Hi. I thought it worthwhile to share my experience having just finished 5 months of chemotherapy last week (yay!). I am 45 years old and had a mastectomy of left breast for IDC in July (with temporary expander implant which I will switch later this year). I commenced EC chemotherapy in September and had 3 rounds (every 3 weeks), followed by 12 rounds of Taxol (weekly).
I used the Paxman cold cap throughout the whole chemo treatment and have preserved my hair intact with no bald patches. Whilst I have shed strands of hair most days, and it has thinned a reasonable amount ( in my view), to the untrained eye it is not noticeable. I have short straight hair - not super thick but there was quite a bit of it and I would only colour it 2-3 times a year so it was in quite good condition and strong to start with.
So I can confirm that yes cold capping did preserve my hair and would suggest if you can grit your teeth and bear with it, it is worth it. It has been very empowering especially as I have continued working throughout and whilst I was quite prepared to wear a wig and bought lots of hats I tend to lose heat through my head and can get a bit sweaty from headwear.
For the first one I was nervous and was nearly not going to do it as I couldn't find many positive stories on the Forum. But I watched Rachel Bland's blog and that gave me the courage to give it a go. I took Paramol each time (an hour before) - it has paracetamol and codeine it so a bit of an extra kick. I also had reflexology to coincide with the cold cap being put on. That distracted me enough and I chatted to whoever was giving me the foot massage and that got me through that first 10 mins of freezing. For the first one I needed to do some concentrating and positive visualisation - imagining jumping into a cold sea or lake and taking deep breaths to get through that first strange experience.
I had heard some people throw the cap off in pain. I would not say it was that excruciating at all - more uncomfortable like an extended ice cream headache.
The nurses always had a heated blanket and plenty of layers on hand. Sometimes I would need them, sometimes I wouldn't. I tended not to really eat during the chemo either but would make sure I had eaten an hour or so beforehand and not until I got home. You may want to think about varying the conditioner the nurse put on for the cold cap so you don't associate the smell with the experience.
Washing wise - I would wash 2 to 3 times a week and try and natural dry as long as possible. I used a shampoo called Grow Me which you can get on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00Q59B4UK/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00Q59B4UK&pd_rd_w=gU6aj&p...
I also researched good dry shampoos for in between days and whilst expensive found Living Proof (from Space NK) to be best: https://www.spacenk.com/uk/en_GB/haircare/shampoo/dry-shampoo/phd-dry-shampoo-MUK200020501.html
You will probably know by week 3 or so if it is working or not as if it is, it won't come out in chunks and should just be strands here and there. Certainly makes you more house tidy though as there is always hair everywhere !
As for my eyelashes - they have pretty much gone now - I was using mascara throughout until about week 8 of Taxol and then they have gradually fallen out. I now define my eyes quite heavily as a camouflage (Charlotte Tilbury Rock n Kohl) and wear glasses so no one can particularly notice unless looking closely. My eyebrows have thinned quite a bit but not entirely (yet) so I pencil those in.
So that's me! I am happy to chat to anyone who needs support or advice.
