Hair Today....Gone Tomorrow

Monday, I had my follow-up with Dr. Sri. My blood work looks great. I don't know how long it takes for blood to change, but it would have been nice to have a test sometime in the week following my treatment day. When I was feeling the less energy and heavy weight feeling. Just to know what was lacking if anything. I don't know what they test for, but I am sure red and white blood cells is part of that test. The doctor was surprised at the condition of my face. It had gotten much worse on Sunday. I didn't know what to do for it. I didn't want to put oily or alcohol based products on it, so I just didn't do anything. That was probably the first mistake. It was so sore and itchy and dry. The nurse did say that a face rash is normal - this one is BAD. My whole forehead and about an inch or more on each side of my nose and my whole chin was bright red - almost purple. Anyway, she put me on an antibiotic (thankfully the insurance paid for it as it is over $200). By now (Friday), the intensity of the redness has gone down a lot. Instead of one big patch of redness, each individual "pimple" is just red. They aren't really pimples - they are mostly red bumps, but I don't know what else to call them. They aren't as itchy. I have tried cortisone cream a couple times. I am washing with Neutragena and using lotion frequently, so it isn't getting as dry. I am not looking forward to this happening every time and going on for so long. For now, it looks like I'll have a week of uselessness, a week of looking weird and a week of maybe normalness?
Well, one other milestone has come and I am over it. The one thing I really wasn't looking forward to was dealing with not having hair. Tuesday I still had hoped that my hair might stay. Jeff had a couple clients come in who either themselves or someone they were close to didn't loose their hair. He made sure that they went through chemo. A lot of people say "I had breast cancer and I didn't loose my hair" when their treatment was actually radiation only and did not include chemo. But, no, these people did have it and didn't loose their hair. That evening, I would scratch my head and a clump would come out. Wednesday when I was putting stuff in my hair after my shower, a lot more hair came loose and a couple big clumps even came out. "Well, maybe it will just thin and not all fall out" I thought. No! When I got back from taking the girls to school (A had her luggage for 6th grade camp), I stood outside and ran my fingers through my hair. Every time, I had tons and tons come out.
My good friend Stacy came over that morning and we had a fun day laughing and reminiscing and she went through some of my blog which she hadn't gotten to very much. She brought her food processor because she didn't know if I had one. She made avocado chocolate pudding. Avocado, maple syrup, vanilla and cocoa and banana. The same texture and close to taste of pudding! She also brought something that I am going to buy by the case for my next 'blech' week. It is called Noosa. It is a flavored yogurt. She brought pumpkin and I LOVE IT!!! (it is made with whole milk, so that is one thing about it that helps make it super yummy).
We finally said "OK, let's do this". She had brought her razor set and we went on the back porch and got to it. It was a cool day, but sunny and that felt good to sit in the warmish sun. She took lots of before, during and after pictures. I really, really had fun with the whole process, I just wished that my face didn't look so bad in all the pictures as that is all I can notice. I should have put some makeup on to have the focus be on my head and not my face. I had her give me a mohawk first, and sent that to Tori. She put it up on facebook. I told her she wasn't the only Howell to be able to sport a mohawk.

Now I just need to put one up side-by-side of me and Carter with buzzed heads. It is really something I never would have known, that we have the same hairline and highlights. With all the fun we had, I have been able to face this obstacle with a fun approach rather than with a scared or worried attitude. If she hadn't of come, I probably would have just done it myself, but that would have been a completely different feeling with the whole thing.

(wish I could have gotten those two pictures closer together....)
My visiting teachers came over this morning and we had a lot of fun and laughs. They have been so good and I know that I can call them for anything. We talked about what I need, what will help me through my yuck week. Luci gave me a list of 'gooey' food. I told her that was what I most was able to handle eating. She is going to make me some custard, a recipe her mother always made. Lavena gave me some lavender flavored lotion, so that will help with my sleeplessness and dry skin. They just went out, got, and dropped off some scarves! What wonderful ladies. We talked about how I tried on the different hats that I have and that I figured that I need scarves to wear turban style. That is what I found looks best. The wig I got from Joanne is uncannily like my "old" hair. Lots of people thought that the pictures I sent them, the bald head is the after pic when in fact the bald is before and the wig is the after. I will try to get those pictures on here. My presidency and Amanda all asked me if I had gotten a haircut or highlights. (I went up to Amanda's camp yesterday to help out and to see her since I wasn't able to chaperon the whole thing.)

Before

After, after

After

This has taken me a long time to figure all this out with the pictures. They were on 3 different devices, and I just might now finally know how to transfer them, download them and share. I just wish I had a good editing program that I don't have to go onto my old, old, old computer to use. I would like to maybe touch-up, but it would be fun to crop, and maybe have made those two pictures of me and Carter into one double picture like what Tori did with the two of our pictures. I know it must be simple, but I need direction for those types of things.