Addie Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 ....in that I'm starting to shed! My head has been itchy for several days now...but not until yesterday did running my fingers thru my hair leave me with a handful!! My hubby remembers the doctor saying it would be about 14-15 days from the first chemo. I remembered hearing 19 days. Yesterday was 15 days so I guess hubby's hearing is better than mine, huh? Anyway, my oldest son - who shaves his head - and a good friend who also shaves his head are coming over tonight, with their respective girlfriend/wife and the six of us are having a Shearing and Pizza Party. Everybody that wants to...gets a shot at shearing a patch off my head. Now that it's happening....I think I'm sorta going to miss my hair...altho not having to mess with it everyday will give me those 10 minutes to do something else....right? I don't figure on getting a wig. Our lifestyle is pretty casual and I can't imagine that there is anyplace I'll need to go in the coming months where hair is mandatory. In the grand scheme of things....this isn't exactly big or unusual news...but I guess it's sort of a significant "milestone" for my journey with cancer....to have reached this point. I did find a pattern on the web yesterday for a knit hat, made with "eyelash yarn" that almost looks like hair!! Since I knit, I ordered some of the yarn to make myself a couple of these "hair hats". One yarn is sorta close to my own hair color.....but the other yarn is lime green!! It might just be fun to be a 57 y/o "punker" with lime green "hair" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 Addie, Id go for the lime green! ROCK ON!!! Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 Addie, There is a post thread called Angels and Demons in General. Have you seen it? Anyway, you might want to join our band. We need more angels like you, and the lime green hair hat will be perfect! I, being somewhere between angel and demon, lol, have designated myself manager of the band. I set up gigs and recruit and such. I am also writng some songs, lol.... Seriously, I think it's so natural to grieve one's hair. So it is kinda a big deal, but you are doing it with grace! Love elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addie Posted June 13, 2004 Author Share Posted June 13, 2004 Hey...if lime green hair can get me into a band....I say "why not?" But I gotta tell you....I'll only lip synch!! You don't want me actually singing! Here is a link to that knitted hair hat. I can't wait for the yarn to get here...as this is almost how I wear my hair anyway....short, but a bit curlier than this knitted cap!! http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/kpatt10.htm Hope I linked that correctly! Elaine, I figure to keep a lock of my hair since I was the third child in my family...and so never had a baby book OR a lock of hair saved. Now...I'll have a lock of almost 58 y/o hair in a cancer journal! Hey....close enough, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoniRobertWilson Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 Addie, Hi! My husband's hair started to fall out on day 19 - he came upstairs and was upset - said my hair is going. He said he needed me to shave it off. I had borrowed a set of clippers from my sister but he didn't know it. I said "hold on honey - I'll go get a set of clippers", he looked up at me and said "are you going to get the dog clippers?". Bless his heart. We chuckle about that now (gotta get some funny somewhere) but at the time it was bad. The thing was, I shaved it off and he looked up and all I could think of was SEXY! I love it. I really love it. I don't care what he looks like as long as he is HERE WITH ME! I've had two female friends that have gone through cancer - one breast, one lymphoma and they both lost their hair as well. both went out and bought wigs and I don't think they ever used them - too hot and uncomfortable. They did the "hat thing" and I have to tell you honestly, I thought they too looked beautiful without their hair. Let me also say though that I look at myself and think it would be horrible to lose my hair as a woman so I now it must be difficult for you. I hope you enjoy your party tonight and remember, you're a fighter and the hair will grow back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stand4hope Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 Addie, Here's a thread from April that made me laugh about losing hair. It was before you joined, so I don't know if you saw it. http://www.lchelp.com/community/viewtop ... ght=#63374 There's another one about the way it changes after it grows back. I'll try to find it and re-post. Love, Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stand4hope Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 Found it quicker than I thought I would. Here it is: http://www.lchelp.com/community/viewtop ... curly+hair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addie Posted June 13, 2004 Author Share Posted June 13, 2004 Funny threads, Peggy....thanks. Funny...but a bit scary too when I read that I may end up with a white, fuzzy BEARD eventually! My hair is very curly...and already pretty white. I'm just hoping when it grows back that it STAYS curly. Long sleek locks would have been fine when I was a teenager...but at this age, short and sorta naturally curly works better with white hair and....ahem....crow's feet (if ya catch my aging drift! ) I'm already missing most of my eyebrows and lashes. Five eye surgeries and having to tape your eyes shut at night (because of protrusion, they did not close fully...so I taped them to avoid corneal ulcers) will do that to you. Hey...maybe after chemo ALL my eyebrows will come back....eh? Uh oh...Maybelline is gonna lose a LOT of business if they do! I quit "painting" my eyebrows on about a week or so ago. There's another 10 minutes a day saved. I'm gonna have so much free time on my hands once I'm hairless...who KNOWS what I can accomplish!! Sheesh....I sure hope I don't grow a beard though. That's a little TOO much like looking like my hubby AND my dogs....you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remembering Dave Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 Addie, bald is beautiful!!!!!!! Don't worry, when my hair started to fall out, don't remember what day, I tried to shave mine off by myself. I think it freaked my mom out. The electric shaver I have has a mustache/beard clipper on it so I thought it would work for my head. I went out back and started trying to shave off my hair and my mom and dad and wife were there watching. Anyway the clippers did not work so I went to a hair dresser the next day. I walked in and the guy who came up to help me (obvious flamer ) asked how I wanted it cut. I said-well, I have a problem-- and the I reached up and grabbed a handful of hair and pulled it out. Poor guy I thought he was going to keel over. His eyes bugged out and he started gasping, oh it was funny looking back on it. If he were a girl I probably would not have done it that way. I explained I had cancer and my hair was falling out and he calmed down and shaved my head bald. He ended up being really cool about it and wished me the best of luck when he was done. I know loosing your hair is different for women than it is for men but just look at all the money you are going to save on shampoo and conditioner. You know I was told to make sure you keep massaging you scalp when taking a shower just like you are washing your hair. It is supposed to keep the roots healthy and make the hair grow back faster. Not sure if it works or not. What you will find funny is the things you used to do with your hair like flipping it back or certain ways/moves you make while wshing your hair, you will find yourself doing them even when you don't need to. For example I used to shake my hair out after washing it in the shower. Well when it was gone I naturally wanted to shake my head after I turned off the water. After I had stopped shaking my head a month would go by and then one moning I would start shaking my head. You have to laugh and say, oh yeah, I don't have hair, no need to shake. Anyway a shearing/pizza party sounds great. Hope you make the most out of it, don't let it get you down, you are not alone and besides, it just means the chemo is doing it's job, right!!!!!! Yes you can become a memeber of the Band who's name was inspired by the writings of my beautiful wife. Forever your bald servant, David C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 Addie, My Onc told me my hair would probably come out at 2 weeks after starting chemo & sure enough 2 weeks and it started coming out. I did not want to deal with hair everywhere so I had my head shaved & so did my husband. I feel like I have been bald for a year now. It grew back a little but shaved it again when I did WBR. It is just now coming back a tiny bit. I figure, IT'S ONLY HAIR!!!! Good luck. Rachel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.C. Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 Addie, Thank you for the link, I may do that for the winter, that is the only time that my shaved head is bad (Canada and cold winters) Will be fun and easier than wearing tuques. J.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy RN Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 BOY do I remember when my came out the first time. Yes! Mine fell out in March 2001 and again in march 2003. I had a remission period between then and it had grown in. The first time was a little hard. I tried to look at the positive things about it but inside it was not one of my better memories. I did have a couple wigs, one long, like mine had been and a shorter version. One very good friend bought the shorter one for me. I got to where I did not want to wear them and started using scarves. I went to Walmart and bought a yard of several seasonal types of cotton material, I then cut out a square. I folded it and tied it on and tucked the pointed part under the tie. I got to where I wore those all the time. The kids at church loved them. Anyone wondering what I did with the rest of that yard of material? HUH??? I made little bandanas for my baby-Roxy (the pug), we matched! Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimblanchard Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 Oh boy, Addie, green is my favorite color!!!! You will look "marrrrvolous" as Billy Crystal would say! Though seriously, it must not be easy, for my mom it was the first outward sign to other people that she was what the media calls a "cancer victim"(don't you hate that). My mom is no one's victim! You my friend will be a cancer VIXEN, let's just drop that whole cancer thing, and call you a vixen! Just remember you can at least know it's temporary, unlike my husband's male pattern baldness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addie Posted June 14, 2004 Author Share Posted June 14, 2004 Well, the Shearing and Pizza party was lots of fun! Our friend Joe did the complete barber thing...except for me taking one swipe with the electric shaver myself. Everyone else was content to watch or take pictures. Joe started by giving me my first Mohawk!! It was a rather curly, white one...and rather hilarious looking....but Joe was quite pleased with himself. I was pleasantly surprised to find a lack of knobs, knots, indentations or lumps on my skull....but man, is my head cold??? I've got a knit cap on at the moment, and have started knitting one out of lighter weight yarn....as I don't think baseball caps are gonna cut it. It's only in the 60's here today....and dang....the old noggin is feeling every little breeze! The pizza was great and I didn't have to worry about finding any hair in it!! Well, okay...some floating dog hair, maybe...but none of my own! Bald ain't so bad....except for the breeze. My son's girlfriend said she thought I looked "beautiful". I think that is QUITE a stretch....but I love the girl anyway and have to say this just makes me love her a bit more! This morning....when I came back upstairs to get the dogs up (they were still in their beds, snoozing away like my DH was....when I got up) my female took one look at me...jumped up and started barking at me!! She'll get used to a mom in a stocking cap I hope!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 Addie, Fabricate a pocket in your hats for MilkBones, then your babies will be sure to recognize you... Search for eye tattooes and put 'em on the back of your head to "prove" to your kids that you really DID see them...and when it gets warmer, little kids will see YOUR eyes and believe that all moms have eyes back there... My aunt's hair was white when she lost it due to chemo (breast cancer). When her hair grew back, it was really, really dark and curly (on top of her head)... Well, she had all THAT stripped out and is back to white again though for the life of me I can't figure out WHY! Crows feet? Evidence of smiling for many, many years. I won't mind wrinkles as long as they accentuate my laughter and don't make me look like a ventriloquist's dummy with the deep lines straight down around my mouth... I want smile lines, NOT frown furrows... Working on earnin' them daily! Keep smilin'! Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remembering Dave Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 I looked at the link to the curly fuzzy hair cap and I love it - really cute! I'd make green and lots of other fun colors if I were you! You need to come on down to hot and humid Virginia - you'll be glad you're hair free! Karen C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhutch1366 Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 Addie, The ACS catalog had terry cloth turbans, rather lightweight, which I found great, as I sweated through half my scalp and it would get half cold. (no kidding). Ihad one in velour for Sundays. Great to sleep in too. I got to where spotting women with a 'cancer "do" made me feel at home. I had all mine cut short in anticipation of losing it, and then buzzed off when it started falling... That's what it took to get me into short hair. I'm so lazy I had it cut short once, in the summer a little after one year post Diagnosis, and haven't had it but trimmed once. If I had a great head of hair it would be one thing, but I have very fine hair with no body, so I just stick it in a band with a scrunchy and I'm good to go. Keeps it out of my eyes, my food, my keyboard..... Seriously, I like Becky's idea about the eye 'tattoos' in the back of your head... Iwsh I had thought of that!!... lol..... Bet that would really send the small dogs off after a nap... WHAT!!??!! XOXOXOX MaryAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandyS Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Huh - read those threads - it was weird to see a post from Jay on one of them.........wonder whatever happened to him.......... SandyS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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