And Then My Name Was MAMA: Shave it Off

Early this evening was my appointment to have my wig fitting and head shaved. In all honesty I was nervous about how I would end up feeling during and after the appointment. My experience with Wig fittings has only been to the extent of a very sweet elderly volunteer with the American Cancer Society. That wig was a no way. Simply looked too wiggy! Then last week my sister gave up her two wigs she got for fun but again I tried them on and they looked too wiggy! Tonight though, was a different level of Wigery.

Let me explain how the hair falling out feels so that you can understand. For men I really have no comparison unless you have long hair and wear a pony tail however I imagine it would feel the same. First of all it itches and is sore. It hurts to touch and irritatingly falls everywhere. Ladies can understand this comparison. It is similar to when you wear your hair in a ponytail too tight or pins in your hair too tightly. When you take it out your scalp hurts. It is sore. That sums it up. Just all over your scalp.

My new sleeve

I arrived at the Image Recovery Center early and one of the staff helped me with getting my Lymphedema Sleeve (Compression Garment) fitted while I waited for the Cosmetologist to be ready for me. This was great considering it saved me time from having to come in next week after my injection appointment. This fitting consisted of her measuring around my wrist, forearm and upper arm. She then gave me a pantyhose supportive stretchy arm sleeve to put my right arm into. Being as my right arm had the most lymph nodes taken out, this is the possible Lymphedema arm. At any point in life the possibility of getting Lymphedema in this arm is lingering. To avoid this I must be careful to not burn or cut myself on that side, no heavy lifting or repetitive motion, no pulling etc. I need to wear the sleeve when I feel sore or swollen in this arm or armpit area, when traveling on an airplane, exercising, and when doing yoga. This will help give my arm the support it needs during those activities but is not to be worn at night.

It was time for me to do this. My hair has been continuously falling out since last Thursday evening. With no signs of slowing its pace and only further receding hairline, it was time. The Cosmetologist, Lisa, was phenomenal. She was fun, kind, knowledgeable and had a great energy. She explained that the Chemo is preventing my body from fixing itself inside out so my job is to take extra care of the outside. Meaning, pamper with pedicures and manicures using organic ingredients and nail polish, moisturizing skin, continuing to shampoo and condition scalp using products without harsh chemicals, massaging the scalp to help for when my hair grows back, resting when my body needs rest, wearing a comfy hat to bed to keep my scalp warm, sleeping on satin sheets (I liked hearing this one) and overall care of a wig was discussed.

I did not think I had to wash my bald head. Silly me, the whole reason behind washing hair is not for your hair, it is for your scalp. By washing and massaging your scalp you are allowing regeneration of hair follicles to continue so that your hair continues to grow. I learned that immediately after chemo and/or radiation my hair will start to grow back. Also, it may grow back thicker, finer, curly and in any color, even gray! This is so exciting. My new head of hair will be like a chia pet or a surprise toy you find in the bottom of a cereal box! I wonder what color and texture it will grow out to be. Plus I will get to have that pixie haircut I always wanted to try but was too afraid of. Mostly because until my hair is long again, Pixie is what I'll be working with.

I have an average sized head.In case you were curious.

Option 1- Priceless - Literally

Option 2 - Bob

Silly Break

Option 3 - $150

Lisa got three wig boxes from storage. Two were donated. Translation: Free. The other was one of the $150.00 range. She had wigs up to $350.00. My insurance doesn't cover the wig but she wanted me to see the difference. She placed a stocking over what hair I had left for sanitation reasons and began with the first one. It was perfect! Much like hairstyles I have had in the past. I didn't feel like I was wearing a mullet on my head or too Wiggy. It was one of the donated ones so that was a plus. She showed me how to adjust the size and explained that there was no need to wear a cap under. She combed it out and it looked great. Well, I thought so anyways. The next was a short bob, which didn't look too bad but the first was more complimentary. The last was the one at $150. It was nice and had pretty highlights but still was not as nice as the first. I was super excited to finally have a wig that looked somewhat natural but more importantly a wig that I would feel comfortable wearing because "Hello" it is my bald head we are talking about here.

Now it was time for the shave. Lisa cut down to a 3 (I think) leaving some hair behind to fall out gradually leaving behind bald spots until all hair is gone. She couldn't shave off completely because risk of nicking the skin and an infection arising. As she was shaving I kept thinking this isn't that bad. We laughed and made comments about a Mohawk etc. After, I felt more feminine, more empowered, stronger, and I along with my husband and mother-in-law were all smiles. Lisa helped make the experience a better one. Not once did I want to cry or pity myself for what needed to be done. It wasn't bad at all. Still hurts but less hair now so that's a plus. Now it is the waiting game to see how long it takes to all fall, when it starts growing back again and what it will look like. Until then I am going to rock the wraps, hats, wig and bald head!