So yesterday I had my oncology appointment where I was told I need to have chemotherapy - docetaxel and as I’m her2+, herceptin as well. Fortunately this is all preventative treatment as I’m young (44) and reduced the risk of cancer coming back. Dr said I’d have 1 chemo every week for 3 weeks, 1 week off repeat for 4 months. Has anyone else had this treatment? How did you feel? Were the side effects weakened due to the way it’s being administered? Did you loose your hair. I thought I was dealing with it fine but woken up at 3am then a mini panic attack at 5am then managed to get an hours sleep before school run. any tips that help with chemo and if cold cap was worth the discomfort would be greatly appreciated. I’m feeling rather out of my depth.
Hi @kat80pink welcome to the club nobody wants to be in! I have a similar diagnosis to you and HER2+. I’m 65 and I’ve just finished 6 cycles of Docetaxel carboplatin and Herceptin in October but on a 3 weekly cycle. I was offered the choice of weekly paclitaxel for 12 weeks but opted for the double bubble! I’m not going to say it’s a walk in the park but it’s definitely doable. I cold capped and did have a lot of thick hair to start with but have probably managed to keep 80% of my hair but it has thinned. If you google the Paxman scalp cooling website there is some useful information . A few useful tips is to take a Terry headband to protect your forehead from direct contact with the cold cap. I also took paracetamol before coldcap started but don’t take until after your temperature has been taken for your obs. I would say the first 20 mins is the worst whilst freezing is reached. Then strangely you get accustomed to it. It does prolong your treatment time by 1.5 hours as your cool down can be done whilst receiving your herceptin. Hope this helps and all goes well x
Thank you @rugbygal1 thats very encouraging. It’s a tricky one. I’m going to try the cold cap it’s just the unknown about what my hair will do.
Did you have hats/ coverup / wigs ready just in case? Or did you wait to see what would happen? I feel I need to prepare but no idea where to begin x
I’m sorry that you’ve found yourself on this forum but it’s a one stop shop of camaraderie, understanding, advice and support
I was diagnosed with triple positive BC a year ago. Had chemo and targeted therapy before surgery owing to the size of the area affected. I had mixed information from the BC nurse and another nurse in the chemo suite. The first said I might keep 80% of my hair if a cold capped however the other, who was much more experienced said I’d most likely lose it because of the docetaxol. I can’t abide the cold so the thought of having a frozen head for 6-7 hours wasn’t appealing. Nor was patchy thinning graying curls. I am someone who is a wash and go woman so not too fussed about my hair. I have had it short before and was curious about what I would look like without it. I bought a couple of wigs and caps for my head - surprising how cold your head gets in bed in January! Hair was all but gone by the time my 2nd dose was due. In the summer it was too hot for headwear so I braved the baldness. It was empowering and very easy to manage. Just factor 50! Two months after chemo ended I had a good covering. Now it’s thickening up and curly.
Our treatment path is a long one. If you’ve not done so already, have a look at the HER-2 thread. It’s now a long read but I found it invaluable this time last year. Reading about people reaching the end of the treatment with lots of humour, sage advice and kindness.
If there’s the option of cold capping give it a go. You won’t regret not trying.
Hi @mrsjelly thank you so much for sharing your experiences… and I’m also so sorry you’re here too! I too have curly hair, I’m a wash and go and my hair does its own thing which I absolutely love. My curls are my identity.
I’ve just been reading up on the cold cap so will aim to try it- in for a penny in for a pound. I’ll give the her2+ thread a read- thank you for sharing x
Hi @kat80pink I’m HER2 + as well, and I’ve just finished 3 x Docetaxel with Phesgo before changing to 3 x EC.
I very successfully cold capped through Docetaxel, with only some thinning. I had long hair which I had cropped very short. I hate it, as my long silver hair was very important to me…but I think cutting it so short helped the cold capping by avoiding traction, etc, so I’m glad I did it. One important thing I was told on my chemo prep appointment was that even if cold capping doesn’t work that well, it protects the hair follicles which helps with regrowth.
Hi @kat80pink yes I had been and sorted a wig out as I actually wasn’t going to coldcap after hearing some horror stories. The day I went for my first chemo I was sandwiched between 2 ladies who had both coldcapped and were now just having herceptin injections. They convinced me to try it as they explained if you don’t try it now then you’ll probably lose your hair between cycles one and two and then you would not have the option. I luckily did not need to wear my wig but felt safe knowing I was prepared and wasn’t sure if I would get patchy loss, but luckily I didn’t. I would definitely give it a try …what have you got to lose except hair!
it’s just the unknown about what my hair will do.