Cold Cap Experience
You can see I'm back with a vengeance... I was offered cold caps at the same place I would be having the chemo, at no extra cost or runaround so I decided to give it a go if I could tolerate it. I'm ...
Forum Discussion
TC chemo. I'm raising my deceased (from breast cancer) sister's two kids (currently 9 & 12) (as well as my own two). She died 18 months ago and didn't do the cold cap. I really wanted to reduce the visual impact on them. I was told by several doctors and nurses that I'd get a good result. I had thick hair so the expected thinning wouldn't be too noticeable.
I was given paracetemol and Ativan to help cope with the cold. The first 12 minutes were VERY uncomfortable to painful. Then it lessened a tiny bit but suddenly at the half hour mark, it became entirely bearable.
Chemo 1, Day 14, my hair started falling out. From almost every part of my head. It gathered pace with every passing day. My scalp was SO irritated, itchy, tender, painful and prickly. And the condition of my remaining hair was revolting. Limp, manky, totally lifeless. I started to have a complete absence of hair on the top of my head. It was like the parting of the Red Sea...
Chemo 2. In the discussion about the hair, the nurse administering the cold cap and drugs, said yeah, people on this chemo regime don't get good results from the cold cap. She was the first person who had said this to me. In a later discussion with the NUM, who's kept a close watch and note of cold cap results, said she was surprised at that. So, contradiction is still rife in this area.
Chemo 2, Day 5 (two weeks ago). Enormous landing strip on top of my head, hair all over the house, huge handfuls coming away, bare patches appearing all over the head. Pulled the trigger, went to the local hipster barber and had it buzzed off. Felt and looked MUCH better. They made me a huge Four Pillars gin and tonic (my first drink since Christmas Day) and comped me the whole thing. The kindness of strangers.
Turns out I have a good shaped head and think I might try and rock a Sinead O'Connor once it starts to grow back. Also working on a head tattoo...
It sucks big time, and I'm not enjoying watching my eyelashes and eyebrows slowly thin, but I haven't shed a tear over my hair (PLENTY about everything else). I whack on small hat/cap from the local cancer head wear shop and get on my way. I don't enjoy the stares and looks as strangers clock your suffering, but what to do? I have to go to the supermarket...
I'm glad I tried the cold cap. I had to give it a go, but it did not work for me.
I was given paracetemol and Ativan to help cope with the cold. The first 12 minutes were VERY uncomfortable to painful. Then it lessened a tiny bit but suddenly at the half hour mark, it became entirely bearable.
Chemo 1, Day 14, my hair started falling out. From almost every part of my head. It gathered pace with every passing day. My scalp was SO irritated, itchy, tender, painful and prickly. And the condition of my remaining hair was revolting. Limp, manky, totally lifeless. I started to have a complete absence of hair on the top of my head. It was like the parting of the Red Sea...
Chemo 2. In the discussion about the hair, the nurse administering the cold cap and drugs, said yeah, people on this chemo regime don't get good results from the cold cap. She was the first person who had said this to me. In a later discussion with the NUM, who's kept a close watch and note of cold cap results, said she was surprised at that. So, contradiction is still rife in this area.
Chemo 2, Day 5 (two weeks ago). Enormous landing strip on top of my head, hair all over the house, huge handfuls coming away, bare patches appearing all over the head. Pulled the trigger, went to the local hipster barber and had it buzzed off. Felt and looked MUCH better. They made me a huge Four Pillars gin and tonic (my first drink since Christmas Day) and comped me the whole thing. The kindness of strangers.
Turns out I have a good shaped head and think I might try and rock a Sinead O'Connor once it starts to grow back. Also working on a head tattoo...
It sucks big time, and I'm not enjoying watching my eyelashes and eyebrows slowly thin, but I haven't shed a tear over my hair (PLENTY about everything else). I whack on small hat/cap from the local cancer head wear shop and get on my way. I don't enjoy the stares and looks as strangers clock your suffering, but what to do? I have to go to the supermarket...
I'm glad I tried the cold cap. I had to give it a go, but it did not work for me.