Life After Cold Caps: a place for ex-cold-cappers to share

Hi, Warrior_Woman :-)

I used Tom's which is a natual deodorant for months, but had to go back to a regular deodorant.

Chemo put me into menapause, so with all of the hot flashes Tom's wasn't cutting it!

Unfortuanately, not even close :-(

Have a great night.

Lynda

Leslie & Lynda - The point of my post is that according to Dr. Susan Love there is no relationship between antiperspirants & BC. In other words, when Frank told me to use an aluminum free deodorant he was restating an internet myth. If you like organic deodorants that's great. But if you're like me and find that they are less effective than what you used formerly, there is no BC related reason to continue to use a product you're not happy with. I'm switching back to my Powder Fresh Secret. I'm all for making lifestyle changes to reduce recurrence risk but I'm not standing on my head because someone heard that being erect causes cancer.

"Myth: Deodorant and antiperspirants cause breast cancer.

Fact: Skipping these toiletries won't keep your breasts cancer free.
One email rumor claimed that antiperspirant prevents you from sweating out toxins, which can then accumulate in the lymph nodes and cause breast cancer. But in 2002, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle conducted a study to address this rumor—and found no link between deodorant or antiperspirant and breast cancer.

A second rumor speculated that certain chemicals in antiperspirants, such as aluminum and parabens, may cause breast cancer because there is a lower prevalence of the disease in developing countries where women don't use these products. However, toxins are not usually released through sweat, and in Europe, where antiperspirants are not widely used, the rate of breast cancer is higher than it is in the United States. Finally, although a 2004 study found parabens in the tissue of breast cancer tumors, so far no studies have shown that these or any other chemicals in deodorants and antiperspirants cause breast cancer."

Shelley,

Hi, prayers going out for you!!!

Unfortuantely, we know about the toxic chemo first hand :-(

My last chemo treatment was Nov. 7th, 2014 and I am still feeling/seeing chemo's effects.

Lynda

Hello, everyone.

A few questions for you, please.

Has anyone used Lattisse for their eye lashes?

If so, did it work well for you? How long did it take for you to notice an improvement?

I have been using it for close to 3 weeks now, and I haven't noticed any difference :-(

I am bummed. I never had very long or full eye lashes, and the chemo made them even more sparse.

My eyebrows look patchy again too.

The joys of chemo!

Lynda

Thank you, RainDew :-)

I guess, I can probably expect my eye lashes to fall out too, (They just grew back!)

My eye brows are patchy again too.

Damn, I wonder if this is always going to be an issue.

I finished chemo on Nov. 7th.

I thought I would be making some progress by this time.

Lynda

My lashes never fell out a second time, so it doesn't happen with everyone.

I am avoiding parabens, sulfates and aluminum because I have heard top doctors in NYC say that they are suspicious that those maybe some of the several triggers for breast cancer. Aluminum in deodorants because it is directly applied so close to the breast - the toxin sweating theory was never mentioned.

I may go to this year's annual Breast Cancer Symposium in early March to hear the latest news on breast cancer research as that is one of several places where I heard the recommendation to avoid aluminum.

SueBe, if it's any comfort, long term shedders ( I was one of them) usually stop at about 16-17 weeks post chemo.  You're getting close. I can't imagine that hair gel would do any harm now.

SueBe, hang in there. I'm 16 weeks PFC. Looks like shedding finally stopped. I washed my hair tonight, scrubbed my scalp but only a few hairs came off. I'm going to get hair color and cut next week. Can't wait!

HockeyCat that's great news. I am still shedding. I washed my hair today and they are still falling out. Hopefully it will end this week.

I did 3 rounds of 3 weekly EC and 9 rounds of weekly taxol. I used the cold cap for the entire treatment. Yes, it was uncomfortable and very long (a total of 36 hours!!) but it worked really well. My hair has thinned but I still have most of it. One week after the end of treatment, I was able to visit the hairdresser for a gentle blow-dry, which was easily one of the happiest days in my life. Now, I am taking biotin to make sure the new hair comes out nice and strong, and hopefully fast. Any experiecne with biotin anyone?

SueBe,

Take heart! I just stopped shedding and I know you, HockeyCat and I all ended at the same time. It's great not being paranoid every time I touch my hair. You'll get there!

YAY, I can finally join the club/ post here also!

CurlyG - LOVE the nails!! CONGRATS!!

Golden Paws & Harrysmom, THANKS! feels good to say I'm done...

Hope to see Gatomal on this thread SOON?!

So happy have sent those bleepin caps back today...though they didn't work well for me, I recently posted my picture timeline on the on the cold cap thread pg 436...BEWARE, it's kinda scary. I'll post a shorter version here....

I need advice??? 2 things...first, Geralyn had told me it's ok to cut off the random last few long ugly strands...Now that I have a short new do, I'm not as worked about shedding...haven't shed for a few weeks (yet there was HARDLY any hair left to shed)...but, I'm scared to lose my short hairs, which is prob unlikely, (But u never know) SO I plan on following the few months after protocol of "babying" the hair with regards to PH/Paraben free shampoo, cold temp etc, but I will use a headband for cuter style when I feel like it, but my question is how often can I shampoo now? every two or three days? I know I need to be gentle, but I just wanna scrub the SH#T out of my scalp!!! I have also bought the nisim FAST shampoo as recommended way earlier on this thread for faster growth from a stylist/member...they make a PH/paraben free version, but I may wait a month or so cuz think it needs to be used daily or at least every 2 days. With curly hair, I've never been a daily washer anyways.

Second, has anyone hear of the DIY hair growth masks? most are coconut/Extra virgin/caster oil based mask/ scalp/hair treatments (some recipes have egg, honey, some onion) for hair growth? you leave in for an hour or so (some sleep w/ it overnight) & then wash out....It's all over youtube, & I am very tempted to try it eventually, but not sure when I can put oil/oils on my hair. I have only used bio silk on my length ends & w/ a slick pony tail...I really worry oil & water don't mix, so it may be a pain in the butt to wash out &I'll just look like a big grease ball....ANY ONE have any DIY/home remedies experience w/ this?

thanks,

Lori

Curly - Try using Nioxin #4 shampoo and conditioner. It worked wonders for me by getting rid of the buildup on my scalp and hair. My hair immediately looked better. Keep treating your hair gently.

I suggest taking BioSil liquid. It has been clinically proven to grow thicker stronger hair and helped me regrow what I had lost. My hairdresser was so impressed by the results that she, and others in the salon, recommend it to their clients.