Day Eight After Chemo

Heroes move through the countryside experiencing growth and change in subtle ways. They become stronger, fitter, more skilled. Sometimes the Hero experiences physical change -- his hair becomes longer, his face leaner, his body more sculpted.

It's "Day Eight" following chemo. Yesterday was pretty good as far as energy levels go. I vacuumed, ran a load of dishes, cooked lunch and supper and washed the bedding (in addition to playing Wii). I did rest late in the afternoon, but it wasn't a full-fledged nap.

Day Eight marks a new threshold where I begin to look for signs of change. Cells are being killed off by the chemo drugs -- in the case of white blood cells, much faster than they can regenerate. This is good for stopping the cancer cells, but not so good for the rest of me.

As the nurse explained on chemo day, I can expect to lose my hair around Day 10. That's Sunday.

I had hoped to ease into this transition and have my hair cut super-short this week. Unfortunately, my hairstylist is sick with a cold and, in addition to losing my hair, my immune system is also entering a period of compromise...which means I need to avoid exposure to colds and other germs; basically anything which could cause infection. Infection is my worst enemy at this point.

If all goes well, and everyone is healthy, I plan to visit my cousin Peggy on Saturday. She is in possession of a collection of synthetic hair owned by my aunt. She's going to hook me up with something to cover my balding head. On one hand I look at this as an opportunity to try new colors and styles; on the other hand, my hair had finally reached the point where I could pull it back in a clip if I wanted.

The good news is as soon as chemo stops the hair begins to grow back. And who knows if will look the same. Many cancer patients say their hair grew back with a different texture or color. Maybe I'll have curly hair after all this.