As soon as I revealed that I was going to be undergoing chemotherapy treatment...thru late February...I got a phone call from a very nice woman...here locally, named Cheryl, who wanted to share with me the idea of cold caps. These are caps that are filled with dry ice, to be worn while you are having chemo treatments...and Cheryl can testify, as a cancer survivor herself...you probably won't lose your hair. Wow, wasn't expecting that option.
She and I chatted for a while about what the process actually entails. She said they have been doing this for many years in Europe and other countries...with an 80% success rate of not totally losing your hair. I have to admit...I was intrigued. But she told me to first check with my doctor and see if there was any reason I couldn't at least try it. She would come to my first chemo treatment and change the caps for me every half hour...show my husband how to do it...and teach us both how to make cold caps the most effective.
Well, after I talked with my doctor's office, because my lymphoma is deep underneath my collarbone...it was suggested that I might not want to do anything to restrict the chemo medicine from reaching my collarbone and beyond. And part of the cold cap process has to do with blood flow in the head area. So, I decided not to try the cold caps.
But I was very impressed with Cheryl's dedication and determination to at least offer this as an option for chemo patients...especially those who are really uncomfortable with the idea of losing their hair. Cheryl makes a very convincing presentation!
So, here is the link to Cheryl's website:
