braving it bald

confused123
confused123 Member Posts: 251
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I read on some posts recently questions about going out without hats during chemo and the reaction of others. It sort of inspired me to go out without any headcovering. My hair is probably a little longer than 1/4 inch right now. I went to 2 public places Sunday and did ok, no staring. I am just wondering if people think I cut my hair for summer. God I hope not! Anyway went to radiation Monday morning and everyone was smiling at me. I am pretty sure there they know I had chemo. Anyway just thought I would share my experience.

Kim
«1

Comments

  • cats_toy
    cats_toy Member Posts: 1,462 Member
    congrats Kim!
    I always went bald, loved the feeling, and usually always had good experiences with people. Keep it up, but make sure you don't burn the pate, it hasn't see sun in so many years, it could burn real quick.

    =^..^=
  • chenheart
    chenheart Member Posts: 5,159 Member
    Awwwwwww!!!!
    Good For You!!! I am certain you are as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside...and that is the reason no one stares but those who look at you, SMILE!


    Hugs,
    Claudia
  • Akiss4me
    Akiss4me Member Posts: 2,188
    Hey Kim...
    I'm proud of you! I was trying to think of a joke that had something to do with a bald head being a solar panel for "something or other" but my mind went totaly blank about the punch line. Well, if I think of it I'll pass it along. Will be a great comeback for anyone staring at you!! :) Pammy
  • tgf
    tgf Member Posts: 950 Member
    Akiss4me said:

    Hey Kim...
    I'm proud of you! I was trying to think of a joke that had something to do with a bald head being a solar panel for "something or other" but my mind went totaly blank about the punch line. Well, if I think of it I'll pass it along. Will be a great comeback for anyone staring at you!! :) Pammy

    Way to go Kim!
    It's terrific that you feel comfortable out bare-headed. I just haven't gotten brave enough for that. The closest I've come is to step out on my front porch bare-headed to water a plant.

    I just can't get over how much I look like my bald grandfather when he was 80 ... so ... I'm sticking with my little denim hat.

    Congratulation.

    hugs.
    teena
  • padee6339
    padee6339 Member Posts: 763
    tgf said:

    Way to go Kim!
    It's terrific that you feel comfortable out bare-headed. I just haven't gotten brave enough for that. The closest I've come is to step out on my front porch bare-headed to water a plant.

    I just can't get over how much I look like my bald grandfather when he was 80 ... so ... I'm sticking with my little denim hat.

    Congratulation.

    hugs.
    teena

    Sinatra Style
    The first time I went out without my wig or hat I felt like everyone was staring. I had just had enough and it was getting hotter. Well, my hair is also about a quarter of an inch long and every time I look at it I see Frank Sinatra hair (the later years). I've been wearing a wig since we moved into our new office and the first day without it, the guard just stared at me and the picture of me on my badge. It was funny. The way I see it is, I do have hair and I don't need the wigs unless I want to. That's the best part - when I want to wear it. Bald is Beautiful!
    Pat
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    padee6339 said:

    Sinatra Style
    The first time I went out without my wig or hat I felt like everyone was staring. I had just had enough and it was getting hotter. Well, my hair is also about a quarter of an inch long and every time I look at it I see Frank Sinatra hair (the later years). I've been wearing a wig since we moved into our new office and the first day without it, the guard just stared at me and the picture of me on my badge. It was funny. The way I see it is, I do have hair and I don't need the wigs unless I want to. That's the best part - when I want to wear it. Bald is Beautiful!
    Pat

    I am headed in that
    I am headed in that direction any day now. I am not sure about this bald is beautiful. I just hope I can be as brave as you all have been
    PS Ordered wig today.
  • j916
    j916 Member Posts: 141
    Bald Beauty :)
    I rarely wear Baily (my wig) any more..i think she's in my purse somewhere, need to find it since i'm going on vacation next week lol
    I wear an assortment of ladies golf/softball hats which i really like. My funny story is one day i was outside watering my plants in all my bald glory, ok, fuzzy glory, and a little girl walked by, her fingers in her mouth, and her eyes as big as saucers stopping and just stared at me. I stopped, gave her my BIGGEST smile and said HI!....she said softly..hi...and then said, and i will never forget this....."are you a girl, or a boy?" AH!!! the innocence of children!!!! I laughed and said...that's a good question! I look like a girl body, but girls usually have long hair, huh? and she just shook her head yes...so i said..well, i took some medicine and it made my hair go away, but see, it's coming back and soon it will be beautiful again just like yours! she smiled big and laughed a little, and then without skipping a beat said..."do you have cats?"....
    I will tell that story a lot.....i just love the openess of kids!!
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    j916 said:

    Bald Beauty :)
    I rarely wear Baily (my wig) any more..i think she's in my purse somewhere, need to find it since i'm going on vacation next week lol
    I wear an assortment of ladies golf/softball hats which i really like. My funny story is one day i was outside watering my plants in all my bald glory, ok, fuzzy glory, and a little girl walked by, her fingers in her mouth, and her eyes as big as saucers stopping and just stared at me. I stopped, gave her my BIGGEST smile and said HI!....she said softly..hi...and then said, and i will never forget this....."are you a girl, or a boy?" AH!!! the innocence of children!!!! I laughed and said...that's a good question! I look like a girl body, but girls usually have long hair, huh? and she just shook her head yes...so i said..well, i took some medicine and it made my hair go away, but see, it's coming back and soon it will be beautiful again just like yours! she smiled big and laughed a little, and then without skipping a beat said..."do you have cats?"....
    I will tell that story a lot.....i just love the openess of kids!!

    Thats cute j916. I am
    Thats cute j916. I am telling my granddaughter tomorrow about my hair. I don't want to freak her out and she comes to visit and grandma looks like grandpa.
  • tommaseena
    tommaseena Member Posts: 1,769
    Kat11 said:

    Thats cute j916. I am
    Thats cute j916. I am telling my granddaughter tomorrow about my hair. I don't want to freak her out and she comes to visit and grandma looks like grandpa.

    bald is beautiful
    Bald is beautiful to a point. Now that I have hair growing again I don't want to go bald again but if I do then I will wear that bald head like this last one--very rarely wearing anything on my head.

    Now when the wind blows through my little hair it tickles.

    Margo
  • confused123
    confused123 Member Posts: 251

    bald is beautiful
    Bald is beautiful to a point. Now that I have hair growing again I don't want to go bald again but if I do then I will wear that bald head like this last one--very rarely wearing anything on my head.

    Now when the wind blows through my little hair it tickles.

    Margo

    I know all too well the
    I know all too well the innocence of kids...

    My 6 year old begged me not to pick her up from school without my "fake hair" because everyone would know I lost my hair.

    My 4 year old has come out with a ton including:
    "I don't love you anymore because you have no hair"
    "my mommy can't be married, she had no hair"
    "your hair is all crazy"
    "I am going to find a new mommy who doesn't wear hats"

    My 22 month old jsut would try to take off my hats when I didn't want her to so she could wear them and rub my head.
  • Jeanne D
    Jeanne D Member Posts: 1,867
    cats_toy said:

    congrats Kim!
    I always went bald, loved the feeling, and usually always had good experiences with people. Keep it up, but make sure you don't burn the pate, it hasn't see sun in so many years, it could burn real quick.

    =^..^=

    Congrats to you Kim! I am
    Congrats to you Kim! I am sure you were just as beautiful as anyone!

    Hugs, Jeanne
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
    Kim... that is so great..
    Kim... that is so great.. your courage is evident... you go girl! Hang in there...

    Hugs to you my friend

    ~T
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member

    I know all too well the
    I know all too well the innocence of kids...

    My 6 year old begged me not to pick her up from school without my "fake hair" because everyone would know I lost my hair.

    My 4 year old has come out with a ton including:
    "I don't love you anymore because you have no hair"
    "my mommy can't be married, she had no hair"
    "your hair is all crazy"
    "I am going to find a new mommy who doesn't wear hats"

    My 22 month old jsut would try to take off my hats when I didn't want her to so she could wear them and rub my head.

    Kids come up with some crazy
    Kids come up with some crazy things to say.. but you know they love you... oh the innocents of youth... you've got to love it!
  • fauxma
    fauxma Member Posts: 3,577 Member

    I know all too well the
    I know all too well the innocence of kids...

    My 6 year old begged me not to pick her up from school without my "fake hair" because everyone would know I lost my hair.

    My 4 year old has come out with a ton including:
    "I don't love you anymore because you have no hair"
    "my mommy can't be married, she had no hair"
    "your hair is all crazy"
    "I am going to find a new mommy who doesn't wear hats"

    My 22 month old jsut would try to take off my hats when I didn't want her to so she could wear them and rub my head.

    It's funny how children can
    It's funny how children can react to this. I met a woman whose grandchildren like to use face paint on her head. She is their canvas. My 4 year old grandson tells me to put my glasses back on when I take them off to clean them or if he has stayed overnight and it is first thing in the morning. He is so used to me with glasses that I am just not me without them so I know if I lost my hair it would concern him. When my sister lost her hair, he asked why she wore hats all the time and he was fine with her explanation that she had to have special medicine that made it fall out. She asked him if he wanted to see her bald head and he said no. Our niece when she saw her bald head thought it was cool. Each one reacts in their own unique way and I think that when it is your own children you have to work with how they feel about this. I can totally picture your 22 month old taking off the hats and wearing them and rubbing your head. My granddaughter ( 1 yr on the 31st) loves to pull on my tank tops. She is breast feed and thinks that any boobs will do. Her brother always says to her, Grandma doesn't have mama's milk.
    Go figure. By the way, they are pretty little girls.

    Stef
  • tommaseena
    tommaseena Member Posts: 1,769
    fauxma said:

    It's funny how children can
    It's funny how children can react to this. I met a woman whose grandchildren like to use face paint on her head. She is their canvas. My 4 year old grandson tells me to put my glasses back on when I take them off to clean them or if he has stayed overnight and it is first thing in the morning. He is so used to me with glasses that I am just not me without them so I know if I lost my hair it would concern him. When my sister lost her hair, he asked why she wore hats all the time and he was fine with her explanation that she had to have special medicine that made it fall out. She asked him if he wanted to see her bald head and he said no. Our niece when she saw her bald head thought it was cool. Each one reacts in their own unique way and I think that when it is your own children you have to work with how they feel about this. I can totally picture your 22 month old taking off the hats and wearing them and rubbing your head. My granddaughter ( 1 yr on the 31st) loves to pull on my tank tops. She is breast feed and thinks that any boobs will do. Her brother always says to her, Grandma doesn't have mama's milk.
    Go figure. By the way, they are pretty little girls.

    Stef

    Easter Eggs
    On Easter Sunday Jake drew different colored Easter Eggs on my head and we went to church. Go some stares but most of the people thought it was cool. I had him use the washable markers.

    Margo
  • fauxma
    fauxma Member Posts: 3,577 Member

    Easter Eggs
    On Easter Sunday Jake drew different colored Easter Eggs on my head and we went to church. Go some stares but most of the people thought it was cool. I had him use the washable markers.

    Margo

    I love that you did that.
    I love that you did that. Jake will forever remember that and he will remember that cancer wasn't that scary if you can draw easter eggs on your head.
    Stef
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    You go, Kim
    That's great. I'm surprised by how much of a non-issue it is. No one looks twice, even if you're completely bald. There's just too much variety and too many different kinds of people and styles these days. Unfortunately, I am still too timid to go out sans wig. My hair actually looks kind of cute and sassy now, but I still feel shy. I wear the darn wig to work every day and today it will 90 degrees out. Yikes. I want to ditch the wig, too.

    Mimi
  • tasha_111
    tasha_111 Member Posts: 2,072
    mimivac said:

    You go, Kim
    That's great. I'm surprised by how much of a non-issue it is. No one looks twice, even if you're completely bald. There's just too much variety and too many different kinds of people and styles these days. Unfortunately, I am still too timid to go out sans wig. My hair actually looks kind of cute and sassy now, but I still feel shy. I wear the darn wig to work every day and today it will 90 degrees out. Yikes. I want to ditch the wig, too.

    Mimi

    Baldilocks and the 3 Hairs
    My uncle (5 years younger than my Dad) went very bald in his 30s..My Dad who is now 72 has hair so thick it has to be cut weekly. Anyway, we used to take the mickey out of Uncle Kelvin for his diminishing hair and his favourite saying was "God made very few beautiful heads, and those he didn't wish to look down upon, He covered with hair!"

    I wish I had been that brave...There was a girl who shared my rad times with me, she looked just like Cats-toy, she had about 2mm of hair and looked great, I really admired her. Go for it!

    Hugs Jxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • cats_toy
    cats_toy Member Posts: 1,462 Member
    tasha_111 said:

    Baldilocks and the 3 Hairs
    My uncle (5 years younger than my Dad) went very bald in his 30s..My Dad who is now 72 has hair so thick it has to be cut weekly. Anyway, we used to take the mickey out of Uncle Kelvin for his diminishing hair and his favourite saying was "God made very few beautiful heads, and those he didn't wish to look down upon, He covered with hair!"

    I wish I had been that brave...There was a girl who shared my rad times with me, she looked just like Cats-toy, she had about 2mm of hair and looked great, I really admired her. Go for it!

    Hugs Jxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    I remember her!
    You told me about her a few months ago. My long lost twin. Hope she's doing well too.
    J, how's it going with Jamie now? Having more fun?
    =^..^=
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    cats_toy said:

    I remember her!
    You told me about her a few months ago. My long lost twin. Hope she's doing well too.
    J, how's it going with Jamie now? Having more fun?
    =^..^=

    Thank you all for such great stories
    WAY TO GO, Kim!

    And Margo, thank you for sharing the fabulous Easter egg story. I'll most likely be bald through Halloween, so I'll have my own opportunity for holiday-themed cranial illustrations!

    And j916, thank you so much for sharing your story about the little girl who asked you if you were a girl or a boy. As much as I love her innocence, I love even more the way you responded to her. I'm often kind of intimidated around kids, so I'm definitely going to remember your words if I need them.

    Some friends of friends have a 3-year-old little girl who has leukemia, who's going through very aggressive chemo, and isn't really supposed to go outside at all for fear of infection. As a special treat, her parents took her out to the beach for just a little while, and some kids (old enough to know better) started pointing and laughing and making rude comments at her because she is bald. My God, she's only 3 years old -- I cannot think of anything I can say about what I want to do to those kids that's even legal to post on the internet.

    So instead -- thanks to some recent posts from many of you -- I'm going to order her her own Heavenly Hat package. Her parents have bought her several adorable hats (I have no hope of looking as cute as her in my hats), but I think just getting her own box in the mail will probably really tickle her.

    Traci