Chemo And Hair

[LeahM]

I'm not sure if this is the right board to post this on or not but....

Embur102 and I have been in touch privately lately as we both begin our chemo on the same day. A lot of our talks (emails) have been about our hair and it's temporary demise. She did something quite fun with her hair in anticipation of losing it (but that is her story to tell) and it made me (both of us, actually) wonder what other people may have done when faced with hair loss. So here is my hair story:

On July 10 I start chemo. On July 18 I will go see Martino Cartier (already consulted with him and chose my wig), the founder of www.friendsarebyyourside.com (http://www.friendsarebyyourside.com). He will shave my hair off and give me my wig. I have been in touch with him and here is what we plan to do. Martino will cut my hair super short, shave a ribbon in the back of it, and use pink colored hair spray to color it in. (actually, he will let my 7 year old go crazy with the colored hair spray before he shaves it off, and let her help shave it too). Once that is done I will hold a sign above my head that says "The Wrong Bitch" with arrows pointing down for a photo op.

Background: soon after ny diagnosis a friend showed up at my house with some gifts, one of them was a bumper sticker that says "Hey Cancer! You Picked The Wrong Bitch". Since then I have rec'd a box in the mail adressed to "The Wrong Bitch Leah" and it has become a standing joke among my friends.

I figure the picture I take will be a good Facebook profile picture.

And I wonder...did you do anything fun with your hair before it fell out, and if so, what?

It's weird now, what I find humorous. My warped sense of humor has become even more warped lately.

[Becky]

I had long hair and was very afraid to get it cut into a shorter style so before I even had my first chemo, I got some short hairstyle magazines and picked a look. I went to my hair dresser and had it cut. She didn't know I had cancer (yet) so it was a fun party in there. And it looked very good even though later (when the hair came back) I went with a different style. Even though my profile picture doesn't show it, my hair is long again and I am going to get it cut off. After all - even I know what I look like in a super short pixie so I am not afraid to change my hairdo anymore.

Also, I went to a look good, feel better class given by the American Cancer Society the day of my second chemo. My hair was just starting to come out. The girls that gave the class had a beauty shop and told me to come down and they would shave me and trim my new wig (if needed). After I was shaved, a young girl (maybe 15 or so) got in the chair next to mine for a haircut. She looked at me with wide eyes. I told her to be careful because "they take off alittle too much" here. Haha. Everyone laughed so hard. The manicurist in that shop was a 27 year survivor. She only had one boob that day because she went to Atlantic City with her girlfriends for the weekend and lost her fake one somewhere and was waiting for the new one to come in. These experiences and people were precious to me.

[embur102]

Becky,

Your post made me laugh....I was too lazy to put in my "fake" boob the other day, so I just added fluff to that side of the bra. After a couple hours of running errands, I stopped in to see my daughter, who was working at a department store nearby. She looked at me with horror, motioned me close, and whispered "Mom, your boob is way up here!". The fluff had moved! This is my life now :)

My two older sons dared me to shave my hair into a mohawk and dye it pink for their punk/metal band's upcoming show. How could I not?? It is something we will remember forever. :)

[AliciaB]

After my hair was completely bald, I had a henna crown done by one of my friends.. ill see if I can attach it later.
Alicia

[carlatte7]

I had been growing my hair a couple years so i could ponytail it when we went to haiti. I was not worried a bit about losing my hair- its hair,it will grow back...but i didnt want to lose that ponytail that had gone to haiti twice! So...i had my hairdresser cut it off. Its tied with a ribbon in a frame, and it will probably o back to haiti with me in november! Its funny, but after shaving my head preparing for the inevitable taxotere fallout...my leftover hair is still growing- only the gray. Itlooks like led lights!

[Deb33]

I would give myself a constant reality check during my bald days by saying things like, "at least my teeth aren't falling out" or "at least I'm not losing my limbs". Hair seems so small when you think of permanent disabilities. Same with eyebrows and eyelashes - everything really does grow back and the whole situation makes you realize how strong you are. When all of this is over, you will have an amazing internal confidence of how well you can handle things.

[snolan]

Well said Debbie. We seem to worry about the small things and forget that we still have lives to live. Hair and finger nails are not necessary for us to survive. It is helpful to poke fun at what is going to happen to smooth the transition. I have a friend just finished chemo and she went wild with some of her wigs. Just embrace it as it does make you stronger in the end.
Suzanne

[chemteach]

My hair was the longest it has ever been in my life when diagnosed. I am a high school teacher and knew it would be coming out, so I cut it fairly short after my first round of TCH. Of course, I pulled on it every day until it was "ripe." My students were on this journey with me, and one day I said to them after a grueling lesson, "You guys are are making me crazy today! You're making me pull out my hair!" I reached up and pulled out a huge fistful of hair, and they just gasped! I felt kind of bad for a little while because some of them went home and told their parents. I don't want to do that again.

[Laurel]

As my hair began to drop, I figured I could not stand the stuff all over my pillow (and floor and back, yada yada), so I grabbed the shearers that I use to clip my springer spaniel and headed out to the patio where I shaved myself just like the dog!