Penguin vs Paxman
Hello! I will be starting chemo about September 28th. I am receiving a second opinion on September 22nd and will need to make a decision within a day regarding which hospital to use AND to use cold caps or not.
I am curious if anyone has done carboplatin and Taxol and used cold caps.
My first opinion said I would be doing 12 weeks of chemo.4 cycles of: Week 1 Carboplatin and Taxol Weeks 2 and 3: Taxol Repeat four times.
If you have experience with this regiment, what was your success and with what kind of cap? Success meaning how much hair did you keep? Your overall opinion about the process? Were the side effects manageable?
I would appreciate any help in this matter. It's a huge decision!!
I have access to Penguin Cold Caps at hospital #1 and Paxman and Penguin at hospital #2.
What is your opinion of using Paxman vs Penguin?
I like the low(er) maintenance of Paxman, but I don't know it's success rate.
Thank you!
Shannon
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I know this is older, but I am just curious what you decided on. My mom is also going between Paxman and Penguin. She meets with her oncologist to determine treatment but was wondering your experience! Thank you!
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mms1234; Hello; I’m sorry your Mom will need treatment and I’m sorry for you too! At one time, there was a very long board about capping on this site. You may want to take a moment to search as there was a lot of information.
In 2019, I used Penguin with 4 rounds of TC. It was a bit of a chore because my husband had to buy the dry ice. I had 4 friends lined up to help cap, but decided against this to help eliminate their stress and mine! I hired a professional capper who packed the cooler, monitored the temp, and alternated the caps according to the schedule. For me, this was well worth every penny and I would do this again in a blink. I chose the Penguin because you cap before, during, and after chemo (in the car & at home). I could use the restroom during chemo without removing the cap. I had REALLY THIICK hair, and I kept about 30-40%. Even with this amount of hair loss, a stranger had no idea that I was in treatment. Also in 2019, a friend’s sister used Paxman, and at that time, it had to be removed for restroom breaks. She lost a lot of hair and attributed it to this. However, their technology may have improved and I’m sure it was nice to simply show up for the treatment. Good luck to you both during this journey.2 -
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer and so quickly! We're in the new stages of everything and I love to hear a variety of perspectives. I like the ease of Paxman, but don't know if the additional time wearing could be more beneficial. I know it can be a gamble since every person is different! I am so glad you are hopefully doing well Thank you again. Wishing you all the best.
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Hi @mms1264 -
Sorry you have had to join us, but glad you found us.
This is the thread which has a lot of information about Cold Caps:
I used Paxman which was fairly easy as you hook up to a machine—-no changing out dry ice. Also with Paxman, you have it on before treatment and after and they unplug it and you wear the cap home. As I recall, if you need to use the restroom, they can unplug you for that short a time and you leave the cap on and plug back in when you get back.
Good luck to you!
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