Cold cap or no cold cap?

Hi ,

Sorry you find yours of here,  but it’s the best place of tips, advice and friendly chat.

Im so sorry this has happened to you.

I had a grade 2, 6.2cm tumour, with node effects 7/21. Hormone positive, HER negative. I had a mastectomy, followed 3 weeks later by node clearance.

I cold capped for the first 3 chemos, I didn’t find it that bad after the first 10 mins, however hair thinned quite a bit after the 2nd chemo, and after the third was so thin that I wouldn’t go out without my wig, I should have shaved it but I didn’t 

I didn’t use the cap for the rest of my treatments as apart from the thinning and bald patches, the time I spent at the hospital was shortened by about an hour and a half.

It’s a personal choice, it’s worth a try, I was at the same hospital so it didn’t matter to me. 

I had EC and T but your drugs with probably be different the FEC-T treatment drugs are well know for hair loss. I would ask which drugs you will be getting and about the SE’s.

Wishing you well x x

Thanks Beachwalker

Yes sorry to be here in one way but really glad to find such a supportive community of peeps who clearly understand exactly what I'm going through.

I've no idea yet what drugs I'm having, still a bit in that horrid no man's land of knowing something bad is about to happen but not entirely sure what.  The waiting, as others have said, is the worst.  In one respect just want to get on with it but on the other hand trying to find a deep enough hole in the sand to bury my head in.

I'd try the cold cap if it was available at my local but need to weigh up whether it's worth the extra journey, and as you so rightly said, prolonging the nastiness.  A bit of me just wants to cut the amount of time spent away from the comfort and relative safety of my own home to a minimum.

Sounds like you are at the end or near this journey?  I hope so.

Hi Justtheone, I agree amazing community and keeps me safetly from Dr Google. I have gone down neoadjunctuve as changed unit after a pretty brutal experience over diagnosis at first hospital in May.  

Things have moved so quickly - I am thankful. Done first FEC T chemo & after pondering for a few days devised against cold cap, for me the extra hours on top of treatment did not add up.

Wishing you luck & love 

,

Yes the waiting is definitely the worse I think. I’m sure it won’t be long before you get another appointment.

It is a dilemma really, you could try it and not like it at, try it and hair still falls out, try it and you might not lose much hair at all, that’s the thing you just don’t know how it’s going to go. I’m glad I tried it, however I’m also ok with stopping doing it too.

I’ve just got 8 radiotherapy sessions to do now so nearly halfway through, finish on the 26th June, which also happens to be the date of my daughters school Prom, so will be a good day all round and that is my focus. I’m also taking tablet for about 7 yrs.

Wishing you all the best x

daisyjake sorry to hear that you've had such a bumpy ride, god knows it's bad enough without addition agro, but hopefully by the sound of things you are in good hands and can get this beat.  And yes, I'm fully with you about Dr Google, I scared myself silly at the beginning and then me and my other half made an agreement that we wouldn't Google anything unless we did it together and only when we had some hard and factual from the medical team. Yeah I'm trying to weigh up the additional time and discomfort against just going with the flow. 

Glad to hear you're on the home straight, roll on the 26th June.

Hi ,

I used the cold cap for all 6 sessions of chemo. I did lose a fair bit of hair but I kept most. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting and I would use it again.

Cwtches,

Gay xxx

Thank you wombat.23 that's reassuring.  I've had my hair cut really short, normally shoulder length but all the advice suggested a short cut would help a) to keep some of it and b) help with the transition if I don't keep it.

Cwtches back to you OXOX

My advice for the cold cap is to give it a try. If you don't like it or if you are uncomfortable you can take it off at any time.

Cwtches,

Gay xxx 

Thank you ladies, I saw my chemo consultant on Friday and decided to give the cap a try. Apparently there's a 50/50 chance of keeping hair so worth a go but if it doesn't work then I can just revert back to my local hospital. The doctor said the extra journey time shouldn't bother me but again if I have any issues I can just stop and go back to my local for future treatments.

XOXO

We Hi,

give it a go. I used it with my first cancer diagnosis with FEC T five years ago and lost a bit.but not much. I have recently finished paclitaxol for my second Breast cancer and used the cap and didn’t really lose any hair. Take some pain killers before you have it and drink lots of tea. It freezes on your head initially and then is just cold. I didn’t mind it and was so happy I didn’t losr my hair. I have shoulder length hair and didn’t cut it short. Good luck.

x