Lynn.

Location: Long Island, USA
Cancer type: Breast Cancer, Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Stage 1 Triple Positive
Drug type: Taxol
Hair type: Average Thickness, Straight, and Long

"For me scalp cooling made a tremendous difference in my self esteem. As a mother of 3 young children I wanted to look healthy and to decrease the impact on their daily lives."

I live on Long Island, about an hour outside of NYC. I work as a pediatric occupational therapist. I began 12 weeks of Taxol on November 2nd, 2020. I was informed about scalp cooling by my oncologist at my initial consultation. I was contacted by the company to discuss the system. The cap and accessories arrived first class within a day. I practiced putting on the cap before my first treatment. I was fortunate to be allowed to have my husband accompany me and help me spray my hair and fit the cap.

I expected the cap to be very uncomfortable, much to my surprise it was quite tolerable. I found the ice for my hands to be more uncomfortable. I had a different nurse each week at my center and each made sure they knew how long my specific treatment required as far as pre and post cooling time. During scalp cooling the nurses asked if I wanted heated blankets which helped to keep me comfortable. I am now 4 weeks post and my hair is no longer shedding beyond what I would consider normal. I followed all the guidelines on hair care during the 12 weeks and for 4 weeks post, including using only Paxman shampoo and only twice a week. I washed with lukewarm water. I did not blow dry or use styling products. My hair thinned slightly all over but nothing that anyone other than myself could notice. I lost a bit of hair around my ears but It’s not noticeable with my hair down.

I would absolutely recommend scalp cooling to anyone. One of the first questions asked by my 8 year old daughter was would I lose my hair. She became really upset at the thought that I would look so different. At the time I was not even aware of scalp cooling. Additionally I work as a school occupational therapist. Some of my students would not have been able to understand why I was losing my hair and I believe it would have elicited many questions. At the end of my 12 weeks of chemo I chose to share my experience on my Facebook page. Many of my work colleges had never heard of scalp cooling and were very impressed by how well it worked for me.

I would like to sincerely thank my parents for covering the cost of the scalp cooling treatment. I would also like to thank my husband for being my weekly helper. He took his job very seriously and alleviated the stress of having to bring all my gear each week. I feel very blessed. Thank you Paxman. The information shared on the facebook group has also made such a difference. It feels very positive while also being honest and informative.

For me scalp cooling made a tremendous difference in my self esteem. As a mother of 3 young children I wanted to look healthy and to decrease the impact on their daily lives. As an occupational therapist working in an elementary school I really was able keep my continue to work with students without daily questions about my appearance. Some of my students would not have been able to understand what was happening and it could have been very distracting for them. I would absolutely recommend anyone give scalp cooling a try. It truly helped me feel like myself and really was not a tough experience. After treatment I shared my scalp cooling journey on Facebook and was surprised to know that many friends had no idea I was receiving chemotherapy. I’ve enjoyed educating people on scalp cooling along the way.

 

"I would like to thank my parents for paying for the scalp cooling system for me and my husband for being my helper each week. I feel extremely blessed to have had such support."