed it was much thinner. I had always had fine hair, but I had a ton of it. After chemo it was almost like someone took thinning shears and thinned out my hair all over…with an emphasis on the crown area. Then I noticed it wasn’t behaving the same way. It wouldn’t hold curl, it was very fly away and wispy, and it looked kind of like a scraggly dog. I also noticed that my once “fat ponytail” was a fraction of the size.
I want to be clear…what I have experienced doesn’t even come close to what most of the women on this site have experienced. My heart breaks for all of you. The reason I bring it up is because I believe there is a whole other group of women like me…who on the surface appear to have their hair back, but in reality have experienced a permanent loss of 10-50% of their hair.
This is important because it highlights the fact that the TRUE number of women who have experienced permanent hair loss has been GREATLY under reported. After all, the women who are bald (or left with peach fuzz) are having a hard time getting doctors to believe their stories…so they definitely aren’t believing mine.
When I talked to my doctor about it he said that it might be the hormone treatment, but I totally disagree. I’ve been through chemo before. This was my second time. I went through chemo for the first time in 1993 and afterwards my hair grew back completely normal. Following that, I was on hormone treatment for 10 years and never experienced ANY hair loss – not until after treatment with Taxotere in 2013.
I want women to know the truth so that they can make an informed decision. It depresses me to know that doctors are still down playing the risk. I am sorry that this happened to you (and many others). It was unethical and inhumane.

 

 

Beverly Williams on October 16, 2019 at 9:22 am said:

all taxotere victims need to show up at the next bellwether trial if you can

 

 

Donna on June 19, 2020 at 8:14 pm said:

Dr. Bourgeois gives his patients a choice: They can undergo 12 cycles of Taxol, with a very tiny risk of permanent hair loss, or four cycles of Taxotere, where the risk of hair loss is higher. Most choose Taxol, which he says works just as well on breast cancer.Mar 4, 2010

I wish my doctor had given me the choice or I had seen the posting above before taking Taxotere in 2017. My hair is very thin especially on crown of my head with two male pattern balding spots. I considered the cold caps but decided agaisnt. I sure wish I had used then as they may have made a difference. And I wish my doctor gave me the treatment choice of Taxol. I have read a report that puts permanent hair loss risk with Taxotere as high as 15.9%. That’s means one in every 6-7 women will have permanent hair loss. Losing my hair has been more traumatic to me than losing my breast.

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