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Chris51's avatar
Chris51
Member
7 years ago

Chemo & hair loss

I am yet to have treatment plan confirmed but expecting chemo to be part of it. Interested in the use of the cold caps to reduce hair loss. Would love to hear from anyone who has used these and to hear of the cost, the discomfort level and of course whether you did keep your hair.
  • I had it and had significant thinning but my hair grew back afterwards so quickly!
  • I tried it but gave up after the first two treatments as I had a bald strip across my head from ear to ear that no comb over could cover.  It may have been the fit but I did keep pushing it down - who knows?  If it works, it's great - if it doesn't it's not worth persevering.  I found the bald patch more upsetting than taking control and clipping it off.  And the caps add a significant amount of time to the treatment.  But I would say, if you've got the opportunity, go for it!
  • I had it but it didn't work well enough for me to persist. The fit is really important. I don't think mine was pushed down hard enough on my head.

    Once I got over my discomfort of looking like a cancer person I quite enjoyed being bald as a life experience. One I have NO wish to repeat I might add!

    Good luck with your treatment. I had the genomic test too. Let us know how you get on. K xox
  • I have my treatment at Epworth Richmond and they definitely have the caps
  • Thank you so much for your comments - I am pre-empting my oncology appointment I know but I just feel like I have been on this merry-go-round since first diagnosis a month ago. Just like initiating the gonemic testing, I want to feel that I am informed and in a knowledgeable position when faced with the decision making ahead of me. If I do need chemo I think this will be at the Epworth & from their website it appears that they do have access to these cold caps.🌹🌹
  • @chris51 that was how I felt too. I didn’t want to look like a cancer victim no idea why cause I’ve been through so much now that hair seems irrelevant but it was 

    that said ive recently returned to work and some people have no idea I was even sick
  • Thank you for your feedback - am waiting on gonemic test results hoping that I might avoid chemo but don’t like my chances! I dread the ‘cancer victim’ appearance after chemo related hair loss especially when I don’t feel unwell in myself (other than the constant anxiety). Just want to get to the other side of this horrible experience.
  • @Chris51 I used the cold cap and retained most of my hair. I have a couple  of thinned out spots on the top of my head where my hair was thickest

    there was no additional cost in my clinic I am not sure about others

    discomfort level for me was limited to 5 to 10 mins of brain freeze at the beginning and then nothing else. I was given a sedative before we started and that usually relaxed me so much that I’d sleep through a good bit of my treatment. It does add about an hour and a half to your treatment time because it has to be going for a period of time before they hook the chemo up and then more at the end. The end wasn’t a problem for me as I was having herceptin which takes about half an hour to run anyway so I still had to be there for that bit. 

    Some have  great results @kezmusc
     Others have very ordinary results or can’t stand the brain freeze bit - experience pain for much longer than I did so give it up. As we say about all of our treatment we are all individuals and we all react differently 

    personally for me it was worth it