Despite my positivity about cold capping, I had a rocky day yesterday as I made the mistake of washing it before a friends birthday lunch, and it started to come out in handfuls and handfuls, then matted and I couldn’t get it untangled from my hands. I was staying with friends and was terribly distressed by hair on every surface and down the plug holes and more and more kept coming! Poor boyfriend had to scrape me up and he dealt with the mess. I now have a bald patch by my ear where the cap mustnot have fit properly and the rest has gone very thin. First time I’ve considered just being done with it all and getting rid of the lot as so many of you brave and inspiring ladies have done, but I’m just not ‘there’ yet. Have been using a silk pillow (lovely!)and have started to wear a cap in the house as the shedding is constant, and as it was pretty unpleasant out with friends for lunch yesterday I’m probably going to cover it anyway now. My scalp is also pretty sore! This is all a bit pants isn’t it?!
Also have second round of EC on Wends. Keep strong everyone ? Xx
Milliemoo, sounds like you have had a bit of a day of it.
Hair is such a personal thing and if you’re not ready to say goodbye then that is where you are, and thats ok. We all have to be selfish at this stage and do what’s right for us. I think you are double brave for even thinking about the cold cap. I was only asked about it once and answered, no, not bothering before the CNS had even finished the question!
But it is only temporary and we will all be back to our glowing manes before we know it.
Sending you hugs!!
Carole - my pain didn’t start until the last day, so I was very pleased, but I did take Clarityn everyday which is meant to ward off the worst of it.
Hi Ladies, my day today is too all about hair ? day 13, no cold capping; every single one of us is warned, but when the day comes, it is a shock. I had a handful of my hair left in my hand when I was trying to style it this morning and it is just falling out like from a cheap plastic doll and it is so distressing
We’ll, you can’t be prepared for everything … Although I thought I was ready for my hair to go …
Hi ladies. How are you all today? Just popped in from the Oct thread to see you’re all ok.
I notice a lot of you are at the hair falling out stage. I do not cold cap and that moment when handfuls of hair are coming out is horrible. Nothing can really prepare you for that. It happened to me about a week before chemo 2. At first it’s horrible and then it get annoying as there’s hair everywhere!! I am now 5 days post chemo 3. Moat of my hair is gone tho there are a few fluffy strands clinging on. I am happy to be in the house without anything on my head tho it’s too cold to go out without something on.
Hang in there ladies you will get through it.
Sending lots of ??? hugs your way
Cassie x
Losing our hair is such a personal thing. I didn’t think that it would bother me too much and in some ways I was right. I actually found it quite amusing when it started to come away and kept annoying my husband by running my fingers along it and waving the tufts around. I’m not quite as mad as I sound but I suppose that’s just how I dealt with it. The hardest part for him was having to shave it for me a few days after cycle 2. It was our 25th wedding anniversary just before cycle 3 and because he has been quite bald since he was 21 he said on the morning of our anniversary that the last thing that he would have predicted about our marriage would be that he’d have more hair than me after 25 years!
Hi ladies! Sorry to hear that a lot of you are at the hair loss stage. Those of you cold capping just to let you know you will still probably shed quite a lot of hair and it is still distressing but hopefully you will keep enough for it not to be noticeable. You may also find that it gets matted (I’ve got mine cut short but a bit longer on top and found the longer bits did Matt). I did my first wash post chemo 3 today and again quite a bit came out when I combed it, I’m not sure where it came from as it doesn’t look any different to pre-wash. I do have a really noticeable balding patch on top but sides, back and fringe are all still there.
Otter good luck tomorrow, hope it all goes ok for you.
Good luck to anyone else having treatment this week
I had hot flushes at the beginning of my chemo cycle.
Not sure if they can pick things up through your blood tests.
Hope it goes well for you tomorrow xx
All units are different, most seem to ask you to have bloods done one or two days before chemo. I have mine on a Monday then either see onc or have telephone appointment with chemo nurse in the Tuesday when they tell me bloods ok ready for chemo on the Wednesday.
Haven’t worked out if the hot flushes are chemo effect but presume they are because I’m supposed to be post menopausal on hormone test.
I had my oncologist appointment at 10:15am this morning and I had my blood taken at 9:30am, this is prep for my round 2 on wed.
The oncologist didnt mention my blood results so i asked and all looks good. I assume they check prior to chemo as part of the process.
Yes everything seems to differ depending where you are. Lesley like you I saw onc 2 weeks prior to chemo and then due to see her next week which will be 1 week prior to chemo 4. I have my bloods done on a Monday ready for chemo Tuesday and they then only call me Monday if there is a problem. The chemo nurse then has a quick chat with me prior to chemo on the Tuesday to check I haven’t had any problems. I must admit I usually call them to check bloods are ok as I wouldn’t put it past someone forgetting to call to let me know bloods are not good enough and then not only is the inconvenience of turning up but I’d have taken a truck load of steroids I don’t need!
Also meant to say I think the hot flushes are an SE and not temp related. I am 44 and pre-menopausal but have not had a period since before chemo 1 and have experienced hot flushes. So not sure if chemo has induced an early menopause or not but the tamoxifen I’ll go on after chemo will probably do that anyway so doesn’t make much difference!?
My first steroids are given by bolus into my cannula as the first part of chemo before the E then I’m sent home with 3 days of tablets. The only thing I take before is 2 Ondansetron 1/2 hour before.
Hi November ladies, it sounds like you’re all going through a difficult time. It does take me back three years to when I was where you are now and experiencing my first post chemo infection. It is early days and after a few cycles I’m sure this thread will become lighter and more humorous!
A note on hair - I cold capped pretty successfully through 3 x FEC and 11 x weekly taxol (apologies for repeating myself but this tread is already long and I’ve still got chemo brain/amnesia!). I washed my hair weekly and always on chemo day, although subsequently I’ve read that many are advised not to wash it on chemo day. I left it to dry as naturally as possible and styled with my fingers, no combs or brushes. I found a loose ponytail with soft covered scrunchies helped to cover thinning top.
Just like you are experiencing I had what seemed like a dramatic loss a couple of weeks after chemo 1. Handfuls coming out and a big matted clump which I had to cut out. I was devastated and disheartened, but I preserved with the cold cap and was very glad I did. No more shedding and by the time I finished in April 15 I had a good 2 inches of new hair today growth all over.
You’re doing great girls. Hang in there. It’ll all be behind you very soon xx
Hot flushes are definitely a SE of chemo. I was peri menopausal in the beginning and it seems to throw you dramatically into the menopause. Mine got really bad Jan/Feb after I started chemo. I unsuccessfully tried acupuncture and then was delighted to find that a positive SE of sertraline antidepressants was the reduction of the flushes.
Unfortunately they became worse with tamoxifen and even worse with the alternative drug anastrozole (normally use for menopausal ladies).
I’m pleased to say that things have got a lot better during the last 6 months! I tend to live in shorts/light trousers, tshirts and flip flops - a big t tricky at work!!
Well… bloods done yesterday hope they are ok. Onc appointment tomorrow 9.20 followed by cocktail! Hoping the hangover is less this time but I’ll take 4 rough days in 21 if that’s how it needs to be.
I’ve had no injections or antibiotics and yesterday hair has started to loosen one strand at a time :0( although I read on an earlier monthly thread that a woman had told her children she was like the trees that lose their leaves in the winter and grow back in the spring! Loved it!!!
Who’s on the train for tomorrow??? Is it just fmb and milliemoo???
Day of cleaning and bleaching for me today ready to get on that big porcelain telephone :0)
Santa and his reeindeers are coming to town on Saturday so I WILL be getting out for that and since other wig wasn’t ready till feb lady ordered in different one so trying it on Monday. Hopefully hair can hold on till then.
Hope everyone has a great day, sending much love and hugs xxxxx
and it is just falling out like from a cheap plastic doll and it is so distressing 
?