Hello,
I am facing my second round of chemo for ovarian cancer. Fortunately my last one was in 2018.
I was thinking of using the cold cap to keep from losing my hair this time. I wanted to find out if anyone in this site has had experience with it.
Would love to hear from you!
Jean
Hello
I lost all my hair six years ago. Last year I had 16 rounds of taxol and used the cold cap each time. I had slight thinning of my hair at the top but generally nobody would have noticed as it was such a small amount.
Everyone is different but it worked for me.
Good luck in your treatment.
Kathy x
That is great to hear. Which cold cap did you use?
Sorry I don’t know. I wasn’t aware there is more than one kind.
I've had the same results as Kathy on weekly Taxol.
I used it for my first lot of chemo but after two infusions my hair came out in handfuls!
well - i used it for first 3 sessions but hair started coming out about 18 days after second one. however, i think it wasn't quite fitted to the skull properly that time. i can only say that i stopped using it at the 4th one only because it seemed to be making me ill but after stopping, all my hair came out very quickly.it's very uncomfortable but bearable. you could try it once and see how you go. candy x
Thank you for your feedback.
Yes if taxol it limits loss
I’ve used the cold cap for each of my chemos with varying degrees of success. The first carbo/taxol worked quite well although thinned and was not in the best condition. The second carbo/gem I was told I wouldn’t lose my hair but it started to come out and got very thin and really I came too late using the cold cap. My third carbo/Caelyx has held on to my hair quite well. Going to be on weekly Taxol so will probably try it again. Can be uncomfortable and makes me need to rush to the loo several times. Quite tiring too as it extends the time in chemo unit by two-three hours. Take a cosy blanket/scarf and have a woolly hat to wear home as hair will be damp.
Make sure your hair is wet and has plenty on conditioner on it. The cap must fit tightly to the scalp to do its best and I know there have been times when it’s not felt right on my crown. Good luck.
Cheryl
Hi Jean
I lost my hair during my first treatment with Taxol/Carbo at the end of 2017.No one suggested the cold cap and to be honest I hadn't heard of it.
When I had my second lot of chemo in 2019/20 it was suggested that I may like to try the cold cap. I had caelyx but was told that I could lose my hair. I had no problem with the cold cap .It felt strange for the first 20 mins but it was suggested that I took 2 paracetamol before the cap was put on. My hair was okay throughout my treatment.
I did not use the cold cap when I had my first Taxol in 2018 and was bald very quickly.Now I am on 3 weekly Taxol and Avastin and decided to use it. I will continue
to do so although my hair gets thinner after every session and my comb is
full every day but do not think I will lose it all. My hair was always very thick so maybe that helps. After 15 mins of having it on, I find I get used to it
though it is always a relief to go to the loo! not to mention when it is taken
off. Unfortunately it does extend the treatment time by 2-3 hrs but I am a
good sleeper. I take a hot pad with me, warm clothes , cosy socks and mittens!
Go for it and Good luck!
Carolyn
I tried it at frontline carbo/taxol. I have fine hair anyway and was warned it didnt work well on such hair. It really needs to sit tight on your scalp, my first time it didnt (I knew that from subsequent times) so the hair loss started. Give it a go, take conditioner with you, its needed to enable the cap to ease on. After a little while the coldness becomes OK, going to the loo can be a faff but if it means keeping your hair.........good luck with it all.
You have some good advice here, the only thing I would add is don't use a hairdryer be extremely careful and gentle when washing it and use a wide tooth comb but only when really necessary, this will at least slow it down. Hope your one of the lucky ones. Sue xx
yes I used the cold cap for frontline chemo and kept about half my hair. The cap didn’t fit well on the crown and I lost the hair there but I read about someone who had had the cap packed with gauze at the top to make it fit better. When they turn on the machine it is painful fir a very short time- maybe a minute or 2 at the most- then settles and is reasonably comfortable. I thought it was well worth it.
Thank you all for responding. This is my third round of chemo and hoping to avoid wearing a wig this time!!
I tried the cold cap and kept it on for my first cycle. The second cycle I tried it but found the whole thing unbearable and took it off after a few mins. I felt cold and miserable and it added an extra hour to my treatment. My Oncologists words kept ringing in my ears too. He said “ no patient on this regime ever keeps their hair”. I hated losing my hair but For me the cold cap just wasn’t worth it. I got some funky hats which were fantastic. I could never get on with my wig either. Good luck if you decide to have the cap.
Chances of it working are stacked higher in your favour of you are going on to weekly Taxol. Good luck with your treatment
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