Cold Caps Users Past and Present, to Save Hair
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My advice to you gals who are getting push back on using the cold caps is this:
Stop asking and start telling.
"I will be using the cold caps. I am not asking anything from you. If you can't get out of my way, do let me know timely so I can move my care to a provider who has no objections. In my area, those providers are: (1) Southwestern Medical School, (2) MD Anderson, (3) whoever. I have referrals to excellent oncologists at all of those hospitals."
One thing I didn't know is that sometimes the oncologist and the infusion center aren't technically connected -- look at your bills -- so the oncologist can order the chemo, but the infusion center has a certain amount of autonomy in how the drugs are delivered.
My oncologist was very supportive -- indeed intrigued by the fact that cold caps WORK. I'm sure after 30+ years of watching women go bald, it was very cool to see a few of us keep our hair.
A few days before my first chemo, I wrote an email setting forth my expectations per the above. I never got any push back.
We found that putting the first cold cap on in the waiting room ensured we got ushered back within 15 minutes. Remember: you can have the cap on for too short a time, but never for too long a time. My infusion center always had a lot of people waiting and my suspicion is that they were uncomfortable with the questions that might follow from this crazy woman essentially having dry ice applied to her head. I was NOT quiet -- I'm obnoxious that way.
For those of you starting out -- remember, you are not a special snowflake. The caps will work for you too because they work.
Don't panic.
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Hi Everyone!
Just popping back in...its been almost two years since TCH. You all sound like you are doing great! I love the feistiness of the group. I wanted to share a couple of thoughts, now that I am out a bit.
I feel great. I believe I am cured, which is what the drs told me right after my surgery. Remember what your drs tell you, they do not do it lightly. Sometimes you cannot hear it...but take notes and revisit what they say!
Onto my hair...it is super duper thick. I think it is possibly even thicker than before. What I love about going through this experience is that I now go about 3-5 days without washing my hair, just because I can. My hair does not get that greasy feeling. I have SOOO much time in the morning for my husband, kids, sleeping, working out. It is great! I also have a new perspective, have gotten some crazy haircuts, knowing it is just hair and it grows back.
I am rooting for you all...hang in there with the cold caps. Life is good. We are so fortunate to have this technology!
Annie
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Hope49 - thanks for the reply - glad to hear your shedding is slowing down. Your hints are very helpful - I thought I was being so careful this Sat when I washed it - cool water, very light/low flow, very gentle conditioner on the ends, pat dry- and then a touch of moroccan oil on the ends, and then air-dried. But now that you mention it - I cannot remember if I combed it out while wet first with a wide-toothed comb! I might have completely spaced that out- was being so careful to air-dry and not touch! And it did mat the next day and got big tangles that I've never had before - and then started coming out. Damn. It's definitley shorter now because a lot came out at the nape of my neck, the longest hair. Hopefully , this shedding will ease up.
The Lady Grey - thank you for your empowering post. It's good to be reminded not to panic, and that the Caps work :-) I am already panicked enough about the chemo doing it's main job ( neoadjuvant) so hoping it will shrink the tumor prior to surgery, as well as prevent recurrence.
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I agree with Lady Gray. I am completely frustrated by the fact that MO's are not supportive and especially NOT INFORMED about cold caps. If you are reading this and interested in possibly in using cold caps, know that your MO will most likely just say no and that you will get scalp mets. Just like anything else you do in this BC journey, you need to do your research. Read the studies that are linked in this thread and do your own homework. If you plan to discuss it with your MO, bring the studies and have key points highlighted. MO's are sadly not informed about cold caps and quite honestly don't care. YOu are making decisions all along the way about your care and this is just one more decision you have to make. Don't let your uniformed MO scare you out of using the caps if you want to use them. The occurance of scalp mets is so low and comparable to patients that have not used cold caps for the most part. You can read that in the studies. You have a higher risk of getting leukemia from the chemo and permanent hair loss from taxotere than you do from scalp mets with or without cold caps. I assure you your doctor won't be telling you about the risks of permanent hair loss from taxotere.......(this really happens - I have a friend dealing with this right now!). Just be your own advocate. If you feel cold caps are something you want to do, tell your doctor you are doing it. They can't tell you that you can't use them. If they do, go elsewhere. This should be a choice. People should not be pressured and told they can't use them. OK - I am off my soapbox now!
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TheGreyLady - Excellent post and very good advice. If more people take a firm stand about wanting to keep their hair by using cold caps, and some switch infusion centers to be able to use cold caps, it will make the oncology world take notice. I switched and as a result, the place I left looked into the place I went to and may start a clinical study on cold caps of its own. Money talks everywhere, and chemo is big business, not just life saving medicine.
Would whoever knows where the clinical trial information is in this thread please take a moment to post it on the "Cold Cap Usage Tips" thread. It is not as long as this one so the material will be easier to find. That way we can refer new people to it, they can print out what they need to discuss cold caps with their doctors, and be fully prepared to refute the "scalp mets" myth when it pops up.annie - Thank you very much for coming by and posting. I am glad you are doing so well. You really are an inspiration for all of us!
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301724 - you look beautiful!!! So happy for you!
So many great posts the last few days. Give it to'em girls. lol
Ignorance of MO's is unacceptable, but a sad reality.
mdg said: You have a higher risk of getting leukemia from the chemo and permanent hair loss from taxotere than you do from scalp mets with or without cold caps.
Brilliant mdg, simply brilliant.
I used Nature's Gate Sulfate free Jojoba shampoo (says it fortifies damaged hair). Found it at my local organic store.
http://www.drugstore.com/natures-gate-jojoba-revitalizing-shampoo/qxp168629
I also used a spray leave-in conditioner/liquid reconstructor - swear by this stuff: http://www.joico.com/products/k-pak-liquid-reconstructor/
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ALL I HAD TO DO TO GET MY ONCO TO AGREE WAS TO GIVE HIM COPIES OF THE RESEARCH REGARDING SCALP METS FROM HIS PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS.
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Hortense, thanks for the reference to the cold caps usage/ tips board, I had no idea that was out there! When you used the Joico product, was it during tx? I'm still struggling to find the right
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hope49 - I used the Joico product during tx. My hair was coming out like crazy when I combed it, made worse b/c my hair tangles. The Joico product made a significant difference in reduced tangles/ease of combing, plus my hair looked healthier/smoother/less breakage.
The Joico product is not listed on the Penguin info, but I had used it in the past to heal my hair, so took a chance and tried it during tx. Made a big difference for me.
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I don't keep up with this thread anymore so please excuse if I'm repeating a question, but I'm 3 1/2 mos PFC and I'd REALLY like to get my hair cut and colored. I'm still shedding however. Has anyone really noticed that dying your hair (with aveda) or getting it cut makes a difference re the shedding? I'm not sure I believe it but I'm trying to stick with the program anyway. My new hair is growing in slowly and it is fine, straight, and mousy (rather than thick, curly, and not a fabulous brown but not mousy).
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Lady Grey, mdg, Dancetrancer and Hortense-I must say after reading your recent posts I felt so proud of you all! I know it sounds ridiculous but I felt like a Mother who see's her chlid ride a bike for the first time. You guys get it-We will change the 'standard of care', and someday make this available for anyone wishing to use the caps.
This is a good link to identify the safety of the bath and body products you're using:
Keep up the good work ladies! And, for the new cold cap users remember that, a bad hair day is better than a no hair day
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Cypher, I shed for six months and stuck to the program... And I was in the day of cold water washes... It got very frustrating!!!! And looking back I don't know if it makes a difference or not ... I did do little trims to clean up scraggles... But I'm just past 2 years PFC and love my hair... Its healthy and long....It's 6 more weeks or 8 and you can do what you want...short in the scheme of things... Good luck hang in there
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THanks Lynn. I do the cold water washes as well -- I can live with those, though they are a PITA, I jsut wonder if any of this stuff makes any difference at this point. Actually I'd also like to be relieved from the cold water washes, at least sometimes, just because I swim for exercise and I can't just shower at the pool post swim because you can't adjust the shower temperature, so I have to go straight home. It's not a big deal but it's inconvenient.
Well maybe someone tried it and had results to report one way or the other.... Thanks everyone!
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cypher, I'm probably not a good example because I really did not shed at all during treatment, or after (I'm about 10 weeks PFC). But my understanding was that we could wash hair with lukewarm water, as long as it wasn't warmer than body temperature. And I thought it was OK to cut hair a month or so PFC. I had mine cut (2-3 inches) a couple weeks ago. As for coloring, I think the rule is "vegetable dye" only after 3 months, and then after 6 months have at it with whatever you want. I colored my hair about 3 weeks ago with Clairol Beautiful Collection, which has no ammonia and no peroxide. I heard about it from others on this board who used it within a month or so after chemo ended. It doesn't cover gray very well, but it's better than nothing! It also washes out - so even though I'm still not washing my hair more than 2-3 times a week, the color is fading a lot. I do believe that others who used this color were still shedding at the time, and it didn't cause any ill effects. I don't know about the Aveda product.
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Hi Patin,
That's very helpful. I think aveda stuff is pretty pure but I will check.
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Forest, studies have shown that cold caps do not increase the risk of scalp mets, which is so rare that it is statistically nearly nonexistent. There are actually studies which show women with advanced stage cancers had LESS risk of scalp mets with cold caps...that's how rare it is. You have a greater risk of developing leukemia from chemo (it's a very very rare but known SE of chemo).
For anybody whose MO is worried about scalp mets, ask them if they are concerned about the potential SE of developing leukemia. They'll say no, because it's so unbelievably rare, they're not concerned about you developing leukemia. Then tell them that there is 10x LESS risk of getting scalp mets than that.
Your doctor can do a simple Pubmed search on cold caps and come up with about 30+ years of research in the European oncological journals about the safety and efficacy of cold caps and other scalp cooling treatments -- that's what I did when I decided to use them. Dr. Hope Rugo has completed one clinical study at UCSF and has been recommending them for years.
Btw, I haven't been online in a few weeks because I've been doing a medical exchange in Cuba, one of my life's dreams to travel there, but I wanted to jump in with some encouragement to everybody going through treatment right now. You will get through this. It's a lot of work, and your hair won't be "normal" while you're going through chemo, but I continue to be amazed when I see my pictures of that time. I can't tell at all that I'd shed any hair, though it felt like an enormous amount at the time. (It amounted to a small sandwich size baggie worth, I still have it.) On Sunday, I'll be having a long-overdue hair trim...and the last of my chemo curls will be coming off. They've been lots of fun - I kept nearly all of my hair while using caps, but my existing hair and all my new hair grew in very ringlet-curly. It's now returning to normal, which is wavy-curly.
And, best news of all, I'm at my 3-year cancer free anniversary. Hang in there! stay positive! Keep to the basics of eating gently for your tender stomach, drinking tons of water, getting sleep, doing something to help your spirit and mind (yoga, meditation, prayer, journaling), and try to get at least a short walk if not more to keep your red blood cells oxygenated.
To any new users or anybody considering caps, feel free to PM me with your email and I can send you my writeup on my experience, pointers, etc.
Cheers,
Susan0 -
I switched MOs after the first consult (at Dana Farber) because she would not let me use the caps. I found a local MO who was open to using them, so I switched. They worked, I have long hair, and my hair is thicker now than it was before BC. Ironically, Dana Farber now has a freezer and encourages patients to use cold caps. LOL
I colored my hair after shedding stopped with no ill effects. I went to a salon that had ammonia and ppd free hair color.
Hang in there, ladies. They work, and they're worth it.
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I've ordered the cold caps and did not look into a wig at all. Is that the way to do it?
I start chemo TCH on Feb 25th and am trying to be organized.
Is there anything else I should be doing in preparation. I'm buying a mild shampoo today. Was make up a problem? Is mascara a no? Sorry if I sound silly, but I'm in sales.
thx
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Shasha - Congratulations on your decision to use cold caps!
You do not sound silly at all. You make a lot of sense. Make up should not be a problem, mascara might be after a while as you may lose most of your lashes and taking it off might speed up the loss. I skipped using it except for special occasions. Mine got very thin - and those became extra long for some reason - before mostly all falling out shortly after I finished chemo. They grew back fairly quickly. Honestly, no one but me seemed to notice.
I met a number of women who used cold caps at my hospital because they were in fields where they didn't want people to know they had cancer so that they didn't lose contracts or have their disease impact their business. They all kept their hair
Cypher - I trimmed my hair a number of times after I finished chemo and while I was still shedding, just 1/2" each time. I spread it out to about 3 weeks between trims. It made such a difference. Frankly, you are almost at the four month mark so I don't think having your hair cut will hurt anything.
Just ask them to treat your hair gingerly - as if it is fragile, which it still is to some degree. They will, if you ask them and if you explain why that needs to be. Bring your own shampoo, rinse, wide toothed comb and a dryer that blows cool air. That's what I did the first time. My salon did not mind working with me and in fact seemed fascinated by my having kept my hair.
Have them use tepid to cool water and ask them to be extra gentle while washing and rinsing - no rubbing or massaging. Have them use your own wide toothed comb to comb out the wet hair and remind them to start combing it from the ends - delicately. Ask them to just wrap your head in a towel and gently blot your hair dry, instead of massaging it a bit after the final rinse as they might ordinarily do. When time to cut, ask the hairdresser to treat the hair extra gently, no tugging or stretching it.
Finally, have it blown dry on cool or at most warm, not hot. I brought my own dryer that first time to be sure. We used cool near the roots and warm on the longer ends to style it.
I had mine glazed a beige blonde at 5 months to cover my long roots and it didn't seem to do any harm. I stopped shedding at 16 weeks. Shedding stops suddenly, as others have reported. Literally, one day you notice that not a single hair fell out. It's amazing. And, delightful!
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Shasha, I wore mascara all through. Just make sure it is the type that washes off easily. I made a list of things to take with me to treatment including: moleskin (cut ahead of time), mini pads, scissors, thermometer with extra batteries, gloves, small towels (to wipe inside of caps), timer, clock, pen and paper (really helps to write down each cap change time and what number cap you are using).
Also brought my Mom's rosary
The first few cap changes will seem pretty chaotic, but soon you will be pros. Good luck!
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Hortense, thank you so much for the advice. I want to warn my hair dresser that it will take a little longer than usual and that I need to talk to him, but I don't want him to think it's about him. We usually communicate via text. I don't blow it out but the rest of the stuff will be very useful. I think I'm just going to have him cut it, not 1/2", but just go for it. If my hair doesn't freak out, then maybe the following week I'll get it colored at the aveda salon. I am still shedding a bit but it's hard for me to imagine it's going to start coming out by the fistful if I have him cut an inch or two off the ends at this point -- by next sat. (when I have my appointment -- I'm so excited!!!) I will be about 3 1/2 mos pfc.
Sasha, I tried not to use mascara unless i really needed to because just removing the eye make up cna help you lose lashes. I lost quite a few. I figured I'd rather have spindly, pale lashes than no lashes. (My lashes started out spindly and pale ... I never did lose all of them.) Also you may want to get yourself some brow makeup b/c those will stop growing in at some point. I kept most of my brows most of the way through, but they got really pale. I lost more of them at the very end. I was really happy to stop having to use brow make up every time I opened the door a few weeks ago.
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Hi Ladies,
I am 5 days past my first TCx4 and used the cold caps. So just waiting to see how the end of next week goes and if it worked! I had the best team, my sweet husband spent hours on his part of "Operation Cold Caps!" He had sketches of the coolers witht he dry ice and spear-headed "the timers" in their roles of when the next cap came out of the cooler and needed to be prepped and another timer for when it was time to change out caps. He is the sweetest and I love him so muich for fully getting on-board with me on this, but he has been at my side and on-board from the first call we recieved to come back for a 2nd mammogram.
Question, if I may, for all you veterans of the caps: I am very concerned about my exercise and work outs. I NEED to work out, it makes me feel so good for a little while and I can release so much of my stress. But I am so worried about getting my head too hot. When I am in a spin class, I can't stop and put on a cold cap to cool my head down or at the gym running 5 miles on the treadmill. I have very thick sholder lenght wavy, ringlet hair, so I try to loosely braid it enough to keep it out of my eyes and off my neck and do two braids along each side of my head, so I am not pulling on any section of my hair, like with a ponytail. I think the hot air can escape my head better with the braids. But am I wrong, is there another techneque anyone has used? Have you ladies been washing every 4 days or once a week? I work out for at least an hour every day and I have been washing every 4 days, but can go longer, but I am afraid my hair folicles might get to clogged?
Thank you so much, the caps have given my so much hope to live with a little more dignity and get out there and do things with my kids and husband and for myself. I have been so encouraged by all of our posts and no longer feel so very alone like I used to.
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Thx everyone for their in put
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Shasha - Don't forget to ice your nails during each of your Taxotere drips to help you avoid nail bed damage which can result in discolored or dark nails, or yellow, warped thick nails, or even complete nail loss. Worse, it can cause neuropathy - nerve damage. Another thing, sucking on ice and sipping ice water during Taxotere helps to ward off mouth sores. You do not need to ice during premeds or during Cytoxan. Using all this ice during Taxotere might make you very cold when combined with the cold caps. You might even shiver. I did shiver sometimes, although I warmed up after stopping the extra icing fairly quickly, but I believe it was worth it.
An Oncologist team at Memorial Sloan Kettering had warned me that neuropathy was a real possibility and that if I got it I could lose the fine motor ability in my fingers and not be able to do delicate things like paint, thread a needle, sew, use scissors to do fine cutwork, etc. Fortunately, right after meeting with them I read about icing on here. No one on the MSK team had mentioned it.
For your hands use Ziploc bags partially filled with crushed ice or frozen peas. Put your fingers into them up to above the first joint. You can take them out for a few minutes if they get too cold and red, but put them back when you can.
Ice your feet and toe nails also during Taxotere also. I would put a folded towel on the floor to absorb any condensation, and for insulation as the floor is at room temperature, then put frozen gel-pacs on top of the towel and place my bare feet on the gel-pacs with two other frozen gel-pacs across my toes. The gel pacs I used were some I already had from the hardware store and used to keep food cold for traveling or picnics. I think Ziploc bags of crushed ice would work also.
As a result, I did not have damage to any of my nails, but I certainly have seen and spoken to other women who did suffer it. I also have read stories in other threads on this website about women losing their nails or having discolored or malshapened nails. Sadly, they hadn't known about icing. I remember feeling some odd nerve tingling at the ends of two toes and a numbness on two finger tips after my first round of T/C which made me nervous, but it went away in a few days. I am certain I would have had neuropathy if I had not iced.
This next bit might seem like too much information, but it might be information you will be glad to have. Speak to your doctor or nurse about starting a stool softener a day or two before you have chemo and using it daily after each infusion until you are sure you are regular. Too many of us suffered from painful constipation when it could have been avoided. In my case, I found taking stool softeners beforehand helped enormously, as did being sure I ate a high fiber breakfast cereal with lots of juicy kinds of fruits on it each morning - that was key for me. Drinking lots of fluids was simply not enough.
Lastly, stock up on tempting foods and juices, and be sure you have all your regular household goods well stocked too - cleaning goods, soaps, shampoos, toilet paper, paper towels, pets foods, etc. - so you don't have to worry about shopping for them when you might not be feeling too well.
Best of luck, and take good care of yourself.
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Thx Hortense
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Hi everyone!
I hope the quiet on this board means you are all doing well and not having any major hair challenges this week!
I wanted to share that I switched to yet another shampoo this week and it seemed to work really well. I used DermOrganic shampoo and conditioner and then after I blotted my hair a bit I put SeaChi leave in conditioner - just a tiny dab rubbed into my fingertips - on the very ends of my hair. I then put the diffuser on my blow dryer and on low/cool setting gave my hair a short blow dry since it was so cold here yesterday. Today my hair still feels clean and it is softer and has some body to it. So much better than my prior routines which either left it too dry (California Baby) or too stringy (PHMiracle). I think we'll all find different things that work for us individually but thought I'd share this in case anyone else is searching. I was able to get travel size of the DermOrganic at Ulta so I could make a minimal investment to test it out - given only 1-2 shampoos a week with a tiny amount, I think even the small bottle will last awhile! I'll let you know if it continues to work as well...I've also noticed the shedding is way down the past few days, let's hope it stays that way!I also found that clipping my now long bangs and sides back keeps me from touching it and obsessing over any falling strands - for you veterans, is it okay to use the tiny claw type clips? They are about 1/2" and I'm very careful there's not any tugging on the hair where I clip them.
I also wanted to update that the small patch I got on the last round finally scaled up and peeled off...I didn't notice any hairs coming out, but funny enough I have noticed in the last few days that I have a lot of new hairs poking up in that area - I'll be interested to see what happens to them!
Round 3 of 4 treatments is Thursday - wish me luck!
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Hi Ladies-
Haven't been on in awhile! Loving all the great posts! I got through my 4x AC and have had my first Taxol treatment. My body reacted very, very strongly to the Taxol, as I am on the 4x dense dose, so they are going to lower my dose this coming Thursday. Hoping it makes a difference. Did anyone experience horrible body pains? To the point where Advil and Tylenol do nothing? They prescribed me Vicadin, but I dont like the way it makes me feel. Figure my liver is already working overtime! And my neuropathy already started, mild, but I feel a tiny bit of tingling, so thanks for the tips, Hortense! My Oncologist also recommended Vitamin B Complex and L-Carnitine for the nerve damage.
I have lost a considerable amount of hair, it is extremely thin, but I still have full coverage, which I am very thankful for! And the shedding has slowed down, so I am hoping to make it through this. I must say that because my hair is so thin now, I felt real "pain" last treatment, especially my first couple of caps. I take two Tylenol before each treatment, but does anyone have any recommendations other than that? It did not bother me much before the last treatment, but this last one really got to me. I felt extreme cold pain at the top-back of my head and it has been tender to the touch ever since. If anyone has experienced that, I'd appreciate any feedback! I'm so close that I am definitely not giving up, just hoping to manage it a bit better!
Qrex1: I am a dance teacher and teach 6-7 hours a night, 5 days a week. I have definitely been taking it easy since chemo, but still work up a sweat, none-the-less! Havent missed a day of class since starting treatment. Even on days I dont feel like going, I force myself too and feel so much better after doing so. Exercise is so important, and if your body is up to it, go for it! I posted your exact same concern back a couple of months ago. I received great feedback from others. Some tips were to rinse with cold water when you get home, even every day if that's how often you're exercising (just a rinse, not a wash). Another was a frozen washcloth on your head when you get home. My 16 month old son is teething, so I already have those in the freezer, so most nights, that is the route I go. The constant rinsing made me feel like I was losing more hair than I would otherwise. So I only rinse on nights I get really hot and sweaty. And I only wash once a week. A pain, but again, I feel like I lose the most hair on days I wash and I definitely want to keep every single hair I can! Lastly, I throw my hair up with one of those small "hair claws". It drives me crazy down and I constantly mess with it, pulling out lose strands. I used a loose hairband in the beginning, but that always pulled hair out when I would take it out, so I stopped immediately and the claw works great! I throw it in a very loose bun at the nape of the neck. Best of luck to you and let me know if you have any other questions! Hope you keep lots of hair!!!!0 -
Hope49: I use the claw clips! I honestly believe it prevents my hair from falling out! Like you, if I leave my hair down, I mess and obsess over it constantly! lol And I have a 16 month old who doesn't seem to understand "No pulling on mommy's hair". So I consider my small claw a huge help! I keep it very loose and be sure the actual clip doesn't touch the roots!
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Hi all,
I have been one of 'the quiet'. This has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me and have had to go it alone for a few days. Ten days ago-- three days after my 2nd TC-- I declared defeat. I had lost so much hair in one shower, after a week of massive shedding, that I thought for sure I was done. I had a big ol' cry. But when my hair dried, to my amazement, my hair still looked like hair. After that post-chemo shampoo, the shedding slowed dramatically. I am still holding my breath. Many have said that the most shedding happens between round 2 and 3... I am praying I've had my big shed early. I have definitely lost big patches on the sides, around my face, above my ears--the cap just doesn't offer any cold to those areas for me. But the hair from the top covers as long as wind doesn't blow...underneath I look a bit like the cryptkeeper. The back underside has thinned quite a bit--I've lost most of my longest layer of hair which I don't really miss-- actually makes it easier to comb out.
This has made me marvel at how much hair I must have had to begin with! I have easily lost half. But I am now hopeful I will make it through... If I do, I hope my experience will be a comfort to those who come after me...
Hope49-- Good luck on Thursday. You know I look to you to chart my course for adventure (to quote the Love Boat theme song).
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hope49 - Those little hairs will grow like mad. Mine did. It was amazing how fast and thickly they came in and covered the bald spots left by frostbite from round 1.
dancingthru - I am so sorry to hear you have been having such a hard time. I hope your next one is much better.
My nurse, at a center that has had more than 40 women use cold caps, suggested taking one Tylenol and one Motrin 20 - 30 minutes before donning cold caps. She said the combination worked better for most people than two of either of the others.
You might consider also wearing a thin silk scarf under your cap to help protect your head. Or put a layer of gauze over tender areas. We considered using a scarf, because I got frost bite in several places the first time - they were very sensitive and swelled up a bit. We decided to just use gauze over any place that got too dark pink looking, like my part area even though we changed it between caps. If the spot that is sensitive stays that way, you might have gotten frostbite. It will heal and flake off taking some hair with it, unfortunately, but the hair will grow back insanely fast.
At seven months past chemo I can tell you that shed hair comes in very thickly after a period of follicle dormancy. My hair thinned out a lot more than I would have liked, but I kept full coverage. The new hair, which is about 3" long now, is filling it in so fast. At 1/2" a month rate of growth, it must have started to regrow about a month after my last chemo treatment.
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I just had my one-year-after-diagnosis mamo and sono and they were all clear! YAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!
Good luck everyone!
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