Forum Discussion
Cold Caps
I started my 1st AC treatment on the 5th Jan and was pretty much told by my oncologist to use the cold caps. She stated that they didn't work for everyone 50/50 but they were worth a try. I found the cold cap not to be an issue and warm blankets definitely helped. I have been only washing my hair every 4 days in tepid/coolish water since and using a very gentle organic shampoo and conditioner. If I do any styling at all it's on a cool shot with my hairdryer and very quickly. On Friday, day 16 and for the last couple of days I have noticed that my hair is thinning a little when I brush it ( something I do as little as possible ) but is doing so evenly at the moment. I am doing the cold caps not for a vanity thing but probably more so for a recovery stand point, I was told that your hair grows back more quickly once Chemo is finished. I did have a teary day yesterday as it is confronting thinking that your hair may be gone in the morning, but I guess a lot of you have faced that day and moved on as will I. If I do lose my hair, do any of you have any advice as to weather or not to continue with the cold caps, I do know that Dak2 ( di ) mentioned that her hair initially thinned at the top and sticking with the cold caps helped with regrowth in that spot. I am posting this as I have found that there isn't a lot of 'girly' advice out there regarding the use of cold caps. I guess not everyone has the opportunity to have them offered so I am lucky in that regard. My Chemo regime is AC x 4 over 12 weeks then Taxol and Herceptin weekly x 12 weeks so I guess my hair or whatever remains will definitely test the cold caps.
20 Replies
- If my wig looked like yours @melclarity would have worn it. I tried some obes on at the look good feel better and found a couple that looked much better than mine. But by tbis stage I had hair again.
This was me bald during chemo, my daughter snapped me taking off washing!!! I was being silly!!! and the other one was my faithful WIG!!!! Honestly, it gave me confidence when I went out and looked very much how I did previously. I rocked it bald at home and amazed how used to it I got. It was great to start again! xo- Hi, just chipping in to say that while no one likes losing their hair, there are many options and preferences about what to do before it grows back. I never anticipated wearing a wig - it was going to be hats for me, I bought them ahead of time from a great online source, didn't fancy scarves. An apparently off the cuff remark from my oncology nurse (a very smart person who understood different personalities very well) sent me off to a good wig supplier "for a look". I came back with two! Light, easy to look after and helped me feel utterly normal, which as my reaction to chemo were very mild, was how I felt and wanted to look. Some of us take the opportunity to be bald and brave, some prefer to do that just at home. Don't let losing your hair get too strong a grip, mine started coming back when I was still having chemo. See it as a hair experiment writ larger than usual! Good luck.
- I found the final clipping empowering. Take that Cancer. ..I'm choosing this not you taking it from me.
Sites for some caps
http://www.hathouse.com.au
http://www.hatshow.com.au
Winter time I just bought woolen beanies and got a lot through cheap as chips. The loose ones are better.
I also picked up some cotton scarves from Kmart very long very cheap and googled scarf tying to learn how to do it. I did have a wig but never felt comfortable but have seen others who look great in their wigs. I should have gone back ...if I'd had a special event on I would have done so. I ended up with about 10 lightweight caps and 10 woollen ones and at least 10 scarves...lol.
Thinking of you. Kath x - Hi Shaylee, it is scary but for me it was so worth it just making that final choice and moving on. I had my 2nd round of ac on Friday and it was just really great focusing on that and not worrying about my hair anymore. One of the ladies opposite me was on her 8th round of taxol with cold caps and had great success but she hadn't had ac or any other chemo prior. Another lady I met had made the same choice as me at the same stage of treatment. It is a really confronting but also personal choice, I got my husband to do mine slowly so I could get used to looking at the different stages, I still had shoulder length hair at the time. I have bought a few hats, a really cool bamboo rouched cap and a wig for when I want to glam up or just feel a bit more normal.
Good luck with everything tomorrow and let us know how you go.
Kat x - Sometimes you just have to bit the bullet and get it over and done with, less stress and it makes you feel empowered. I've finished my 4 rounds of chemo with the ice cap on, still have 50% of my hair with lots of regrowth, I'm glad I kept on with it but numerous times I would have been glad to just shave my head as the stress of losing so much hair was doing my head in....but once thru round two my hair loss stopped and regrowth started, it's a hard decision to make. Good luck I'm sure the decision you make is the right one for you. I'm now battling an infection just home from hospital, does this ever end
- Thanks ladies for all your comments. I'm pretty certain the hair will go the hair loss is getting more not less and it's at the point now it's just matting after washing it and I can't do anything with it. I had long thick curly hair and even though I cut it short before I started chemo it's now just not looked by like even worth saving. Chemo tomorrow and I phoned them chemo unit Friday to chat about it and the NUM said she like me thinks the cold caps aren't works by for me. We will chat briefly before I start tomorrow but I think I'm done with the worry every time I shower and the constant anxiety the hair loss is giving me. As much as I'm dreading having no hair and know how much further down my self esteem will plummet, I need to take back my sanity and get back to fighting this damn thing xxx
I used the cold cap for my six rounds of chemo (FECD). I hated them but persevered. I have a huge skull and it was so tight. I cried the first couple of times but then discovered if I took a Panadol beforehand it took the edge off. My oncol said that the caps weren't as successful with my particular drug combo but encouraged me to persevere. The first few rounds my hair fell out in huge clumps in the shower and I wondered if it would be worth it. But then the hair loss slowed down significantly. I had long, thick hair beforehand. It thinned out quite considerably but not enough that a stranger would notice. Walking down the street with a hat on, no one would have guessed. I could show you some before and after photos if you like. I still lost my eyebrows and eyelashes though.
It has grown back so quickly and so thick. I finished chemo last June and the regrowth is about 4 or 5 inches now.
I can understand why people don't continue with it, but for me it was worth it.
Sherril
- Shaylee please can I suggest that you try a wig? My wig was so good that I had quite a few people complimenting me on my new hair do! That actually got a bit awkward because then I had to decide how well I knew them and whether to tell them why my hair was now a different style. Yes it is very confronting and sad to lose your hair but no one other than those you choose to tell needs to know. I walked down the street and people thought I had fabulous hair. No one knew I was having chemo.
In the years since my hair grew back I have cut and coloured it to match my chemo wig. I love looking at photos of myself during chemo because my hair always looked so good.
It was a bit hot during the Queensland summer but there are still days now that I regret donating my wig to the Cancer Council because it only took a few minutes and my hair was done! - Hi Shaylee, I actually got sick of worrying about how much hair I was loosing so my husband shaved my head yesterday. My reasoning was other than stressing out over how much I may again loose today preparing for the cold cap but also the fact that I'd lost about 70% of my hair over 5 days. I also factored in that along with the thinning areas i couldn't style it , colour it, wash it under a warm shower so i figured it wasn't worth the drama for me. My focus now is completely on my treatment and not crying or worrying about what the next day will bring hair loss wise. My oncologists was really up front and told me it was a 50/50 shot if I would keep my hair so I gave it a try. I'm much more settled in myself now, but like most of us I was scared to loose my hair but am more than ok about it now. When i was having a down day i did make comment that BC takes away everything that makes us feel feminine but you know what that's only if we let it. Only you can decide what is right for you and it is tough. I was going to wait until after today to make my decision but lost way too much hair yesterday to be that patient. I wish you all the best and know exactly how agonising the choice is. We are lucky we had the opportunity to try the cold caps.
Kat x
