As you already know, I will almost certain to lose my hair during the chemotherapy part of my treatment. When I first started researching HSCT, I was pretty horrified at the thought of being bald. I like my hair and as a woman, feel it is part of my identity. As I have travelled further along this road, I have changed my view on this and am now viewing the phase of hair loss as a positive symbol of my body responding to the chemotherapy and regrowth as a symbol of recovery.
A couple of people have asked me why I won’t be wearing a cold cap during treatment. The cap can be worn during chemo to reduce blood flow to the head, so that there is a reduction in the concentration of harsh chemicals getting to the hair follicles. Many people having chemotherapy for cancer have successfully preserved their hair in this way.
During HSCT, the purpose of the chemo is to partially ablate the immune system. As immune cells exist throughout the body, it is important that the chemo drugs are able to circulate everywhere, in order to maximise their impact. In short, wearing the cold cap could cause a few immune cells to hide in the scalp area and thereby avoid the chemo.
So, I have accepted that I will lose my hair! And I feel ok about that.
Over the last 6 months I have adopted a shorter hair style to prepare myself a little for what’s ahead. I have surprised myself by actually quite liking having shorter hair. When in Russia, there is a point in the treatment schedule when patients shave off their hair. This is because shedding hair can present a potential infection risk to those with a compromised immune system, so it’s better to shave it off before this happens.
I must admit to being slightly intrigued about what I will look like with no hair! I have followed many others online through treatment and notice that many people actually look really good bald! I’m not expecting to fall into that category, but I’m not planning to be too obsessed about it either.
I have bought a few scarves and chemo sleep caps to wear during the early stages of my baldness and have also started to look at head wrap instructions online.
For anyone who is anticipating hair loss, this website has a lot of good advice … Headcovers Unlimited.
What I haven’t worked out yet, is whether I will be happy to rock a headscarf until my hair has grown back sufficiently, or whether I will want to wear a wig.
It seems there are lots of places one can buy wigs these days and I’m not sure where to start. There is a huge variation in cost, from under £50 to several hundred pounds. Some are made using man made fibres and some from human hair. I understand that it is possible to buy a refurbished wig and that there are organisations that provide refurbished wigs for those who have hair loss due to medical conditions and treatment …but I’m struggling to find out how to access this service.
So, if anyone out there has any wig buying knowledge or experience they are able to share with me, please get in touch.
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Jimmy and Gill are planning to shave their heads to raise funds for my treatment … both seem totally unfazed at the thought of being bald, which I find quite inspiring. The head (and chin) shaving will take place at Swan Brewery in April, when they will also be launching a new beer to celebrate their baldness.
I am back at work tomorrow after a week off for half term. I am quite worried about how I’m going to manage, as my head is all over the place, I’m not sleeping and I’m terrified of coming into contact with germs!
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It’s just 3 weeks (tomorrow) until I travel to Russia …I can’t wait! Plans for our final fundraiser are well in hand and I am looking forward to seeing friends and family before I go …I’m sure it’ll be an emotional day.
