Still waiting on results but i want the honest truth please - is cold cap really painful?? Does it cause severe head aches immediately?
Hi Scoobydavies,
I have cold capped for 8 sessions (still got 4 to go), still have my hair (bit finer & thinner, but still there). Will describe it as “do-able”. For me, cap has to go on 20 minutes before chemo; ie my hair has to be wet, have conditioner applied, then it’s on and I can feel the liquid circulating starting from the crown of my head; then I take the anti nausea tablet, have the pre-meds, the picc-line flushed. It’s on for the hour the chemo drips through, an hour after then switched off but has to stay on my head for about 15-20 minutes so the hair doesn’t break off/stay frozen to the cap. The temperature is -2 C, brain freeze, and I am tucked up under a blanket and kept warm with hot chocolate. I also manage to sleep through a lot of it (I blame the pre-meds!). The cap has to be fitted correctly, and the spiffy neoprene cover fitted tightly under the chin. It is not a good look. The feeling of releif when the machine is switched off is intense, and when I can towel my hair to try to warm my head up I feel better. Also I wear a beanie hat for going home/rest of evening as head stays cold. Some people recommend taking paracetamol before, I haven;t done that.
It’s up to the individual. For me, cold capping reduced the chances of losing my hair from 3:2 to 1:1 and I wanted to try it, and it has worked. I know it does not work for everyone.
Hope this is of some use to you, whatever decision you take will be the right one for you. Good luck.
Mary xx
If you want the truth then yes it is but it is also so worth it. On the first session the nurse explained that it would hurt for 15 minutes and then your head would go numb, she was so right. My husband said that I was so white but he talked constantly to take my mind off the pain. On the second session my sister came with me and as the cap went on produced a photo album full of old photos of me and my family which distracted me so much that it wasn’t so bad as the first time. For the next sessions I took paracetamol in advance and it was so doable because I knew it was working. Good luck. X
Scooby - I found it surprisingly bearable even though I had been really worried. I always took 2 paracetamol half an hour before and had to have on for 45 minutes before the chemo was started. In total I had cap on 2 to 3 hours.
I think if you already suffer from migraines it may be a problem, But it is so worth it. (I had lost my hair 6 years ago and really was determined to keep it this time.) Good luck Marli x
Hi bit late at replying, so don’t know if you still need to know, but have just had my first session today of FEC-T and used the cold cap. It had to be on for 30 minutes before which also gives time for the anti sickness drugs to start and then 90 minutes after. To be honest, for the first few minutes when it went on I did have a brief thought that I wouldn’t be able to do it, but it was just the shock of it going on I think as it is really cold. After about 10 minutes it was hardly noticable. I will definitely be having it for the next sessions.
I did take a couple of paracetamol half an hour or so before but not sure if this made a difference.
If your having the cold cap, take a nice warm blanket to wrap round you, you do feel cold but once i warmed up with the blanket i felt OK.
I would say try it, they can take it off at any time during the treatment so you are not stuck with it for the full time and I would say you have nothing to loose in giving it a go xx