Hairology

As I mentioned before, my hair started falling out while I was in the hospital this last time.  It hasn't been as traumatic or heartbreaking as it was the first time.  Honestly, this time it has been just annoying.  Hair is getting everywhere.  I had just had the thought a week or so ago that we were to the point that we weren't really vacuuming up much hair these days since we lost Evie so long ago.  Trust me - as thick as my hair came back, I am certainly making up for it.

I had thought to try brushing my hair out really well each morning and evening, to get all that was loose out and maybe the constant drift of hair around me wouldn't be quite so bad.  I tried that this morning before I got into the shower - hoping that maybe I wouldn't stop up the drain.  Uh - no.  So much came out while washing my hair that all I needed were a couple of little ears and a tail and I would have had a good sized mouse.  Or two.

Ew.  Totally making the hubs clean that up.

When I checked my head after my shower, I realized I now had bald spots, and gave up on the idea of waiting another day or so before having the hubs buzz it off.  Now I have returned to my little old man (only now with receding hairline!) look for the duration.  I kept waiting for the tears to come, but honestly?  I'm just glad my scalp doesn't hurt all the time!

I mentioned on Facebook that I am grateful for perspective.  When this happened last fall, I had such a hard time with it.  But this year, it just doesn't seem like that big of a deal.  Maybe it's because I know it's going to grow back.  Sure - it'll be whiter.  Maybe curlier.  Hopefully still thick.  But it grows back.  If looking like a little old man with a receding hairline is what it takes to get back into remission, so be it.  I'm down with that.

Now I have to decide for Monday - bare head with my buzz and receding hairline, or break out the scarves?  I have a feeling it will be a last minute decision.

Today I'm going to watch Mid-Size University hopefully kick some butt on the football field, and do some laundry.  The hubs wants to cook burgers on the grill one last time before it gets so cold later this week, and we might put up the last of the tomatoes as stewed tomatoes.  I also would like to go out and see what my english peas are up to today.  All in all, it's great to be out of the hospital.

Even without any hair.

Some Like it Hot

Well - hello there!

I honestly intended to blog throughout the week following my return to chemo.  I can assure you that I felt pretty darn good the day after chemo, and up to around lunchtime the day after that.  Then the Emend wore off and as Andy Taylor (the sherriff, not the hot dude in Duran Duran) used to say "whewwww doggy!"  It took me days to recover.  Just when I started to get my groove back, last Friday I started running a bit of a fever.  I was determined to attend the football game because it was Senior Night, and my son is a senior.  I did, however, convince MDH to drive us up there early so we could grab a parking spot near the fence and I could watch the game from the truck.

Saturday morning when I woke up I felt pretty good.  I had had my belly drained on Friday, so I slept wondrfully, but I was a little achy.  Like you are after having a bit of a fever.  After lunch, I encouraged MDH to go ahead and head out to the deer lease and enjoy opening weekend.  I felt fine!  There was no reason for him to hang around the house.

*sigh*

Seriously, he had been gone less than an hour when I started feeling chilled.  The first time I took my temp, it was 100. something.  I had taken a tylenol, so I gave myself 30 minutes for it to take affect, then took it again.

102.5.  Guess who had to call their hubby to come back home to take her to the hospital?  And guess who has been in the hospital since?

For the record, they ran a ridiculous amount of tests, and never figured out what caused the fever.  It was some kind of infection, because my white cell oount was elevated.  At chemo nadir.  But other than a slight fuzziness seen in an xray behind my heart that *might* have been the start of pneumonia, they haven't found anything.  After 3 1/2 days of 102 - 103 degree fevers, tylenol every six hours, and two types of IV antibiotics, the fever started going down.  As of 10 pm on day 5, I am 19 hours without a fever. I'm hoping I'll make it 24 hours, and they'll spring me tomorrow.

The best part (remember - always try to find a silver lining!) of this ordeal is getting to see so many of the wonderful oncology nurses from last year.  They actually put me in the same room I had last year after my surgery.  Some of the ones I loved have retired or moved on, but a huge number of them are still here, and it's been so much fun to see them again.  I've also met a couple of new ones that I like just as well.  Oncology nurses are awesome.

In addition to all this fun (ha!), this morning, the hair on my head started to fall out.  The first time I went through it, I cried.  This time I just laughed, rinsed my hands off and went on.  Of course, it's so very annoying that it loves to attach itself to my electronics - then I try to wipe it off and end up swiping something off my screen.  I feel for the cleaning ladies - as fast as it seems to be dropping, they might have a rug to sweep up in the morning!

I'm crossing my fingers that this week of being in the hospital doesn't push back my chemo.  Currently all my numbers are in the normal range.  If the fever is over (please please please) and non of the cultures grow any critters, I should be ok.  But the oncologist did say he'd have to see how I'm doing next week.  Keeping my fingers crossed!

So that's what is going on in my world.  I had one of my staff bring me some work that I can do up here during the day because oh.my.hell there is only so much HGTV, Food Channel and SoapNet I can stand to watch.  I've made a point to walk around the entire floor and nurses station before I let myself have anything fun from the patient nutrition room.  I'm doing much better, and I hope to hell I never again run a temp of 103 because that's no freakin fun at all!  Hoping your life has been less eventful!