I was offered scalp cooling by the nurses on my chemo unit for chemotherapy (EC and Paclitaxol) for my first diagnosis in 2020/2021.   I decided not to cold cap and lost all of my hair.
When I was re-diagnosed with a local recurrence in September 2022 my hair had been growing back for around a year and was doing well.    The nurses suggested that I use scalp cooling for my Enhertu cycles and I decided that I really didn't want to lose my hair again and that I would try it.

Scalp cooling has been as expected.   I knew it would be uncomfortable and that is the case.   It isn't easy and it obviously does add time onto treatment day.   Also as my treatment is long term it means I have been scalp cooling for 2 and a half years and will likely continue as it is working well.    My nurses are good at making sure that the cap is fitted well and is as comfortable as possible.

During my first diagnosis and treatment I did wear head coverings and a wig as I lost all my hair.

For my second diagnosis when I have been scalp cooling although I still experienced quite a lot of thinning and hair loss at the beginning it was not to the extent that I felt the need to wear a hair covering.    Now I have regrowth from that hair loss and thinning as well.

When I was diagnosed with a recurrence of my cancer it was a huge shock.    I could not believe that the cancer had returned especially in the same breast after mastectomy and after so much treatment.
I was also so upset and apprehensive to be back on a chemotherapy drug for the long term.  I did not want to look like a cancer patient on top of everything else and hair loss was a big part of this.   I had taken hair loss with my first diagnosis as I knew it was temporary and finite.   But with long term chemo treatment following recurrence I did not want to risk partial or full hair loss.   I felt that I had lost so much of my identity to cancer and that it had seeped into every aspect of my life.   I also felt such a loss of control over so many things but the decision to scalp cool was my decision and something I could take into my own hands.
So, although I have to be honest and say that I find scalp cooling really difficult and do sometimes question if it is the right thing to do as my treatment days would be much shorter without it, I also feel really happy with how my hair is doing.    The thinning and hair loss I experienced at the beginning of my treatment has stopped and so I am not nervous anymore to wash and brush my hair.    And although my hair is very different to my pre cancer hair, and much thinner, I have a full head of hair which to any unknowing person looks like totally "normal" hair and scalp cooling is largely to thank for that.

Yes, I would.    I would be honest and realistic about the fact that it is different for each person in terms of what each of us finds to be a manageable amount of pain or discomfort and also that each person will have different results.   But to anyone who is really hoping to minimise hair loss I would say to try scalp cooling and at least give it a chance and see how you find it.