Saturday, January 1, 2011

The Wait Is Over!

From the beginning of any chemotherapy treatment, every woman and plenty of men ask the question, "Will my hair fall out?" Even though it's thin, fine, and perhaps gray (Who knows?), it MY hair, and I've become attached to it, not to mention the fear of the unknown. After all, who knows what might lurk beneath?! The folks around here had assured me that it would surely come out, so this week's drama could be called "Waiting for the Hair to Fall."

As you can see in the picture below, my wait is over. They said about two weeks after the thymoglobulin, which was Thursday, and sure enough, that is when the assault on my blonde tresses began. I'm not as bummed as I thought I might be. After all, this marks another milestone that I can click off, and every milestone I pass means that I am moving toward recovery and coming home.

Guess what I'm doing. That's right, I'm pulling my hair out--literally!
This is the angriest face I could make and still keep my mouth shut.
A few friends who were in the area for various events this holiday weekend stopped by to wave. It was good to see people from home, even though everyone who stopped by had been around small children and therefore couldn't come inside and visit. Many of the visitor restrictions will be relaxed a bit as I move toward engraftment, which should occur sometime this week as the stars appear to be aligning (ie. the blood counts rise).

The Taintors, including Pat, Kit, Case, Sophie, and me, but not Callie and Mike who had to go back to Boston and work, were at the apartment for a quiet family New Year's Eve and Day. We played games, watched football, talked, and ate collard greens and Hoppin' John. Kit returns to Denver and the snow tomorrow, and Pat will be trekking back to Chattanooga, leaving just Case and me for a few days.

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.  This New Year's has me a little anxious about 2011, and so I am putting you all on notice: my New Years Wish is that I will celebrate the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 knowing that post-transplant life is the best it can be.

9 comments:

  1. You are so right...Even though it is a little scary and uncomfortable to have one's hair falling out, it is yet another milestone that as you say "will bring you one step closer to home!" That is a day that we are all anxiously awaiting for!!! I am praying that day will come as soon as it can! Now you can start using your stylish wig. I cannot wait to see which one you chose (personally I am rooting for adventurous wanda!) Love you and hope that engraftment happens soon so that you can have a few more visitors hopefully within the distance of a restraining order. :-) Love you!

    Renee'

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  2. You are beautiful! I hope your hair comes back in red and curly. It's going to be fun to see, kind of like waiting for a baby to be born. Case could set up a poll for us to make bets on color and texture, and the winner gets to buy you the first bottle of wine you are allowed to consume. I hope I win!

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  3. Trish, the wig has already been bought and will be picked up on Monday or Tuesday. She got the 'adventurous' wig, a.k.a 'Fiesta.' You can see the colors/textures here.

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  4. Beautifully written! Wish I had been there for the collards and hoppin' john. 

    As your tresses go, imagine the joy when they return. To everything there is a season....
    My hydrangeas, mere sticks now, now will be smiling with lush green fullness  in Spring. Its hard to believe, but we know it's true. 

    Excited about seeing you next week--still planning to drive.

    Hugs!

    Emy

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  5. Ooh red and curly would be fun. After all the perms you talked me in to telling me how they'd 'add volume' I think you deserve some out of control volume yourself.

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  6. ....I can see her now, Wanda with a halo of red curls skipping down the sidewalk singing "The sun'll come out tomorrow...."

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  7. I hope your kids find some sense of satisfaction of not actually being the cause of your hair falling out. Congratulations for meeting this challenge with such a great attitude, as you have already done with so many others. Wishing you and your family a new year filled with thousands of new joyful moments together!

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  8. Wanda! You actually made me laugh out loud with the "pulling my hair out". Line :). And so glad to " hear" your voice ! You are one amazing woman and are truly an inspiration to so many. Probably not your first choice of how you would like to inspire :) but you're doing a great job of it! I, too, pray that you celebrate the incoming 2012 next year with all the trimmings! And I'll bet we all will be jealous of your new tresses! And that 's the truth! Happy New Year to you and your precious family. Girl power! Peace!

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  9. Engraftment!! Oh yeah! Way to go, Wanda!

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