Most patients find their first chemotherapy session a very daunting prospect – but remember, your Penguin rep is on hand, so you arrive fully prepared.
Cooling your caps
If you’re using dry ice to cool the caps, you will need to place the caps in the Penguin cool box in advance. But your Penguin rep will tell you exactly how and when you need to do this.
If you’re using the clinic’s bio-medical freezers to cool your caps, you will need to arrange to take them to the center 48 hours before your session to ensure they have enough time to cool.
If you have booked a professional capper, they will handle this for you.
You want to make sure you are as comfortable as possible for the duration of your treatment, which could be several hours.
Here are a few suggestions on what to pack:
COLD CAP THERAPY MAY HELP WOMEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY KEEP HAIR
You need to start capping about 50 to 60 minutes before your first chemo infusion, so arrive early and put the first cap on immediately. The clinic will probably ask you to arrive early so they can undertake bloods, check your vitals and administer any pre-meds. Medical staff are generally more than happy to allow you to cold cap while they prepare you for your infusion. So, give yourself enough time to fit the cap before they start.
Depending on your personal Cold Cap schedule, you’ll need to change the caps every 20 to 25 minutes to maintain the correct temperature. If you have a personal capper, they will manage this for you. If a friend or family member is helping, you can organize training with your Penguin rep so they know what to do on the day.
Follow your Penguin rep’s instructions. As well as ensuring the caps are at the correct temperature and fitted snugly to your head, you need to ensure you stay hydrated throughout. Drink lots of fluids but avoid drinking soda and caffeine.
The first caps will feel very cold, but the nerve endings on your scalp become numb after the first 30 to 60 minutes, after which the Cold Caps become far more bearable. Many patients say they expected the worst and were surprised that it wasn’t as bad as they had feared.
If you are worried, ask your rep if they can put you in touch with some of their other patients so you can ask them how they found the experience.
You can also read user stories from patients just like Leila, who have successfully saved their hair with Penguin Cold Caps.
“ While it wasn’t an enjoyable feeling, it was very doable and well worth the results. It was also a very good distraction, helping to keep me occupied while the chemo was being administered ”
When your chemo infusion has ended, you must continue to cold cap to to give the body time to dilute and clean out the chemo toxins. If you take the cap off too soon, the chemo will attack the hair follicles as they warm up, resulting in more hair loss.
Make sure you drink lots of fluids. You’ll be amazed at how much better it will make you feel. You’ll be giving your liver a helping hand to flush the toxins out of your system as soon as possible..
– Rachel
California