Second Treatment

Hello,

Well, my mom had her second treatment yesterday and just like clock work she began to experience more hair loss this week. Apparently the chemo medication actually kills the hair follicles. The remaining hair pulls on the follicles and it causes discomfort in the scalp. My mom began to experience this discomfort a couple of days ago.

They lengthened the treatment time from 30 minutes to one hour in hopes my mom would not experience the severe headaches and joint pain she had after the last treatment. She did well through treatment, toward the end she did experience the severe sinus pressure but they were able to give her Benadryl for relief.

Immediately following the treatment my mom seems to do very well. We even went out to dinner after the treatment. She did fall asleep early and she said she was a bit restless as the night progressed.

This morning she was up bright and early and fixed us breakfast (she's never been a good patient). I took her to get her Neulasta shot. She said it's the shot she dreads more than the chemo. After the shot a good friend of ours and fellow cancer survivor recommended my mom pay a visit to Pat Painter's salon. The salon specializes in the needs of chemo patients (Who knew?). My mom scheduled an appointment today after her shot and we were immediately greeted by the most delightful and slightly eccentric stylist. She was just finishing up with a client. She immediately grabbed my mom and I and had us meet her client who was sitting in the stylist chair and had the most amazing hair. Her client chatted with us and asked my mom how many treatments she had. We quickly learned the client was also going through breast cancer treatment. She was very young and had two young children in tow with her. She said she had just gone through one treatment but her treatment lasts seven hours long. SEVEN HOURS! I could not even imagine. She said she immediately started experiencing hair loss after the first treatment. I looked at her hair and I could not see the hair loss and I am sure she saw the look on my face and that's when she pulled her "hair" off, that's when I realized it was a wig. There in front of us was this woman exposing her newly shaved head and the courage she portrayed was nothing short of amazing. My mom asked her how it felt and what her feelings were? She said it was very liberating and it gave her a sense of control. She said she was a little upset about losing her hair, but she never really defined herself by her hair. My mom and her traded war stories and then she hugged my mom tightly and left her with some encouraging words.

In some ways it feels like my mom is part of this "club" now because you can't help but feel immediately drawn to others who are going through the same experience you are. So, my mom was up and it was her turn in the chair. The stylist chatted with my mom for a bit. At first it felt like a terrible first date. At first there is awkward chit chat and in the back of your head you know this is only going to end badly. But, the stylist carried on with her crazy banter and we learned she is also a survivor and activist. She has great passion for what she does and was a great cheerleader. Apparently there is this whole network of breast cancer survivors in the Austin area. Then she grabbed the clippers and asked my mom if she was ready. I almost said "don't ask just do!" But in walked her next appointment. She put down the clippers and walked the next client over to my mom. She was also a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient. She immediately grabbed my mom's hand and began chatting. My mom asked her how she felt about losing her hair and she said she was "really flipping mad" (she used a more colorful word then "flipping"). Use your imagination. It made us all laugh! So together in the company of strangers and survivors we looked on as my mom's beautiful locks of hair fell to the floor. I've never been so proud of my mom in my whole life! The stylist was quick and tried to make the process painless. As I watched her work on my mom, I thought to myself, "Wow, this makes it so much more real."

Once it was over with, my mom said the pain in her scalp went away. As you can imagine the whole experience was a little traumatic but the stylist tied a brand new head scarf on her head and away we went. I decided not to give my mom time to dwell on the situation so we went earring shopping and then we went to the movies. I made her nice and tired and now she is asleep and resting.

In the words of Scarlett O'Hara: "Tomorrow is another day." I pray that the side effects are not as severe as last time. I pray that this will eventually get easier, I pray for a cure! I take comfort in knowing we have an awesome support system! All of my mom's friends at work, you guys are amazing! My aunt Rita drove up from San Antonio yesterday and not only drove my mom and I to chemo yesterday and kept us laughing during treatment; she surprised my mom with some head covers and an awesome pink duffle bag! My cousin Sam cut her hair today and donated her hair to locks of love. Family, friends, strangers have reached out and grabbed us and we feel it everyday!

Don't forget, I am still need your ideas for the race for the cure team name. I hope to have that set up by Monday.

Hugs,

Chryssa