My hair has been through a lot in the past few weeks. About a week after I started chemo, my sister in law asked me if I wanted to get a cute short do. I actually was so glad she asked me because I was debating doing it, but never asked anyone to do it for me. I was super nervous, but heck, it was going to be falling out in the next week or two, so why not??? She came up with a good idea too do to a progressive haircut so that I can see 2 different styles at different lengths, and also so that the cut isn't such a shock.
Here's the first style we did. I actually really liked it, but we were far from being done. This wasn't close to what we were going to end up with.
After my first cut, everyone told me I'd better come outside. This is what I found going on...
My brother and Dad were shaving their heads and Tanner asked me if I would shave his! This is huge!!!!! Tanner loves his hair almost as much as he loves me. I almost teared up on the spot. He is so sweet and supportive.
After all the excitement, it was time to chop all my hair off. I wanted a short pixie cut so that I can see how I can style it when it starts growing back. Here's the end result.
At first I was kind of shocked at how short it was, but after it got styled, I decided I liked it. A huge thank you to my sweet sister in law Jodi for doing my hair! I love you girly!
Afterwards we went to dinner with some of the family and then headed to the Goodman's for a few more supporters to shave their heads. Words cannot express how extremely lucky I felt that night. I was on cloud nine. Having such a strong support system is what every cancer patient needs, and I definitely have that and more. Thanks to all those that supported me with shaving your head. I love you all!
This isn't even the whole bunch!
Over the next few days, I fell in love with how incredibly EASY it is to do. Literally I get out of the shower, and viola, my hair is finished in no more than 10 minutes. I think I found my kind of do.
About a week or two after I got my new do, my hair started falling out. It was very depressing and I couldn't bear to watch it, so I decided to take control and shave it off so that I don't have to watch each hair fall out. My sister came over along with some others to support me. We had some fun with it.
As of today, I still have some hair, but it's super thin, so I usually wear scarves, hats, or just go bald. It's so funny because I get so many looks when I don't have a hat on and a lot of times I forget I'm bald because I'm so used to my bald head. Then it dawns on me why I get so many stares. Chemotherapy is going okay. I get super tired and sometimes achy after each treatment but it fades over time. Also, I have to take a steroid for 3 days after each treatment, which causes me to break out in major acne, which is no fun at all. Being bald and having acne doesn't help my self esteem much, but knowing it's just temporary is a huge comfort. This experience so far has really humbled me. Sometimes I would get caught up in my looks, and this makes me realize that true beauty comes from within. Even though I have acne and no hair, Tanner still makes me feel beautiful and that's all that matters right now. I'll have my moments where I break down, and Tanner is right there to help me along and to remind me that I'm still beautiful no matter what. I am very blessed. Plus, I am loving the fact I don't have to feel guilty for not doing my hair, I have no choice! :)
Just yesterday, I caught a cold, which is no bueno when going through chemo. I have to watch my temp super close and make sure I don't go over 100.5, otherwise I need to contact my doctor immediately. Since my white blood cell count is so low, my body will have a hard time fighting off anything. I hope this is the only illness I catch. Also noticed my forearm started swelling a little bit. I contacted my doctor and it might be lymphoedema. I am going to meet with a lymphoedema specialist to help me manage it. Since I had lymph nodes taken out, I will be at risk to having it fort he rest of my life, so I will need to keep an eye on it.
So far I've gone through two treatments of chemo and only two more to go! I will be finished just in time for Christmas! They say it takes a few weeks for the chemo to wear off, so I expect to be extra tired in December, but at least I can be at home enjoying the Christmas music and movies.
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