Hair loss
My mum's hair started falling out in week 2 of chemotherapy.
Wisps of hair would tumble to the ground as she ran her towel through it to dry it. "Stoooppppp" I would shout. Just pat it dry. Gently. In 2 months after she first started chemotherapy, I can now see her scalp and she is left with patches if thin, wispy hair on her head. I spent weeks, picking the hair off her pillow and clothes and sweeping it off the ground. It was, and continues to be a shock as she runs her hands through her hair to lather it with shampoo and we see a large clump of hair between her fingers. The first time it happened, I knew this was the start and frantically started looking for hairdressers and clippers. We should do the cliche of shaving her head in a GI Jane style crew cut I thought. But my Mother is not like other women and she never fails to surprise me with her calm and relaxed nature. She didn't want to shave it off, just leave it, she said. So we have. She sports her own style of unshaved hair and likes to wear either a woollen winter hat with ear flaps (I think she likes this hat as it covers her ears and gives her protection from the world) or her straw hat from Asos. She has her own style. And that's ok. Its what she feels comfortable in and it's what she does best.
Wisps of hair would tumble to the ground as she ran her towel through it to dry it. "Stoooppppp" I would shout. Just pat it dry. Gently. In 2 months after she first started chemotherapy, I can now see her scalp and she is left with patches if thin, wispy hair on her head. I spent weeks, picking the hair off her pillow and clothes and sweeping it off the ground. It was, and continues to be a shock as she runs her hands through her hair to lather it with shampoo and we see a large clump of hair between her fingers. The first time it happened, I knew this was the start and frantically started looking for hairdressers and clippers. We should do the cliche of shaving her head in a GI Jane style crew cut I thought. But my Mother is not like other women and she never fails to surprise me with her calm and relaxed nature. She didn't want to shave it off, just leave it, she said. So we have. She sports her own style of unshaved hair and likes to wear either a woollen winter hat with ear flaps (I think she likes this hat as it covers her ears and gives her protection from the world) or her straw hat from Asos. She has her own style. And that's ok. Its what she feels comfortable in and it's what she does best.
Everyone's journey is different
We learn to cope in different ways.
Some scream and shout,
some wail and cry,
Others bury their head in the sand.
The destination remains the same.
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