Opinions on Cold Cap

Also I’m starting with EC x 4, how quickly did you loss your hair? 
thank you

Hi Munchkin

I'm on the second cycle of EC - day 3. I've cold capped and haven't found it to be unbearable. It's very tight on your head and if you can get yourself through the first 10 minutes or so, the rest i found manageable. 

I have it on for 45 minutes before treatment starts but that coincides with an hour of pre-meds. Then 1.5 hours after treatment ends so it does lengthen your time in the chair.

I have thick curly hair and this was thinning on my previous regime but when I changed to EC, the oncologist suggested I try the cold cap. So far my hair seems thinner on top but I still have a lot of my hair. When I put product in my hair, I lose a small handful. And it also seems shorter although I haven't cut it.

Maybe see how you go with your first session. Good luck. 

Thank you x

Hi

I have had 3 x EC and just started on Docetaxil and I am sooooo pleased that I did the cap. I have been very lucky and kept 80% of my hair!  No wigs, hats etc just the slightest touch of Toppix to cover a slightly wider than normal crown. You hear so many different stories, good and bad and the anticipation is hard but the results are different for each one of us. I was absolutely dreading it and yes it's hard on about day 17 when hair starts to come out but it slows down.

BTW: I found the actual cap wearing part pretty much as fhgirl. Good luck 

Thank you x

Hi everyone will tell you something  different but I would say it's definitely worth a try. I had six sessions and cold capped throughout and didn't find it too uncomfortable. It's not the nicest thing in the world but I have had worst procedures. First 8 mins or so is the worst and I honestly forgot about it. Got slightly worse as cycles went on I was maybe more sensitive to it. 

I had thick hair to start with and although I felt like I was losing a lot, no bald patches and nobody would of known. It's a lot thinner but Is now growing back around the sides and at the front, quite wispy, I think this is where the connection wasn't made with the cap. Not all nurses are trained and were quite nervous applying the conditioner and cap. 

For me it was the right decision, when I returned to see BC nurse she couldn't believe I had finished chemo and still had so much hair!!! You don't lose clumps ofhair it's more shedding and I still am but not as much. I finished chemo 31st jan and noticed first liss about 2 weeks after first chemo. Hope this helps xxx

Thank you

I used the cap for 12 weeks of paclitaxel/Carboplatin and it worked amazingly - hair shedded slightly but only lost about 20%. I then started on AC & I literally lost the other 80% in 1 day on day 21 (2 treatments in, 7 days after the 2nd). Gutted to say the least! But… I don’t regret trying, I had hair for a lot longer that if I hadn’t & the cold cap isn’t at all bad  

Thank you

Hi munchkin I'm having my 2nd cycle of EC today and having cold cap , I had it the first cycle and found it to be not as bad as I imagined its cold but I tolerated it , thought I had got away with losing any hair but a few days ago my hair has started shedding , I'm hoping next cold cap will slow it down . I wasn't going to cold cap I just thought if I'm going to lose my hair anyway why prolong it , but I thought about it and thought I would try it , and see how I got on hence why I'm having second cold cap . Good luck with everything xx