Fuzzy no more
Let’s start by saying that I’ve never been a huge fan of hair.
While I’ve never been one to sit with a pair of clippers and religiously groom myself, I have always thought that certain individuals should do something to get a handle on their ‘issue.’
But there I was on Tuesday, staring at a small dog on the shower floor in front of me. I’ve had some extreme haircuts before, but nothing that would compare with the entire body buzz cut that I had just given myself with the assistance of my patient wife.
A few weeks ago, I took the first preemptive strike against cancer and the chemo treatments by sporting the mohawk that you’ve all seen by now. Well, what was once a Chemohawk is now more of a Lowhawk as it is starting to fall out. Having my barber trim the mohawk up was a bit of a halfstep that will ultimately end up with it becoming a buzzcut and then finally—bald. It’s the responsible thing to do if you don’t want to end up with hair scattered about your house, car, desk, etc. Last thing I want is my little one playing on the floor with an unintended new pet.
So I’ve always heard about Chemo patients losing their hair, but I never really thought about what that truly entailed until this week. At the beginning of the week, I was an ape and figured that maybe I was going to be one of the lucky ones that didn’t lose their hair. And then the ape started shedding. See, when Chemo patients lose their hair, they lose all their hair. So I’ve had another opportunity to get a step ahead of one of the side effects of Chemo.
What I wasn’t anticipating was how much different the body feels once you shed that outer layer. When I got the Mohawk, it was an immediate relief because when its 80 degrees outside the extra ventilation is quite nice. Now its 60 outside and I’m reaching for a hat. This feeling is only amplified when the rest of the hair goes. I can remember looking forward to the 60 degree mark in April because that signifies ’short weather’ here in Chicago. Now, I want a coat. Weight loss clearly plays a role here, but the timing just hits poorly to be going through this. Losing your hair in a Chicago summer might actually be something to relish. Losing your hair in the fall? If I can compare it to anything, its kinda like being in San Francisco. No matter how you dress, you will either be too warm or too cold all day long.
It’s frustrating, but something I’m sure I’ll adjust to. Now if I can just find a good pair of mittens to wear around the office.