Friday, October 11, 2013

There's a Yeti in my shower

*adult inferences*

Ten years ago, I met my hairstylist Jen B.  I was bar-tending in Willow Glen and she enjoyed margaritas.  As any good bartender does, I got to know the people at my bar and found out Jen was an apprentice at a fancy salon on Santana Row.  As I had just graduated from college and moved back home, I needed a stylist, and made an appointment.  She was a wizard with fine hair!  Jen was the first person in my life to tame my cowlicks and give me the wash and go hair I always wanted.  Over the past ten years, I have followed her to four different salons all over the bay area.  I have recommended so many friends to her it is often hard for me to get an appointment.  If you want a great stylist, contact me, I share.  She has dyed my hair hot pink and purple, given me A-symmetrical looks, and even styled my hair for my wedding last year.  Just over a month ago, Jen cut my hair into a mow-hawk, since the general consensus is that I am going to 'kick cancers butt,' I figured I needed the hair to go with it.  She is an amazing stylist, a great friend, and someone who I will miss a lot this year.

On Sunday, my hair started falling out.  It was not at all what I expected, as it was not the hair on my head, but rather, a very specific location of body hair.  *adult inference here*  Yep!  weird huh?

The reason chemotherapy patients hair falls out is because chemo attacks all cells that are meant to divide.  This means not just cancer cells, but digestive tract, reproductive and yes hair.  Basically, the follicles are not getting the nourishment to support the shaft of hair, so they are just sitting in the follicle rather than being held in place.  So every time I run my fingers through my hair, take a sweatshirt off or on, or wash my hair, it comes out.  This does not hurt, I feel no tension like if you pull a hair out, it is like dead skin sloughing off.  My hair is overall thinning, no clumps.

Over the past few days, there has been hair on my pillow in the morning.  Each day in my comb, more and more hair.  A few days ago I washed my hair in the shower, and it was messy.  I looked in the mirror afterword and you could hardly tell anything had come out!  Today, it was as though I had showered with Bigfoot.  When I checked the mirror after, it was a different reflection I saw.  The eighth wonder of the world is coming, something I never thought I'd see, my scalp.

2 comments:

  1. Wendy I had no idea and it makes me sad you are having to experience chemo. But YOU are an amazing person - you got this!

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  2. Wendy, if anyone can make loosing your hair from chemo hilarious, it is you. This made me laugh on a day when I didn't think that was possible.

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