HAIR ... to be or not to be?!?

I'm taking a quick break from chronological order here to talk about hair ... or the lack of it ... or the falling out of it.

Being bald -- well, a bald woman -- is probably one of the most sure-fire ways of knowing someone is a chemo patient.  (Men often opt to be bald, like my brother, but they look good!)  Even when I told my students I had cancer, one of their first questions was, "Are you going to lose your hair?".  This was THE ONE expected side effect I was waiting for.  Little did I know that hair loss merely skims the surface of expected side effects.  But, no one tells you about the other lovely dreadful side effects until you're in the throws of them.  To name a few:  nausea and vomiting, fatigue, susceptibility to infection, anemia, diarrhea, constipation (particularly from the anti-nausea medications), weight gain, mouth sores, sore and bleeding gums, dry and flaking skin, sensitivity to sun, bright and colourful urine.  I'm sure there's more, I'm just suffering from "chemo brain" ...  short-term memory loss ...  a VERY REAL side effect of chemo.

Ok, back to hair.   The truth is, not all chemotheraphy drugs cause hair loss.  However, I was told by two oncologists that my particular cocktail of drugs (4 cycles of Adriamycin & Cyclophosphamide; 4 cycles of Paclitaxel) would definitely result in hair loss, expected at about the 2-week mark after starting chemo.

Cycle #1 came for me on February 8, 2013 (graphic details to be shared later when I get back to my chronology).  Cycle #2 was exactly two weeks later, on February 22nd.  My nurse for cycle 2 asked, "Is that your own hair?"  It was!  Here I was at the 2-week mark, and not a single hair had fallen out yet.  I even kept tugging at my hair, particularly in the shower every morning, and only the odd bit that anyone would expect, was falling out.  That might sound like a bizarre thing to do -- tugging at your hair -- but when you expect to be bald within days, it seemed quite natural.


The first "clump" came lose the next day.  And then, even more on Sunday.  By Monday morning, I decided it was time to minimize the mess by getting it all buzzed off.  Thankfully, Kate had recommended a salon, it would be a very quiet day with only one stylist working, and my beautifying scalp-revealing experience would begin at 3 p.m. Oh, how I pray I don't have odd lumps and bumps on my head!! Here's my "before" picture at the salon.

The gracious and lovely stylist, Dorothy, suggested I leave 3/8" of hair for a transition to complete baldness.  She started with that, and said we could take it right down if I didn't like it.  Kate and I decided we liked the "transition look" and I left with a wee bit of hair still on my head.  Imagine a stylist NOT letting you pay for their time -- more evidence of Dorothy's gracious manner :)

And ... the "after" with 3/8" of hair!!

My new look with a hat.

Using a cut-off T-shirt for a head wrap.  Thank you, YouTube!!

Since Monday, I have slightly regretted the decision to leave any hair at all.  Even though it is now only short little hairs that are falling out, they are EVERYWHERE.  They cover my pillow case, clothing, sink, shower, basically anywhere I've been, I'm leaving evidence of my presence :) :)

After attending a fabulous workshop on Wednesday night at the Cancer Agency called "Look Good, Feel Better", I have made the decision to purchase a wig.  Of course, it helped with the decision that my extended medical is willing to foot most of the bill.  I'm hoping to make that decision and purchase this afternoon at a salon located inside the Cancer Agency.  Now, the question of the day is ... DO I WANT TO LOOK LIKE "ME", OR DO I WANT TO HAVE SOME FUN WITH THIS .........