Can any supplements help hair grow back?

Tanya,

I feel your pain. The same thing is happening to me. I have shoulder length red hair. I dread showering and washing my hair because of what I see in the trash can afterwards. I'd love to know if anything helps. The only suggestion I have gotten is to cut my hair short but I really hate short hair on me. I should be happy with the results of Gleevec 400mg as I am responding but the hair loss killed all that joy!

I am being switched to Spyrcel 100mg next week as I also have mouth sores and a lot of facial swelling and a rash over 60% of my body. Steriods did not help. Just kept me awake and did nothing for the rash. Because of my fear of the side effects I requested to start at 50mg but my hem/onc won't go for it. I even printed 4 journal articles for her but she won't budge.

I'm really sorry for your hair loss. It sucks!

Cathy

Dx Aug 2018 39.38%

Nov 2018 1.48%

Yes, it's the Gleevec - it affects collagen, so your face falls.  If you have the toad eyes and moon cheeks, it's Gleevec again.  Hair definitely goes to hell, but I haven't noticed it being any better on Sprycel.  The thing with Gleevec is, all this wreckage of your looks doesn't happen to everybody, and for the people it does happen to, some truly aren't bothered by it and accept it.  Others (guess you know what I did!) get off Gleevec pronto.  

Tanya - Well, all I can report on is myself, and I can say that it got better on Sprycel, especially the toad eyes.  I still have a puffy face, but significantly less so.  Wrinkles stayed.  Hair thinning stayed.  But the eyes were much, much, much better. The fatigue was better, and got even better the less Sprycel I took (from 100 to 70 to 50 to 20).  Also better the less I took of Sprycel was skin color - it's almost back to normal.  I was able to get on top of the depression and anxiety.  Best of all (I guess, because the looks thing looms very large, of course), but yes, best of all, I don't feel badly - no malaise, nausea, diarrhea or other GI stuff, no muscle soreness or cramps, no bone pain, no headaches.  Sprycel has a list a mile long of kinases it affects along with the one we want it to - it's the "kitchen sink TKI".  So, it includes the stuff that's in Gleevec, but either less of it or it interacts differently with the other stuff, or something.  It's very, very effective for the CML, but we take all that interference with it.  Sigh.

It is extremely hard, in our culture today, to "lose your looks."  It's a triple whammy:  It's very sad for your own self to see and remember that you weren't always like that, and two - people blame you!  For being old, for not keeping yourself up, for not doing plastic surgery or wearing a wig or makeup, or exercising your brains out all day to stay toned.  And, finally, three - you're not allowed to complain about it or you're accused of vanity, shallowness, or ingratitude that you're not dying from a cancer you never asked for or caused yourself.  Sheesh.

Well, I'm here and I feel your pain and share your distress, so that's one vote . . .

Just to add that apparently Vit E can help with drying skin hair so am starting on that as well as Vit D.and anything else that might help!will let you know if helps at all

Tanya - Good for you for the sobriety!  This is huge.  This is succeeding at living. 

I was going to add to my prior message and then forgot, but now it seems pertinent:  I find my wrinkles are actually attractive if I smile, and in addition, the fallen jowls kind of raise up, so all in all, it's better to keep smiling.  This, in turn, will attract men.  Not that I'm trying to do that.  But I find it keeps the one I have happier and around more.  So there you have it.  Perfect solution to all your worries:  KEEP SMILING.  ALL the time.  It's hard.  

This is a joke, you know that, but yet it's kinda useful . . .