Cold Caps: Success Stories with Photos here!

13

Comments

  • JCS28
    JCS28 Member Posts: 153
    edited April 2016

    Here is my final result! I am ecstatic!

    image

  • viktoryak
    viktoryak Member Posts: 266
    edited April 2016

    Hi I am starting with Arctic Caps Tuesday, I am very very worried if it will work and if i can manage it. We are having a skype training tomorrow. I was told by Nurse from Arctic caps that i can color my hair before i start treatment. Which i did yesterday (back to my old dark color) hope it will not be that much noticeable when roots grow up. I am also doing a trim on Monday and then i guess i will need to survive all these time without hair styling and hair products. Bought some bandannas that don't cover whole head, hope it will keep when it gets to bad hair manageable.... Nurse from Arctic caps recommended "Madison Reed"- they make an organic hair powder that you can put on your roots. Which is great to know i can use once my roots grow up to much -i do have some grey hair.

    Any last minute recommendations? I am so worried about the whole process of caping not even talking about chemo part that i am so scared :( My regiment is weekly taxol for 12 weeks + herseptin.

    I am getting crazy about thinking how will we change caps on the way home from hospital. The drive takes from 40 to 60 min depending on traffic (we drive to NJ from NYC). It means every 20 min we will have to get out of highway and stop on the street or shoulder and change it. Sounds crazy, but I don't have a choice...

    So if you see on the news "crazy woman stopped traffic for her cold caps in NY city" -it will be me.:)

    But on a serious note, ladies, how did you manage getting home from treatment in cold caps and changing them on the way. Am i the only one who lives that far from hospital? Any stories?

  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited April 2016

    JCS28!!! You look amazing - congratulations!!!! And thank you for posting your cold caps success story here!!!

    viktoryak - I see you found the main cold caps thread and posted over there - that is great! That is where most of the posters are and where you will get the most support. This thread is just a reference thread for newbies to see success stories. I would suggest copying your post above and reposting it on the main CC thread. Best wishes!!!


  • viktoryak
    viktoryak Member Posts: 266
    edited April 2016

    dancetrancer, I am sorry, I still trying to figure out this site.. I just re-posted my post. I hope I did place it to the right cold caps thread....

  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited April 2016

    No worries viktoryak - just wanted to make sure you post where you will get the most support possible!!!! I saw it over there and that you are getting responses - yay!

  • Naiveatheart
    Naiveatheart Member Posts: 1
    edited May 2016

    I'm hoping I an get a few tips. I start treatment this Thursday 5/5/16. We practiced using the caps today and I am definitely a little intimidated but excited to use the PCC and keep my hair. I'm curious if anyone can give me some tips on how they wore their hair through the process. I want to do everything the way the instructions say but I feel like my option is then down and air dry. Does anyone wear their hair in a ponytail? Is dry shampoo ok?


    Thank you in advance for your insight and tips

  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited May 2016

    Naiveatheart, welcome to Breastcancer.org! We're sorry you have to be here, but glad you found us! We're sure you'll get lots of tips from our kind and experienced community members. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you need any assistance. And let us know how you're doing!

    Best,

    The Mods

  • JCS28
    JCS28 Member Posts: 153
    edited May 2016

    Naiveatheart -- Check out this thread. It has lots of everyday tips for Penguin Cold Caps. https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/6/topics/...

    I just finished 6 rounds of PCC and had complete success! My hair is shoulder length and straight, so I just wash about every 3 days and let it air dry. Then I just brush it in the morning and go. I have used dry shampoo a handful of times. You just want to get a gentle one -- no sulfates, no parabens, no alchohols. I used this one.

    http://www.amazon.com/Bumble-Pret-Powder-Shampoo-O...

    I was told to avoid ponytails, so I've only done it a few times for working out. I think the whole idea is just be gentle. So if you think it's not pulling on your hair too much, then a loose ponytail might be OK.

    Good luck!

  • goldenpawsKim
    goldenpawsKim Member Posts: 165
    edited May 2016

    JCS - wow, you look fantastic - so great to see another success story :) -Kim


  • viktoryak
    viktoryak Member Posts: 266
    edited May 2016

    Hi ladies, I had my #3 weekly Taxol. No prior AC as some of you . Please let me know if anyone only on weekly Taxol and used caps when is a shedding starts? When will I know it working or I need to run a get a wig or topper.

    Thank you!!!

  • phaila
    phaila Member Posts: 279
    edited June 2016

    Isent the caps back yesterday. 50 bucks, yikes! I just washed my 100 hairs and now I'm combing the 80 that are left:p

    Better than zero right???

  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited June 2016

    bump for newbies

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2016

    Hey Ladies,

    What a great thread this is. I have just started using CC. Had first chemo last week and was curious as to what sorts of results to expect. You all look great and any hair loss is clearly minimal in these pics. This gives me great great hope. I am on FEC 80 and so not sure if different chemos make a difference? Anyways, I will post pics of my results maybe in a 3 or 4 weeks time.

    Dolly

  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited June 2016

    Welcome Dolly - different chemo's do make a difference it seems - post on the main CC thread and maybe someone there will have had experience with FEC! Wishing you all the best!

  • profB
    profB Member Posts: 2
    edited June 2016

    I didn't let anyone take pictures during treatment, but here is a picture one month after surgery and two months after finishing five rounds of taxotere and carboplatin. Penguin cold caps absolutely worked and I started out with very thin hair. It got thinner with shedding but no one knew I was in treatment. I lost all the hair above my ears and a fair amount at the nape of my neck. A tip to try if you are not petite (I am 5'11" -- size 12/14) -- use an extra headband around the back of your head under the cap. (Caps are all one size and they didn't cover the back at my hair line .) The key is don't quit. You will shed, but no one knows but you. Obviously I colored it sooner than the six months recommended, but I use only semi permanent hair color with low peroxide. My hairdresser was the best fixing my bangs and layers to conceal all the loss.

    image

  • Wildflower2015
    Wildflower2015 Member Posts: 279
    edited June 2016

    ProfB,

    I don't know which one of the women in the picture is you - you both have totally normal looking hair! Which I guess is a testament to the effectiveness of cold capping! 😀

  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited June 2016

    profB, I was going to say the same exact thing as Wildflower - I don't know which woman is you, which definitely is a great testament to your success with cold caps! Congratulations and thank you so much for sharing your pic!

  • profB
    profB Member Posts: 2
    edited June 2016

    LOL...I thought it would be obvious that it is a mother-daughter pic and I am the older one. I have the red hair in the picture. And yes, cold capping works and I tell everyone who will listen. I can't believe it when I hear people say they wished they had known about the option. It is time to change that.

  • teddytoes
    teddytoes Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2016

    Hi all - quick question, I've been through 4 rounds to TC-HP, #5 is in 2 days. I'm using Penguin Cold Caps and keeping (most) of my hair, I'm so happy!

    However, the hair I do have is in pretty bad shape - thin and damage. Does the hair that I do have improve after chemo, or do I have to wait for it to grow out?

    Many thanks!

  • tshire
    tshire Member Posts: 239
    edited August 2016

    I've been terrible about posting lately, but I got my professional wedding pics back and wanted to share! This was 3/26/16, just under 4 months after completing chemo and capping.

    image

    image

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    image

  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited August 2016

    Oh my gosh, tshire, you look absolutely radiant!!!!!!! Thank you so much for posting!!! And congratulations!!!!

  • BBwithBC45
    BBwithBC45 Member Posts: 727
    edited August 2016

    Tiffany, just beautiful! Your hair looked amazing. Congratulations!


  • viktoryak
    viktoryak Member Posts: 266
    edited August 2016

    Tiffany, Wow! Beautiful hair and bride and groom You are both gorgeous.You are real success story. Congratulatiins! Wishing you a happy healthy family!

  • tshire
    tshire Member Posts: 239
    edited August 2016

    Thank you all so much! After all that hard work, I couldn't bear to wear my hair up!

    Cold caps WORK!!

  • phaila
    phaila Member Posts: 279
    edited August 2016

    truly beautiful and amazing!!!

  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited September 2016

    Bump for newbies.

  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited September 2016

    Your photo's are so beautiful tshire,

    Congratulations to you both

  • hope49
    hope49 Member Posts: 370
    edited September 2016

    Congratulations, Tiffany! You look so happy and beautiful, what a success story. You should be the advertisement for the potential of the cold caps.

  • Jiffrig
    Jiffrig Member Posts: 232
    edited September 2016

    everyone looks so great. I am using PCC also, but I am doing AC/T which I know is much harder on hair retention. The adriamycin is tough! I am hanging in there but having my last infusion of A/C tomorrow I started shedding a ton the last 10 days. Scared this won't work. Has anyone had success on my type chemo? Does it get better when I switch to taxol

  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited September 2016

    Jiffrig -

    The best place to ask questions like that is on the main CC thread where the most cappers are active:

    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/6/topics/...

    Best wishes!

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