Hair raising tales

It’s just over 40 days since the last chemo, and I’ve begun to  sprout pinfeathers – it’s a start. It’s not a full head of hair yet, by any means:  the regrowth is sparse, mottled, and patchy so far; a lot of it is “chemo hair”*; and it’s honestly pretty damn ugly, as pinfeathers are wont to be.

Not a Pretty Sight. And, no, you’re *not* getting a picture.

It looks decidedly *diseased*, in a way my bald pate never really did- and I still can’t quite bring myself to shave it off.

Yet.

Six months to a year, they say, before we can resume our regularly scheduled programming… it’s going to be a long cold winter.

The rest of the recovery from chemo is proceeding apace – there’s a bit of soreness in my legs still, but it’s hardly worth writing home about. Hard to tell on the fatigue levels, as the days draw in and effects of radiation set in – I tend to linger by the Statue of Corrupted Endeavors a bit more than I’d like, but that’s an ongoing theme in my life. The cording persists, the lymphedema has lessened (lymphedema massage and exercises – boring as hell, with no sense that you’re really doing anything, but they work. I will be getting a sleeve & gauntlet set, and a big padded sleepy/travel sleeve), the whole arm itself is a bit overly sensitive,  and I’m still in PT for it. Nothing horrible, and I’d prefer it never get that way.

Radiation itself goes on. And on. My skin seems to be holding up pretty well so far – I think it helps being small breasted in that I don’t have to wear a bra, and in that my skin isn’t constantly rubbing against itself or against fabric. Everything’s decidedly pink, with a few areas rather pinker (under my arm and directly under my breast), and nothing’s really comfortable but there are no skin breaks as of yet and it’s a long way from being horrid. Sensitive and uncomfortable, yes – it makes sleeping a bit challenging at times, and Zoe is less than pleased with the new restrictions on where *she* can sleep (because, you know, it’s all about *her*. She’ll be happy to tell you so).

If I can just survive ‘Breast Cancer Awareness’ month without strangling someone with a pink ribbon, we’ll all be happy – and if I can get the living room painted and the house in some sort of order, that will be a minor miracle.

Light a candle to your lares and penates for me, eh?

* the very first regrowth after chemo is often thin, almost transparent, fragile hair a.k.a “chemo hair”. This is gradually replaced by healthier hair as the months go by.

So far, the only regrowth has been on my head – the rest of my body and personal bits are as smooth as a supermodel’s.