Well I couldn't sleep at alllll last night. My eyes started going all crosseyed reading Harry Potter at around 9:30pm so I put the book down and passed out for about an hour before waking up at 11ish and then I was up every 15 min or so after that. Finally at 7am I decided to take a sleeping pill which conked me out till 10:30am. When I woke up Aaron had cleaned the kitchen and tidied the living room... awww !! Not sure where he is now.. maybe the gym?
So still sore from yesterday's biopsy which also contributed to my restless sleep as I couldn't get comfy. The actual biopsy was a piece of cake compared to last time when I have 4 sites done at one time. I guess I am starting to be a pro at it.
Yesterday was our first visit (Aaron, Mom, Dad, and me) to the Cancer Clinic at Vic Hospital. It is a busy place!! We met with Dr. Brackstone who discussed my treatment plan and the study. The anticipated start date for chemo is next Thursday. My CT scan was bumped up to Tuesday and I will meet the oncologist later that day. Need to squeeze in a few more tests before then, so bring it on! It was also confirmed that I will be losing 100% of my hair and that should start around 2 weeks after the first round of chemo. I have been mentally preparing myself for this but..it is just hair and I know there will be far bigger hurdles physically down the road. And to tell you the truth I am more aprehensive about losing my eyebrows!! I was told there is a Look Good Feel Good program at the Cancer clinic which deals with makeup etc.... this could either be helpful or really cheesy. Please send a good makeup artist my way or else I will be making a trip to MAC on the art of eyebrow stenciling.
Mom and I ventured out in the late afternoon to search for wigs. The cancer clinic had given me a list of places to check out in London which was longer than I expected.
Our first stop was "Just Between Friends" by Wellington & Commissioners. It was scary and intimidating walking into the store. And then once you see a wall of wigs on plastic heads... the fear and realization that yes I will be wearing a wig and not just for Halloween sets in. Almost had a mini melt down but sucked it up and started picking out ones I thought looked nice. After a try on session of about 8 I narrowed it down to 2 - a short mod bob that made me feel like a 007 secret spy agent (in a good way!) and a long dark layered cut. The saleslady wrote down the 2 styles and we decided to check out some other places.
Next went to Abiento across the street. Very strange... most lights off and the 2 salespeople sat at the front desk and didn't say a word to us as we walked to the wig section at the back of the store. (Very different vibe than first store) Mom and I did a quick once over and decided to leave. On our way out the one sales lady asked "that was quick, didn't find what you were looking for?" to which I responded "Well...its quite intimidating walking into a store to look for a wig and neither of you even said hi to us or got out of your chair". (GO ME!!) They looked at us rather stunned then started stumbling over their words... I ended up trying on 2 wigs their and one was ok... I just wasn't feeling the whole experience. So we left.
Next stop... K-Laba on Dundas in a little bit of a sketchy area so not sure what to expect. Not your typical cancer wig store... more like weaves and wigs for everybody! Walked in and immediately saw a big difference in price (cancer wig stores ranged $250-500, while this store was $50-$300). But we did not see a difference in quality. The wigs at the previous stores were nice but they were almost too perfect and had that wiggy look. The wigs at this store looked like normal hair! So I had a bit of a self Diva moment trying on wigs that actually resembled my hair/look. Much more success here and I felt like myself. We ended up purchasing a long dark wavy wig with highlights and a shiny super straight dark wig that went just past my shoulders. For younger people I would definitely recommend this store as they were super helpful and chemo patients got 5% off! HA!
Funny Story: We bought 2 styrafoam heads to keep the wigs on. I had set them on the table by the front door and when Jax realized they were there he started a growling at them AHAHAH. Apparently he's not a fan of styrafoam heads.
Today is going to be a non cancer day as Aaron and I are helping get things together for Doug and Paula's wedding. BUT that could change as I am on call in case they can get me in for tests so I can't go far.
THE PLAN as it stands:
- Tuesday: CT Scan (booked), Bone Scan (booked), see Dr. Dingle Oncologist (booked)
- Thursday: MIBI scan (tbd), see Dr. Yew Radiologist, start Chemo (tbd)
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You are certainly a role model with your positive attitude Sammy. Glad you found a couple of wigs. It is actually quite amazing how far things have come with respect to support agencies/providers for cancer patients.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that a lot of women actually shave their hair off before it starts to fall out and it is a little less traumatic than having it come out on its own. Have you considered that option?
You certainly have a busy week coming up. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you embark on this journey.
Be strong my friend and keep up the positive mindset.
Elaine
I cut about 5 inches off my hair when I found out I had cancer. So its just above my shoulders now. I am going to shave it off probably right before my first round of chemo, that way I won't have to experience it actually falling out. And I will just starting wearing the wigs until I feel comfortable going bald. I have my eye out for cute scarves/hats. I am going to become an accessory queen.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the positive vibes. :)
Accessories! Yes I didn't even think of that... Hmm I'll keep my eyes peeled up here in Toronto too. It will give my a reason to check out all the funky stores up here. How were the foods you got? Give me some suggestions for things you want me to bring home. Plus I have some leads on some new sources!
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