Cold capping, shaved head and docetaxel

Hi, I am sorry you're getting conflicting advice about cold capping and regrowth and I can really understand your concerns on your hair, it's such an important part of our identity.   I wondered if it's worth you chatting with the lovely folks at Macmillan as they might be able to advise. You can call them on 0800 808 0000 from 8am to 8pm daily. Best wishes 

Hello Irishgirl16,

Thank you for responding. I already have and was provided with a survey from across 2 hospitals where those who have responded there were around 23% of women affected with some form of permanent hairloss and a lesser amount on the other taxane drug. This was a survey not a trial so not hugely reliable but gives some indications that perimenopausal women do seem to get better regrowth as opposed to postmenopausal.

Despite getting the information that I have so far from nurses etc, it is always caveated with "it's different for everybody and we can never really say for sure how it will impact hair regrowth". It sort of takes away from the comfort that most women regrow hair on these drugs as you are left feeling like you'll be 'the one' to buck the trend. 

There just doesn't seem to have been enough work gone into research into the effects of these hairloss inducing treatments for these drugs and the impact of that. 

Xxx

It’s really difficult to know because there’s very little follow up of what happens to patients after treatment. It’s the same with peripheral neuropathy - the message seems to be that it usually improves whereas mine continued to build for several months after my treatment (admittedly my second year in a row of being treated with taxanes - paclitaxel the first time and NAB-paclitaxel the second) and is still with me 3 years on. I don’t personally know of anyone who had an issue with hair growing back. Plenty of people suffer from odd texture and dullness for a while. I really hated cold capping so when my hair started to fall out early during EC it gave me the excuse I needed to stop. I don’t know why you wouldn’t be able to continue provided you protect your scalp, I wonder more what the evidence is of it protecting follicles when the hair has gone. 

I'm sorry to hear about the ongoing neuropathy that you are experiencing Coddfish. I'm getting it in my feet more so in this second cycle and keep icing them but it did go away in the second week of my first cycle. Hoping for the same again. 

It is surprising that with these treatments being around as long as they have that they don't follow up the effects of them more diligently. 

I hope so Rie 

my neuropathy isn’t a huge problem but it’s always there. 

I decided not to cold cap due to the extra time in the chair, the percentage of saving hair outweighed the extra stress, I embraced the wigs and my hair has come back thick and fast, in fact an unruly mop of chemo curls… finished treatment in August last year xx

I didn't cold cap and lost all my hair with EC, but it stared to grow back during docetaxel. It grew back stronger and thicker than before. Hopefully it will be the same for you. Wishing you luck with the rest of your treatment.

Thank you for responding. That is very encouraging to hear. 

Wishing you well x

I'm hoping it is the same for me

Life has become the great unknown. I've got 4 more cycles and I'm seriously thinking now not to bother with the cold cap anymore.

Wishing you well x