Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Hair loss and Hair Wash

Hair loss with chemotherapy is a curious thing: it comes off in random areas at random times and in random configurations -- at least it seems so to the naked eye.

When I first started with the hair loss I first lost hair in the lower extremities like my legs; within the legs it started from the top, then fanned outward. The lower limb started its loss in the middle then fanned outward. It did the same thing on the head -- but it started in areas you typically see men balding first (the top of the head and forehead) then it fanned out to the ears and neck. Hair loss happened in one underarm pit but not the other. And now, in the end of this third cycle eyebrow loss starts at the area above the nose or nose bridge then it's fanning out to toward the ear BUT it's starting in the opposite direction with the lashes. With lashes the loss is starting closest to the nose then moving inward.

One has to wonder what is in the chemo cocktail to render hair loss so strategic less in appearance. I bet it would look so interesting if we could see through our veins and see the recognizance mission. Meaning behind the madness surely must exist -- or I wonder if it's like anaesthesia in that doctors know it works but they don't know why, really. There's a faith that the right cells in majority are being targeted but the innocent bystanders might strategically be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

In any case, I've now learned gradually over these past months how to wash the straggler hairs and surface below these hairs (when I shaved my head before Chemo kicked in I had stubble; since I'm hairy to begin with my stubbles grew fast and these flicked off my head once Chemo was in full throttle. For each cycle my hairs would seem to grow a bit in week three then they fall off again in weeks 1-2 of the next cycle).

Initially during my showers through my first couple of 21-day chemo cycles, I lathered the areas of existing hair as though they were fragile porcelain claymation-like fibers ready to break on any insult --- INCLUDING blowing wind. I was slow, not really fearful yet somewhat. I was like the scientist excavating fossil from some anxiously awaited dig. Then with time it was like my hand met hair which fell out as I lathered it and it subconsciously said "oh, I guess it's your turn to fall off." when the hairs were all off my heady lathering hands were like "ooh, is this where the hairline ends" as if my hands were going to fall off a cliff if they crossed some imaginary line. Today, I wash all areas of my head, face, ears, neck with organic excellence shampoo as if all one unit. It's taken time to get to this point because it just was not part of my regular routine. Despite the old saying, I CAN learn new tricks -- it just takes longer;)


Note in photos: below is a full face-head picture of me yesterday; another is just of my scalp with newest hairs coming out mostly frizzy and white which tend to grow in week three of chemo then fall out in week 1 of next cycle; the baby pictures are of me day 1 and 3 -- I've never been bald so it's really a new experience :)


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