Won the wrong lottery

HillTop_Dreamer

Hi,  1 in 8 and I wouldn’t win Tatts but I’ve won an early diagnosis triple positive gremlin.  Surgery was a little over 3 weeks ago.  Clear Margins and negative in the sentinel nodes - another win 🙂  

I had an appointment with the radio guru today who says 4 weeks of treatment after my chemo.   So that will be a few months away - the height is summer.  Does that affect discomfort?  He a
so mentioned something about large, droopy breasts and a skin fold issue under the breast?  I’ll talk to my McGrath Magician about that. 

Chemo Guru appt is next week.  This is the scary one for me.  Everything so far I’ve rolled with but I have waist length hair, I’ve always had long thick hair.  I have never found a hat that fits and looks good and I look stupid in beanies.  So I’m hitting a wall pretty hard on losing my hair.

I guess that’s enough about me for now.  Cheers.

primek

Hi and welcome.
I was dreading the hat and beanie thing too as I always looked silly when I had hair but surprisingly they looked okay. You could also look at a wig. Many areas have free wig services for cancer patients. 

I ended up with soft chemo caps in summer, beanies in winter and scarves once it warmed up again. The tied scarf sort of felt like having hair.  Lots of ideas how to tie on Google. 

Zoffiel

Hey @HillTop_Dreamer
Lots of people who haven't been through chemo say 'its only hair'  True statement and it's easy to be sanguine unless it's yours that is going to fall out.
Being bald ain't my preferred state, but I've done it twice now--both times losing waist length--and it hasn't killed me. And I guess that's what it comes down to; hair or potentially life saving treatment. Cold caps weren't an option and I'm not sure I'd have bothered even if they had been available. It suited me better to just own it and get on with it. But then, I am a bloody minded old battleaxe at times.
Regarding the potential rads burns. There is absolutely no guarantees either way what will happen until you finish and I don't know that summer will make much difference to the level of discomfort.  If you do get  burns they won't last for long anyway.
PS, wigs are fun if it's not too  hot to wear them and there is some satisfaction in realising that if men can do bald, we can too. Mxx

Afraser

I’m with @zoffiel on the hair thing - I didn’t have the option of cold cap, but just like not having a partial mastectomy, I couldn’t see the advantage of saving some of my hair. I did the wig - synthetic, looked great, wasn’t hot, easy to look after, just watch the warning about hot ovens! I had short hair but still never wore hats or beanies. If you can afford it, try something fun. Treatment is necessary and saves your life but you need to milk all the emotional good out of it too. Best wishes. 

kmakm

I had chemo in summer and it certainly made it easier to keep cool. And showers when you're bald are amazing. And as shocking as each new stage of treatment can be, we humans are an adaptable mob. You do get used to it. And we'll all be here for you. Big hug, K xox

Brenda5

I did my chemo during summer. I didn't like anything on my head at home and when  went shopping I wore a baseball cap. It is amazing how cold your head can get in the freezer section of Coles. At home everyone liked patting my head fuzz. Remember to drink lots to re-hydrate and also to flush that poison out the other end.

Sister

I guess for me that the hair thing became easier because I started with the cold caps but they didn't work so well.  The bald strip upset me more than making the decision to clip it all off.  I had a wig for flying under the radar, a soft cap that wouldn't blow off for the beach, and the rest of the time was scarves and beanies or nothing at all.  I've never looked good in things like that but I think I rocked them during chemo (what I tell myself, anyway).  I think if it's going to happen, emotionally it works best if you're in control of it.  It may be that you wait until it starts to fall to take it off, you may want to make a bit of a ceremony about it, or once you've got your starting date you may want to find somewhere that cuts hair for cancer wigs.  Whatever works for you.

Patti J

Bald is beautiful. 
God only made so many perfect heads, the others are covered in hair. 😁

youngdogmum

I never thought losing my hair was an issue, then when it came time to shaving it I cried like a child. Took a couple of days to get comfortable in it. Losing little buzz cut hairs seems much easier emotionally than my long, thick hair would have been to watch fall. I hate being cold so knew I wouldn't handle cold capping, plus my hospital didn't offer it. Having a wig is awesome for wanting to go out and blend in; I personally felt I attracted way more looks wearing scarfs etc so stopped that. I don't bother with the wig anymore its getting a bit too itchy with hair growing back, so I alternate between a beanie and baseball cap. 
The biggest thing for me has been watching my eyebrows and eyelashes fall out even 6 weeks after chemo has finished! I have never been good at makeup anyway so trying to disguise that is much harder than wearing a cap.

Im just finishing radiation now but have had a mastectomy with no recon, so there's nothing there breast wise to rub, but its chaffing just from exercising with a crop top. They have lots of different creams they can give you and if you suffer burns/skin breakdown the nurses can re-dress your breast everyday if need be. 

Keep asking questions, good luck  

Sister

I found the eyebrows the hardest to deal with, I must admit.

Afraser

Long term the loss of nasal hair had the biggest impact. Who’da thought? 

kmakm

My eyebrows are now rather motheaten. Not the end of the world but a tad disheartening. Insult to injury!

HillTop_Dreamer

Thanks everyone.   I had Mt thought about nasal hair.  I did think of the positives of some other bodily hair going for a while 😎 - searching for the good in all the drama.   My dear daughter has volunteered to give me eyebrows and eyelashes, we’ve had some giggles over various eyebrow trends through the decades.  Who knows, when it grows back I might decide I like short hair 😇

Afraser

Many people have decided that a pixie cut suits them. I didn’t miss leg hair, underarm hair or wretched chin hairs at all! My leg hair however took ages to grow back and is finer and lighter. There are some positives!

primek

My dark post menopause lower leg hair did not all fall out...most annoying.

kmakm

@HillTop_Dreamer I love mine short and am keeping it that way!