Taking It All Off

Sorry for the long delay in posting. I started writing this blog while I was in round 2 of chemo and when I got home I went to bed for a few days, so it has taken me a bit to get back to this.

I decided to shave my head on New Year’s Eve after literally pulling my hair out for 2 days. It started to come out 4 days earlier but I was trying to be careful about knocking the hair off of my head. I knew it was going to go, but I needed to really adjust to the idea of losing my hair. After 2 days, it really started to fall out so I thought I would help it along. My reasoning was that if I pulled it out and made it look bad, I would look forward to getting my head shaved. Once I started pulling it out, it became an obsession. Every time I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, I pulled hair out until I had a pile in the sink.

I had messaged my daughter-in-law Kendall the night my hair started to fall out to warn her that I would need her to shave my head soon and continued to let her know as I was getting closer to being ready. Once I got to the point where my hair was so thin my scalp was plainly visible, I let Kendall know I was ready. 

I made arrangements to come over in the afternoon of the 31st. When I got there Kendall let me know that my sister Georgette was on her way to lend moral support and that we should wait for her. Georgette arrived with her husband, Inderaj, and my nephew Jyoti in tow.

We had a few cameras available, so we took many pictures.

I am seated and we are about to begin. You can see how thin my hair is.

Kendall starts the clippers and begins to shave.

 Earlier I asked her to take it down to a length where we could shave a message into my hair before we took it right off.

The first letter... It's an F!

Yes, that is what you think it is.

FUCK CANCER

My hair's last statement before it leaves until summer.

There we go! Right down to the wood now.

You can very visible see the bump on my forehead.  I like to think I am really a unicorn and am in metamorphosis. Really it is called an osteoma and it is a bone growth much like getting a mole on your skin. I was supposed to have it chiseled off, but they never got back to me with a surgery date. This bump used to bother me now it seems pretty insignificant.

All done!

My head feels really strange. I can't stop touching it.

This is me with my new hair!

No wait...

It's Georgette sharing her hair with me. What a good sister!

I was still sitting in the chair when Georgette tells me to move because she wants to get her hair cut. I get up and start playing with my phone because I wanted to take a picture of my new chrome dome. I was oblivious to what was happening. This is actually really common these days; I know what "chemo brain" is now. For those of you that have never heard the term, it is what happens to you after you have chemo. I find now that things I used to do automatically I have to think about. If I don't than odd things occur, like putting sour cream in the entire container of borscht that happened to be on the same counter as the bowl you wanted to put it in or walking into rooms to see cupboard doors or drawers left open because you forgot to close them. The other thing I have noticed is that I constantly am dropping things all of the time. I recently knocked the box of my brand new Christmas gift of noodle bowls off the counter and broke one of them. I didn't even get them out of the box yet.

Back to the story, I heard Kendall say, "She is not even paying attention.” I turned to see Kendall cutting off Georgette’s ponytail. 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!?!” Georgette responded that she was donating her ponytail. Ok, but now I am thinking, how in the heck is Kendall going to fix Georgette’s hair? It was cut so close to her head.

The next thing I know Kendall is running the shears up Georgette’s head. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!?!!!” I am absolutely beside myself. I realize that Georgette is shaving her head for me. I start bawling. I am completely overwhelmed. 

I cannot believe she did this for me. I am crying now as I write this. I am still overwhelmed by what she did. This is actually why I stopped writing this blog in chemotherapy. I didn’t want be bawling in front of my chemmates (rhymes with teammates, I just invented this word, so I have something to call my chemo roommates or anyone else who is going through chemo with me).

After Georgette’s head is shaved, I cannot get over how good she looks bald and I am not sure how many times I told her that. She is absolutely beautiful, both inside and out!

Suddenly having no hair is kind of strange, you certainly do scare yourself when you walk past a mirror; it just looks so different. A few days after, Georgette posted this status on Facebook:

Things I have learned as a bald person. 1. Place your toque carefully because it's very hard to adjust after (hair stubble is just like Velcro). 2. Of your hands are cold just place them onto your head for instant warmth. 3. If you move too fast your head will feel the breeze. 4. When buying a toque with a lining make sure the layers are sewn together, see 1. 5. Doing your hair involves checking for lint. LMAO!!

I do wear a hat around the house most of the time as my head is usually cold. I have also noticed that the stubble I have is falling out as well and I have stopped shaving my legs as nothing is really growing any more. I must say, without hair your shower time is shortened considerably and so is your getting ready time. I think I spend more time trying to figure out what hat to wear. Can I get away with just one hat or do I need an indoor hat and an outdoor hat? 

Immediately after shaving my head, I started thinking about what hats I would wear and all this thinking about hats inspired me to create “Hat of the Day”. Since January 1^st, I have been posting a picture on Facebook of myself wearing a different hat every day. I have been having a lot of fun doing this and I am surprised at the response to it. People have been posting the most wonderful things and I have had hats sent to me. For you non-facebookers, here are the first ten pictures and captions from Hat of the Day.

01/01/14

Happy New Year Everyone! 

I have discovered that I own many hats so I thought I would share them with you. Today's hat of the day is from the year 2000. It was a have to have purchase. I wore this to the 2000 Grey Cup in Calgary. No, the Bombers weren't there but my good friends were.

01/02/14

Today's hat is one I believe I picked up from a thrift store some years ago. The label says it was made by the Canadian Hat Mfg. Corp. It is dyed muskrat and wool. It was rather snug before and now that I have no hair it fits perfectly.

01/03/14

Aren't I adorable?

Today's Hat or the Day or as my friend Kelly likes to call it HOTD, (I like that! It is like "HOT Damn! That's a fine looking hat!") is my winter go-to hat. I bought this for 10 dollars at Canadian Tire a couple of months ago. I was so happy to see it in an adult size.

 01/04/14

Today's Hat of Day is a wonderful toque knitted for me by my good friend April. I wear this hat around the house and to bed to keep my bald head warm. I am accompanied by my furry companion Xena. Xena is a rescue dog and a great cuddler. It may be hard to see in this photo but we are snuggled in a blankie knitted by another good friend Bess.

01/05/14

Today's hat of the day is one I bought so many years ago I don't even remember a thing about the purchase or where I have worn it. One thing I can tell you is that every time I put it on I start singing Karma Chameleon by Culture Club. This hat does not actually have a dog on the brim, that's just Juno wondering why Boy George is in her house.

01/06/14

Today's hat of the day I bought around 1995. I used to wear big bangly silver earrings when I wore this hat out. Today I have opted for a tougher look. 

I want to thank all of the wonderful people who have participated in the Breast Cancer Pledge Ride. I have benefited directly from their support of Manitoba CancerCare projects. 

Keep ridin'!

01/07/14

Today's hat of the day is from the 1940s. It is one of a few I bought from an estate sale. I have kept it nestled in a box for many years and today is actually the first time I have worn it.

 01/08/14

heer up! The cold snap is almost over!

Today's hat of the day are two hats. One is a bomber hat that I likely picked up at Zellers and underneath that is a balaclava, a must have for any Manitoban wanting to spend time outside in the winter. My balaclava is a Dakota Dri Release Pro Multitasker balaclava. It keeps your face warm and dry while you are out searching for that elusive geocache. This balaclava was a gift from my sons, Kari and Kalyn. Thanks boys!

01/09/14

Ivy Arlene was born in the cabbage patch on January 9th.

Today's hat of the day was a gift from Pamela and was hand made by Michelle Mayo Hewitt. You ladies are so wonderful and thoughtful, the hat is beautiful and I cannot thank you enough!!!

01/10/14

Today's hat of the day was a Christmas gift I received several years ago from my dear cousin Desiree. This lovely hat comes with a matching set of gloves to keep you toasty warm. Thanks Des!