Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Sorbet,   I used the cold cap and did not lose all hair, most of it though but it has started to grow back very quickly. I had my last treatment on 09 Dec 2014. I think it only begun to grow more at the end of Jan. Now it is about an inch in the back and a bit more in the front as those hairs remained during the chemo, very weird. So, I had to travel 06 March and took a risk and dyed my hair. I chose a brand that is supposed to be more gentle, "Naturigin". Chose natural blonde but it turned out reddish :O). Smiley, because I kind of liked it a lot. Never been red before. Anyway, the colour has faded very quickly and will have another go tomorrow at the hairdresser this time, would like to get it blonde, because that is more me. So the lenght is like what Kylie Minogue has in some pics, if you google Kylie chemo hair, where she has blonde ends, thats my aim for tomorrow. We will see! This is my experience 🙂 Good luck with your trial. ... View more

Hi all,   I am 6 weeks past my last FEC and cold capped the whole time. Lost about 2/3 and almost all on the back. Now I have dark layer of half an inch on the top of my head and starting to see new hair at the neckline, so I think coldcapping does protect the roots. It seems to just gone wild and wants to grow which is really great! I used very mild shampoo and conditioner during the treatments and only washed once or twice a week and combed as little as possible. It keeps sheding but be patient, not all of it comes out necessarily. Good luck!- Sunshiney- ... View more

Hi,   It is 6 weeks past last FEC and I am anxious! It looks that the hair has started to grow back and it looks to be very dark. I kept my fringe and thin layer all over but lost a lot of hair on the back after the last chemo. I had shoulder lenght blond hair. I just want my old beautiful hair back, this is very frustrating. But it is worth coldcapping, you will not go totally bald. That was important to me. Saw one lady yesterday who finished chemo at the same time than me and went totally bald. Her hair had started to grow immediately after the last 3 weeks past last chemo but it looked to be very fine baby hair and just a hint of it. Good luck and lot of strenght with your process. I hope I have a short twiggy at least by summer.- Sunshiney- ... View more

Hi,   I will keep fingers crossed for no more hairloss Riversidedawn! I lost mots of the hair with FEC, not with T...I should maybe cut the hair as well but now at least I can attach a fake ponytail..so nor sure what to do yet. Will go on short holiday first, where I can wear sun hats 😄 take care XXX Sunshiney ... View more

Hi all,   I finished 3 Tax and 3FEC on 9 Decmber and used the cold cap every time. I saved some hair all over, very thin but when on a ponytail, can fool people that do not know me. I had shoulder lenght blond hair so now all the blond highlights are gone and left is the "lower layer" thinly. But, I have a fringe which stayed nearly as it was, which is strange but having it fools people when wearing a hat or a hair band so overall, the result is sort of ok. But now I am anxious to get my hair back, so wondering how soon the sheadind stops, it is 3 weeks past the las chemo on Tuesday. Hair still comes off (of what is left!). ... View more

Hi,   I used the cold cap, had 3 docetaxel and 3 FEC and finished treatment early Dec. I did not lose all my hair, maybe 2/3 of it. Fringe is left and thin hair all over, so not totally bald. When I have a pony tail, it fools people and they don`t notice the hairloss if they don`t know me, friends of course notice the difference. I wshed my hair only 2 times per week during the treatment and used very mild shampoo. Very gentle brushing and tried to limit touching and combing totally. Eat well and make sure you get enough nutrients from your food and good fatty acids. Good luck with your treatment and hope it all goes well! xxx Sunshiney ... View more

Hi all,   Back today. Really cheered me up to read your lovely posts and words, thanks! Done a lot of xmas preparations, baking and decorating today. Ginger bread scent and bisquits. Third day withour feeling sick at all, yeei! So, life is coming back. What is funny, that today I had to go to my son`s xmas party at school. So, washed my thinny little hair in the morning, put it on a pony tail (mini one), added a clip on pony tail and wide hair band...and no one looked at me twice! I mean, they did not notice! I was so happy and got all this energy to prepare for xmas. April: thinking of cutting my hair very very short in Jan so I will be Annie Lennox 2 then :D. Actually really looking forward to a new hairstyle. I`ve had long hair so long I can remember. SO, I am feeling a lot better. I do get hot and cold flushes. Sheryl: yes, rads will follow in Jan...we will see how that goes. I have not lost any fingernails or eye lashes...hope you get your nails back soon! A bit odd that they still come off, too powerfull medication :/. I hate chemo..but it keeps us alive hopefully. Have to start Tamoxifen in Jan as well, not looking forward to that but also needed. I wish you both a very merry Christmas and lovely time with your loved ones! I had precious moments with my son today at school...xxx Sunshiney ... View more

Hi,   I feel a bit better today, ate a lot of chocolate without getting sick :). My hair is a total mess but I start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is still me, alive. Thanks Sheery! ... View more

Hi,   One week past my last chemo and I am alive and start to feel like it. I feel like a warrior who concured the enemy. Thank you all for being there and listening, it is really important to me. I wish you all a lot of strength with your chemo path. Not sure why T part was easier for me, but it was. It is also a very good drug they say. Today I literally felt that "all cells are dead now" (even the healthy ones I suppose) and that is good. Good bye cancer, do not come back. -Sunshiney- ... View more

Hi Katherine and all,   I was diagnosed in June 2014 Just had mammogram and was shocked after learning that they actually found something. I had IDC 1.9 cm, grade 3, ER+, PR + HER 2-. No lymph nodes affected but had blood vessel contact to the tumor. Had lumpectomy in July with clear margins. I was so dissapointed to learn that because my tumor was grade 3 and had blood invasion, I would need to have chemo. In my country Finland 2.0 cm is the official limit that they recommend chemo and always if lymph nodes are affected. So, started chemo in August and just finished 3 rounds of Docetaxel and 3 FEC. I used the cold cap through my treatment. Docetaxel was easier for me, I had hardly any side effects. Some flu like symptoms and the taste of food went for couple of days. Also kept very positive because the cold cap seemed to be helping. The hair started coming out only about after the second treatment but I have not lost all my hair at any point. After the fifth treatment I lost more hair and now after the last treatment some more, so I have like a very thin twiggy hair left. Only today my son said that, mon your hair is very thin. But it is still there. FEC was more difficult for me, I have felt quite sick, 3-5 days after the treatment and now after the last treatment, I feel very tired and worn out some how, but now it is over. Also the keeping positive spirit started to fade away a bit towards the end of the treatment, the fear of losing the hair and the feeling sick became more difficult. I tolerated the cold cap quite well but towards the end that also started to feel a bit more difficult. I think it is psychological. I am also a bit worried about the long term effects but my blood cell counts have been quite good through the treatment, I suppose they would show if something would be very wrong. But I have also read quite many posts about BC that reoccurs and I really would like to do everything in my power to prevent that. It looks to be a bit more complicated also if it spreads to other organs, then it is difficult to cure. Lymph node involvement shows that the cancer started to spread already, so it may have sent tiny microscopic cells somewhere else as well. CT scan cannot detect those cells. I had the blood vessel invasion so the cancer may have sent some cells elsewhere. I am tired and also still a bit scared that is it all really gone, the emotions go up and down. I will start rads in January and feel that, thank god there is still something to make sure the cancer is gone. After that comes Tamoxifen treatment for 5 years which protects as well. My cancer was very strongly hormone positive. Now that xmas is coming I am very emotional and feel that I want to do everthing possible to be around for my family.  I don`t want to die and I want to be healthy again. I do feel that BC is a serious condition and needs to be treated properly. Everyone tolerates chemo differently. For me I suppose it was pretty ok, I was expecting worse. It is a journey. This was my story, maybe it helps someone. Good luck with your decision and all the best with your treatments and recovery! Best wishes, Sunshiney   ... View more

Hi,   Today I feel really down, I look like a naked chicken :/. I have lost some more hair and soon there is not much to lose anymore. Maybe i should be happy that I kept one third of it. I do look like a ghost of myself and really miss my old self. Also in other ways. Why did this have to happen to me. It helps to know that I am not alone in this but it is still quite terrible. It is day 5 after the last FEC but still feel quite ill, seems to be the same for me, the more the sicker but as said it is finished now. I had 3 Doxetaxol and 3 FEC. Looking forward to the new life with no chemo and hair that does not fall out. XXX ... View more

Hello Sodastream,   Thank you for sharing your pics. You kept lot of hair! I had my last treatment on Tuesday and been really sick, yack. But now I will look forward and really looking forward to the shedding to stop. How quickly does it... I still have my fringe and sort of hair all over but it is really thin but pony tail fakes it quite well. I also have more on the other side, maybe because I sleep on my right side hmm.  Let`s see what colour appears, I am blonde... take care and best wishes- Sunshiney ... View more

Hi Jo, I`ve nearly finished my chemo and I have been taking Vitamin C (1g per day), D (50 micrograms) and probiotics the whole time. I haven`t had any infections, not even a flu whilst my family around me have been ill. I know they say that we should not take vitamins but you can also try to eat them from food, if you don`t like taking the pills. It is difficult to get 1 g of Vitamin C from food and also vitamin D is a challenge during winter time as there is hardly any sunshine. Vitamin C and D together fight infections. And probiotics protect your stomach. Protecting the hair is a different story( cold cap and Biotin and Omega fatty acids. I don`t take all this during the first week after chemo as liver may get overloaded but during the last two weeks before the next treatment. One week to go and I still have half of my hair left. Hope it all goes well for you! Take care! Sunshiney ... View more

Hi,   Thank you so much for these words. 10 days to the last treatment. I tried Emed last time but it did not fully work. They will try another dose for the last treatment. Cold cap was really awful last time but it works. I have like a very thin twiggy hair now... I will go to the party and try to look happy and smile, good to get out of the house. My son asked me today that mum are you still sick...well. It really helps to know that I am not alone, there are many of you out there, sadly but comforting. Who ever invented this disease. Maybe the pill is the reason for the Estrogen positive tumor...who knows. All kinds of thoughts tonight. Hope you are doing well tonight 🙂 and I wish you a lovely weekend! Hugs! ... View more

Thank you Lol,   I know that I will now just focus on the last treatment- I can do this! Sun will shine again. ... View more

Hi,   Thank you both for your kind words. Yesterday was a day when I cried the "whole day", all this is just awful. My friend has her birthday party on Saturday and I don`t want to go there and see all those beautiful young women around me with their full thick hairs. And it is not just about the hair, it is all of this. Life will never be the same. Two weeks to the last chemo and it really is hard, knowing that I have to go through that nausea again. Cold cap adds to that. But like said I have to do it. Also want to be here for my son and husband. My neighbour lost her father to cancer yesterday, he was only 60 years old. So I have to keep in mind that this is serious and it has to be treated. With or without hair. With my wig I look like an American show host, so I cannot use it without a hat, it is too shiney and wawy. I would like to go on holiday after this ordeal in Jan and "forget" about this before the rads start. I`ll try to find that book. Take care both, I suppose the sun will shine one day again for us. Thanks for sharing  🙂 attempt to smile.- Sunshiney- ... View more

Hi Both,   Thank you so much for the comments, I am really looking forward to ending this...feels like a long two weeks to the last treatment. Sounds promising and not too bad, can`t wait to comb my hair and not get a handful out! How quickly starts it grow after the last treatment? I will be recovering still around xmas time. Thanks and I hope you are both doing well!  ... View more

Hi again, No, I don`t think the cold cap has anything to do with the eyelashes, because it cools the scalp only so I am just lucky not to have lost them, I suppose. XX Sunshiney ... View more

Hi Redrose,   I had my second CEF (FEC) this week and have been having hot flushes during the nights and keep waking up. During the day I get suddenly really cold and can`t stand anything cold on my head or wet feet or cold hands. It is winter now in my country so snow is falling and cnnot go out without a hat. I hope this goes away because it feels awful. I feel menopausal, I suppose, with the hot flushes. One more to go...regards, Sunshiney ... View more