Well it finally happened. My hair started falling out. You gotta love chemo...
So instead of having my hair fall out all over my house, we decided to have a head shaving party in the backyard and just get rid of it before it got worse.
While we were camping this weekend, I started running my fingers through my hair and my hand came out with a handful of hair. I knew this was just the beginning and I was pretty bummed. I was hoping though that it would just be a slow process and I could just hold off for a little while longer. Then when we got home from camping and I was showering and washing my hair, this happened:
Yes that is all of my hair. I was washing my hair and my hair was just falling out and my hands were covered in hair. My shower was covered in hair. The bottom of the shower was covered in hair. My hair was going. I was in shock at how fast it was just coming out. I really thought that it would be a slow process but this was not, it just came out. When I got out of the shower, I combed what was left and even more hair just came out in the comb. I looked at the bathroom and it looked like the floor of a hair salon after a hair cut. Except this was no hair cut. Then I looked at what hair was left on my head and it was so thin. I decided that rather than continue to shed all over the house, it was time to shave my head. I knew this was a side effect of chemo so I was a little prepared for what was to come.
It was not a fun time and I was sad to see my hair go. I was surprised though that I did not cry. I really thought I would but I didn't. While Russell was shaving my head, I told him I wanted him to do some thing fun like a Mohawk so that is what he attempted to do at first.
We also decided to make it a family affair so I let the kids do some of the shaving too. They thought that was so much fun. They had a good time shaving my head and wanted multiple turns. We even gave Charlotte a turn! I really think it made them not feel so shocked with the results.
Well here I am with no hair! Actually I don't really know what to say. I think I look like a boy now but surprisingly it is not as bad as I thought it would be. My head is actually quite round and good shaped so it is not that bad. Thankfully I still have my eyebrows and eyelashes. I hope I keep those forever.
Next it was time to shave Russell's head too. He told me he would shave his head with me so we did that too. We gave Colby and Logan a buzz cut too.
Look at all that hair! I can't believe my hair is gone now. I am still trying to soak it all in and figure out what I think about it.
Here we are with our shaved heads.
Don't we look great! The no hair thing is starting to grow on me I think. Just think about all the time I will save in the morning because I will not have to do my hair anymore. Also I think I have a cool GI Jane look.
The best thing about a shaved head is petting my head. I love the tickling feeling. Logan and the other kids love to pet my head too. It is so funny.
So now I have lost my hair. Just one more wonderful side effect of chemo that I knew I would have to deal with. I have been practicing tying different scarves on my head and wearing beanies and even trying out my wigs and to tell you the truth it really isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The one bad thing is that my head gets cold at night so I have to sleep in a beanie. I guess that isn't too bad either. The bad thing is that my hair keeps falling out even now. I should have just shaved my head bald instead of leaving a quarter inch. Now instead of long hair everywhere, I have small little quarter inch hairs everywhere. I always though I had thin hair but there actually was quite a bit of hair on my head!
The night we shaved our heads, we went to a neighborhood party. I wore a scarf but one of the kids' friends, Maddie, came up to me and asked me what happened to my hair. I laughed and told her it all fell out! "Can you believe that?" I asked. She said no and then turned to her mom, my friend, April, and said, "Mom! All of Tiffany's hair fell out!!" We both laughed and April gave me a much needed hug! We had a great time at the party and no one seemed to mind my scarfed head and my lack of hair. It was my first time out this way and it turned out to be just fine.
When I first got diagnosed with cancer, my awesome little brother, Clint, told me out of the blue one day that whenever I had to shave my head he would shave his too. So we sent him a picture of my shaved head and he sent us back a picture of his shaved head! He also did a fun Mohawk before shaving it all off. He told us that he was going to the Mohawk when his hair grew back. Thanks Yod for being such a great supporter even from far away!
Roy and Chad also showed their support even though their heads were already bald! Thanks guys!
Finally, Lacie sent me this cool beanie for my bald head too. I really like it because it is not very hot and it matches everything. Thanks Lacie.
Being bald is crazy. Sometimes I still have to take a double take in the mirror but it is growing on me. I was really hoping I would not have to deal with this side effect but here it is. I have officially stepped into the land of cancer patients. It is no longer something I can hide. Everyone has been very supportive and have told me I still look good which is great. I have also been feeling really good over the last week or so. That means it is time to go back in for another treatment. Round 2 of chemo is coming up on July 31st.
To be continued...
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