indianar6girl's Cancer Blog
March 13, 2010
I just finished my cisplatin chemo 10 days ago. With Cisplatin, you don’t lose your hair. Can I color my hair? I have been coloring my hair blonde for years (it was blonde as a child, but started getting darker – really dark brown by the time I was 18) so i have been coloring it blonde ever since.
My dark roots with grey highlights have been growing for the past 8 weeks. It looks awful. so i finally feel well enough to color it . . . and it’s on my head now . . . but suddenly I am beginning to worry that maybe I’m gonna cause sores on my head, or make myself sick, or make my hair fall out or damage my scalp.
Have any of you had cisplatin and colored your hair during or right after treatment?
I have read internet articles, but they all talk about how long you have to wait after your hair starts to grow back in, so they didn’t have cisplatin.
I’m like you with the blond coloring. I had Cisplatin a few years ago and doing chemo again. My hairdresser said to absolutely NOT color the hair for about 6-8 weeks AFTER chemo has stopped. This is because the coloring will wash out and you will have wasted your money.
I sure feel for you because I am still in the midst of chemo and I have HORRIBLE dark roots. LOL. I would hold off a little while longer so that you can be sure the chemicals take.
Posted on Forgot to add that, yes, you can cause damage from the chemicals that could cause the hair some breakage.
Everyone is different, so it’s hard to say, i dyed my hair after chemo before and my hair had thinned some, but i will say my dye was always going like a reddish darker shade, not bleach.
Posted on IMportant question…I’m not joking here. We all go through so many changes that “bleep” just let my hair get back to normal!
I’ve read all kinds of responses on this. From, oh gosh,,you don’t want chemicals on your head (but it’s okay in your body?) to waiting for up to a year (forgetaboutit!).
If you have not had any skin issues like sores or blisters, I think the scalp would be okay. I just colored my hair last week, mostly to cover the new gray and it didn’t bother me at all. I started with a kind of dark ash blonde and found that it didn’t go light as I want so will up the color next time.
Don’t understand the worry about damaging the hair and waiting a few months because hair is dead so the ends may be a bit beat up from the chemo…just condition a lot!
If you’re still worried, test it on the skin, or maybe go for foil highlights???
Good luck and post a picture of your new locks.
Teresa
Posted on Well, since I jumped before I asked questions, I already had the color on my head. I used Colorwell, which is a salon only brand. I left it on my head for 35 minutes instead of 45 minutes.
I am SOO lucky – i didn’t get sick, so far my hair hasn’t fallen out and the color seems to be the same response as before chemo. It did feel different to my scalp for the first 5 minutes though. damn cancer. I already feel crummy . . . im tired of lookin crummy too. i swear i’m gonna beat this cancer, one way or another.
Posted on February 17, 2010
I actually had a two day break this week where i felt better than i had in the previous week. I even went 1.5 days without anti-nausea medicines (mon and tues), but of course with chemo today i have to get back on them. and of course, i still take the anti-diareah meds (tons of them) and the steroids, and the supplements.
16 out of 28 external radiations completed :)
4 out of 6 chemos under my belt :) (although white blood cell count was so low today, along with potasium and magnesium, that they almost didn’t give me chemo today)
Hopefully the supplements will help and my white blood cell count will improve so i can finish the last 2 chemo treatments.
then 3 internal radiations and surgery and depending on what they get from surgery whether i have more chemo after the surgery.
I finally got a Pet scan yesterday. Today the nurse told me that the PET scan didn’t show cancer in any places other than what we already knew about! I’m so excited. My 5 year survival rate just increased today :) I’m gonna be here to raise my babies for a lil longer.
If i weren’t so damn tired, i would celebrate, lol. Hope you are all doing well. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
half way through this stage and good news, 
9 comments)
Wonderful news to hear. Sounds like you are doing good, hang in there. You are in our prayers.
Take Care & God Bless…... Ed
Posted on That’s great news about your PET scan and you’re that much closer to being done. Go have some prime rib to celebrate!
Hugs,
Theresa
Posted on That is great news about your pet scan. Stay strong in your fight!
Posted on That is fantastic news! And even better news about the PET scan! THANK GOD! So happy that treatments are moving along and you are near the end of them. You can do this and come out on the other side healthier and here to see your children grow! I am so very happy for you lady! :)
Posted on Sounds like you are doing a great job. You should be so proud of yourself. Stay strong and keep up the fight. My prayers are with you and your family.
Posted on 
Posted on What excellent news! I’m doing the happy dance for you as I type.
You have a great attitude and a great spirit.
Keep up the fight.
You’re doing great!
Jill
Posted on That’s great news about your PET scan. Thanks also for your comment on my blog. I appreciate your sharing your experience with your sister. We need to let our loved ones help us. They can’t go through the treatment for us, but they can do other things. We need to let them do what they can. It’s part of the cycle of giving and receiving.
Hugs,
Theresa
Thanks for your support - 
