Hair weirdness on Ibrance/letrozole

[Southside25]

Hi. I've been on Ibrance/letrozole for 14 months. My hair has thinned considerably, but it's also changed significantly in texture. I've always had very curly hair and now it's almost straight. Anyone else experienced changes in hair other than loss?

[Timtam56]

I was a very curly girl too. And a hairdresser all my life. Yup. Same same for me after 10 months of same same.

[nstonerocks in reply to Timtam56]

How are you doing, TimTam? You’ve been thru the unimaginable lately. Sending a big hug🙏

[Timtam56 in reply to nstonerocks]

Ohhhh. Thanks so much for asking. Very kind of you.

Now I don’t want to lump you with sadness, as a lot of the time I’m okay.

But sometimes, like right now, it’s 12.20 am here in melbourne, and I’m closing down the Netflix movie I’ve just watched alone. Usually my man and I would have been sitting on a couch each, and we would have held hands through the movie. And every now and again, we may have looked at each other and shaken our heads at the realisation of what our lives had become.

Tonight, it struck me, that as I get off the couch to go to bed on my own, spine, hips and ribs feel the stress of moving, and the pain I used to be able to tell him of?

What was that like? Was he really here? Is he really gone?

But tomorrow will be another day, won’t it. And the pain killers will kick in as they do for all of us. And I can’t stand to think I’d be complaining when some of you here may be in a worse state than I am.

So really. I’m okay nstonerocks.

I will be alright.

Or I won’t.

I still feel lucky in some strange way, that I have the time to do things I love and tell the people I care about, that I love them.

That’s all there is really.

❤️

Love to all all of you here.

May our medication, whether that’s pain only, or time giving.... do the best it can do.

[nstonerocks in reply to Timtam56]

Well, let me say this about that. First, you are not complaining. Yes, there are legions of people on this earth who are suffering more than we. That does not invalidate our suffering and sorrow. It is all relative. Pain is pain. We all suffer. We need to be heard, we need a hug, we need to get it out, otherwise it has a tendency to come out in ways that don't serve us well. I also believe a bit of stoicism is useful. It helps us get on with life. It makes us get out of bed and put one foot in front of the other when we'd rather curl up in a ball and hide. I don't know you, but I'll wager you are not one to make your suffering the center of the universe. You have suffered the loss of the love of you life. Heaped upon this is this awful mbc and all that comes with it. This board is a safe place to vent to (mostly) women who really get what you are saying and feeling. We shouldn't tip toe around one another, because this is our safe place. In the end, it is as you say ...doing the best we can. You are certainly not imposing on me by sharing your sorrow and pain. It gives me the opportunity, in some small way, to extend myself and try to be of comfort and companionship. There will come a time, or two, or many, when I will need to vent, and so it goes. There is a Jewish saying when a loved one dies: May his memory be for a blessing. Please feel free to share as you need to.

[Hidden in reply to nstonerocks]

Thank you NStone for finding the right words and expressing them so beautifully for the rest of us. I am truly sorry Timtam for your sorrow. I wish you healing prayers. God bless.

[Jackdennis5 in reply to nstonerocks]

Here ! Here! I couldn’t agree more beautifully said .

[Hidden in reply to Timtam56]

No Timtam, you are not alone and you're not complaining. This is the place to be understood and able to say anything you need to say out loud. We all go through this mbc in our own unknown and unpredictable way and pain and sorrow and loneliness go with it, as well as joyful and happy moments.

Like nstonerocks said, your husband's memory is a blessing. Hugs from me too.

[mariootsi in reply to Timtam56]

So sorry for your loss. I pray you have the strength to endure through your grief and come out strong and victorious over this damn disease! Amen

[MyMiracle13 in reply to Timtam56]

Timtam when reading your post I feel a lump in my chest and feel your loss. Hugs, prayers and ❤️ are all I can give.

[Timtam56 in reply to MyMiracle13]

Thank you. 🙏❤️

[Jackdennis5 in reply to Timtam56]

Lots of love hugs and kisses timtam 56.

[Gramat in reply to Timtam56]

Does shedding/thining level out after a few months? This is my second cycle and I am shedding more than usual.

[Moon-and-Stars]

I’ve just noticed that my hair has gone wiry and course. I’ve always had quite soft hair. It hasn’t thinned out on my head, but funnily enough my eyebrows have. They’re also patchy in places.

[Livinthedream in reply to Moon-and-Stars]

Use castor oil on eye brow and eye lashes and it will help regrow.

[Moon-and-Stars in reply to Livinthedream]

Cheers, I’ll try that 😀

[Godbeforme in reply to Livinthedream]

do you know you can use castor oil for eye drops? I had itchy eyes and would wake up with them glued shut. I started using the castor oil 2 years ago and guess what? not only did it alleviate the sticky eye problem, it got rid of my cataracts! turns out, castor oil melts them away! at first I didn't know what was going on because sometimes I would see prisms on the edges of my vision, I later realized it was the edges of the cataract melting away! anyway, talk is it will get rid of them if they are not in an advanced stage ... who knew? not me ... God is good, amen!

[nstonerocks]

My hair was wavy and thick. Now it is like rabbit fur. Chemo did it in first, but it rebounded some. Ibrance has really thinned it out. My hairdresser used a mousse in it yesterday and really gave it body. But it’s straight and soft.

[Livinthedream]

Yup always had wavy hair now its kinky curly! Hate it because its not how my hair use to behave.

[Pollingxx]

Absolutely thin and no curl , I just started taking Biotin ? X

[SusieIM]

My hair is very thin, has lost its texture.

[Thatflowerlady]

Yes my hair has thinned considerably as well but has more curl to it now & less oily .

I just had it coloured and it took the colour well . I curled it a couple weeks ago and the curl held really well ( almost too well )

My hair has always been thin but this is a little much my scalp is also tender & itchy . I think it is the Ibrance that is causing it BUT the ibrance seems to be working .

[mariootsi]

Before my initial dx my hair was long, straight and thick and down to my waist. With chemo I went bald and also lost my eyebrows and eyelashes.

When I completed chemo and my hair started growing back, it came in white and curly.

When I was feeling better and it started getting longer I had it styled and colored and it stayed curly.

I was on letrozole for five years with not much hair loss. So I would get periotic haircuts and color.

But since my mbc dx I have let it grow and the Ibrance has thinned it terribly.

I am keeping it long but it is now thin and wavy and has no body. So I blow dry it with a round brush and continue coloring it.

I am myself with long hair. And I haven't felt like me for a long time so, yes it is thinner and whispier than it was but I am a natural long hair person and hopefully will keep it as long as I can.

I love feeling the wind in my hair. When I was bald it felt so unnatural as it did when it was short!

[Klamato]

My hair is also brittle and I haven't been able to get highlighted because my stylist says that my hair is too fragile! I hate this texture and lack of highlights, so next month I going to have her put a few in to lighten my look! Hopefully it will work, but this brittle hair is ugly, but I've been using a Redken product shampoo and conditioner call Extreme for extreme dryness. It does, for the most part make it better. I just can't wash it too much. I do als apply an hair oil in between washes just to contain it somewhat. Good luck and God bless going forward! Kathy from Syracuse, NY

[Jerseygirl45]

My hair thinned a lot on Ibrance. But I found it easy to take, just some fatigue.

Barbara

[Kathyquilts]

I’ve always had straight, now it’s mostly curly. Soft curls in the back, kinky curl on the sides, but my bangs are straight.

[laurac1014]

My hair has pretty much stayed the same, I was hoping it would thin a little. I have this one little area without eyelashes and my index fingernail had peeled down a bit and it is growing back strangely, curling up a bit and feels like the whole thing could come off. Just what I needed.

[Hidden]

My hair is really dry and coarse. I can’t use enough conditioner and other treatments to make it soft again. I also can’t seem to do anything with it. 😞

[Jessesgirl0625 in reply to Hidden]

Same 😔

[Jessesgirl0625]

Yes I've been on Ibrance and Letrozole for over 2 years. My hair isn't shiny and not as think. It's coarser.

[Lcranaudo]

Absolutely, my hair has thinned on top and has taken on a crazy wild look, it goes which ever way it wants to go....it sticks out and completely straight, I cannot do a thing about it except to wet it and comb it back....just horrible..

[Elizz]

Yes thin and straight!!