Hair Today, Hair Tomorrow : a lady's crown

I still remember that one of the very first questions I asked my oncologist when he first laid out the "chemo-buffet" on all the side-effects that I should expect over the 5-6 month period, was .. "Doc, how will my hair look after the chemo, in say, 2 to 3 months time after the last treatment?"

I could see my hubby looking back at me instantly, as if in total wonder that such a question had even come into my mind when my very life was on the brink. I suppose expecting a man to understand what a woman's crown really means to her would be too much of a stretch. In truth, as he walked side by side through the first 5 months with me, I can sense that he began to understand what it means to me .. a little, perhaps.

So, given that my hair took such a huge chunk of my attention, from the start of chemo till this day, I thought it would be interesting for you ladies out there to have a glimpse of the hair-evolution I had to go through, pictorially. Here's 4 pictures I can share:

(Pic 1 : my long hair, before chemo)
Here's my silky long hair.. a real "Before" shot of what was crowning my head for a good 20 years. Aahh, the good ole days..




(Pic 2: my crew cut)
My hubby insisted that I should have this photo taken. I have never seen myself in this crew-cut short hair before, so it was a bit of a shock to the system. My hairdresser was excellent in snipping my hair to a level that I wanted. By now, the hair had begun to fall, and I didnt want the long hair to be dropping all over our home. Also, it helped in adjusting my own view of me before the next phase hits me, ie totally bald.

(Pic 3 : My wig)
Me and my wig, which became my constant companion for a good 5 months. The wig was made of natural hair, which I discovered was more comfortable than the artificial hair. Sometimes the heat generated under the wig can be rather unbeareable, which led to curious stares from the public whenever I took it out for some much needed airing in the car.. who cares what other people might think!

(Pic #4 : now)
And so, this is the answer to the original question above.. my hair 3 months after my last chemo. It's soft and it's curly.. my mum's description says it best : "like a young kitten's".
I certainly did not expect it to be this soft. I decided to give it a coppertone colour.. and it felt and looked good then.. still do now!


(Pic #5 of Kylie's hair)
When Kylie was interviewed in June, she had this to say about her hair:
"When it first started to fall out, I just buzz cut the whole thing. I am used to having different looks and figured out the way to use my scarf. But when it started to grow back, it was so thrilling!"

Yes, I know how she felt and can share that same sense of thrill with her.



>>gleefully ntangle

Diary of my chemo days....

11 Feb
Had my 1st chemo treatment today, which had me sitting at the clinic for almost 3 hours.
I was hoping the drips would be faster. But then again, what other appointments do I have?

13 Feb (% of sleep: 40)
I suffered body aches and was low in energy. As a result of the aches it also impacted my sleep. This is what I have to get used to for the next 4 months, I suspect.

21 Feb (% of sleep: 50)
Today I noticed hairs on the seattee and on my pillow. It is the beginning of my hair falling as result of the treatment... Sigh!

22 Feb (% of sleep: 80)
Got my hair dresser in today to shave the hair to 1/2 inch height. I wanted to ensure a gradual change of my image, as opposed to what could be a heart wrenching experience of seeing a full head of long flowing hair turning bald, right before my very eyes.

4 Mar (% of sleep: 75)
Had my 2nd chemo today. Told the doc of my experiences after the 1st chemo session and he was happy with my progress. He increased the dosage 10% more. Informed the doc about the numbness on my fingers and toes that I have been feeling since yesterday. In the afternoon after the chemo, the numbness that I have been feeling went away. A bonus.

5 Mar (% of sleep: 70)
Woke up without feeling any numbness or body aches.. but I anticipate it coming any moment. Hubby and I set off for our first outing... KL trip, after midday. It was good to be able to get out and join the human race again!

6 Mar (% of sleep: 10)
Body aches and numbness starting to impact me. Energy level has also dropped. Went to the massive Times Square to walk around but I could not walk much (my legs are feeling weak), so I decided to walk back to the hotel to rest. Shopping isn't the same anymore..

7 Mar (% of sleep: 70)
Similar body aches and numbness feeling. I went to Parkson around 10am but came back to the hotel after about an hour's walk and my legs are feeling weak again. We headed back to Singapore around 12pm.

8 Mar (% of sleep: 80)
Body aches and numbness are still there and by the later part of the day the aches have subsided. A good friend came to visit me today and we chatted.... it was good to have friends during this period.

25 Mar (% of sleep: 70)
Woke up at midnite to take my medication in preparation for my 3rd chemo today. The treatment ended later than usual, drip was rather slow. Nurse at the clinic says that chemo treatment cause the veins to shrink thus drip is much slower, another biological change to me, I thought.

26 Mar (% of sleep: 80)
I woke up feeling ok and decided to go for a light jog. We spent some time at the beach. It was good to feel and smell the fresh sea breeze.

1 Apr (% of sleep: 90)
Woke up at 1.20am and went back to sleep till 7.15 am. Hubby and I went to watch a play "Doubt" at the Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel. 11.30pm..we had never been out this late for a long time now. Apart from my wig, I could easily pass off as any other ladies at the show.. nice feeling.

12 Apr (% of sleep: 85)
Went to Mt. E this morning for my blood test and saw the doc in the afternoon pending my 4th chemo the next day. Doc says I am tough and doing good (as shown in the blood test results). This made me feel uplifted!

16 Apr (% of sleep: 80)
Numbness and tingling on my toes and fingers are more intensed than previous treatment. Tummy was feeling bloaty and I was burping alot. My appetite was not good and in the evening after dinner I threw up around 9pm. This is a new experience for me being the first time.

17 Apr (% of sleep: 80)
I woke up many times last nite but managed to go back to sleep. Tummy still feeling bloaty and decided to call the doc about it. He asked for me to collect some medicine to reduce the bloatiness. After 2 doses I felt slightly better. This is probably the most uncomfortable period over the last 2 months of chemo.

26 Apr (% of sleep: 60)
Was struggling to sleep the whole night as I was impacted with a bad persistent headache from previous day.

3 May (% of sleep: 90)
As I have been feeling better the past few days, hubby decided to take me to golf .. for a start 9 holes. I survived the game and felt great (who cares about the score!). It's fantastic to feel the golf clubs and hear the sound of the ball falling into the cup again.

5 May (% of sleep: 60)
Very disturbed sleep last nite... not sure why? Had my 5th chemo today.. started at 8.50 am and ended at 1.10 pm... I'm restless by then. Numbness and tingling were felt on my thighs and lower arm after today's session.

7 May (% of sleep: 90)
Slept better last nite. After breakfast I started to feel a little nauseous. I didn't have much appetite during lunch so I just had a bun. Decided to pop in an anti nausea pill... I was also experiencing diarrhea today. Mild body aches and my knees are feeling weak.

26 May (% of sleep: 90)
Today is my last chemo session, finally! A sense of relief and excitement at the same time. A small prayer.. let this be my last, dear God.

Looking back, keeping a record of how I felt everyday since my first chemo has helped me to stay in closer touch with my day-to-day emotions and feelings. Plus it has given me a chance to recall as much information as I can whenever I visited the doc. I would recommend keeping such a diary for anyone who is in a similar situation as mine.

>>gleefully ntangle

The side effects : chemo treatments..

Total hair losts, body aches, numbness and nausea are the 4 main side effects which I have to go through during chemotherapy.... Wow, there goes my long and silky hair! I guess body aches and the numbness are side effects which I can put up with. Also there are medications which Dr. Ang will prescribed on standby to ease these side effects. Nausea is almost 90% a "no" but there may be occasions during the treatments when I may experience it. So the total hair loss is something which is rather difficult for me to accept... I asked the doc : when will my hair start to drop and his answer is "in two weeks time after your first treatment".. oh dear..

11 Feb 2006 - The day I am set for my 1st treatment..... sitting at the clinic for the treatment lasted for 3-1/2 hours and this first experience wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Although during the treatment I did feel a little restless. Home I go after the treatment. Body aches started the next day and it lasted for 4 days.

11 days later my hairs started to show signs of dropping... hairs on our settee, pillows and all over the floor!

13 days through my treatment I called my hairdresser to our home to shave off my hair to half an inch long.... my new hairdo took a while to get used to it, but I was all ready and even more determined to fight this battle.

My sleep was also impacted since I had the treatment.. my mind was overly alert and I struggled to have a good nite sleep. The yellow antihistamine pills became a good companion for the next 2 nites.

My 2nd treatment was scheduled 3 weeks later and I went through the same 3-1/2 hr of infusion at the clinic.

But more was to come..

>>gleefully ntangle