*** May BC Chemo Club 2020 ***

Hi @lindyloo

I cold capped for the 1st session and had no hair loss at all. I was advised not to cold cap after this to limit my time in the hospital with the virus. Was a tough decision but I choose to follow this advice. And now I've braved the shave as I  was losing hair all over the place. That said I think if I had persisted with the cold cap hair loss would of been minimal for me. A lady I speak with daily continued with the cold cap and she estimates shes lost about 80 % and she has 1 more session to go. I found the cold cap manageable and not as painful as some others have. 

Hope this helps with your decision 

Stay safe 

Julie 

Thanks . I will ask my oncologist tomorrow  if it's safe to remain at the hospital as I understand I could be there for around 3-4 hours. Good thing is the hospital oncology unit is in a separate building at the rear of the hospital. Will give it a go but good to hear you did find it manageable.

Linda x

Hi I have had 4 sessions with the cold cap, half hr before treatment and hour and half after making my stay 3/4hrs. I didn’t find it as difficult as others say, it is tight but I really didn’t notice cold after about 15min. I get a forehead session but only slightly. I lost the amount of a hairbrush full on a few occasions of session 1+2 then on day 6 of session 3 I lost a fair bit all day causing thinning at the top. Still hair but much thinner. My nurse said she would be worried of freeze burn so put a surgical hair net on for session 4 and fingers crossed day 7 I haven’t noticed a change. My family say my hair just looks thinner but I still look like I have hair. I’m due to start 4x PAC on 2/6/20 which is a 3/4hr treatment which means with cap 6hrs, not sure how that will work but I am going to try. 
Hope this helps, good luck, let me know x

Hi Kimbo56

thanks for your informative reply. I have a short pixie cut hair style so I'm hoping that may help with not losing too much hair, although may not make any difference. Didnt know you could have freeze burn  but at least I am now aware. Also 6 hours total treatment time seems a long time but I will see how it goes and let you know.

Thanks once again

Linda x

Hi I start my 1 chemo tomorrow after a delay due to my daughter (a nurse) testing postive for covid... so I am having 4 sessions of TC with 21 days in between  plus Trastuzumab every 21 days 18 cycles.  Have any one had this treatment? Because there is so many.  But I was just wondering I'm braving the shave and I was going to do it on Friday which is my birthday and I just wondered did anybody experience side effects straight away? That might stop me from doing it xx

Hi Dab

I was on EC x 6 . Onco states def lose hair possibly from first cycle . I do know this has happened to others but for me it didn’t . 

I chose to have hair cut to pixie style then didn’t handle it very much . Small amount shampoo only when needed and finger dried . Didn’t lose any until end 3rd cycle . Only got it shaved just before last chemo . Eight weeks after last one it started to grow again. Whatever you choose to do is the right thing . You just need to be happy with what you have planned . 

Good luck tomorrow it’s not as bad as you imagine .. not pleasant but doable 

Margaret x

Dab hi there.  I can't remember what the Trastuzumab is, but regarding the hair, it's best to have it cut as short as you can, but not shaved right down, as that can be prickly until it falls out.  I had mine cut down as short as possible with scissors (it was waist length) and when it fell out, I never noticed hair all over the place, unlike just after my second dose of FEC, when it was coming out everywhere.  That's when I had mine cut down.  My last chemo was just at the end of December and I can now see hair growing back.  I've had a peach fuzz covering for a couple of weeks, so hang in there and in no time at all, it will all be over and your hair growing back.

Regarding nails, try Evonail from E-Bay, it's very good.  It is a clear varnish that protects and strengthens the nails, but it does not stop the white lines, those are caused by the chemo and cannot be avoided whatever you do, but it will grow out, as mine are doing right now, despite them splitting and shattering easily.  I must practise what I preach and put more Evonail on my nails today.  Good luck.

Good luck today Dab,  thinking of you. Let us know how you get on

Hugs

Linda x

Good Luck with your first session of T Julie  / 

Fingers crossed for maximum impact and minimal side effects

G n' J

Hi,

Good luck for today.

  My long hair was cut down and I started to lose it on day 17 of FEC and boy was it itchy!.This has been my major side effect to chemo!! 

  I used Polybalm on my nails no problem with them apart from the horizontal lines to be expected.Only did black polish for first treatment,couldn't stand the look!

   My hair is now a half inch buzz cut after last chemo on 27th March.

    T is Herceptin immunology equivalent which I am on too,

       Onwards and Upwards!

         Yviex