Hey billy bear thank you for commenting - hopefully our thread will help others through their treatment.
I didn’t lose as much as you (probably 50% all over) but like you it started growing back during treatment. Had my last chemo 10 April 2015 and 6 weeks later had cut and colour and 2 inches of new hair growth filling in the gaps.
Many ladies had commented similar experiences, it seems that even if you do have hair loss with cold cap it appears to help re-growth to be quicker. X
Hi ladies,
I just wanted to give you all a big high five you are all doing amazingly well.
I had four FEC and four Docetaxel ending on December 22nd I used a paxman cold cap and had the most amazing team of nurses only my two lovely ladies touched my hair as I trusted them. I knew I’d lost a fair amount of hair but I lost it all over and havevthock hair so it wasn’t that noticeable. Now only four todo entries months on I have full brows, lashes although not as thick and hair which is insanely thick and curly I’m in love with it ? Oh and as a blonde my hair eyebrows and lashes are now really dark it’s like being a new person!!!
I will say I’ve found I still have nightmares of my hair falling out and count the hair in the shower, I shudder if my head gets cold but then I take a moment and realise I’m so lucky to have tried the cold cap and have kept my hair as I now go out curl my hair and no one knows I’ve had anything wrong with me this helps me. Although I have noticed the buzz cut is becoming very fashionable!!!
I would say my tips for cold capping is as follows;
I wish all of you the best outcome possible in every aspect of your treatment. I found this thread a lifeline so like to pay it forward. Xxx
I did great with the cap. I used the Penguin Cold Cap May 2015-August 2015. My treatment was TCH. The way my oncologist set up my. He I mess, I only had to do it 4 times. I did everything they (The Penguin Cold Cap Company) told me to do and I continued this regiment for 10 months after I completed chemo, just to be on the safe side. I also had 6 weeks of radiation treatment. I had a little shedding but in all actuality, the strands I did loose weren’t much more on a day to day basis than I have had throughout the rest of my life! When my hair fell out everywhere else, yet still upon my head, it was absolutely the greatest feeling. My eyes filled with tears because I could see the proof that it really really worked! It was also very nice to have a goal, something to focus on, something positive that I could do for myself. Something other than focusing on the cancer diagnosis. My husband and daughter got into it too. It gave them a way to be helpful, something they could do to help! As far as the temp (30’ below C), well, that wasn’t an issue either. I swear, it was only a few minutes of cold. Your head gets so cold, you don’t feel it and there it is… problem solved! A little Ativan (0.5mg in my IV) did the trick and I stayed alert and talked with my friends and relatives while they capped me every 30 minutes! I recommend it and i’s a shame so many people don’t know about it. I work in the medical field as a nurse and as far as I know, it still isn’t FDA approved here in the USA. I think the cost of renting the caps (1600) was well worth it. It would take me years to grow my hair back and the cool thing was I had something positive to focus on and people didn’t question me and tell me stories of loved ones with cancer etc when they saw me. It was my business if I wanted to talk about it, not someone else’s.
Hi ladies did any of you use the paxman shampoo and conditioners whilst cold capping and for normal washing or is their something better out there? Can I wear a baseball cap to hide bald/spots and shedding or is wearing hats not recommended. I am not a scarve kind of girl x
Melia, I wore bobble hats in winter and then struggled as soon as the warmer weather arrived. I do have a sunhat and baseball cap but am loving these headbands at the moment - much cooler than a hat! My balding is across the top of my head and my crown and wearing a headband covers the worse bits and does a sleepover type effect on my crown!
I don’t know how to paste a link but if you put China flower retro hair band on Amazon, it will come up!
Hi melia I used an organic, colour free, scent free shampoo and conditioner from the health shop. About £5 each for a small bottle but as I only washed my hair on chemo days it lasted about 6 months. I then moved on to herbal essence naked range. I can’t comment on paxman products as I didn’t use them.
I wore bobble hats in winter and sun hat/baseball hat when the weather warmed up. If the hairs going to fall out it will so I wouldn’t worry about hats making it worse.
I fashioned a nifty comb over to cover thinning scalp and tied hair into a loose ponytail with soft scrunchies from boots. I’m definitely not a scarf person either!!
I have done 4 treatments of AC. I already did Taxotere previously so I am done with the chemo, hopefully for good. I used the Arctic Cold Caps and kept my hair until the last round and a month out I am still shedding. I don’t have any noticeable bald spot but my hair is very thin and I am wearing a wig sometimes because it just looks so much better. I am afraid the shedding will continue and I will lose all of my hair but it looks like that will not be the case according to some of the responses to this thread. I am so grateful for the hope that gives to me. And it is reassuring to hear that my hair should come back faster. I have done everything I was told to do and I am still doing it. I was wondering if anyone used a dry shampoo to help with the oilness between washes. I am only washing my hair once a week because the most shedding occurs after I wash it and it starts looking pretty bad toward the end.
I had my hair cut during chemo Tink. It was so fine it needed a trim, also it got too long to wear my wig. Can’t see any problem with cutting?
Hi, I am new to this forum and have just had my first chemo treatment with the cold cap (which I wear for 4 hours in total). I’ve found that the last 2 hours are the most difficult due to migraine pains and being uncomfortable. I took paracetamol beforehand but this doesn’t seem to help the last couple of hours. Does anyone have any advice for me? My next session is in a weeks time and I was going to give it another go. Thanks in advance :)
Hi Linda, sorry you’re getting that pain, I can’t advise on that as I found it got easier the longer the cap was on - I even asked the nurse to check it was still working!
I took strong painkillers before hand -petramadol so may be that’s why I coped well.
Are you wearing a wide head band to protect your ears and forehead? If not you may find that helps. Also lots of warm drinks and something to occupy you to keep your mind off it.
Hope it’s easier for you next time x
Tramadol
I’m looking for some advice please…i had my last chemo last week, EC-T, and used the paxman cold cap, and want to know, when can I reclaim my hair?!!
I’ve got about 40% of it left after 5 months of treatment, its patchy and i have a few almost but not quite bald patches but have managed to get away without wearing a wig. I can use hair filler powder and a wide headband and look relatively OK. It’s bob length at the moment.
I’ve been following all the cold capping hair advice - washing it just 1-2 x week on chemo with simple shampoo, once daily combing with a wide tooth comb etc etc, but wondered when I can start using proper shampoo and washing and combing it more often? I don’t want to make a mistake right when I’m almost there and risk loosing it!
Also, when my new growth comes in, has anybody any tips on how to blend it into my pre treatment bob length hair as don’t want to have to cut the remaining hair short and start from scratch. How do others manage the long bits and short bits?
Hi blue2, well done for getting to the end of chemo! I found that by the end of chemo I already had quite a bit of new growth. I’ve always had shoulder length hair all the same length but found my new natural layers looked good so after chemo I had it cut to a short bob with layers and it looked so much better. I was able to scrunch dry it which made it look even thicker.
It took me a long time to get confident to go back to my old hair care routine. I carried on using herbal essence naked range for a year and very little hair drying etc But I do think you can get back to normal quite quickly - I rather enjoyed my new speedy routine!!
Thanks riversidedawn. I like the idea of scrunch drying my hair to disguise the short bits and having layers put in. I’m already getting a bit of a lift on my parting from the hair that I lost originally and has now started growing back.
In this hot weather, it’s a nightmare only washing my hair once a week. I’m so anxious to move on from my cold capping routine but am going to stay with it for a few more weeks I think, just to be safe.
Hi ladies im due to start treatment next week and cold capping. Im trying my best to think positive that im going to keep it but having total anxiety over it now. No one data suggest a wig to me as I’m so adamant im going to keep it. I think I’m prepared as I’ll ever be, will pillow case, wooden comb, neutral shampoo etc but keep thinking I’ve forgot something important. Any additional tips please. Has anyone used a little cocunot oil to style hair just a little on the tips of my hair i was thinking to stop frizz. And should I be using a leave in conditioner after the cold caps over x
Also when should I wash my hair as soon as I get home, or leave it a few hours or days? Should I use tepid water or cold as read so much different info x
Hi melia, take a look at cancerhaircare website for loads of tips.
I washed my hair immediately after each chemo (and weekly between 3 week fec) although I’ve read on here that some people have been advised against this.
I was very fortunate that I had a good result - I am hairy with very thick eyebrows which thinned but not disappeared during chemo!
I’d recommend a wide headband to protect your forehead and ears, lots of hot drinks, layers, hot water bottle, blanket, food, music / book / someone to talk to as it takes a long time. Also put cap on unfrozen then freeze it on your head for a better fit.
Good luck, I’m here if you need any Moore tips / talk x
Hi Linda, please see my previous comments (sorry takes me ages to type on my phone!)
Thank you riversdawn did you use cold water to wash it immediately? I think I might be scared to touch it straight after! How much hair loss did you have if you don’t mind me asking? Did you wear a sleep cap or net for bed xx
Hi melia
I did wash my hair as normal straight after chemo, I know some ladies have been told not to wash it on the same day - I didn’t see this advice so washed in warm water as normal!
I lost may be 50% of pretty evenly all over my head. The majority came out after the first session - quite a lot all at the same time, after that it wasn’t really much more than normally comes out when I wash it.
The top of my head was quite thin, so I adopted the comb over look and tied it up into a loose ponytail! The hair loss wasn’t really noticeable to strangers.
I did put a soft fleece hat straight after chemo as it was so cold. Also wore hats whenever I went out as my chemo was November to April.
***** add to my list below *****
(sorry, it’s finally starting to fade from my memory, 2 years on!)
Put cold cap on at room temperature and freeze it on your head (takes a little longer, but gives a better fit.)
Put gauze over any thin bits to avoid ice burns.
Have someone get it for you - Lots of warm drinks
Blanket for when your temperature drops.
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