Hair Hair Everywhere!

My hair is falling out. It is driving me crazy. There is hair everywhere! I took a shower last night and clogged the drain with my hair. I got out and dried my hair with a towel, and hair fell from my head and stuck to my wet body. It is getting so thin that I feel uncomfortable going out without a hat or a wig on now. I've been debating on when I should just shave it and be done with. I'm sure another week or two of cleaning up the hair will drive me to that point.

I wore my wig to church Sunday. I did get a lot of compliments on it. It looks better than my own hair, actually, but similar enough that I believe many were unaware. One of the older balding men told me he liked my hair and I teasingly asked him if he'd like to borrow it sometime. He asked, "Is that a wig?!?"
I guess you have to keep your sense of humor about this, otherwise it will drive you insane.

Other than the hair issue, I think I've managed to find a way to effectively manage my side effects. This week my worst day was Thursday during chemo. After that, I really haven't had much more than a little fatigue. The neuropathy did kick in a bit last night and my tongue began to feel a bit numb, but after I took a slightly higher dose of the neurontin, it quickly went away. I think the real key to dealing with this chemo is simply to find a way to eliminate or deal with the side effects. After you have this accomplished, it's really not that bad.

My chemo angels sent me some cards this week. One of them even included a few scribblings from their 2 yr old. This really gave a good laugh. Thank you angels! I still remember Katie getting a hold of a few things that the second my back was turned and adding her own little personal note.

I found out a friend was diagnosed with skin cancer. I called and talked to her mother who used to live across the street from me. Her mother told me that she was really having a hard time. There were odds that were against her survival, due to the fact it was (as usual) diagnosed late due to her age. I told her that the odds are just numbers, and even if they are accurate, you can't give up hope, because you never know which side of the numbers you are on. Even if you have a 1 in 1000 chance of living, how do you know you aren't the 1? If you give up without ever even rolling dice, you'll never know.

I told her about the great programs the American Cancer Society provides, like the 24/7 hotline: 1·800·ACS·2345 which will answer health questions, provide social resources, advocates, and just an ear to listen if you need someone to talk to. I also told her about some of their other programs like Reach to Recovery, and Look Good Feel Better. I have used these resources myself and would highly recommend them to anyone who is diagnosed with cancer of any type. For those of you not diagnosed, this is a charity I'd highly recommend giving to if you ever have the opportunity to do so. I have had nothing but good experiences with them.