The Progress of Hair

It has been over a month since my last entry in this blog. I have been busy travelling and golfing, but I have not been busy being treated for cancer. That is because I am really and truly finished treatment! This is not to say that I can ignore the whole thing, since I went to Sunnybrook twice in August, both times for follow up appointments. The first one was with a radiation oncologist, Dr. Larochelle, who follows up on Dr. Pignol’s patients. She was very thorough in her examination, and gave me clear advice on treating the skin on my breast, which had been “altered” by radiation. I think “altered” is the right word because my skin had become darker (like a tan) and dryer than it was previously. However, I have seen some improvement in the past four weeks. The tan is fading and the skin feels much better. The second appointment was with Dr. Bovett, who monitors me as part of the Beatrice clinical trial. When I saw him on August 25^th, I was in great shape. I will continue to visit him every six weeks until February.

Since the beginning of July, I have been closely observing the return of my hair. To document this part of my journey, I have had my daughter, Jess, photograph me regularly this summer. At first, I had just a little fuzz but I was pleased to note that it was growing in evenly; about two weeks ago, I noticed some curl at the back of my neck. Now, I have the kinks - lots of waves in hair that is less than an inch long. I really can’t do a thing with it!!

When Bob and I left for our vacation at the end of July, I ditched my wigs permanently.  It was quite comfortable for me to roam around Massachusetts unselfconsciously since I did not know anyone. In fact, the road trip was a wonderful escape from the world of cancer treatment, and a chance to spend time with Gail, Bob and Jeanette in Boston, and my daughter, Katie, in Halifax. 

What I did not expect on the road were compliments on my short hair. In the past six weeks, I have heard a lot of flattering comments about my “pixie cut”. This has helped me to embrace my new look. It certainly is easy to manage: I just wash and go.

I have uploaded several photos with this blog. In spite of helpful advice from Barbara, I still can't figure out how to manipulate them in this format. So here is a brief description of each one: hair on June 30th (red t-shirt); hair on July 5th (purple top); hair on August 15th (blue blouse); hair on September 1st (close up with grey collar); Katie and I lunching in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia; and Jess and I, photographer and subject.