Re: How long do you think I have??
 

HaHa! Kudos for you! That's the spirit! As for the wig irritation, I seem to recall that my hair follicles were a bit tender with the first 2 infusions and then seemed to settle down nicely. There are caps that are made of nylon (I think) that can be worn beneath the wig. I believe their purpose it to conceal existing hair, but should also serve to protect your tender scalp. Others may have thoughts/experiences regarding scalp soreness. It will soon be 6 years and I find I am forgetting details of treatment, sorry.

Re: How long do you think I have??
 

Crb,
My hair started falling out exactly on Day 15. I heard someone say that when they would take a shower, it was like finding a "wet hamster" in the shower. After about a week of massive shedding, I had enough and got it shaved off. After that, I figured there was nothing else cancer could really do to me. At that point, my focus changed - I became only concerned about going through treatment and getting it over with.
I bought a really nice wig, then I refused to wear it. I only wore caps and scarves. As soon as I finished chemo, I immediately went out and applied for a job. I got a job and it wasn't a big deal that I was wearing a cap. I would tell my coworkers I had gone through chemo. After my hair grew back (and it will grow back), I mentioned to one of my co-workers about my hair growing back and she said "huh". I said, don't you remember when I wore a cap, I didn't have any hair. Her reply - was - "oh, I never really noticed. That comment made me feel so good and also kinda dumb. Obviously, I was more self-conscious about it than anybody and come to find out, people didn't really notice. So if you don't want to wear a wig, just wear a cap.