Cold Caps Users Past and Present, to Save Hair
Comments
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Kimmy, you sweet badass! I could not be happier for you. I'm on your heels, sister. I hope I look as gorgeous in a few weeks. You did it.
(I just saw this. Yay!)0 -
JeniferE
You couldn't be more spot-on re: emotional well-being, psychological well-being, social well-being. I'm just now losing eyebrows/lashes for real and can't help but think how much less I'd have gotten out without hair. Feeling good boosts your immune system, boosts your physical health. I couldn't agree more. As does having all of you to prop us up while we go through it. It's a big deal.
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question, I have just finished round 3 of AC, don't know if I will be doing round 4 due to possible heart issue, however i Have kept about 50-60% of my hair thus far, will be going to weekly Taxol. the Chemo nurse tells me that with the dose that I am getting women start with hair re-growth during Taxol, because i am doing the 12 weekly taxol, my question is how many stopped cold capping and kept hair thru taxol, or stopped cold capping mid taxol and kept hair?
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Need advice ladies. Am I a failure or do I keep going? I've thinned, so much on top that I think the toppix may not help. I just finished round 3 on Wednesday. I washed it tonight. I only have one more treatment to go. April 1 will be my last. I'm not sure if I just shave it or keep going. Can I please get some honest feedback. I would really appreciate it. My family still feels I have so much hair and should really just keep going, the top is just so hard for me to look at. Thank you. Pics are attached:
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Tripper - you need to keep on capping through weekly taxol. I know there are some women who report some hair regrowth while getting taxol after AC - and it seems to be white and baby fine. However, I don't know of a single woman who had weekly taxol alone who did not lose most, if not all, of their hair during those 12 weeks.
U4ia - yes, the thinning on top must be distressing; however, you seem to have a lot of hair elsewhere on your head, so I wouldn't call it a failure!
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u4iachic, I know you are distressed, I would be too...BUT you have a lot of thickness and length. Still. Yes, it has thinned. But if you keep what you have and are finished, then it will start to grow in short and cover your scalp, as it grows and fills in you maybe able to attach some hair pieces with clips to the new growth and then gradually get shorter layers blended in as it starts to grow longer. I would hang in their and keep going. You can shave it anytime, if you feel it's too much. I would hang in there for the last one. Hugs. It sucks to have to deal with this. I'm sorry. (Even though I think it doesn't look bad!)
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U4, honestly, I think you look great given you've had 3 treatments & only have one to go! I agree with your family & think you should continue. Yes, you are a little thin on top but you've got length and thickness in your length. I wouldn't think twice about the thinness on top unless you pointed it out to me. I really think we are our own worst critics and notice more in our hair than anyone else does during this process. I'm 3 treatments in with AC and have 95% of my hair; however, I got a good case of frostbite with #2 and now my scalp is flaking off in large chunks all over my head. It is so bad that I don't want to leave the house since it looks like massive dandruff. I have very dark hair & all I can see are huge white flakes stuck throughout my hair. My family says they can barely notice it, but, I think they are just being nice.
Tripper, I don't know of anyone who stopped the cold cap process during the Taxol. I, too, have Taxol scheduled for 12 weeks beginning in April and frankly, I'd be too scared to quit the caps at that point if I still have my hair.
And lastly .... Congratulations Kim!! You look fabulous! Hope you are able to enjoy your first weekend PFC and maybe even partake in some St Patty's festivities!
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For those whose cold caps didn't work, there are salons specializing in extensions for "chemo hair."
http://jonrichardssalon.blogspot.com/p/hair-extensions-after-chemo.html
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U4 - I agree w above. I can see why you feel stressed about the thinness on top, but you have only one to go, and the hair you lost earliest will be quickest to grow back :-) so within a few months you will have lots of short hairs filling in that space, and still have the rest of your length.
Angiel - this sounds like cradle cap. Happened to me too (also very dark hair). have you tried the apple cider vinegar? It helped for me. In my shampoo and as a rinse
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U4, don't throw in the towel. You only have one more to go! Yes you have lost a fair amount on top - but it will fill in quickly!!! Don't chop off all the beautiful length you have fought so hard to retain!
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U4, I agree with the others, don't give up! have thinning at the crown as well and have had a lot of success with the following strategies: 1. changing up my part, 2. pulling my front hair back over the top and clipping it in the back and 3. using headbands to both cover the thin spot and to pull front hair over it. Looking at your pic, it looks like you have a lot of hair in the front and sides to work with. You may not be able to do your usual hairstyle, but it can still look good. Plus, if you shave it now, it will take you three years to get your length back. If you keep capping, in three to six months PFC you'll have filled in enough hair on top that even you won't notice the thin spots. To me the choice is an easy one. Hang in there!
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Thank you all so much for the encouragement. I am forcing myself to keep my hands out of my hair, this has been hard. Capping is not easy!
You are all right though, I'm going to keep trying. Hopefully I won't shed as much after 3 and 4. I did have a good shed after 1 and 2. I still think it comes down to not having good contact the first time I did the caps. I read an article about using Nioxin 4 during chemo and it was sulfate and paraben free etc.....I may try that to pump up the roots a bit. It's amazing to me how quickly I went from having this beautiful hair to such damaged and breaking hair. Chemo.......it's no joke.........We all knew that though. I assume I will shed in a week or so since I just had round 3. That already has me nervous. I seem to shed right before each round. I was hoping I would only have one big shed. Thank you all so much for the feedback!
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U4--You can do this! We are all here for you...if you need to vent or have someone hold your hand or give you a cyber hug, bring it here. We're all in this together!
I'm about a week behind you (started TC 2/5/15) and I had a huge shed day 18 through 25 after first treatment. I would guess I lost about 15-20% of my hair with it. A lot of it on top at my part where I think with its exposure to sun damage was just naturally weaker. It completely freaked me out and I was here posting almost daily. I got great handholding from several of the women here and it really helped see me through. Today is day 18 after my second treatment and I'm waiting to see if I have another major shed. We'll see. If you do use the Nioxin, let me know how it works. But also do try styling it in different ways. It looks like your hair is really thick and full elsewhere which is great. I know it's hard but try to work with that. And if nothing else, there are some really cute spring hats hitting the stores right now. You could be a fashion trendsetter!
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That's right Momma! I knew someone was really close to my current schedule. I did the exact same shed. I did shed again day 19 and still a bit, but not as much as the first time. So I'm hoping I'm doing something right. Since I have scalp showing I am using gauze to cover it, just to avoid frost bite. I will keep you in the loop about anything I do. Thank you so much for responding! You ladies are all the best on here!
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U4iachic - I agree with the recent posts. Definitely keep it. You can also use Toppix to fill in the thinner parts of the scalp. I use it, and it makes my hair look thicker.
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I have a question about itchiness. I had 2 Taxol treatments so far, first one on March 3rd, 12 days ago. My scalp is very itchy. Is it normal? Or is it a sign it will fall out?
Scalp does not look red or pink to me by the way.
Thank you,
BB
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U4,
When you next cap, work on making sure there is close contact on top of your head. In our capping experience, I think sometimes there were air gaps on top. Also, have you been massaging the cap on top of your head during treatment? I did not do that much,but when I lost a bit more on top, I started diligently massaging during the hours of capping. You may be doing this already...
I am 3 months PFC, having second trim tomorrow. Little hairs growing on top have filled in quickly. Hang in there!
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BB, some itchiness is normal - probably because of the infrequent hair washing. Try just rinsing your hair in between washes.
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thank you, PatinMN.
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I agree U4, keep on trucking. I had my last treatment on Thursday. I'm still shedding and my hair is thin but no way would I give up now and neither should you. It's so frustrating but hey we have hair and are not wearing a wig!! You've done the hardest parts.... try to move your part around. That's what I have to do. I'm really thin near my ears so no pony tail or tucking behind ears. I've been using a little hair spray to keep my thin spots covered on top (cringe on windy days lol) ... no problems w hair spray. It sucks but everyone says within a few weeks to a few months, all our hair will start growing in... won't that be sweet :-) hang in there as I'm pull a piece of hair off my shirt lol. ♡Kim
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Kim, CONGRATS!!! It seems to have went by so fast! I remember when you first started...You have been awesome on this site & a real encouragement to others...& love the fearless top! Wish you the best
U4, I know it seems so scary, but you can do it! only one treatment left! I had looked into a hair topper at a wig shop as I was worried also with my drastic thinning....But I really agree that it will grow in fast & try to continue the toppik (there are other similar brands too w/ various reviews) Organin, Caboki & Nanogen. Geralyn, my PCC rep recommended nanogen....but I never tried it. Good luck
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Going in for my Taxol/Herceptin # 3, with my coolers, cold caps, etc. Hair still hanging in there, but it's been only two weeks since my first treatment. I suppose I should start expecting some shedding any day now, correct? Each time my scalp itches or tingles, I have mental picture of clumps coming out.
I hope my helpers - my husband and my mom, are up for another day of hard work.
Have a nice day, Ladies!
BB
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I'm so happy that you all warned us about the shedding around day 18 after the 1 st treatment. I'm on day 19 and I really started shedding yesterday after I washed my hair. It doesn't appear to be much slower today. Thursday we get to do the cold capping all over again😳. I'm expecting it will stop on Thursday! I hope that is what you all said. Happy St Pats day to you all.
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Jaejk5 - my biggest shed so far was between Days 20 and 30. Then it really slowed down. I just finished my last treatment (#4) and it seems to be picking up again but nothing like BIG shed. It seemed to start up again right around treatment day. Hang it there!! Happy St. Patrick's Day 🍀 Kim
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Thank you, Kim. I just needed to be reassured one more time.🌹 Cindy
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Hi,
This is my first time posting after weeks of lurking. What a GREAT group here!
Thank you all for all the info. I've ordered the caps, they should ship tomorrow..
I start TC on Tuesday March 24. I've read thru all the posts since December--so helpful--and I've taken lots of notes. I plan an in-store and online shopping spree soon so any additional must-have recommendations welcome. I'll be using dry ice.
Hope and Hugs,
Carol
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I had my 3rd Taxol yesterday and it seems that we finally might be getting the hang of the whole cold capping process. It went rather smoothly, we were all in sync. Thanks to this, my anxiety level went down too.
Now let's just hope it will work, let's hope we hadn't made too many mistakes so far and I will be another success story. Time will tell.
BB
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Welcome Carol, glad you came out of the lurking shadows!!!!
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Welcome Carol - Be sure to look for two dry ice suppliers. We had one and consistently used. The night before my third chemo session, their freezer broke and my husband was searching that night for a replacement. It worked out in the end - late night and premium cost to show for it. Lesson learned so wanted to share.
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I'm about 16 days out from my first treatment, still not losing any more than the normal day to day shedding, but my scalp is starting to get that tight ponytail feeling, so I guess any day now I'll have the big shed. Tomorrow is my last hair wash day before infusion #2, which is this upcoming Monday. Getting a little nervous.
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