Cold Cap with longer hair

Hi Londonmumof2

sorry to hear that you are starting chemo.. think I saw you post in another thread that it was your choice? 

Im now 75% of my way through chemo and have cold capped all the way through... my hair was jaw length bob, now almost shoulder length (done the absolute bare minimum with it whilst having treatment to try n maximise my chances of keeping as much as I can!)

I’ve done well I feel, I have lost some but as I had lost of fine hair pretreatmnet that looked thick due to the quantity... I now look like I have fine hair, but do keep it tied loosely back to stop me dropping hair as I walk around (also means I can see how much I’ve lost!). The worst part is the first 10-15 mins as it freezes your head.. but to be honest the last few weeks when th weathers been hot it’s not been as bad!

how ling is your hair at the moment? I thnk from what I’ve been told, the main thing is that they can freeze the maximum amount of it and get good coverage. But speak to the nurses as they will be the best to advice you. 

Theres also a Facebook group for paxman, who make the cold cap machines that I use ( not sure if they’re the only supplier) but it’s an official group so you can get advice from the manufacturer that way as well ...

good luck!

Hi Londonmumof2

sorry to hear that you are starting chemo.. think I saw you post in another thread that it was your choice? 

Im now 75% of my way through chemo and have cold capped all the way through... my hair was jaw length bob, now almost shoulder length (done the absolute bare minimum with it whilst having treatment to try n maximise my chances of keeping as much as I can!)

I’ve done well I feel, I have lost some but as I had lost of fine hair pretreatmnet that looked thick due to the quantity... I now look like I have fine hair, but do keep it tied loosely back to stop me dropping hair as I walk around (also means I can see how much I’ve lost!). The worst part is the first 10-15 mins as it freezes your head.. but to be honest the last few weeks when th weathers been hot it’s not been as bad!

how ling is your hair at the moment? I thnk from what I’ve been told, the main thing is that they can freeze the maximum amount of it and get good coverage. But speak to the nurses as they will be the best to advice you. 

Theres also a Facebook group for paxman, who make the cold cap machines that I use ( not sure if they’re the only supplier) but it’s an official group so you can get advice from the manufacturer that way as well ...

good luck!

Hi Claire,

Congratulations on it working,  and is amazing that your hair is actually growing! I'm hardly to hear that you are 3/4 through as well....I will have it until about this this week in November (if I complete the T ok), so with ther extra 2 weeks recovery might return to work just before Christmas..... which seems forever in July (

My hair is about 8 inches past my shoulders,  so may trim a bit off . My daughter wants to trim it,  and I've agreed to let her be involved in it, though she's never cut hair before (eek!) I had lots of fine hair which sounds a bit like yours, so maybe I'll be lucky:)

Good luck though the rest to your chemo, and with the hair too. X

This is me.. it’s still damp after I rinse it earlier as needed to get the conditioner out (chemo yesterday)...please excuse the complete lack of make up! 

 Like I said, it still looks ‘presentable’ And if I tie it up it stops me leaving a hair trail behind me.

! 

Hi Claire, 

What a great picture,  and your hair looks like you've not had chemo at all! Fingers crossed for the rest of the time, but looking at ther Facebook group most people seem to lose little towards the end:) I hope that I'm as lucky as you! X

Hi

i am losing some, but am sure that I would have lost a lot more if I hadn’t used cold cap... I saw a couple of people who started at the same time as me on similar treatment who have lost it all.. it was hard sitting there for the extra time but was so worth it now... losing my hair was one thing 8 really didn’t want to do so am really pleased... even if it does mean showing people how grey my hair is naturally!!!!!

Good luck x

And the grey hair shows that it's been actually growing. I just checked tyour profile and see the ages of your daughters. Mine are 16 and 19, so almost the same age!

How are your daughterscoping? 

It’s  my oldest birthday tomorrow, and it’s goung to be tough as I feel rough after chemo on Friday... have said I’ll go out for lunch but then she, boyfriend, dad and sister are going crazy golf etc have had to say I’m not going as know I won’t cope

They aren't coping very well to be honest. although they appear OK.  My eldest took a gap year, was interviewed and offered a place to study maths at Cambridge.She has the high UMS and A*'s in Maths and Further Maths and an A in Biology already, but they make all offer holders sit STEP papers which are extremely hard, and she struggled to revise for them as she couldn't concentrate. I think that she's lost her offer based on how the exams went so will be off to her second choice (which is unconditional due to the A level results, but at St Andrews) 

My younger daughter has mental health issues anyway (like lots of 16 year olds), and my mastectomy was on her actual 16th birthday. She was shockingly calm through her GCSE exams, which she did almost no revision for. Both pf them have extenuating circumstances on their records, and her school who normally require the equivalent of 6 A's for 6th form entry have said she's welcome back regardless. The deputy head had a lumpectomy last autumn and is on Tamoxifen, so has a good understanding of how it feels.

I booked a holiday to Spain this weekend for my youngest and I, with her sister joining us next week, but that's all been jiggled around now, and the pair of them will be going together next week for 8 days. It's to somewhere they know really well (and some of the locals know them) so should be relatively safe, but it's still a worry, and if I didn't have this bl**dy chemo for the extra 3 or 4% gain I'd be off and recovering more with them:(

Oh, well!

I hope that you feel better soon from the chemo. How many more do you have to go? How are you finding the T in comparison to the EC? I know that at my hospital some women drop dose or stop the T because of the side effects.

Glad the schools have been helpful.. the step exams are hard, I started doing one and gave it up as had no intention of applying to oxford/Cambridge. She’s done well to get o St. Andrews, and like you say, it’s unconditional so no extra stress at the moment. 

Ive found my youngest daughters school has been really good.. she’s had her mocks the last few weeks and the support staff have been really good at keeping an eye on her, without being obvious!

id booked a family holiday to go to fuerteventura a few weeks before I found my lump.. we should have been going next week. it’s a hotel we’ve been to a few times so we know our way round, the local area etc.. my oldest daughter has just got back from a week there with her boyfriend who also really liked it, and youngest is going away away with her best friend in a few weeks so I don’t feel too bad that they’re missing out on the summer holiday.. it’s just me missing my sun holiday! (Husband has had a few weekends away with his friends) but my lovely lot of friends have a weekend away planned at the end of my treatment for me in bath so I’ve got something to look forward to.. really can’t wait for that!

im having 8 lots of chemo in total, 4 EC and then 4 docetaxel, EC are finished, and half way through my docetaxel. I had a chest infection after my last docetaxel, and rally hoping I don’t get simil this time although am a little concerned as started coughing today ... wait and see how I am tomorrow as really tired!