Hair no more - but still a pretty good day

Today's Chanukah gift was blue nail polish - an appropriate color for the bald girl to wear if I really was that cool... But I'm not sure I am. Besides it is way too cold outside to leave my head uncovered - who knew hair was so insulating?

I went to a hair salon that is pretty hip and had my head shaved by a great hairdresser. At 22 Jessica is possibly more practically experienced than I might ever be - she already is married and has bought a house and has a number of cars - and while now sports black and hot pink hair, has voluntarily shaved it all off in the past. Apparently the key for rocking the bald look is to go heavy on the make-up, red lipstick and heavy eye make up - and of course the blue nail polish. Though again - I'm not sure I am that cool.

The experience was less traumatic than I thought - and it is a relief to have it done. I did pocket some of the shorn hair - largely for comparison purposes when it grows back in. According to Jessica and BoSoxFox my head is actually fairly round and doesn't look terrible bald - it looks better than I thought though my ears do tend to stick out. All in all - the shedding is over and I feel okay - though I did manage to drop a drawer on my toe while looking for my wig-cap.

What is the bigger (better?) news of the day is that I had a good appointment with my oncologist. She was happy with how well I seem to be tolerating chemo and thought the tumor was responding to treatment, it seemed to have softened and was harder to find the edges - which she took as a positive sign. This means she is happy to have me switch to a faster chemo schedule - chemo every 2 weeks. It does require a booster shot to help restore my blood cell count but will lead to a closer end date - and will mean I won't have to have chemo right before inauguration weekend. I'm still not sure I am leaving the house but it seems like a better outcome to not have to get to the hospital for treatment the Thursday or Friday before millions (okay maybe not 4 but it seems like at least 1.5 million) descend on DC. It also means I will be finished with the A-C in January and possibly all of chemo by the end of March-middle of April, which makes the whole process seem more tractable.

We'll see how I do with chemo treatment 2 on Friday - but my doctor also seemed to think my side effects should be about the same for the next treatments - with the major difference being that my fatigue will grow as I've had more sessions.

So all in all it seems like things will be okay - and it is a relief to be done with something else that seemed really daunting. The shedding is over and I no longer have to worry about when I will shave my head. We'll see if I ever rock the bald head and blue nail polish punk look.