Hi Maggie,
I am so sorry you have to deal with BC at such young age but thenmain thing is that it has been identified and now it can be dealt with so that at the end of this treatment you will have your health back and a good life.
I found prospect of losing hair very daunting.when I learnt off it but weirdly enough it did not bother me one little bit when it happened. I have always had thick pusheous blode hair everyone envied and right now am soorting a bald look and lobing the freedom that comes with not needing shampoos conditioners drying the previously thick mop of mine in this cold...
When I learned it would fall out I somehow knew syraight away I would hate wearing a wig as I always imagined them itchy and weird... I went and bought up various caos andnscarves and watched many you tube videos on various ways of wearing head scarves to make it look good and was even enjoying the prospect of playing with various looks...
Several weeks before Chemobstarted I went to the haridresser and asked for the shortest possible cut he could give me that was still crazy and had attitude... If the hair was going to go it would be with the bang... zit was a shock going from a very thick long mane to a short botish hair but after 2 days I had gotten used to it and the new sassy cut became 'me'...
One week into chemo my hair started to feel uncomfortable and scalp started to get irritated so thendiscomfort had me off to the hairdresser and he he buzzed most off it iff to a crew cut (No 4). I must say the look was a shockninitially but was used to it within 2 hours...
I think had I gone from my long mane to crew cut I would have been devastated but having been used to short cut already this was a breeze to get used to). And I was SO SO SO happy to have.done it when thebhair started to fall out in week 3. When I say it was fallong out I mean falling out like crazy... 50% of my hair fell out in maybe 2 hours and another 30-40% over the next 24 hours...
Having the shirt crew cut made it managable... It was driving me.nuts still as my hair had been so horribly thick that as much fell.out there seemed to be so.much more to go... I would stand over the bathtub shaking my head and running fingers through thebremaining hair trying to peel it off my scalp.
I can honestly say that had I nowlt had thebcrew vut the exoerience would have been devastating... I cannot imagine having long hair shed like that... Also what shocked me (as nobody warned me) was rhat it would not fall out everywhere... Sides went first, followed by thebback of the head low down and then bits on top of the head... But there were large oatches remaining high up making me look like an extra from a Mad Max movie. Had it been long I think would have been devastating... Vrew cut made it jusy frustrating to deal with the 1cm hairs that were getting caught in a beanie type cap I found most comfortable to use when cold... So the next step was to buy myself an electric body shaver and buzz the remainder of my hair off. Funnily enough - I am loving the bald look... It took me a whole.of.couole.of.hours to het used to the move from the crew cut to no hair and if anything as thenhair hriws I keep on clipping it off every few days to keep it bald and easy to deal with...
Chemo as such and various theroaies give you enough to contend with that no hair to fuss over is honestly no biggie and I do like playing with scavbes and various hairbands (used to keep scarves together as am terrible and tying scarves). I only use them when I see my friends that have young kids as did not want to alarm the kiddies with having to explain what happened to the hair...
On the street though I mormally just whack on a beanie and nobody gives it a 2nd look so I can honestly day the 'no hair' bit as daunting as it was before it happened has proven to be the least bother of everything...
I strongly reccomend the staged 'cutting it short' then crew cut approach as it helps you adjust to the new look and prevents the shock of going from very long thick hair to none at all...
And I do promisse - you will not miss needing to care for your hair once it is gone. You can still be fashionable with either headwear or wigs but when it comes to getting ready it is such a breeze.
Hugs
Jel.
