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Oh boy this could be a much longer post than I thought…maybe I’ll do it in two.

Unfortunately I  hear that friends of mine are getting cancer at an alarming rate. Statistics take time to catch up so it will be interesting to see what the stats are a few years from now…is the largest growing grip of bc diagnosis post menopausal women or pre?

But this is about hair…for my most recent friend going through it.

When I was going through it my oncologist didn’t like the cold cap idea to keep your hair. It was outdated at the time and she said that they had found brain metatasies(sic?). That was all I needed to hear. About six months after I finished chemo a woman I knew slightly was using an ice cap thing from the uk…she didn’t lose her hair. She was truly petrified of losing her hair. It was a complicated proceedure of taking temps and making sure it didn’t change, etc.
Frankly for me I preferred to check out while sitting in a chair for 6 hours…I read, I shopped online for Xmas presents, I visited with friends. I wouldn’t have wanted to deal with the folderol of the ice cap. I did hold ice bags and put them on my toes because losing fingernails for me was a far more yucky idea than losing hair.

I was an actress for a long time so I was always open to changing my hair. It was kind of cool to see me bald and I have enjoyed growing it back out again…I do miss the effortlessness of my curly hair–it’s not as curly right now.

pros and cons of baldness for those who want to know…

Con,
Well, you’re BALD and it is strange looks you get some of the time and pitying looks some of the time.

It’s cold at first.

PRO:
Less chance of brain mets. The cold stops circulation so the meds don’t travel to the cold place. I respect my brain more than my hair but it’s possible that the new caps are better. Ask your dr!

I could get up at 7, shower at 7:05 and walk out the door at 7:10 in the winter without freezing.

I washed head to toe with one product…saves money!

I wore all my Hermes scarves as well as others all the time. I accessorized on a daily basis and bought some really cool hats.

I looked sharp and kind of edgy…not my usual look…tall, curly hair, full features does not lead to edgy punk rock but with no hair…it worked!

While I was more tired than I ever have been in my life it was one less thing to think about.

I tried the wig. Many do and love their real hair ones. I hated it. Felt false to me. Tried a cheap one that pulled on like a hat and nearly got arrested both at my bank for forgery and at my daughters school for picking them up and walking away.

I looked like myself bald or in a scarf. That was the real thing.

My suggestion if you think you want to wig…buy the best wig and get your hairdresser to cut it like you. I still wouldn’t have worn it…whenever I got in the car I wanted nothing touching me. Many times I felt the edge of claustrophobia with all the tubes and tests and exhaustion and I wanted nothing on my head.

So there you have it—My opinion and nothing medical about it!