Conversations at Radiation

As I was leaving after my radiation appointment the other day the woman just arriving complimented me on my hat (the pink one with all the ruching I bought at the very beginning).  I remember seeing her at chemo a few times back when she was wearing hats.  I thanked her and complimented her on her cute hair.  It's shorter than when I had my short cut, but she has HAIR!

I asked when she finished her chemo.  She finished almost exactly a month before I finished.  She said it was weird and that it just seemed like all of a sudden one day she had a thick stubble of hair on her head.  She said it was blonde before and now it silver and curly, but that she's liking it short and she's not going to dye it.  I'm think she's a bit older than I am but still afraid mine might all grown back silver, too.  Hers looks really cute, but I think if mine is silver (doesn't silver sound nicer than gray, by the way?) I will have to dye it at least for a few years!  I think I need to at least be in my 40's before I have completely gray hair.  She said she had lost most of her eyebrows and lashes as well, but they were coming back too.  So there is hope for me!  Her advice was be patient, give it a couple weeks and I'll probably notice it growing back.

Maybe in a few more weeks I'll be able to tell my hair is all growing again.  The minimal hairs left on my head are growing, but there just aren't that many of them.  They feel kind of icky when they get longer so I've shaved them shorter a few times... I might keep doing that until it all starts growing in.  It might be weird if I have some hairs already growing that are longer than the others.  I helped shave some of Juan's head this morning and was reminded how thin mine really is... it feels like there is more when I touch it with my hands.  But after shaving his with the clippers, I was reminded it doesn't feel (or look) anything like a normal person.  Even though I'm pretty used to my bald head, I was looking back at some pictures from when I still had my normal hair and I think I look better with at least some hair.  Let's reminisce:

Hair in the fall before cancer came to town (note, Juan still bald):

Pre-chemo hair cut (I've had so many people say I looked good with short hair and even had quite a few people tell me when my hair comes back I should keep it short.  I liked it short, too.  I know everyone means it as a compliment and that is how I take it, but it does make me wonder if I decide to grow my hair longer will people be thinking, "Too bad she grew her hair out... it was so cute short."  I don't know what I'll do with it at this point when it comes back.  I'll just be happy to have it again!):

My shaved head before most of the hair fell out (oh my gosh, it looks so thick!):

The cute wig I never wear/wore (I think about wearing it.  I put it on sometimes.  I like how it looks.  I don't like how it feels and at this point it feels weird to suddenly have hair so I end up taking it off.):

The way I've spent much of the last few months... wearing a hat:

At this point it's probably 50-50... I wear a hat 50% of the time and nothing the other 50% (body temperature has a lot to do with which one!):