Does everyone on chemo lose their hair?

Question

Also do people who are on it look ill? Especially when they say that they are having bad reactions to it. Someone I know say they have cancer and are dying very soon but they look very well to everyone. I am not sure if they are really ill or just crying out for attention, callous I know but this person has a history of over dramatising things to get people to feel sorry for them. Lots of what they say just does not ring true somehow and people never believe what they are told by this person unless they see for themselves. All the hair is still there and weight is pilling on and the appetite is a very good one. Any one out there who knows about these things?

They say they have bowel cancer that has spread to the liver and was told in Sept that they had 3 months to live. They have had a large dose of chemo and waiting for a scan to say say if it is ok or not.

Karen F. This isnt the first time they have tried to say something to get attention, thier mum was there when I was told and didnt dispute this but she never goes to the hospital appointments with them as she is agrophobic. Its not the fact theat they say they have cancer but it is the severity of it. This person has lost all friends over a few years, they have all told them to get lost in no uncertain terms, I am not sure if it is the truth or what.

Answer 1

Yes everybody on chemo does lose their hair and nearly always feel naauseous. I agree with you this person you know is attention seeking

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Bowel cancer with mets to the liver is very serious, but i think the best thing you can do, is be a good friend and put these thoughts to the back of your mind and focus on being there for them.

In the UK, the normal progression after diagnosis of cancer is a staging CT of the abdomen, pelvis and chest. This is probably where the liver mets would have been identified. If it is a rectal cancer, an MRI of the pelvis would also be arranged to better stage the local growth.

It is standard that if the patient is fit enough (and it would appear he/she is from what you have said) that they would have the primary bowel cancer resected regardless of the mets. Sometimes a course of chemoradiotherapy is under taken for rectal cancers, and occassionally chemo only, although the aim is merely to prolong life, there is little hope to resect the tumour.

Post bowel resection, a course of chemotherapy will be given (although some patients with resectable liver disease will have a second operation within weeks, without chemotherapy), which in the UK is now Oxaliplatin, with or without 5FU. Results on this have been very encouraging, with considerable shrinkage of the tumour in many cases, and complete regression in a few.

Oxaliplatin, and 5FU will make you feel very unwell, and it is unlikley the person would be singing and dancing, but everyone reacts differently. Not being an oncologist, i would take the word of the oncology nurse on here that reaction depends on the person, as does their tumour reaction to the drug.

Answer 4

My daughter has been getting chemo for two and a half months now. Her hair has thinned, and she hasn't lost any weight, aside from when they removed the tumor and the kidney which weighed a couple of pounds. She's a bit pale, but only because she is currently anemic and will probably be getting a blood transfusion soon. Aside from that, you really can't tell just by glancing at her. Her hair is a lot thinner from my perspective, because I see her every day, but to others, maybe not so much. Everyone who gets chemo usually will have a port placed on them somewhere in the body. This is because they get frequent needle sticks, and because chemotherapy that is given through a vein will actually burn a vein, so they have to put in into one of the larger veins, like an artery in order to not destroy veins. Adults sometimes can get chemo in pill form, it really just depends on what kind of chemotherapy drugs the doctor's have put them on. All in all though, I say it doesn't really matter if this person has cancer or not. If you don't like them, don't hang around them, if you do, then hang out with that person. Having cancer doesn't make you any more special than anyone else. I fully understand why people will fake cancer, you would be amazed the things that happen when people find out your child has cancer, I have to imagine it is the same for an adult. Giving someone a gift, money, some special priveledge isn't going to make their cancer go away or make their life worth living should they die. The only truly valuable thing you can give a cancer patient is prayers. My daughter has received toys, presents, money, blankets, been given special priveledges, eats as much junk food as she wants (could account for the no weight loss, lol), but the best thing she has received through this whole ordeal is prayers from other people.
Tanya

Answer 5

Its impossible to say. Different cancer is treated with different drugs and strengths of chemo. Please dont judge on appearance. My brother died from cancer and at one stage he had all his hair and was putting weight on - it was because he was on steroids. Not all chemo makes you lose your hair - it would be helpful if you said what type of cancer they have. Most patients having chemo will have a line into either the arm or the chest - the oncology teams put them in to stop the veins collapsing with such harsh treatments xxxx

Just read your edits and being honest it doesnt sound quite right. They wouldnt just have one dose of chemo - they run in courses of chemo - normally 6 or 12 weeks per course, they would have a line in and without doubt they would be having problems with eating at times because chemo makes you sick. Also Bowel and Liver cancer dont just go away or become 'okay' - usually it would be a case of maybe shrinking the tumour to a point where an operation to remove may be viable. Maybe try saying that you are very concerned and ask if you can go with them to one of the appointments. Its the only way you'll get the truth. Maybe suggest contacting the Macmillan nurses - they would normally be involved with such a serious case. I truly hope this person is not lying as its such a wicked disease and not to be used for attention seeking. xxx

Answer 6

Hi, not everyone on chemo will lose their hair. There is something called a "cold cap" that some people wear when getting their chemo so that they don't lose their hair. I hear it's quite uncomfortable and I don't know if it's available everywhere.
Many people with cancer lose weight but again there are exceptions to the rule, it will depend on where the cancer is, whether they are on steroids etc.
I've also seen people who look quite well up until the cancer is quite advanced, with some people you would never know to look at them that they are ill.
I would really hope that nobody would go to the lengths of trying to convince others that they have cancer and are dying just to get attention, but there are some strange people out there!

Answer 7

My daughter has been through it all. She is a beautiful child. The first time she didn't lose her hair (2 1/2 yrs of chemo) she got some thinning spots on top. She always looked like she wasn't sick except when first diagnosed until her treatment was underway and controlling the cancer. Then she went in remission after a month on heavy chemo protocol. continued her 2 1/2 yr protocol was off chemo for a year. (steroids are commonly used in cancer treatment and they make you gain a lot of weight) When you go off them it gradually comes off. It takes a long time though. They make you eat like crazy, like you can't control it at all you are just starving all the time.) After her year of we thought a cure, she relapsed. Heavier chemo again 6 months until we found a donor and she had a bone marrow transplant. It depends on the chemo protocol (every kind of cancer has a number of different treatment protocols) Every hospital varies. She could very well be telling the truth. If she was making this up, that is pretty said and she needs a lot of help. You didn't mention her age. You could ask mom in around about way to see if you can help her in any way due to her illness if she is living home. Or, someone close to them, boyfriend, girlfriend, aunt, uncle, sibling, neighbor, etc. I'm sure if they are really sick someone related or very close to them know about it. You can't really hide all your treatment visits or paraphernalia, medications etc for too long. Hope you get to the bottom of it.

Answer 8

Not everyone will lose their hair. It really depends on the meds they are being given. And no not everyone will look ill. My son did not look sick (other than being a little pale) while he was on treatment. Once again it depends on the meds, the strength of the meds and the person.

If you acquaintance is on chemo they will know the names of the meds they are being given. Ask and then you can do a search for those meds. They may have a port-a-cath or broviac too.

The one thing that makes me wonder is that you say this person is gaining weight, while I am sure that can happen I have not seen it. Most, that I know of, either lose weight or maintain it. Chemo really speeds up your metabolism.

Answer 9

My sister in law completed a course of Chemo earlier this year, she lost some of her hair but not all, all her body hair went but she kept her eye lashes, brows and the majority of the hair on her head.
She did look tired a lot of the time, lost her appetite and felt sick a lot but then I had a friend who was treated prior to that and she looked awful all the way through, right from the very start of the treatment.
It is very dependant on the person and their response to treatment.
I worked with a guy who was being treated for leukaemia and you would never have known he was ill, he took his treatment in tablet form so was never away from work.

Answer 10

It is poss to hang on to your hair by wearing what s called a cold cap, I believe. And some people do manage to keep quite well during chemo. But if this person IS making it up, then, in a very different way, they are very very sick indeed. No matter what problems people like this have, making up a story like this is just disgusting, and if I were you, I'd make sure they were exposed and ostracised. We ALL need attention sometimes, but to do this is a slap in the face to genuinely ill brave people. So there.

Answer 11

Not all chemo's cause hairloss and not all cancer patients look ill. The side effects differ depending on the severity of the drugs and the actual drugs themselves plus everyone handles the toxicities of the chemicals differently. It is possible for people with cancer to still look completely well and still manage a 'normal' life. What sort of cancer do they say they have? and what sort of treatment? i work in oncology and have cancer myself so I could help