Probably
if you looked up chemotherapy in the dictionary there will be picture
of a bald person. I know from my experience it is the most asked
question I get. Are you going to lose your hair? I had already looked up the
most prescribed drugs for Ovarian Cancer and pretty much knew the
answer, and then just to cement it, Stanley asked my Oncology nurse
Lynn at our first appointment if I would lose it and she said,
Absolutely, 100%. So there you go. Bye, bye. Hair today, gone
tomorrow. And later when I went for my Chemo Training (yes, like
going into war) the nurse made sure I knew it would fall out
everywhere on my body. No eyebrows, no lashes, no hair!! So below is a link to my new
appearance. I just want to make sure you recognize me in case we
meet up at the grocery store.
New
day, new dawn, new year. Early on the morning of the first of
January I am being accosted by another one of those abysmal night
sweats courtesy of zero estrogen and chemo drugs. My hair was
plastered to my cheek and I sleepily wiped the hair from my face.
Ohhh Fuuuuudge! That hair was not attached to anything, in
particular, my head! As I ran my hands through my hair there was
more and more falling out. I fully expected to walk in the bathroom
that morning and see bald patches everywhere, but as my hair
continued to fall out over the next week I came to realize that
humans have a lot of it!
January
3rd: So this stuff is everywhere and it is seriously annoying! Hair
on my shirt, yuck. Hair down my shirt, tickles. Hair down my pants,
awkward. How the heck did that get there? So now it is bad, real
bad. Not a few strands anymore, but 10-20+. And what do you do with
all that hair? It is so strange that something we covet so much we
just throw in the trash and flush down the toilet. I look at my hand
and see the long stands of hair, I did not know my hair was that
long, wow! And I just casually toss it in the trash.
The
drug Taxol can be blamed for this hot mess and I get Taxol every week
for 18 weeks. Yea me!! Taxol halts cell division, which is
important because cancer cells do not have the normal checks and
balances that other cells have, and thus divide uncontrollably. And
as you know chemo drugs are not selective in the cells they attack,
meaning the drugs do not know the difference between good cells and
cancer cells so the drugs affect ALL cells. Thus, cells that divide
quickly are halted and die. Those mainly affected are the blood cells,
the cells in the mouth, stomach and bowel, and the hair follicles;
resulting in low blood counts, mouth sores, nausea, diarrhea, and/or
hair loss. So, all things considered, I do feel fortunate that
as of today after four rounds of Taxol and two of Carboplatin(I get
Carbo every third week) the main side effect I have is hair loss. I
still have a little hair and wore a beanie to Costco today. And
thankfully I still have my brows and lashes. Please, please, please
Baby Jesus, let me keep my lashes! I am starting to see the side
effects to the bone marrow and had some big drops in my blood counts
today, but I will save the details of that not so juicy tidbit for later. So
tomorrow when it is drizzling outside and you think you hair looks
like &hit please remember those of us that just wish we had some.
Lol
Love
and thankful appreciation to everyone! Patti
P.S. Today I want to give a little shout out to my special friend, Spell Check.
You amaze me because you are able to be so candid. It will help in the long run becauae you get it out of your head and write it down. I know it is so hard right now but just keep reminding yourself that your beautiful hair will come back. You are continuously in my prayers, dear friend.
ReplyDeleteAwww thanks Cathy. Your hair is my inspiration! Just look at your lovely locks!
DeleteThank you so much Sara for your comment. I love to hear how others are doing, especially those doing the same as me. Wow, we are almost EXACTLY in the same place! Keep me updated. I just did another update on my blog on how I am doing so far. Prayers for you! Patti
ReplyDeleteHi Patti! I'm just now found your blog and I'm soo glad ur getting tteatment. Ur attitude is amazing and ur outlook is great! I myself had to endure 6 rounds of chemo with both those medications and exactly 2 weeks later i lost my hair. Its crazy how when something we usually overlook everyday can mean so much when it's gone. I actually went thru chemo while pregnant. I had stage 1 ovarian cancer Teratoma on my right ovary. Only 19 cases world wide and I'm the first women to get pregnant, have chemo and deliver full term with a healthy baby. I will keep u in my prayers and look forward to read ur progress.
ReplyDelete