hi rozita was due to have chemo day b4 you, but has been delayed till next wed 17th because of scan appt ,wasnt very happy but cant do anything about it .good luck for thursday.xxx
Hi there ladies;
I thought I would add a comment to this forum; as I did initially want to try the cold cap; but like someone earlier said was dis-coveraged! - however - if I was again back at day one I would have tried it! I am now nearly finished my chemo; only one more to go!! - I went last month on the look good; feel better workshop; which is brilliant, and I advise anyone not already been to go! Anyway two ladies that had already had 3 x FEC had used the cold cap, and yes their hair was thin, but it is still there, unlike me who is bald and wearing wig/hat constantly! I cannot even bear to see myself bold let alone my husband/kids! - I wish I’d given my own hair a chance!
hi all just been reading thru the column n wondering how everyones duin with th cold caps or not! had ist EC on thurs 11th n had th paxman cap yes was awful brain freeze 4 about 20 mins then just uncomfortable tht th straps under th chin were bad must have looked like a chipmunk haha it just gets better dusnt it. hoping 4 th best but under no illusions told not t wash 4 48 hrs thn just once a week so have resorted t just scrunching what curl iv got n going 4 the wild look around the house instead of ghd straight aaaahhhh missing them already!!! have got a fab monofilament wig better n longer thn my own so will wear when going out, but when tried it keeps slipping tht wud try grips as long as dont show but has anyone got any other tips? good luck maisie 4 ur session think u said 17th! rozita xxx
Hi Rosita
I am on day 13 after my third FEC and still have a very full head of hair. I had it cut pretty short and do very little to it - wash it very gently once a week, but don’t even brush it. I have lost some hair, keep finding them on my keypad, but nobody would notice except for me. So the cold cap has worked wonders for me so far. I will switch to Tax for next three sessions, and my onc says it is slightly milder on hair than FEC, so fingers crossed.
OOOh, thats a shame, theres nothing more comforting than a lovely hottie with a cosy fluffy cover…keep warm n freeze that precious hair 
Good luck to all cold cap users! I wish i had cut my hair short before i tried it with my first FEC, instead of going in with my thick curly hair and expecting it to work.
I think the cc is brilliant if it works…how i wish i had cut my hair, as mine departed a long time ago and i hate it…
All the best
Naz x
I have been reading all the posts with interest. I tried the cold cap (freezer variety) and didn’t find it too bad. The nurse very kindly gave me gauze to wear on my forehead and both ears and it really helped the brain freeze. I am only on day 17 after my 1st FEC so know it’s early days but still have a full head of hear. I expect after the next FEC will be the moment of truth. If it doesn’t work I am resigned but think it’s worth a try.
One thought for those of you who have thinning hair or patchy hair - there are some marvellous wide headbands that might hide the thin bits. Has anyone tried them?
I think chemo would be much more ‘doable’ without the dreaded hairloss. I feel so well 10 days post lst chemo (although I realise the chemo could gradually make me more and more tired as it goes on), that it’s becoming almost unbelievable that I will certainly lose body hair. This must add to the shock when it actually does happen. There’s no getting away from the hair loss and therefore a constant reminder you are ill when it could be possible to forget it for a while.
Hi Steph, as you know from my previous posts I managed to keep all my hair with the Paxman cold cap, and it was strange when I realised one day that the hair from the rest of my body had dissapeared! It was a well weird experience! I wonder how long it takes to come bacK? I wouldnt mind it staying away for good:-) ha ha xx
Hi All
I think I posted earlier on this thread, but just a word of encouragement for you all out there. I had 4xFEC and had the cold cap each time and kept my hair. It did fall out every time I brushed and washed, particularly on cycle 1, all over, but most noticeably from the crown and one particularly odd spot over one ear! I didn’t have to wear a wig or scarves except when it was cold or to cover up the manky greasy hair from where I didn’t wash it except once a week.
The cold cap (I used Paxman) doesn’t work for everyone, but it did work for me and I would always suggest you give it a go.
Now, 8 weeks on all the hair is growing back, I can’t see my crown or the bald bit over the ear at all and there are lots of little hairs. It’s grown back exactly as before - same colour and just as straight (boo - I wanted curly hair for a change!), maybe a bit more grey in it, not sure about that.
good luck
Helen.
p.s. I did go completely bald absolutely everywhere else, except for eyelashes and eyebrows which didn’t go. This was most odd, and it has all now grown back, unfortunately!
Hi all
I am a day away from my second TAX and have to say have lost more hair this time than with the FEC, this may be down to the cold caps though as they do come in different sizes and I get given whatever. I will press very hard on the top of my head tomorrow. I was reading a very interesting technique called hair enhancement which covers your head with a matted fibre and they pull your remaining hair through then thread hair extensions into it. It can last up to 18 months and you can wash and style as usual, I have emailed several places for rough costing but think it would probably be quite expensive however may be worth it to allow my poor little thin bits to recover and 18 months of good hair days might be nice after walking around with a birds nest on my head which isn’t a good look. I have also ordered a trial size of a fibre hair thickener (sucker for infomercials) has anyone tried that. Will keep you posted of hair developments.
Elle x
Hello All,
I too have completed 3 FEC, I am now on Taxol and have my last one next Weds,
I have been using the coldcap and have noticed a significant ammount of hair loss from the second cycle of Tax , it as really thinned although I still have a fair covering, but hoping that it will hold out till the end of next cycle, which will be the last
Have you been washing your hair weekly,? I left mine for a few weeks and washed it last thurs and I lost loads, I don’t know whether that was a good thing or not , any advice would be grateful, ellie that technique sounds interesting do you have any details, I was thinking also about a weave or extensions if I have any left by the last cycle.
thanks Ann x
Hi Ann
There are a few places that do this technique. Manchester, Liverpool and Hemel Hempstead. I am sure there will be more out there but haven’t managed to find any others yet, although I can go to any of them as live in the Midlands but originally from Liverpool so was thinking of making a visit to my mum and doing both the 2 up north when my treatment is finised. Look at this website hair-solved.com. This is the one I first looked at. I don’t think they recommend normal hair extensions because of the weekness of your hair and all its been through. This sounds a much easier way to do it and the video is quite impressive. Thats why I thought I would do each salon so I can compare as don’t want someone just out of college messing about with it. Haven’t gone through this to make a hash of it now.
Am washing my hair weekly like you and do hardly anything to it hence looks awful.
Hope all goes well next week.
Elle x
Ellie, Anne,
I looked into the hair-enhancement systems too before I started chemo and was quite impressed with them as the results really do look fab. I also know someone who uses it (lost hair due to stress, not cancer) and she looks fab all the time!!
I went to a place in Birmingham (Whitecliffs) - its tricky because it is a business and they are selling to you, but this company is endorsed by the doctor from daytime TV (is it Chris someone?) and also by a childrens cancer charity, so my gut feelings was that they are an ok company, but obviously its down to us as individuals to decide. In the end I didnt go with that treatment - I spoke to a tricologist who advised against those systems as she said it can damage the hair follicles as they are glued (or suckered) onto your head. In the end I went with the cold cap, which (touch wood) is working very well for me. The hair enhancement system was going to cost about £800 for 6 months, £1500 for 12 months, you could pay monthly>
Anyway, just a bit more information for you which I hope has been helpful, but more likely to just be more confusing for you & give you something else to think about!
Good Luck with whatever you choose, and with your treatments,
K x
I thought I’d add my friend’s experience of using the cold cap. Her hair is (was) 4-5" long and very curly, but the nurses didn’t suggest she get it cut shorter before her first cold cap session - just that she needed to dampen the hair and smother it with lots of conditioner. She used the Paxman cap but said she barely felt the cold on her head… it was a little cool, but not the extreme chill she’d been expecting. Unfortunately, she lost most of her hair on day 18 after first cycle and, in hindsight, thinks she should have cut her hair short (to 2") beforehand. But who knows, that may not have made any difference.
For those ladies considering hair systems, you might like to have a read about feedback from ladies who wear them due to alopecia. Alopecia UK run a good forum. In short, Whitecliffs have very poor reputation, so please do your research throughly before parting with ££££. There are a lot of unscruplous companies cashing in on vulnerable women seeking hair replacement… but there are also some great ones.
One of the wig companies recommended on that forum is based in North London, and they’ve just made a fantastic wig for my friend. We met them on Monday and she received the finished wig yesterday. Pricey, but absolutely stunning quality hair. They picked the most beautiful colour hair (top quality european) and copied her style from photos she left with them. We’re going back in a couple of weeks when she’s feeling stronger (had her 2nd FEC on Tuesday) so that they can tweak the wig a bit, as the front needs a bit of thinning and shaping to make it perfect. But really, it is so incredibly close to how her bio hair looked (and a nicer colour!) that no-one would ever know.
WF
I’m on day 17 and hair is coming out at the base of the skull area around my neck. I’m not surprised as the cold cap didn’t come down that far and that area stayed warm. Doesn’t seem to be coming out elsewhere on head yet, so I live in hope…
K, Thanks for the information,
I too have been using the cold cap, I have my last chemo on wednesday, had thick hair to start with and I would say i have lost about 50% of my hair, but at the moment I don’t need to wear my wig or scarves,
I will see what hair I have left in a few weeks time and hopefully will be able to leave it to thicken up.
Steph 10, good luck with the coldcap.
Ann x
I had my first chemo last Thurdsay 18 Feb.
Had the cold cap 1/2 half hour before and 45 Mins after.
So in total had on for about 3 hours.
It was not to bad to start with but the cold was beinging to effect me but the tought of losing my hair was to much. So i did not take it off.Fingers crossed
Hi - I’m so pleased I’ve found this forum. I had my 1st FEC just over 2 weeks ago and tried the cold cap as the thought of losing my hair is unbearable. Saw my oncologist yesterday who was pleased to see me sporting a full head of hair as he said without cold cap I would have started to lose hair.
However I have just been sobbing inconsolably as I have just run my hand through my hair and quite a lot fell out. Decided to look for posts on hair loss and was so relieved to read about you ladies who have lost some hair but not all, so will continue to keep everything crossed.
Liked advice of not washing or brushing hair too regularly - will have even more time on my hands now as I usually spend hours washing, blow-drying and straightening. Don’t care if I look like the wild woman of borneo as long as I can keep my hair.
Love to everyone xx