Hi ladies I am having a real dilema about wether to continuue with the cold cap or just let my hair go, i cant beleive i,m making so much fuss about hair after everything we,ve gone through.
I was wondering if you didnt use it would you mind saying why not, my next chemo is next week and i m thinking about it already 
Hi megsmum,I didnât use the cold cap because my BCN said that because of having Taxotere as part of my chemo the cold cap probably wouldnât save my hair,and I also chose not to have it because it would of added time when having chemo and that alone was long enough for me lol.
I shaved my head just as my hair started to fall and found it liberating lol,it was something I had control of.I didnât wear a wig but had some lovely scarfâs.
Good luck with the rest of your treatment,best wishes Melxx
I was told that it wouldnât work for me as I was having dose dense chemo - 8 sessions in total with 4 Tax. However, I decided to give it a go anyway - and although my hair thinned I am delighted with the results.
Hi Megsmum,
I havenât used the cold cap since I tried it out on my first chemo session back on the 21st Feb for 30 mins. I decided against it in the end because it was so tight around my face, and generally very uncomfortable to wear, that and the fact that it extends the hours that youâre in day therapy by around 2-1/2hrs extra.
Another reason I gave up on the cold cap, is that I was inspired to see that none of the people around me going through treatment were wearing the cap either, so I thought If they can do it why canât I?
I want to stick my fingers upto those people that may stare or pass comment, I have nothing to be ashamed of, itâs my battle and Iâm going to win it, so what people think or say doesnât matter to me.
We are all strong ladies, and weâll come out fighting!
And donât forget your hair will grow back, most people on the forum starting chemo Feb 2012 have lost their hair and itâs growing back already after just a couple of cycles 
Whatever decision you make it will be the best for you
Good luck
Lorna xxx
I didnât, because I was just too stressed before my first session to be able to stay on the unit a moment longer than I needed to. But I have a friend who used it, and her hair is fab. It did get a bit thinner, but you couldnât tell just by looking.
And donât feel bad about worrying about this aspect of your treatment, itâs a very visible sign and if you hairâs been something that you like about yourself, losing it can be a real heartbreak. Yes, I know it grows back, but itâll take years for mine to get back to what it was (was down to my elbows, now short.)
So take your time, treat the hair you have gently, and perhaps stick with it for the second session and make your decision in the following few weeks before round 3? Youâll then have more of an idea about how well itâs worked for you. Some people have found that where the cap wasnât touching properly, their hair dropped out, leaving them with bald patches, which was more distressing for them than complete baldness.
Write on a piece of paper the pros and cons of sticking with it or giving it up, that might also help you make a decision youâre happy with.
I stuck with it, although most fell out after the first session I contacted paxman, they said there is evidence it can help with quicker regrowth, but they pointed out as everyoneâs response to chemo is different so is the outcome with the cold cap. I would do it again. Two years since the start of my chemo, Fec-Tax I have a chin length bob.
I tried the cold cap for my 1st 2 FEC chemos but found that so much hair came out after the 2nd go that I decided not to continue. It definitely made me feel more spaced out and headachey after FEC, but the main reason I decided not to continue is that my hair was styled to be washed everyday and blasted with the hairdryer and also coloured - all the things that you are not to do when using the cold cap. My hair was also splitting very badly after 2 gos - I looked like my mother on a âbad hair dayâ and that is saying something! Not a look that I aspire to either. What was the point of persevering with something when I looked like âLizzie Annieâ? You canât grow hair that is in bad condition so I bit the bullet and had it cut off and wore my wig.
6 months post-chemo and my hair is coming along nicely, although I did wear my hair short pre-chemo so I wonât have to wait too long before Iâm back where I started.
I did give it a go though, and I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to try it - not everybody is.
Why not give it a go and see how you get on? The only thing you have to lose is your hair!!!
Good luck
Mazzalou xx
Hi all,
Mazzalou raises a good point in that undertaking the cold cap is not just a matter of wearing the cap during and after your chemo once every three weeks, it also needs your commitment to wash your hair as infrequently as possible (and in tepid water), not use styling products or colourants, and to avoid hairdryers/straighteners etc. It was these constraints that made me decide to stop using the cap after two sessions: I was managing to keep some of my hair, but felt it looked a mess and would get worse as the existing dye grew out and the grey grew in!
I probably found it easier to decide to stop as it was the second time I had gone through hair loss chemo, so it was not such a frightening prospect (been there, done that).
However, it is all a matter of choice, and how your hair responds and how you feel.
Best wishes,
Julie
I didnât use the cold cap (as you can see on my avatar LOL) because the oncologists at my hospital stopped offering it to patients. Why? Well the nurse explained that they donât like the thought of cooling one part of the body down whilst having chemo, it might be detrimental. She did stress that there is no evidence whatsoever for this, but just the thought and choice of the oncs. She said I could have the cold cap âif you twist the oncologistâs armâ. To be honest I wouldnât have used the cold cap anyway even if I could have had it as I canât stand the cold and losing my hair hasnât bothered me, althouhg it was fairly long.
Christine xx
Hi megsmum
I had decided to try the cold cap right up until this morning my first chemo day, I came to the realisation that it would be worse for me with the if/when is my hair going to go rather than the ok its def going to go ! weird I know but i was told by onc bcn that with the fec-t I would probably lose it anyway 1-8 is the approx figure, and wasnt it enough to be having the chemo without putting myself through the extra hassle for a tiny chance I may keep it, so there you are the morning of chemo I made the choice, No cold cap and prob no hair in a matter of weeks but hey ho decision made
Good luck in whatever you decide
Janice x