Hi everyone, has anyone out there had success wearing a cold cap while on weekly taxol infusions? I will shortly be having fifth line treatment and would really like to keep my hair this time around.
I hope everyone is keeping up their spirits on the roulette wheel of life. Carole H 😊 x
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cah48
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I used the cold cap for 15 rounds of weekly taxol and have kept the hair on my head but my pubic hair has mostly gone so I think the cap worked. I also took ice for my hands to prevent neuropathy which I think has worked as well. Inhale some but it's very mild x
Hi, I have used the cold cap both times now. The first was for all 18 weeks of chemo and this time the 6 cycles that I have nearly finished. It has worked brilliantly for me - people comment on how much hair I still have!! I find that taking paracetamol before the cold cap goes on takes the edge off the first 10 minutes where it can be painful. After that it is ok. I have a heated blanket and a blanket as well as woolly socks as I get incredibly cold. I also leave my hair for 2 or 3 days afterwards. It looks awful but seems to have worked as it's stated in pretty good condition.
CAH48, I did not have option to try cold cap, as not available at my care center. But I DID ICE my hands which completely prevented neuropathy there. However, I FORGOT to ice my feet and have neuropathy in feet. If I need treatment again, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get the use of the cold cap. T
Interested to know what you used to ice your hands for the duration of the chemo? Do you need to keep ice on them after for any period of time? I'm 2 weeks into remission so hopefully won't need this. But given I have neuropathy now, If I have chemo again will want to try it.
Hi yes I'm just about to have no. 13 out of 18 taxol, using cold cap and currently haven't lost any hair whatsoever! I'm so pleased, I've even coloured it as not prepared for it to look rubbish to keep it so thought what the hell and even that hasn't done any harm at all. It's still in great condition and looks no different to normal! I would so recommend the cold cap for sure, it's worth a bit longer in hospital and the cold, just take a jumper as you will get a bit chilly xx
Hi.I used the cold cap for 18 weeks of Taxol and kept my hair.
Just make sure the caps fit really well.
I used a shampoo called Gentle Herb Shampoo by Odylique that was recommended as it is Ph neutral......my hair is short which I think helped the cold get to the roots better. I was my hair everyday .
I have used the cold cap for my 3-weekly carbo/taxyl. I have had 4 doses of chemo so far and still have my hair although it is a bit thin at the top of my head now. So well worth the few minutes of pain when the machine is turned on-after that I barely notice that I have it on. The nurse said to avoid washing it too often and I use baby shampooh and "Simple" conditioner, let it dry naturally and avoid too much brushing. The book says to expect to lose up to 50% of your hair and this seems to be true for me but I still look as I did before treatment-keeping fingers crossed for the next 2 sessions.
Wow! That's an amazing response. It's been incredibly helpful. Based on all you lovely woman I'm going to give it a go. Thanks for all the advice and I wish you all well. Carole H 😊 x
I'm curious, as we here in the US are far away from universal health care, are cold caps an included option? Here we have to pay a lot of money. My treatment was single agent Carboplatin (which doesn't make you lose your hair) but I had looked into it. Also there is no machine. You have to rent many cold caps and bring them to chemo treatment with you. You need someone to help as you must change the cap every 20 minutes.
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