chemo | cherish each moment, even the ones that suck.

Your results may vary. Especially if you do not start off with a pixie haircut.

As this is my second time surviving cancer, I knew a few things about hair loss–for example, I remembered that when my hair started to come back in it would look black, but then eventually transform to my normal red color (with a few, ahem, platinum blonde strands). But I forgot that different follicles start at different times, so you have a few pioneer hairs at first, and they look kind of lonely. Then the other follicles kick in and you get a hybrid between a buzz cut and a five o’ clock shadow, which I have slanderously called “unkempt Marine.” In reality I’m sure Marines’ hair is kempt, because all their hairs got cut at the same time.

Generally even hair length, plus hair that curls, is what enabled a good friend of mine who shaved her head one time to develop adorable little ringlets all over her head. That’s what I was hoping for the first time I was recovering from chemo, but this time I know it ain’t gonna happen. But eventually I’ll get back to pixie, and when I do I’ll count my blessings.

Did you know that the median wait time for biopsy results is all eternity? Ok, technically that’s the subjective wait time, but still and all. I noticed this most recently late last month when waiting for my bone marrow biopsy results to come back.

Obviously, they came back good enough to go ahead with the transplant, as I just got day 3 of chemo in preparation for my transplant Friday. At the time, I was in the throes of packing for two and a half months (and also attending Holy Week services), so I didn’t get to share the following insight:

When trying to get to sleep while waiting for biopsy results, it is obviously a bad move to lie there thinking about your biopsy results. One (not completely obvious) way to possibly avoid this is to go over hymn lyrics in your head. I found the following hymns helpful:

What a Friend We Have in Jesus
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
It is Well with my Soul
Amazing Grace

Basically, something that can have a slow tempo and that you know the words to is good. If you are not into Jesus you could try other songs, although presumably, say, metal might be less likely to work.

cherish each moment, even the ones that suck.

thoughts about surviving cancer. also, other things.

Tag Archives: chemo

Five Stages of Chemo Hair

Biopsy Wait Hymn Sing