Hair today... gone tomorrow...

There's one thing about baldness, it's neat. ~ Don Herold

            Just once I would like to be able to plan and have it actually work out.  I had the whole hair thing planned out.  The hair was supposed to go on the 14^th day after the first chemo and so I scheduled the shearing for then.  Of course it did not happen the way I planned.  Instead, my hair started falling out 3 days early (figures, I crashed 3 days early so it makes sense the hair had to go early).  Then again, I swear the hair knew it was short term.  It was like right before you get it cut—it does what it is supposed to do and you question cutting it when you do.  Same with losing it—looked good and did what it was supposed to. I swear the hair just knew it was going.  But, while I was good with losing it, I did not want to wake up with clumps on my pillows, that would probably pushed me over the edge. So I called Shelia—the go to wig person in Wilmington—and changed the shearing.

            I really wanted Betsy there, but due to the change in days, she was not able to be there. However, Erin, Betsy’s oldest just happened to be in the area so she took Betsy’s place.  Mom was going and I wanted someone else as I knew it was bothering her and while I also knew it would have bothered Betsy, she could have laughed with me.  Well, Erin was a great stand in.  As the hair was going, Mom and Erin both took pictures – I am going to do a scrapbook—and it really was not a bad time.  Mom held up well and there was a lot of laughing.  Once it was all gone, I looked up and all I could see what a buzz cut with that danged widow’s peak I have always hated.  Turns out that widow’s peak is actually helpful—the wigs line right up there and they are straight—never would have thought it would come in quite handy.  At this point, I have a knee hi stretched over my head so I could try on a wig I had my eye on (we already had one, but this one was different and I wanted it).  I looked like a Chia pet… stubble growing up through the stocking (so I start singing cha cha chia… bet you are singing it now). So we try on the one I had my eye on and that is when it hit me—I had to name the wigs.  So I did.  The one Mom bought me I named the Lizzie—color and cut was me.  The one I had my eye on—the Scarlett—darker with some red in it and some attitude. And of course the ferret—that is the hair for when you want to wear a hat—it is like a ring and when you put a hat on, it has bangs.  When it is just sitting there, it looks like a ferret or even road kill.  I might or might not use this, time will tell.  Still, it had to be named.

            So here I am stubble which needs to fall out soon as it really, really itches and is annoying as anything.  I have 2 wigs and a ferret.  I have been wearing the Lizzie and Scarlett interchangeably and laugh to myself when someone says I like your new haircut.  The Scarlett was the one which got the most comments at the library the other day.  For the most part I just said thank you and in the back of my mind I was wondering what they would think the next time they saw me and I had either the Lizzie or the ferret on.  I did have a patron go on and on and finally ask me who cut my hair and I came clean. 

            It is not as bad as I thought and I am getting used to wearing a soon to be named night cap as my head gets chilly at times.  Plus it is more comfortable.  The dogs were a little confused as they heard my voice, but the soon to be named night cap was throwing them off.  I did have someone—who will remain nameless as to protect his embarrassment—who came up to me and said how much he liked my wig.  This was the week after chemo and I had to tell him 2 times it was still my hair.  I could see the moment it hit him what I was saying, it was in his eyes and I will admit it was one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed.  Not to him, but to me.  And when the hair started coming out, I really wanted to go to someone and just say—you make me want to tear my hair out—and then pull a bunch out, but I could only think of a few who could have handled it and the timing was off.  Darn it, I would have enjoyed it!  As for the hair, I heard it will probably come back curly and possibly a different color. As long as it comes back, I really don’t care.  Then again, there is something to be said for the time it saves by just having to pull on a wig and go!