Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

At some point during his journey the Hero has to make decisions. Does he take the right path, or the left? Does he talk to the crazy creature living in the swamp, or not? Some of the decisions are easy, while others are more challenging.

My hair is now coming out by the handful, and I've decided enough is enough. Washing it today was a major pain because stray pieces would become entwined around my fingers. I have an appointment with my hairdresser tomorrow to cut it short. Really short. Since I always need to be aware of the potential of infection, I can't use a razor on my skin on the off chance I cut myself. However, I can have my hair cut to the breadth of a scissor blade and that pretty much is my plan.

Also had a check-up and blood work today, and the oncologist confirmed my suspicions that the lumps have shrunk significantly. Her estimate is about 50 per cent for the one in the breast, and she couldn't feel the tumor in lymph node at all.

She's also going to adjust my chemo cocktail so I get an extra anti-nausea drug to hopefully avoid a repeat of last time. I also experienced heartburn following the first chemo session, another side-effect of one of the drugs, so she has prescribed what she termed "good stuff" to combat that particular challenge. In addition, she gave me the green light to take Tylenol for the headache for the first two days, as this too is one of the predictable reactions.

So, all is set for Thursday's round of chemo, provided the blood taken today comes back in good shape. While I can't honestly say I'm looking forward to it, I am looking forward to putting one more treatment behind me.