Cancer Research UK main site

Chemotherapy/Hair loss/Breast Cancer

J94
Offline

Hi,

I hope you are all keeping well (well as well as you can be) 

I was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer, I am now three weeks post surgery (lumpectomy) and I am due a telephone consultation on the 3rd of June to discuss what they have found and I'm assuming next steps of treatment. I was told by my oncologist that despite the biopises showing it had not spread to my lymph nodes, chemotherapy is still a possiblity.

I was so scared of surgery, and now I've been through it it wasn't as dreadful as I imagined, but I hadn't even considered how scary chemo would be. From what I have read from others going through it, it sounds like hell. I am so so so scared about having to have chemo and all the side effects that come with, and I know it sounds very superficial but the thing that upsets me the most is the thought of losing my hair. It brings me to tears every time I think about it. 

I know people try to be helpful and say "it'll grow back" but they not the ones who will have to go through it. I don't think I'm prepared for it, and with the current pandemic going on, face to face support groups will not be accessible.

I was just wondering how people prepared for chemo/how you felt about it and any tips on how to get through it, especially coping with hair loss. 

Thank you & take care, x 

 

  • Online

    Hello J94, 

    I hope your phone consultation goes well on the 3rd of June and that you find out soon what your treatment plan is. We have information on our website on chemotherapy which I hope will be useful to you and which will give you good tips to help you prepare for it if needed. You can find out more about chemotherapy on this page and more specifically there is detailed information on chemotherapy for breast cancer here.

    It is normal to worry about hair loss so don't feel bad about that. It definitely isn't supercifical on your part and it's a perfectly understandable cause of worry. There is also a section on our website to help you cope with hair loss which you can find here. I hope all this will be helpful to you. Don't hesitate also to get in touch with our nurses if there is anything you would like to talk to them about - you can ring them on this free number 0808 800 4040 and their line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. 

    I hope that you will also hear from other ladies here who have been through all this before and who will I am sure have some great suggestions for you. We're all here for you anytime you need to chat!

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

     

  • Offline in reply to Moderator Lucie

    Hi Lucie,

    Thank you for taking the time to reply, that information is helpful, thank you. I had my phone call today and my surgeon told me that they have removed all the tumour and that that my lymph nodes tested negative for cancer which is of course, great news.

    However I will have to have chemo, which I was expecting but it's still very hard to take. It sounds ridiculous but I feel like i'm being told I have cancer all over again. I knew this was never going to be easy but I feel like i'm not prepared for this next step.

    Thank you for your kind words and support,

    Take care,

    Jaime 

  • Offline in reply to J94

    Hi, you dont mention what your diagnosis is but this does make a difference to the treatment plan, if your tumor is Her2 positive, for example, chemo is always recommended irrelevant of if it has spread or not, having chemo of course doesnt mean that it has spread but is a safety precausion just xxxin case micro cells have travelled anywhere else in the body, these cells cannot be picked up by the normal tests and the chemo is to make sure that if any are there they will get zapped and it is the surest way to prevent the cancer from recurring at some point in the future, try to see it as a friend that is going to keep you safe and not as an enemy.....chemo is usually not as bad as people think, or expect, its all do-able and you will get through it, the whole process is a journey where you will learn new things about yourself and you will meet some lovely people!!......dont read or listen to any horror stories, everyone copes differently with chemo, some sail through it with hardly any side effects at all, stay focused on the end result and im sure you will be proud of yourself when its done...all the best to you.xxx

Speak to a nurse

Quick links

Follow us

Registered with Fundraising Regulator (logo)
Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.