Feeling Wonderful
I am three days into my third chemo treatment and I am still feeling great. When I hear from others about how much the chemo affected them, I consider my own response to the treatment to be a small miracle and a most appreciated miracle. I told my wonderful oncology nurse, Gloria, on Thursday that I was actually a little concerned that the only noticeable side effect I have experienced from the chemo has been losing the hair on my head. Was the chemo working? She said that the two have absolutely nothing to do with eachother and that I am just very "resilient." (I like that word.) My so-called resilience has been a blessing because the impact of my treatment on the family has been minimal. There has been no disruption to our normal routine.
My friend, Angelia, came over Friday afternoon to help me style my wigs. Angelia, is a former co-worker from way back to my APAC Customer Service days. She has a family member for whom she has styled wigs for many, many years and had offered to help me. As she was working her magic on me, I told her that I never envisioned when we first met back in 1996 that she would be styling wigs for me. I guess that is what makes life such an adventure. You never know what the future holds. I also suggested she add "cranial prosthesis technician" to her resume. People may think she performs brain surgery! Those of us in human resources feel that way sometimes anyway.
Under Angelia's expertise, the six wigs transformed from offering a pelt-like appearance to providing a chic and stylish look for the occasions when I am inclined to wear hair. I have been quite comfortable with hats, and yesterday I was running around with just a Wiliam and Mary baseball cap. I do have a very fine fringe of hair left. Dr. P. said these were "keepers," so I guess they are there for the long haul. When I am wearing a hat, you can see hair peeking out, so it is fairly natural looking. No matter. I don't cringe when I look in the mirror anymore. I took Max's words to heart to look more deeply, but also, like most change, it just takes a little while to adapt to something new.
Speaking of which, the kids have all adapted too. We celebrated Lance's third birthday with a small party at Pizza Hut last Tuesday night. Cole and Clay were encouraging me to show their friends my hair, and I obliged. The world did not stop. Cole informed me that he has gotten used to my hair now, and when I ask Lance if he likes me hair, he had been saying, "No, not yet." Now he answers, "Yes." They all like to reach over and pat my head. Bo made some comment about having six women to choose from now... Seven if we include the blonde wig, but that one is for when I want two men to choose from!
My friend, Angelia, came over Friday afternoon to help me style my wigs. Angelia, is a former co-worker from way back to my APAC Customer Service days. She has a family member for whom she has styled wigs for many, many years and had offered to help me. As she was working her magic on me, I told her that I never envisioned when we first met back in 1996 that she would be styling wigs for me. I guess that is what makes life such an adventure. You never know what the future holds. I also suggested she add "cranial prosthesis technician" to her resume. People may think she performs brain surgery! Those of us in human resources feel that way sometimes anyway.
Under Angelia's expertise, the six wigs transformed from offering a pelt-like appearance to providing a chic and stylish look for the occasions when I am inclined to wear hair. I have been quite comfortable with hats, and yesterday I was running around with just a Wiliam and Mary baseball cap. I do have a very fine fringe of hair left. Dr. P. said these were "keepers," so I guess they are there for the long haul. When I am wearing a hat, you can see hair peeking out, so it is fairly natural looking. No matter. I don't cringe when I look in the mirror anymore. I took Max's words to heart to look more deeply, but also, like most change, it just takes a little while to adapt to something new.
Speaking of which, the kids have all adapted too. We celebrated Lance's third birthday with a small party at Pizza Hut last Tuesday night. Cole and Clay were encouraging me to show their friends my hair, and I obliged. The world did not stop. Cole informed me that he has gotten used to my hair now, and when I ask Lance if he likes me hair, he had been saying, "No, not yet." Now he answers, "Yes." They all like to reach over and pat my head. Bo made some comment about having six women to choose from now... Seven if we include the blonde wig, but that one is for when I want two men to choose from!
posted by Mary @ 7:58 AM
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