WEBVTT FILE

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Ivy Phillips has been
fighting cancer off-and-on

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for nearly a decade.

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 "So, I am on one pill a day, and a 30-minute

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 infusion that I do every other week; and this will

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 continue indefinitely"

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Over the years, Ivy has
dealt with a number of

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side effects such as
fatigue, nausea, and pain

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but she says one  has
been especially tough to

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handle:

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 "For me, personally, losing my hair was

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 extremely traumatic."

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Hair loss is a side effect
of many forms of cancer

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treatment.

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But it is most commonly
associated with

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chemotherapy.

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That's because chemo
medications cannot tell

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the difference between
the rapidly-dividing cells

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that cause cancer and
other cells that divide

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quickly - but are healthy
and normal such as those

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in your hair follicles.

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 "Hair loss is difficult for patients, because it

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 is clearly the most visible sign that you're

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 getting cancer treatment."

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 "I always felt like - if I felt sick but I looked

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 normal, I could blend in.

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 But if I felt sick and looked sick, it was, like,

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 even worse - because I didn't have any hair.

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 I didn't have any eyebrows, and I didn't

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 have any eyelashes."

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 "Stacy, Christy, Marianne and I...."

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Some treatments can cause
you to lose most - or all

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- of your body hair.

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Others affect only
the hair on your head.

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And some treatments do
not affect your hair.....

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at all.

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 "If you're on a chemotherapy that you

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 would expect to cause hair loss and you haven't lost

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 your hair yet, it doesn't mean the chemo is not

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 working."

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If your treatment is going
to cause hair loss, you

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will likely see the first
signs about two weeks in.

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You may find a few hairs
on your pillow, or in the

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shower drain.

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Shortly after, your hair
will likely start coming

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out in clumps.

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This can be disconcerting
at first, so you may want

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to talk to your
care team about it.

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 "Sometimes people don't want to mention that it is

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 upsetting to them - because they're dealing

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 with cancer, and hair loss might seem minor in

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 comparison to cancer.

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 But it is a real side effect, and you're allowed

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 to not want to lose your hair."

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Wearing a wig is one of
the most common ways to

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deal with hair loss.

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If possible, buy your wig
 before you start treatment

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so you can match your
natural hair color and

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style as closely
as possible...

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Other options include:
bandanas, scarves, and

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head wraps - -as well as
hair nets - wearing one

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overnight may help stop
hair from coming out in

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clumps.

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As Ivy did, you can also
cut you hair very short or

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shave your scalp.

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 "I was just like, let me get in front of the

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 problem.

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 Let me shave it, you know, down."

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Hair loss cannot
be prevented.

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But a device called a
cooling cap, which is

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available at some cancer
centers, may reduce it.

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It makes the scalp
ice-cold, which constricts

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the blood vessels
underneath.

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 "That restricts blood flow to the scalp and therefore

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 less chemotherapy is delivered to the scalp in

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 hopes of sparing the hair follicles."

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But the treatment can
have side effects.

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So talk to your provider
about the pros and cons.

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Another way to deal with
hair loss is to look

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beyond it.

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A program known as "look
good, feel better" helps

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women do that by offering
beauty tips to help them

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look their best.

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 "Women are taught to do their make up a little

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 differently so as to enhance their features

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 -maybe to have a different feature that is as

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 prominent as a head of hair.

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 Sometimes women use different make up, or wear

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 different earrings.

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 I had a patient who Henna'd her head, there's

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 different things that people can do."

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However you handle it,
keep in mind that hair

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loss is nothing to be
ashamed of and it's only

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temporary.

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 "Hair loss is difficult - but remember why you're

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 going through it: you're going through it to treat

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 something that's dangerous, so it is

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 something that you are willing to go through, to

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 treat your cancer."

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 "I got through it.

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 I got through it.

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 It wasn't easy - but I got through it."