hair loss

Your mother's hair loss
Kristi, I was surprised how traumatizing it was to lose my hair. I also lost way more hair on FOLFIRI than FOLFOX or the 5FU and Leucovorin I continued with once we had to stop Oxaliplatin. We have a wig bank and I was able to get 3 free wigs! And met the awesome guy who founded our wig bank, who owns a beauty salon and trims every wig to fit the person wearing it and refuses any money for his services. The wigs were hot and scratchy so I only wore them to church and occasional social outings. I made a BUNCH of hats (knitted and crocheted) and wore those instead. I still make hats for the other survivors at my oncs office. It did get better... you get used to the hair loss and the stares you get because of it. Shaving the head makes the ritual of pulling hair off the head and everything else the head hits (pillow case) easier. It used to take an extra 10 minutes in the shower trying to make sure it didn't go down the drain. Shaving was SO much easier. You know, my hair really wasn't anything thick or luxurious, and i thought i didn't care one way or another, but we really do define ourselves with our hair. Besides, I looked like my brother once it came off! This too shall pass, and my hair comes in so much thicker each time it grows back in! I do, however, have a larger % of white hair when it grows in... that's ok, it dyes just fine!
And the Look Good...Feel Better program is outstanding! She will lose facial hair as well, and the program helps with eyebrows, etc. I have always had very few eyebrows due to keratosis pilaris that destroyed the hair follicles. I had been drawing them on since I was 16, but this program gave me a better idea of how to put them on to fit my facial features and not look so stark! And it's free makeup for life! Mr. David, the guy who founded our wig bank, says when you run out, just come on in and he'll give me a new supply!
Mary

krystiesq said:

Thank you for the advice
Today after work I am going to my mom's house to decorate for halloween / fall and I'm taking her to a middleschool football game of a boy I used to nanny and she used to babysit. I think this will give her a much needed distraction today. I know a hair salon where I live that has a lady that consults with people about wigs after hours. I also have a friend who is a breast cancer survivor that said she would give her wigs to my mom. I think we have options. I just want to hug the pain away. Today however, I think she needs a cheerleader and I'm going to be that person full of optimism. Thank you all again for continued inspiration and support!

krysti

Sweet
You're so sweet to your mom. You think of such lovely things to do for her.

*hugs*
Gail

krystiesq said:

Update
My mom got a wig and it looks wonderful. I came just in time too as her grandaughter said this morning, "Hey Nana, I can see your head!" At least she is being proactive about it.

what a difference some hair can make!
I am glad your mother got her wig in; it can make the difference sometimes between a good day and a bad day! I know when I was visiting a friend recently who was newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had lost her hair after treatment 1, she was looking kind of down. I had brought all the wigs, hair pieces and hats that I had used over the years. She LOVED one of the wigs and several of the hats and you could just see the spark come back into her eyes when she was able to see herself in that wig! It never looked very good on me, but it looked like it was MADE for her! And the hat she had been wearing was one of those run of the mill toboggans that I just cringe when I see women wearing them. I make hats out of bamboo and alpaca, both of which are very soft and breathable. The alpacas are too warm for warm weather, so the bamboo works well in the summer months. I make them with patterns that have breathing points (like a lacey pattern) so they give coverage without suffocation! You could see she felt so much better after getting the toboggan off! And if I need to wear hats again, I can just make some new ones!
Mary