I had my second chemo treatment this week. So different from the first one. No tears, no trauma. Going in knowing what to expect makes a huge difference. Side effects have been almost non-existent. I have a little nausea, some headaches that come and go and I am feeling really tired. Even putting out this blog post is a challenge. But mentally, I am much better and feeling more optimistic than my last post. My daughter Amy is here to take care of me this week. I am so blessed to have family. Perhaps my optimism has something to do with following a major Hurricane. I find it hard to feel sorry for myself when I have a roof over my head, electricity, and water when some people have nothing. It is all relative, isn’t it?
Hurricane Ian roared through here, bringing massive damage to homes, businesses and cars throughout southwest Florida. We were spared any of that. From the safety of our little condo, we were untouched. Only a few inches of water on the parking lot that quickly disseminated. Too many people were not so lucky. Fort Myers Beach is a disaster. So are Sanibel Island, North Port and Port Charlotte. Isles of Capri is almost directly across the street from us and they suffered a lot of damage.
But, back to me. I lost all my hair this week. In less than a week, I went from a full head of hair to really thin and bald spots. When it started to fall out, I was obsessed with running my hands through it to see how much hair would be in my hands. I couldn’t seem to stop, which I am sure hastened the demise of it. When the bald spots started, I knew it was time to shave it all off. And yes, I cried through the whole head shaving. But now that it is done, I no longer have anxiety about it. I bought a lot of cute hats and have a wonderful wig. I noticed one thing. My head is always cold without hair. In the house, the A/C blows right on it. I need to wear a cap at all times. We found some nice soft skull caps that keep me cozy and they also fit under my hats to protect my gentle scalp. Most of the hats are bucket hats, but I also have a baseball cap I wear with a fake ponytail which is kind of fun. And the wig looks just like my real hair. So I am in good shape. You wouldn’t even know I am bald as a billiard ball under that.
Since my treatments are every three weeks, I will try to always post after each treatment and keep you in the loop.
For other cancer survivors, I would love to hear how you are coping with this. Are there tricks to the trade that help or hinder your progress?
Writing Under Fire 