Anyone gone through chemo and kept their hair with a cold cap?

[RapunzelsRealMom]

DM has just started her first round of chemo after breast cancer. She went through the discomfort of wearing the cold cap.

I, obviously, want her to experience as little trauma as possible so I wonder if anyone can actually tell me if it works please?

Of course she’d prefer to save her hair if possible, but she’s philosophical about it. If it’s unlikely to work, I’d like to save her that discomfort.

Thank you

[RapunzelsRealMom]

Your lovely friend sounds absolutely typical of most women - our identity is often tied up in our hair.

I haven’t heard of cold mits.

DM said the cap wasn’t as bad as she had heard but she says a lot to stop me worrying. It sounds awful to me.

Thanks for the info

[mintyneb]

People get different results from the cold cap. I tried it for my first dose - not so much for me but for my young DD- but absolutely hated it due to the pain and discomfort. My hair all started to fall out 2 weeks later anyway so it didn't work for me. I actually enjoyed having no hair in the end for all sorts of reasons but I did wear a scarf to work when out and about.

If you don't get many answers on here try asking on the cancer support thread. It's a question that comes up quite often and there are women who have had a lot of success with it.

[eurochick]

My mum used a cold cap for chemo. She kept most of her hair. It just thinned a bit and she lost and area on the crown where the cap didn't fit well but she could comb over! It helped in the cancer shitfest to not go bald.

[MiriAmmerman]

I had chemo in 2014 (my cancer has now returned but I’ve just found out that I’ll be having radiotherapy this time instead).

Anyway, just to offer a different perspective - I didn’t even consider a cold cap. My consultant isn’t a fan of them, and I had inpatient chemo with lots of severe side effects, and basically was too much of a wuss to add further agony discomfort. I was and still am quite vain about my hair. It was long, thick, poker straight, and red. I loved it. However, I lost every single strand on my entire head and body and it wasn’t actually that bad. I say this as the woman who did not cry when the consultant told me I won’t get old, but howled like a banshee when told I would be bald

Being bald was not the worst thing in the end, and my hair grew back very quickly. It’s different - dark and wavy - but it’s thicker, softer, and healthier than ever before. As I said above, I don’t have to have any chemo for this particular episode, but I wouldn’t worry about my hair again I don’t think.

So, if she’s finding the cold cap tough, reassure her that baldness won’t be as bad as she imagines. I found waiting for my hair to go very nerve-wracking; once it went (all at once in 24 hours) it was fine.

Best wishes to you and her.

[RapunzelsRealMom]

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Keep well

[Delatron]

I tried it for about 3 cycles, it's quite painful when you are also having chemo pumped into you anyway! So double whammy. I honestly think it depends on the skill and perseverance of the nurses who work with you. Mine rushed it on the second go, I don't think it was chilled properly and not on long enough. Hair started falling out a few weeks later and to be honest prolonged the whole ordeal as then it took longer to grow back!

Have heard some success stories though.