Preparing for Chemo

Truly, now is the night before chemo, a good time to revisit my comment about "fun". I am a true believer that laughter is the best medicine, that even through the haze of uncertainty and fear, a ray of levity is within your grasp! Reach for it and encourage others to do so, as well.

As I sit here, I am looking at a BLONDE wig I purchased last week. Yes, blonde! My husband always wanted a blonde, yet he married me - brunette to the roots (even today at 46, I do not have to color my hair!). I decided to have fun with my wigs -go out on a limb and change my looks for the few months that it was made easy for me! Yes, it was fun to try on wigs of different colors and styles, fun to vamp it up; it's fun to plan my "coming out" party which will celebrate my hair loss. You'll read it in the literature - having a coming out party puts you in control! I'm going to have fun getting my hairdresser of 30 years to cut off my hair in a short style for the few weeks that I have left with my own hair. You certainly know by now that for hygiene reasons, "they" suggest you cut off your hair before the alopecia sets in. So go for that bob, that spiked look, whatever you haven't had the nerve to try! Your opportunity is being handed to you on a silver platter - okay, really it's in a clear bag with a tube into your arm, but it's there nonetheless!

So tomorrow after chemo, I have an appointment to try on a replacement wig since the one I chose is on back order and will not be available until August 30, a full month after I will be bald. Another lesson for you cancer newbies - chose your wig well in advance of your need. Not only will it help your wig stylist to best match your natural hair color, it will allow them time to order your wig long before you've lost your hair. There are plenty of salons nowadays that specialize in providing hair and breast prosthetics to chemo patients. I went to "All About You" in Plano, Texas and was very pleased by their service. My wig specialist is a one year survivor of breast cancer and her encouragement is invaluable. Don't forget to ask your oncologist for a "cranial prosthetic" due to chemotherapy induced alopecia (hair loss) - you may just find that your insurance company will pay for part of your wig.

As you may have surmised - I have decided to have 2 wigs - one for fun and one for the serious business of closely resembling my own hair (you know, for those business functions of your's or your husband's). With the choice of wigs, turbans, hats, and scarves, I'll be reinventing myself each day! Now THAT is fun! While funny, being ribbed by my husband that he will finally have more hair than me is something I never expected to hear! See our photo - it was taken last August in Cerro Azul, Panama - about the time that my tumor would have been visible in a mammogram!

So, my tote is packed with reading material, water, and snacks, a puzzle or two. You will always need a person with you for your first chemo treatment. I'm not sure why that is, but with my experience with my mother-in-law's first chemo, they mainstream benadryl into your IV for this first "cocktail" in the event you have an allergic reaction to any of the drugs. So I may just sleep through the "party".

Tune in again for the personal perspective on a first chemo treatment.