Hair

Good grief I can't believe it's been over a week since I blogged! It's probably because I've been busy since I've mostly been feeling better. Like a LOT better. I was planning on wig shopping with Pinup Barber today but we are just too disorganized to get together. I have a wig though so I'll just be a blonde till I get around to getting something that fits my style a little better. It ought to be good for PTA and school board meetings and maybe to get a loan at the bank or something though.

DH made it home at the end of week before last and took off again yesterday evening. It had been almost a month and a week just wasn't enough! He's gotten to miss out on all the fun of me being sick after my chemo. Well, he's gotten to hear about it plenty but not had the pleasure of seeing it in person. So of course the day he gets home is the day I plan fun stuff at night for the kids. We did pass him on our way out of the neighborhood and talk to him for a minute though. The little kiddos went to Family Art Night at the Downtown Y and NumberOneSon and I hit Art Walk.

Art Walk for me is kind of weird because well, I'm just not a big art person. I think I appreciate more the fact that people are being creative and making art than the art itself. NOS is the same way, so neither of us was really interested in trekking through galleries in line with the other drones, ooohhhing and aaahhhing over a Mona Lisa face on a tree trunk body with a strawberry for the sun. OK we didn't actually see anything like that but you get my point...most of it's just kind of...bizarre. Like they're trying too hard to be different. There was an exhibit I had heard about that I was interested in, but I didn't know which gallery and I didn't have time to look online to find it. Oh, well, we walked around, ate dinner, bought some jewelry and dog biscuits, and threw money in a couple guys' guitar case for their singing. We also wandered into a record store and browsed old LPs. I debated buying one for DH for his birthday but we don't have a turntable. If I got an LP I'd wanna listen to it! In addition to the music, posters and T-shirts they were also a head shop. Thank God NOS didn't ask me what all those bongs and pipes were for! I'm not even sure he noticed them, he was drooling over an AC/DC album.

The kids all seemed to have fun. Miss Thang and BabyBoy brought home some cute little art projects and they both climbed the rock wall almost to the top. After stopping for Andy's on the way home, they all crashed and DH and I were finally able to catch up a little. He'd never seen my short hair. And the next morning he didn't get to see much more of it because there was quite a bit on my pillow so I swung by Pinup Barber's after my massage and she gave me a super short haircut while one of the other girls styled my wig. On my friend Car Dude's head. Yeah, we got pictures and put them on Facebook! I ended up with a very cute pixie cut, short enough that I figure I'd better wear earrings and girlie clothing or some people might think I play for the other team!!

Sadly, my pixie cut did not last long. After our rush trip to St. Louis to see Trampled by Turtles (more about that later) and 6 hours sleeping in a full size Super 8 bed with DH (let's just say it wasn't my first time hanging on the edge with him), my hair decided to fall out in full force. I took a quick shower Monday night and it looked like I'd shaved a standard poodle in my shower! OMG I thought I was prepared but I just bawled like a little baby! I even spent about 10 minutes whining to DH about how I was so ready for this to be over. Geez, I'm ashamed. Four chemo treatments and I only felt shitty for a few days after the first one and I'm being a baby. I know of people who've had to do six or eight months or a year of chemo. Three drugs instead of two. Plus radiation. At the same time. I've seen people in the hospital with GI upset so bad they lose half their body weight and mucositis so bad they can't even drink water. And I'm crying over a little lost hair. DH was smart though...he just let me get it out and then I pulled myself together and we went to Purple Burrito. Let me tell you...if you're sad, you won't be after you eat there. It's physically impossible not to smile while eating a chile relleno or a fish taco from there.

Tuesday morning I carefully wrapped a bandanna around my head to contain all the hair...it was making a huge mess...and headed over to see Pinup Barber AGAIN to get my head shaved. Fortunately I'd done all my crying about it the night before and I was able to be cheerful about it. And you know what...I don't look that bad bald! Princess asked me last night how I can manage to pull off ANY hairstyle. I honestly don't know the answer to that one. Pinup Barber said my wig made me look like a politician's wife, so I christened her the "Tipper."

The bad thing about wearing a wig is it's hot. I think the longest I've managed to wear it is maybe 6 hours and I was ready to take it off and throw it about hour 3. I'm going to do some wig shopping this week in St. Louis and see if I can find one with air conditioning or something. Menopausal women do not need something that makes them even warmer! I have a feeling that no matter how awesome the wig, I'm going to be rocking out the baseball caps, scarves and bandannas most of the time.