Scalp Pain and Burning due to hair loss ... what helped me most.

Hi Everyone-

I am back! I have been off blog for several months because, I just was feeling too sick! Now I am on the mend and would like to get this blog rolling. My intention when I posted this blog was to help others who are having issues surrounding ovarian cancer. I wanted to put a positive, helpful, and practical guide out there that discusses the things that most helped me on my journey with Cancer. Soon I will be featuring posts from survivors and friends that hopefully will inspire you with creative ways to cope if you have cancer and help if you know someone who has cancer.

For today though, I want to dedicate my post to my new virtual friend Lisa in New York. She has just started treatment for cancer and maybe this will help her. Since I am just starting my new rounds of chemo these are tips I am using right now!! Remember I am not a doctor, this is just a list of things that I personally found helpful. Today it's all about hair loss due to chemo...

Here are a few things that my doctor did not tell me that really helped me through the hair loss process:

1. If your doctor tells you that you will be losing your hair...SHAVE YOUR HEAD NOW!!!
This may sound completely crazy but, I promise you no matter what emotions hold you to keeping your beautiful hair as long as possible. You will be happier if you just shave your head now. Sometimes when  your hair starts to break off and fall out you can develop infected hair follicles which are insanely painful. Also, if you do not develop infected hair follicles your head can still be very, very painful from the chemo and the hair loss becomes agonizing.

So I say shave your head and don't worry about it. You can always wear a scarf , a hat, or a wig!! If you are brave or just don't give a flip-- you can just run around bald like I do. I mean who really cares what other folks think of your bald head?

2. You can get a lovely wig for free. If you just have to have a wig, they can be very expensive if you go to the salon to purchase one. Most folks do not need the added expense of a wig on top of their medical bills. So you have a couple of wonderful options. The first is the American Cancer Society, they have local branches all over the country. Each branch has a wonderful selection of wigs for you to choose from. They also have free hats, scarves, and a bunch of wonderful folks to help you find just the right look for you.

The other way to obtain a nice wig is to ask your cancer doctor for a prescription for a " full head prosthesis" ( a wig) , most insurance companies will cover the cost of one wig in a lifetime. You can take your prescription to a wig retailer or a specialty shop for cancer patients and they will help you find the right wig and get it submitted to your insurance company for payment.

3. Clear up that painful scalp. If you are one of the lucky ones like myself ,who is in physical pain from hair loss contact your chemo nurse for suggestions. My nurse gave me several helpful suggestions that had worked for other folks and none of them worked for me. So I went to my second line of help.. my wonderful pharmacist. I was crying when I called her and she not only calmed me down, she came up with a super cheap simple solution....Neosporin for pain. When I went to Walgreen's to pick it up, I was even able to stack my coupons so that it was only about $1.00 for an entire tube.

 

 

 

That's it for today, I hope my tips help you out!!!