Hi Claire,

I finished chemo at the end of December last year and I now have a full head of hair so it's definitely worth persevering.

You could ask to try a different size cold cap which will hopefully fit better. 

XX

Great to hear the tips and suggestions from the forum members. Following a mammogram in July, 2 biopsies and a mastectomy 19 Aug I have an appointment with an Oncologist to discuss Chemotherapy. Like most women I am fiercely independent and hate to be sick for any reason so the mention of chemotherapy really took the wind from my sails. I don't want to lose my hair as it's retention will feed my ability to keep my sanity and not plunge head first into a crisis I'll find so terribly difficult to hide. I've read about the cold caps and will try anything to hold onto a semblance of normality. Can anyone advise of where i can rent the cold caps in the UK (North)? Thank you in anticipation and best wishes to you all going through this unpredictable and distressing disease 

Hi DianaG,

Welcome to Cancer Chat. I just wanted to send a quick reply to say that this is a fairly old thread on the forum - you may well still receive replies here, but you could also create your own new discussion on the forum if you would like to, as another way to get some replies.

Wishing you all the best and I hope the forum is useful for you,

Ben
Cancer Chat Moderator

Hi Diana,

l just received the alert about your message. I am so sorry to hear you're having to deal with this horrible disease as so many of us have.

Well done on getting through this first phase - you'll be through the chemo & possibly radiotherapy before you know it.

I, personally had hoped following my mastectomy that l could avoid chemo, but as my fantastic surgeon explained to me, it's that extra safe guard. Belt & braces as he eloquently put it.

With regard to the cold cap, mine was offered as part of my nhs treatment.  Your surgeon should be able to advise and let the nurses know you wish to use it. Using the cap does prolong your chemo appointment. I'm not sure what l posted before as a while back, but l felt exactly like you. I had to try anything to give my hair a chance. I'm not going to sugar coat it, it's unbelievable painful, ending in a high percentage of patients quiting. You have to get through the first ten minutes, then your head is numb. 

You will still see hair loss but try not to get too distressed. It did save me from going bald but there was a significant loss, but l didn't need a hair piece, and l believe the cap enabled my hair to keep growing through, so came back quicker than it might have.

There is no magic cure for this, but it's temporary and a necessary evil, you can do this! It's amazing how resilient we can be. If your hair suffers, it will recover. Trust me, no-one could have been more distressed than l was over my hair. It was and is my best feature.

Wishing you all the best through the rest of your treatment x

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me. I'm building up my wall of resilience slowly but surely . Like you say I'll get through this and the belts and braces approach makes complete sense. We never imagine we will be affected by cancer but it's pot luck I guess and hopefully makes us stronger ultimately. Thank you for your advise and I really do appreciate your time and kind thoughts - onwards and upwards - Diana x

I'm in Cheshire [@DianaG]‍ and had my first chemo session today. They knew I wanted to try the cold cap so it was set up waiting for me when i arrived. My NHS chemo unit has 5 available for use. Ask your macmillan nurse or chemo nurse. My chemo nurse asked me specifically about the cold cap at my chemo pre assessment. Good luck xxx

Thank you so much for your message and taking the time to respond to my post. Been to the hairdressers today for a trim but couldn't get it cut off. I'm hoping the ice caps will be available when I speak to my oncologist on Thurs. Fingers crossed . How are you feeling after your first session? Hope you manage through it with the minimum of discomfort - best wishes Diana (Nr Wakefield)

Hi

how many sessions of EC did u have and what dose ? 
didnu mange to keep all of ur hair ? 

Hi,

I had 4 EC and 4 Taxol sessions but that was back in 2019 so sorry but I don't remember the dose. I preserved with the cold cap and had a really wide parting and a bald patch on my crown but kept a lot of my hair. I am happy to say that I am clear of cancer and didn't get a good response from chemo. 

Good luck with your treatment, it's not pleasant but it is doable 

Xxx