Snap! I’ve thrown up twice in my life and get really scared when I feel sick and have panic attacks. I thought chemo would be months of being sick. My BCN told me that nowadays nobody should be sick, but if you were sick after the first chemo they’d up your antisickness. At this I begged for the good stuff from the start and explained that I was worried that if I was really sick the first time that I wouldn’t be able to have the remaining 7 treatments. So I got the good stuff and never felt more than slightly queasy.
I know you feel a bit funny worrying about hair and a little bit of sick when faced with a life threatening disease BUT if there are solutions out there to make it easier we might as well take them!!
Hi all and thanks to Sandytoes for the encouragement to carry on. I had my 3rd epirubicin on 30th and seem to be losing more hair than I did with the 2nd. I think it might be to do with the amount of conditioner - I really piled it on for the 2nd. Hair still looks very good. I had intended to give up the cold cap after the 1st couple but I think I might try to carry on for the other 6 sessions. Three reasons. I spoke to my Onc and she reassured me that the cc doesn’t stop the chemo getting to the scalp completely but slows it down. I’ve been reading the research literature and it seems that chemo isn’t that effective for lobular BC anyway. Putting some gauze under the cap on my forehead has really made a difference to how comfortable it is and even though it is a bit miserable sitting there for hours in the great scheme of things it’s not much of a sacrifice in the company of my Kindle.
Good luck everyone and here’s to a better new year.
Just wanted to say that I am 2 weeks post last FEC and still have my hair after using the cold cap.
Washed hair day before chemo date.
Sprayed hair with water and Simple conditioner before cap on.
Had it on for 1/2 hr before chemo and 2hrs afterwards.
Washed hair once a week using Simple shampoo and COOL WATER, no massaging of head etc.
Cool setting to cold if using a hairdryer. Keep those follicles closed!!
Use wide toothed comb, try not to comb hair.
Use clips to keep hair to your head, stops hair popping out when you lean forward.
Think that’s about it, worked for me but might not for everyone. BC nurses were not convinced it would work but I was stubborn!!!
i was warned that the cold cap possibly wouldn’t work, so was prepared with a wig, some hats and scarves, and I certainly don’t think its being vain not wanting to loose your hair.
I also cut mine quite short after my 1st Chemo, purely because it would be easier to manage with not washing very often and no starighteners
i have saved a fortune on shampoo, the bottle of simple shampoo i bought at start of chemo is still going
A agree 100% with sandytoes - I was terribly sick after my 1st chemo and not being a sick person was in a bit of a panic but I made the nurses aware and they upped my anti-sickness drugs and I was fine after that. They don’t know something’s wrong unless you tell them so don’t be shy!
I’m now a month after my last chemo and my hair’s doing amazing, the bits that had gone bald are now really thick and even my hairdresser’s amazed. I’m so grateful for the cold cap, if it hadn’t been for that I would be months behind on my re-growth. It was so worth the extra time and 10 minutes of a sore head…
Hi, I am 3 FEC down, with 3 to go. I am using the cold cap and have lost hair around day 20 of each cycle. Although I feel I have lost loads, I still have a good head of hair left, and I am incredibly grateful that I did it.
I need to have what I do have left cutting. It looks straggly, frizzy and basically even on the day I wash it, a mess. When would be best or should I just wait?
Thanks so much for all the advice I’m probably going to try the cold cap. I’ve already had my long hair cut, as the MacMillan nurse advised me to. I’ve got my onc appointment next week so I’ll find out more then
Hi Ali good to hear some positivity about cold cap. As long as you stil have your hair even if it is messy to you! Starting my 1st fec tomorrow just need to get it over with. Sorry not sure about answer to your q tho.
Giddy good luck with your appt you’ll feel better once your treatment plan is in place.
Caroline it is gr8 to hear you’re happy with your hair. X
It’s obviously up to you as you might prefer your hair longer. I cut mine shorter (chin length bob) while using the cold cap as it made it more manageable and it looked thicker. I think I’ll keep it shorter while I’m waiting for the shorter bits to catch up.
My hair was also quite frizzy. It’s naturally curly and frizzy, but I think the chemo made it even more so, but I used serum on it and now that I’ve finished chemo and am back to using normal products again, the texture has improved alot.
my hair is still doing ok, and i used the wash in wash out dye on it again this morning, its the 3rd time i’ve done it and hasn’t affected the amount of hair i’ve shedded. (not yet anyway)
I’ve had 4 tax now, hair had been looking a bit drab, and dry, but i have run out of the leave in conditioner and keep forgetting to buy some more!!
i’m currently on day 8 after my first TAC (minus the C) chemo cycle on Tuesday, 10th Jan.
i used the cold cap, didn’t find it to be a problem apart from slight irritation on the top of my forehead so the nurse just packed it out and it was fine just a bit red. think i had it on for about 5 hours in the end but still it didn’t really bother me.
hair seems ok at the moment but i’ve only washed it once since on Friday in Simple shampoo. luckily for me my hair is naturally curly so i just put a bit of mousse on it (naughty but it’ll be a wild frizzy mess without) and it’s been fine since.
i’m quite not sure when to expect the start of loss. i’m thinking i should probably wash it again soon but am scared eeek!!! last time i washed it was Friday (13th). reading through this topic though i’m wondering if it’s gonna have much effect as i didn’t feel it to be tight enough to the back of my head. i kept pushing it closer and i think that’s when the irritation started as i must have been pushing it forward onto my skin without realising. it was certainly stuck to the crown as she sprayed it with water before putting it on and they pulled a strap down over my chin to secure it but i wasn’t confident it was tightly sealed on the whole of my head?? it was the smallest one there too so i’m guessing i’ll just have to hope for the best.
am i right in thinking we should leave conditioner in for a while? i didn’t think and just washed it out ??
just to get it straight in my head, all you ladies that have had success do you wash & condition/rinse 24 hours before then leave to dry using no products atall?? (i would like to use mousse but not if it’ll react badly, i can just wear a hat)
then wash your hair 48 hours after in a gentle shampoo such as simple and leave conditioner in? then once or twice a week until the next cycle?
i have a terrible habit of rubbing the baby hair around my hair line, i’m not sure why i do it but i wear the hair away and snap it off. i know i really need to stop but i find myself doing it all the time without realising eeek!!!
i’m starting to miss my GHD’s now but just think myself lucky i have the option of curly hair so it’s not a complete mess throughout treatment.
I also have curly wurls and did use a bit of serum at the start and used my GHDs every now and then…! I had the first big sheddage about 3 weeks (maybe 25 days…) after my first chemo. My scalp was really sore and LOADS came out (it was quite freaky actually!) but when I looked in the mirror I still had lots left. I came straight on here to ask if I should just give up. Lots of ladies told me to persevere which I did. After that big moulting session I lost a small amount of hair everyday and ended up clipping my hair up or wearing mini headscarves and headbands so that I wasn’t losing hair all over the house and in the cooking etc. I don’t know if everyone experiences that - but my chemo was really harsh, had 8 cycles and my onc said there was no way the cold cap would work. So by that point I used the Simple conditioner as a serum to control my curls and clipped it up.
I left the conditioner for 48 hours after each cold cap and washed 1-2 times a week.
My hair did thin ALOT but grew back over the course of my treatment and by the end of it I had a full head of hair and cut it into a short bob and retrieved my GHDs from the drawer! So, basically, I can’t say I had good hair days all the way through chemo - but I am glad I used it as if I hadn’t I’d have had 4 months of wearing wigs/scarves anyway, but wouldn’t have been able to have a hairstyle immediately after. And curly hair has the benefit of not looking greasy and you can just clip it up in a messy, curly manor!
I was on 4xAC and 4xTAX by the way - so the same drugs - just at different times.
That was my experience, but I know other ladies who didn’t have to clip their hair down and sported a hairstyle all the way through.
I don’t see why mousse would “react” as there’s no chemical reactions or anything going on - just the follicles being chilled. But you can always call Paxman and ask them. They’re really helpful.
If you have any questions at any point PM me.
Wishing you luck with the cold cap and hope the chemo goes OK with minimal side effects.
i’ve now had 4 chemos TCH, and to be honest i don’t think using products on your hair really makes much difference.
At my unit, nobody said anything about putting on condition and leaving it on before using CC, i just turned up, they sprayed my hair and cap went on. To beginning with i was totally obsessed with whether or not it was working and also started shedding at around 10 days, and had a sore head, this is the same after each chemo.
i use simple shampoo, and to begin with just once a week, i bought the dry shampoo for inbetween washes (not really used it) and i have used a wash in wash out hair colour.
I did cut my shoulder (ish) length hair into a short easier to manage style, so that i could put the straighteners away, but i do use hair dryer, on a cold setting.
Personally i think if its going to work, it will. i’m glad i used it but i did have a wig ready just incase
Just wanted to say that i did loose my hair , the cold cap didnt work for me and had so much hair loss at chemo 1 plus 14 days that my chemo nurse refused to let me use it for my second chemo hit. I was distraught…my hair had been long, curly and dark and i was convinced that it would only thin, not loose it.
BUT i have to say that if you DO loose it, its not the end of the world that i thought at first. I have a wig that hasnt even been on my head ( i am a big girl so made me feel like a drag act ) and i have been wearing bright, animal print headscarves. It was actually really a relief not to be on constant hair-loss-watch : i had been obsessed my how much was on my collar/ pillowcase/ plug hole etc and now that its comoing back ( like Sinead O Connot at mo ) its really exciting to check the return each night when the headscarf comes off !!
Dont get me wrong, i would have LOVED to have kept my hair but just wanted to re-assure any ladies out there constantly watching the plughole that there IS life after hair loss and it was actually rather liberating to just get the clippers on the wispy bits .
Was never brave enough to “commando” without the headscarf and totally admire the ladies who do…also cant wait to be able to dye my grey fuzz !!
Hi Sandytoes & Gill13m thank you very much for the helpful replies.
i’ve got my wig, head scarves, hats etc all ready and waiting but i really don’t want to have to use them. i hate my curly hair (more the way i look with it, much prefer the me with straight hair) but would obviously much rather have that than none. i don’t mind my wig for a change but gosh i don’t want to have to rely on it.
i’ve got simple shampoo, gonna wash my hair for the first time since last Friday (13th) today so we will see how that goes.
i’m wondering if i should have a hair cut to keep it light and try keep it as healthy as possible. what do you guys think? did any one else have cuts during treatment?
thank you so much for all the help ladies, you are all invaluable angels xxxxx
Wasnt going to bother with the cold cap, but now I heard that it can work, especially with paper surgeons cap 1st its not too painful and with the pain killers taken before hand! What do you think please? Anxious.
Loli i would give it a try if i was you. i did and it certainly wasn’t as bad as i was expecting. infact it didn’t bother me atall until it came in contact with my skin on my forehead but that was easily sorted. give it a try, you have nothing to lose. if you don’t like it you can just take it off xx
I’m probably going to try the cold cap. I’ve already had my long hair cut, as the MacMillan nurse advised me to. I’ve got my onc appointment next week so I’ll find out more then