still healthy ... and a hair cut

A few noteworthy things have happened in the past week.

First, I had my 4-month checkup yesterday and everything looks good. I continue to receive only chest x-rays (no PET or CT scans) and will stay on that course unless something suspicious pops up.

I also had my yearly blood chemistry done, and everything looks good there as well.

Last weekend, I decided to buzz my head again for the summer. Having been there before, it was much less intimidating to do.

#2 all the way around :)

I am enjoying its ease of care, but there were two things I hadn't thought about ahead of time.

First, the first shower that I took after getting it cut, I got out of the shower and looked in the mirror and was surprised not to see a big ugly scar with stitches in my throat. That's where my biopsy was done, and the first time my hair looked like this, there was indeed a big ugly scar with stitches there. I was surprised that that's what my brain was expecting to see. It hasn't popped up since.

I have gotten a lot of compliments on the cut, and I am always amazed at how many women tell me they wish they could wear their hair like that. Um, you can! Go to the salon and ask for #2 all the way around, then pay them :) "My head is a funny shape." So is mine! If I run my hand over my head, there are bumps and valleys all over, but even a cut this short doesn't show them :)

Second, I had the aforementioned oncologist appointment yesterday. In the waiting room, it's not a cute or hot or chic haircut, it's a "I have cancer" haircut. Very interesting how simply walking through that door completely changed perception of the cut.

Here's to continued health and hair freedom!

another clean scan :)

I had an appointment with the oncologist today, after a chest X-ray and blood work on Thursday. X-ray was clean, blood work looked good. My next appointment is in late May.

Today is two years since I finished radiation. So much has happened in those two years... It feels like much longer ago than that, but I've been a busy chica, and being busy certainly makes time pass more quickly.

This blog has become pretty not interesting, but I guess that's a good thing :)

In the last couple of weeks, I've had three more people comment that I have hair now. This is slightly annoying, since my hair started growing in before I even finished chemo, and that was over two years ago. Not a huge deal by any means, but come on now people. I've moved on. You can, too.

At school, they're participating in the Pennies for Patients drive, which supports people with blood cancers. I'm pretty sure this had nothing to do with me, that it's coincidence. But I told the counselor, who is organizing the whole thing, that if she wanted to let kids know that I had a blood cancer, so this might help people like me, she was welcome to, and that if anyone wanted to talk about it, I'm happy to answer questions. I had quite a few kids ask me questions, which was cool (some of them have been my students for long enough that they remember when I was out). I also had a few kids come in and put change in my box, which I thought was cool. They are competing with other homerooms, so change they give to me doesn't count towards their competition, which makes it that much sweeter for them to do.

I've given up the search for an answer or a cure for chemo boobs. I am dealing with my heart rate issue when I exercise in hopes that it will come down eventually. And I still wear sunscreen, though I don't know if I need to be as vigilant about it or not. No need to press my luck.

Otherwise, lots of good stuff going on professionally and blissfully little to report on the health front. I've been using my NetiPot almost every day when I get home from work, and I'm convinced that is the primary reason that I haven't been sick yet this season. There's still plenty of time, I know, but so far, so good...

the hair project has officially ended

I decided that since
1- my hair was getting annoying and
2- it was longer than I normally wear it, and I grew it out from that length a couple of years ago and
3- I really just wanted to see if it would be curly and
4- it's not

it was time for a cut ...

A friend's recent cut-and-color inspired me to perhaps add some color of my own. I had never dyed my hair before. I wasn't sure I was going to today. I knew the cut I wanted, and I picked a color :)

Here are the results of today's trip to the salon:



Funky, no? I'm kinda diggin' it. I'm not sure I'll get it colored again, mainly because there are other things I'd rather spend money on (and the chemical-ness of it was kinda gross), but it was fun to do :)

hair project

Here are pics for July, a little overdue. My hair is long enough now to be called shaggy. The back always turns out. I am likely to get the back trimmed in the next few days. I'll ask them to trim the underside a little shorter than the outside, so it turns under.

I've been thinking about how I'm going to have it cut/styled when the hair project ends, either at the end of 2008 or when I get sick of my hair, whichever comes first. Suggestions? Parameters: must be wash and wear — no product, no hair driers. Limits the options, I know...

hair project

Two pics of the latest 'do. I might need to get it cleaned up a bit - it's driving me a bit mad. But for now...

general update

I had my monthly check-up on Monday last week.

My lymph node is still swollen. It has gotten marginally smaller, maybe. Definitely hasn’t gotten bigger. Definitely hasn’t gone away.

“You know, I can’t guarantee that that’s not cancer.”

I know. I’m willing to do whatever needs to be done, but I don’t want to do anything extra. If he says, “You know, that needs to come out so we can biopsy it,” well, let’s get it out! But he maintains that it’s OK to be watching it for now, so we’re watching. I’m not feeling really stressed about it, though I suspect that some “background tension” will be noticeably absent when this little thing isn’t puffy any more.

Skin is still sensitive. I’ve been in sunscreen and/or long sleeves all the time. I’ve been using Neutrogena Ultra-Dry Sheer Touch SPF 45. Last time I went to the store, there was only SPF 55, so I got that. No big deal, right? Well, while I was in NJ, putting on sunscreen started to burn my face. (Not a sensation I’d recommend.) Then just plain moisturizer burned. Then soap and water. Then I had a rash. So I stopped using the sunscreen and was careful to stay out of the sun as much as possible.

I checked the two bottles of sunscreen when I got home. As it turns out, SPF 45 and 55 have very different ingredients. I am hoping that the problem was just something in the 55 that’s not in the 45. I haven’t had sunscreen on since Saturday, but my face accepts moisturizer now. I am going to try sunscreen this afternoon before my commute home. If it’s not the sunscreen and it’s my face, I’m not sure what I’m going to do…

The doc didn’t have much else to say, except that it’s time for another PET scan. I have it scheduled for Friday, but I won’t get results from it until my next appointment, which is on the 19th. I assume that if there’s a problem, they’ll call me, and that as long as I just keep my next appointment, all news should be good news.

I got copies of my most recent blood work, and for the first time in almost a year, all levels of everything are normal!! My immune system is finally back up and running in the realm of “normal,” though I’m not sure where is typical for me specifically. No matter. It’s good to be able to take myself off of the “immuno-compromised” list.

My hair is driving me batty. I’m not sure that this hair project is going to last a whole year. I’ll post pics later this week, but I think it’s going to need to be cleaned up. It’s coarser than it was before (though not terribly so), which might be why it’s resisting being parted. It’ll probably just need to be longer. But I need to clean it up. I’m kind of missing the days of #2 all the way around.

In general health … TJ and I have been vegetarian at home now for two or three months. It’s been going well and has been much easier to do than we had anticipated. We have had lots of very tasty food that just doesn’t happen to have meat in it. I’ve also finally gotten my sugar cravings back under control (which is to say, close to non-existent).

In cancer-preventing health:

I have replaced the plastics that I was using for lunches and other food storage with glass. I’ll use plastic to hold dry goods in, but that’s all at this point. This includes not drinking bottled water. (At this point, if I drink bottled water, I can taste the plastic.) The only thing I can’t find is an ice cube tray that isn’t plastic…

I had been avoiding grilled meats, but going veggie made that a lot easier.

I’m overly careful with the sun (“Melanoma is a common secondary cancer” – no thanks! once was enough!) and am looking forward to the sun not being an adversary any more. I’m adapting to constant sunscreen and can probably do that indefinitely without too much bitching, but the long sleeves and staying out of the sun with sunscreen on is not making me happy.

Unless I know that I’ll be on for about two minutes or less, I don’t use my cell phone without the earpiece. I read some studies they’re doing have shown that cell phone use causes cells to do funky things that they don’t normally do. No specific cancer link (yet?), but I don’t need to wait for more info, really.

I have cut out artificial sweeteners whenever possible (I don’t always know, and I don’t always remember). I know those links are not strong, but that there’s a link at all makes it worth it. I figure, stuff that is that processed isn’t good for your body anyway, regardless of its potential as a carcinogen.

I think that’s all, but it’s been plenty. Aside from the sun thing, I feel comfortable in these changes. And really, I think they’re all healthy, even if they have no bearing one way or the other on cancer.

I’m starting to work on my book in slightly more tangible ways than just thinking. It’s kind of fun :) I hope it turns out well.

*whew* I think that’s the complete update for the moment. Pictures in a couple of days, then updates on the latest PET scan, once I have news.

hair project 4-3

OK, here are the most recent hair pics. You can't tell from the pic, but in the front, if I pull the hairs down forward, they almost reach my eyebrows. At this point, it's a little long for spiking, so I've been combing it forward on top, down on the sides. I tried parting it, but that's still not quite happening.

I haven't noticed much difference between now and before it fell out. A little lighter, maybe, a bit thicker, maybe. That's about all.



I did trim the "tail" on the left to even out the back a bit. It was quite a bit longer than the right.

the hair project 3-3-08

Well ... I took my digital camera to school last week and left it there over the weekend, so this month's picture is a couple of days late... Anyway, this is what it's looking like these days. The style is gel-free, though sometimes it needs gel. Don't know why.

the hair project 2-1-08

Here's what my hair is lookin' like today, February 1. I have that weird little tail thing going on, and around my ears feels unkept, but otherwise, it's doing well :)



I'm not noticing any lingering side effects of radiation, and the side effects of chemo feel like they are mostly gone. Funny, here we are, 2.5 months after chemo ended, and there are still bits of lingering side effects.

I suppose that as long as there are no cancer cells, I can deal with minor lingering side effects :)

"you're looking better"

It's amazing what 1/4" of hair will do.

That's probably the amount that my hair has grown since the last band concert we had before Christmas. It's the only thing about me (as far as I can tell) that looks different than it did a month ago. Yet five people came up to me before yesterday's rehearsal and during break to say how good I was looking and they were glad to see/hear that I was feeling well.

It was nice, but it was kinda weird...

hair

Well, this is what I've decided to do with my hair:

Since it started to grow back in, I've been keeping it buzzed, #2 all around. I'm going to get it trimmed this weekend, I'm going to trim it on December 31, then I'm nto going to cut it at all in 2008, and see where it is next Dec. 31. I'll post monthly pics here, for anyone who is actually interested in watching my hair grow LOL Beyond radiation, I'm hoping there isn't much else to report in that year's time...

chemo #10, dumb nurse, new PICC, etc.

It was nice to have time off from the PICC and from the chemo. It took almost all four weeks before the smaller side effects went away (loss of appetite, various bowel issues, trouble sleeping), but by Tuesday of this week, I was feeling pretty normal. The chemo will take care of that, of course, but it was nice to have a couple of days of relative normalcy. I was very grateful to miss a treatment cycle — the Thursday that I would have had my last treatment I still felt pretty crappy. The body wasn't ready for more poison yet.

Ten down, two to go.

Yesterday's treatment was about the same as any other. I have decided that the treatment break gave my body enough time off that I will react to these last three more like I did to earlier ones and not more recent ones (the earlier treatments had less side effects that went away fairly quickly, were more predictable, and were generally less unpleasant). My body is agreeing so far.

I had the PICC put back in on Wednesday. It was an OK experience. Hurt a little while it was going in. Hurt much more for the rest of the day and yesterday. Today it's a little sore, but it's much better than it was. I figure that in another day or two, it should be relatively unnoticeable. By then, it will only have three-and-a-half weeks until it comes back out :)

The home nurses came today to change the dressing. Normally that would be kind of silly, since it's only two days old, but it was bloody and gross to look at, so I was glad to have it changed.

There were two nurses today — the one who will be here each week and the one who is in charge of this area. The one in charge of the area felt compelled to tell me several negative stories, the purpose of which I just don't understand. One story was about a woman she knew (or knew of?) who died from having a thoracentesis (the procedure I had twice to get the fluid out from around my lungs). One was a cautionary tale of how all treatments are different, even with the same person, and that all can be well for many treatments, then all of a sudden, all sorts of nasty things happen. Thanks. One was an explanatory story about why I might need to keep my PICC in longer than the end of treatment — because some lady had a PICC and finished treatment and then her cancer recurred and she needed more chemo. Is that story *really* necessary? I don't get people sometimes... But I shouldn't need to see her any more, so it's more OK than it would be if she was my regular weekly nurse.

My hair is growing back in nicely. It looks to be about the same color, texture and style as it was before: brown, soft, straight. No "chemo curl" here, unless it's delayed ;) Right now it's still thinner than it was before it fell out, but it's thick enough to look normal. It almost looks like I have this 'do on purpose.

Chemo ends in four weeks, Thanksgiving in five weeks, return to work in five and a half. Radiation likely to start in eight weeks — merry Christmas — and hopefully will end in twelve weeks ... and then it'll all be over and life can return to normal. I'm very much looking forward to eating well, sleeping well, having my regular energy and workout routine back. It'll also be nice to be rid of chemo-nose — this heightened sense of smell is particularly unpleasant with Peanut (and his accidents) around. And while I very much enjoy all of the cards that I have been receiving, it'll be kinda nice just to get bills and junk mail again. Funny, no?

looking back, looking forward

Well, the last rounds of chemo loom ominously.

I have had 4 fabulous weeks since my last chemo treatment, 4 weeks without the PICC in my arm. It's been good.

I didn't feel as good as I had thought/hoped/planned to feel during much of those four weeks, but that's just how it goes sometimes. Given how I was feeling two weeks ago, I was very grateful to be missing a treatment.

But now, within the last two or three days, I have all regular body functions back: I have an appetite, I am able to use the bathroom without a laxative, I am able to sleep without Benadryl.

Exercise still completely wipes me out, though I was able to bike to my blood draw yesterday morning without napping in the afternoon. Slept well last night. I have been able to go walk/jogging a few times, done some pushups and situps and other such nonsense. It feels good to exercise :)

Since I went to see Dr. Oncology a week early, it has been five weeks since I've seen him. Not sure what I'll say to him tomorrow, if anything.

I went and had my PICC put back in this morning. The PICC nurse, as it turns out, remembers me from when they tried to put in an IV that nasty day over the summer (when several nice ladies tried and failed). There are quite a few people in the hospital who remember me from that day, which is a bit embarrassing. I made sure to point out, when she was done, that I made a fine patient today. She laughed and agreed.

Anyway, it's back in. My arm is pretty sore. It was pretty sore last time, too, but it went away within three or four days. I suspect the same will happen this time around as well.

I am hoping that the break from chemo will kind of "reset" the body's tolerance, and that this weekend will be more like early weekends were and less like recent weekends. They've been hitting harder lately, and I'm hoping not to pick up where I left off in that regard.

I only needed to deal with a few completely stupid cancer/chemo comments at the wedding reception. Not bad... Most people just asked how I was and walked away after my stock answer: "I feel good, or I wouldn't be here." A few were interested in more information, which I'm happy to share, but most of my conversations this past weekend were three to four sentences long. I hate that, but that's how it goes sometimes. I figure, half of those people probably wouldn't have talked to me at all if not for cancer. Which is better...?

Happily, I did have some nice conversations with people who I haven't talked with in a long time. That was nice.

Back to the cancer thing.

My hair has definitely grown in quite a bit. I'm not sure if it's thicker than it was last photo time (about a month ago), but it's longer, and it almost looks like I have this 'do on purpose. We'll see where it goes from here...

And that's about all for the moment. Chemo tomorrow morning. Then only two more...

a pause for life

Well, my chemo weekend was about what they've been - didn't feel well, slept a lot, ate little, and was back to just about normal by Monday.

With the exception of hot tubs, massages, and vitamins, I am restriction-free :)

Yesterday, I rode my bike to get my bloodwork done. It was about 7 miles round trip, and my legs were pretty cranky by the time I got back, but it felt fabulous to get out and ride, and it was an absolutely beautiful morning - perfect for biking.

My hair is growing back in. It's still thinner than normal, but it's definitely more than what it was a month ago.

I am getting the PICC put back in on Oct 17 and have chemo again on Oct 18 - a pause in the action so I can attend my sister's wedding. (Then after that one, only two more - we're in the home stretch!)

I don't anticipate having any cancer-related news before then, so if you're checking in to see what's going on, and there's nothing going on, well, that's a good thing :)

That's all the news from here. Hopefully signing off for a few weeks - I am already enjoying the break!!!

starting to feel refreshed

I have, for the most part, come to accept the upcoming chemo treatments.

In the meantime, I'm kind of excited about having a break. I have chemo on Thursday, but since it'll be my last one for just about a month and the last one before I travel, I'll get my PICC out Thursday, too! Woo-hoo!!!! I am VERY excited about that. You can be sure that as soon as the chemo-crap days are over, I'll be back into full exercise mode. I can't wait!!

Then, when I get back, the PICC will only be in for about four weeks: they'll put it in just before a treatment, then two weeks to tmt2, then two more weeks to the LAST TREATMENT and then it comes back out :)

It will be nice to give my body a little rest from the chemo, too. I'm hoping that the little rest will enable more side-effect-less treatments for the end.

And with the timing of things ending, I won't have more than a week of radiation before Christmas, which means I should still feel good. And the break in between both means I'll be off all treatments during most of gig season.

I was considering changing travel plans or traveling on a chemo weekend to move the end up two weeks, but I think I've decided that it's only two weeks, and having those two weeks in the late-middle instead of off the end might be nice. A seventh inning stretch, if you will.

I think my hair is starting to grow back in. I'm getting it trimmed tomorrow and will know for sure then, but it looks darker to me.

Ahhhh... it feels good to be starting to be at ease with what's going on.

more on hair

So many hair experiences in the last week...

The first one I posted about already: getting a compliment on my hair as it is.


On Monday, when I went for my neulasta shot (the happy shot that keeps my white blood cell count high), I was waiting at the desk for the nurse to come back with an answer to a question, and another woman walked over, also waiting for the nurse to return. Her hair was short and kind of thin, but it was long enough to be combed. I remembered how thrilled I had been to get a compliment, so I thought about what to say.

"I love the color of your hair." It was a fabulous shade straddling blond, brunette, and red.

"Really?"

We got into a conversation about her hair and her hair journey. It is in the process of growing back in a different color than it was, and she's recently decided that it's long enough to go without a wig. It started growing back even though she's still undergoing chemo. We ended up talking for 5 or more minutes, as I had another question for the nurse that sent her looking for an answer (yes, I'm one of those...) It was a really nice chat which did eventually deviate from hair, but never from cancer-related things. She gave me a hug and offered me prayers before she left. It is an interesting comraderie.


Last night, TJ and I were out to dinner. Some 13-ish-year-old boys, who were just getting ready to leave a table just in my line of vision, were pointing and laughing. I stared them down at the table and they stopped. I followed them with my eyes until they had left the restaurant and were out of sight. I'm used to people looking at me, or taking double-takes, but sheesh, people, no need to stare, and certainly no need to point and laugh. Stupid kids? Yes. Hurt feelings? No. Just irritated.

I told TJ today that I am now prepared to have a mohawk or purple hair or anything crazy, as I'm getting used to people staring anyway...


But ... my hair is growing. The sides lay flat against my head. The top is uneven. In between the long hairs on my legs there are new stubbles. I would have thought this was much weirder, but the conversation with the woman on Monday normalized it a bit.

One of the women in the group of waiting-room-complimenters said that her hair had not all fallen out, and when it grew back in, it was exactly the same as when it fell out. I wonder if mine will do the same. I wonder what it'll do at all. I don't care too much, though I am hoping to some degree that it's at least as thick as it was before.

chemo #4 and TMI

OK, first chemo #4, then some chatter about girly things going on. I'll warn you before I get to that part, so if you don't want to read it, you don't have to. I'll leave it as the last thing.

Yesterday's blood draw was pretty easy, which I am attributing to being super-hydrated. Today's IV was another 3-stick deal. The first one got the vein but leaked from the vein (no good). The second one looked good and they started the anti-nausea drug through it, and it started to leak (internally). Thank goodness it wasn't the chemo!!!!!!!!! The third one was good to go.

I was in the waiting room and was complimented on my hair!!! It's very thin, but a little group of people who had been talking to each other when I sat down said that when I walked in, they noticed that I wear it well. The one lady was talking about her wig (it was a good one!). Fun people.

I saw my doc again :) As usual, I had many questions, including some I have asked other people in the past. Some of his answers were different.

I am allowed to exercise as long as it is not vigorous. I clarified, and I can use free weights, do push-ups, sit-ups, that kind of thing. Yaye!!! I will need to obtain some small equipment for home. I have lost a lot of tone, so I'm hoping that these light exercises will bring that back. (I feel so squishy!!) I can work on the muscle and endurance again later.

I can go back east for the wedding. I will buy trip insurance with the plane tickets, just in case (think positive but be real), but that was good news.

Even with the happy new shot, I should take neutropenic precautions (mask if I go out, no fresh produce, etc.) until I have the results of my weekly blood test. This is not what the other doctor said, but it makes a lot of sense to me, which is why I asked again. When I go on Wednesday next week for blood tests, I will go early in the morning and ask if there's any way to get the results the same day so that my Wednesday evening is free. We'll see...

The blood thinners are finally regulated. Just need to stay consistent. For anyone to whom the number is meaningful, it was 2.4 today. All other numbers were in the normal range except white cells, which were high.

In general, it seems that the side effects are getting a tad worse, but they're more concentrated and I'm bouncing back from them faster. I am changing my diet around a bit this weekend to see if that helps at all. But the doctor asked me a string of "have you had any [fill in the potential side effect]" questions today, and the answer was no to all of them except vomiting (just that once). He said that I'm handling the chemo really well :) I guess this isn't necessarily normal, but hey, I'll take it! I'll attribute it to being in good shape ahead of time and having a good attitude (which is helped by the support system -- thanks!!)

He said he'd order new pictures to be taken in the next two weeks, so soon-ish, I'll have more news as far as that is concerned. The tumor is gone; the picture just needs to show it.


And now, for some girly things that have been going on. Stop reading this post now if you don't want to hear about it.

During the fertile part of the cycle, there is longish, sticky discharge. It helps the sperm. Anyway, that all started coming about the time it was supposed to ... and hasn't stopped. I asked if it was a problem and the doc said no, as long as it's clear, so I won't worry about it. Other than it maybe being a problem, it doesn't bother me.

I was told that periods would stop. So since my last period ended on the day I started chemo, I expected that to be the last of it until all this nonsense is done with. Happy side effect :) Imagine my surprise when Aunt Flo came to visit last week! Not as bad as a normal period, but still several days. The funky thing was ... the evening before it started, it tinted the discharge to a brownish color, which flipped me out, since I didn't know what was to come and those two things don't norally come at the same time. But it all turned out well in the end and if it happens again, I'll know what it is.

Finally ... I have the floppiest boobs ever. I can fold them in half so the nipple doesn't even show. They were much larger when I was heavy. They lost weight but didn't lose skin, so they're really just kind of empty balloons hangin' there. Well, in the last 3-5 days, they've filled in quite a bit and don't fold over any more (still floppy). I asked the doc about it today and he said it's the medication.


So ladies, if you'd like to lose weight, stop your periods (so they tell me) and get bigger boobs, just do chemo! Ask your doctor if chemo is right for you! (May cause nausea, fatigue, mouth sores, loss of hair, loss of immunity, heart disease, sterility, and lots of little holes in your arms.)

hair ... again (or still?)

Well, I had some clothes and things that were just coated in hair, so I tossed them in the wash today, anticipating the hair leaving them. Whie there is less hair on these items now, there is not no hair on them, and there is additionally hair on things that were also in the wash that were previously hair-free. *sigh* I'm going to need to just go at everything with some masking tape and pick it all up that way. Bummer.

My hair is just barely long enough to grab ahold of with fingertips. It's looked the same for several days, but it comes out in bigger clumps again now (chemo working again? took a break? who knows?), so I guess the rest of it will go soon.

The water in the shower feels a little funny, as does driving with the windows down. And when I scratch an itch, that feels weird, on both my scratching finger and my head. Otherwise, not much difference between buzzed hair and buzzed-but-mostly-gone hair.

hair

Well, the hair is going. I expect that in another week or less I will be bald. Actually, I hope it, 'cause right now it's kind of patchy and ugly.

Also, on my left side, you can see all the veins in my upper chest into my shoulder and part way down my arm. I figure it's a side effect of the blood clot and will go away when circulation returns to normal.

Speaking of circulation, I want to have in writing somewhere that I am sure, based on how I feel, that the changes they made to my blood thinner were wrong and that they will go back to the dosage they started at. (I was on the shots when they did the first blood test, and that was twice as much meds as the pills, but they cut the pills in half (1 instead of 2 per day). I think they should go back to two a day.) I am going to call and leave a message and request (*gasp!*) a blood test to be read stat on Monday. My arm is swelling again and it's getting more uncomfortable, and I don't want to wait until Thursday for them to fix it.

Otherwise, I've been feeling good and have gone out several times this weekend (yaye!!!). It's nice to be kind of normal. The sad news is that I'm not allowed to exercise until the swelling goes down. Another reason to go in on Monday! 'Course, by the time it makes a difference, I'll have another treatment and be on the couch for several days .... that's OK. I'm going anyway!

Here is a pic that I took of the inside of the shirt I was wearing. All those hairs on it are just from putting it on and taking it off...





I went to see the wig and hat lady yesterday. I got a wig (with a coupon for a free styling - I'll post a pic after someone has made it decent-looking) which I'll wear only for fun. It's not very comfortable. I also got 4 hats and a scarf. I like my hats. I used to wear hats a lot, then I stopped wearing them so much. But I look good in them. Perhaps this will start a new personal trend.

I have gained back some weight, so I'm not as skinny. The cycle isn't so frightening to me any more. (Looking to lose weight? Try chemotherapy!)

That's the story to date. More as it happens. More pics when either I'm completely bald (or close) or have my wig styled...