Cold Cap Sickness

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Morning All

i was wondering if anyone has come across Cold Cap Sickness.

I just completed my 4th dose of accelerated EC yesterday and over the course of the treatment I gradually feeling more sick during cold capping. My first one was fine, but yesterday for the final 1-2hours I felt extremely sick. (I wasn’t actually sick) but now dreading my next chemo.

My next 4 treatments are 4 x 2weekly paclitaxol. My chemo nurse said I will be cold capping for 30mins pre chemo, 60mins post chemo, which is shorter than the EC. But it be up to 3hours during chemo, which is 2hours longer than EC and is filling me with dread due to the sickness. 

My cold capping has been extremely successful and I have not lost much hair, I think I still have 95%, so obviously I don’t want to give up as I’m close to the end. I don’t have headaches, or the initial pain, it just feels very cold, then I get use to it. Towards the end, I feel woozy and sleepy. 

i tried sucking mints, sweets, eating, drinking.......any other ideas! Any advice will be gratefully received.

thanks xx

  • Could it be in part at least the chemo making you feel more sick? EC is horrible,  and my last 2 especially for me were tough! A took a cocodamol before the cap each time which helped,  though only one of our two machines worked properly so lost a lot of hair when I had the duff one! My hair started to grow back during Paclitaxel,  though my until them complete eyelashes and eyebrows slowly vanished!

    Xxx

    “Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.  Stephen Hawking,
  • Hi Londonmum

    Thanku for getting back to me. If I’m honest, up until yesterday I honestly thought it was the EC, as it always started just after it was injected into my PICC line. And with each cycle, it got slowly worse! Was fine with the first. But it was my chemo nurse who suggested it was the cap! Especially as I don’t have much sickness afterwards, in fact I only take 50% of my anti sickness (which is permitted as my original tablets gave me bad constipation, so it’s good for me to take less, plus they changed my anti sickness to the good stuff -Emend and ondansetron) so I’m not sure what’s causing it or a mixture of the both!!!

    sorry your cold cap didn’t work! I prepared just in case, wigs, headbands, caps, eyelashes, eyebrows, and nothing has gone. I even got a hair replacement system on standby, as Im getting married next year, and so fair nothing has gone, still have to shave, and have hairy hobbit feet! I’m feel so relived but slightly guilty as there are so many ladies who it does work for! But still got the taxol to go, but pleased to hear you had hair growth, fills me we some confidence. I plan to donate all my stuff to my local Macmillan at our hospital. If my hair survives!

    May I ask another question! I have barely spoken to my oncologist during chemo. I spoken to him 3 times! Once to plan and consent my treatment face to face. Once pre chemo to confirm I was happy to go ahead with my treatment over the phone. And I had my first telephone check up call prior to my 4th treatment! Not overly concerned as I’m taking it as a positive, he not too concerned about me! And I had plenty of pharmacist appointments! They are the important ones who prescribed the drugs! Phew! But he said the 2 weekly Taxol is easier than EC! What did you think, is it easier in your opinion? Any tips or advice?

    Thanku again xxx