I have breast cancer.I've had two treatments of chemo so far. I've loss my hair and trying to come up with a comfortable head cover. MY question is about the scalp pain. It feels like I've got a major sun burn on my whole head.It's so painful to have anything touching my scalp. I want to stay active and social but won't step outside my home with my head uncovered. Anyone out there who's been though this ? I sure could use someone to talk to.Wanda49

Hi Wanda,
Well, I didn't have the burning sensation, but my scalp sure did itch like crazy, and I also lost all my hair.

What I did was buy a bunch of bandannas or square scarves, and several hats (straw hats work great for this). I matched the bandannas to what I was wearing that day, tied it around my head with the ends hanging down, and topped with a straw hat. I can't tell you how many people came up to me and said things like "gee, what a stunning outfit" when I was just wearing something pretty ordinary...but topped with matching scarf and hat it looked like a designer outfit!

At home I usually went bareheaded, but there are also some special cotton scarves available. If you contact the American Cancer Society, they can send you some catalogs or let you know where you can get the catalogs for ordering those type of head coverings.

I also got a wig, but only wore it twice, as it itched too much, even with a liner.

What type of chemo are you on? I had taxol and carboplatin for cancer of unknown primary. The carboplatin was fine, but the taxol caused a lot of pain and some nerve damage. On the other hand, here I am, six years later, still around and able to complain...life is good!

Ruth