Starting Chemo in 10 days

Hi Crdwithbc

Welcome to the forum, I'm Daisy53 one of the Community Champions on this forum.  I'm sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.  While I can't answer the Cold Cap questions as I wasn't given the option of doing the Cold Cap I can answer the non Cold Cap ones.

You'll be in a chair for your treatment. I didn't do the fasting and it made no difference to the possible side effects.  Apart from feeling tired I had no real side effects.

I noticed that you are also a member of the Breast Cancer Forum, so I suggest that you put the questions about cold capping into that one as it a much busier forum than this one.

Wishing you the best of luck with your treatment.

Best wishes

Daisy53

Hi Crdwithbc 

I tried cold capping when I first had chemo. Unfortunately I lost a lot of my hair anyway about 17 days after the first treatment so I didn’t persevere. The cold cap system involves a cap that sits tight on your head through which the coolant runs, and then a neoprene layer that sits tightly over that and fastens under your chin. I think it would probably be uncomfortable to wear ear buds underneath and there might be a danger it would stop the system being tight in the area around your ears. Obviously it only works if it’s kept very tight. The arms on glasses similarly might cause a bit of a loss of contact where they sit.

Oncology suites generally have reclining chairs, not beds. I think the main thing that helps with side effects is to make sure you are well hydrated before, during and after treatment. Some people advise taking the anti sickness medication they offer even if you don’t feel sick. I didn’t do that as I was wary of becoming constipated and didn’t have any issues with sickness anyway. 

If you are able to persevere with cold cap I understand it’s important to leave your hair alone as much as possible. As someone who normally washes their hair every day, I found this a real challenge during my brief experience. I wasn’t too sad to give up, especially as it does mean you are in the unit for a long time. 

thanks for all replies. x