2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

Anonymous

W O W!

I love all the pictures -
you are all
so beautiful!

Laura

Anonymous

Here's my "peach fuzz"! You girls gave me the courage to post this. It's one step closer to my recovery!
I am so thankful for all of you!
(My dh was very sweet and so patient - I had him take at least 60 shots!)



Laura

(Maryanne - thanks for the step-by-step instructions!)

maryannecb

Laura and Terynsmom great pictures.

I ditched my wig today. I don't plan to wear it anymore. I am tired of hiding behind it. I need to show the world the real me. Besides I do have 1/8 " of hair so it is not totally scarey.

I spent time this morning arranging going back to work. I will start on May 1, I hope I feel good by then.

Fists up!

Anonymous

Wow, Laura, you look beatiful!

Wah! Everyone has more than I do!

ake

ternysmom....i agree...you look amazing.

no side effects from the tamoxifen yet. still have hot flashes left over from chemo. they seem to be okay for now. my pee was florescent yellow today (not to be gross) and i'm wondering if that is from the tamoxifen because it's been 2 weeks. so far so good?

how about you? are you on it?

TracySeattle

Terynsmom - not everyone has more hair than you do! I don't have very much but it is finally growing!

I have hair on the top of my head, but none at all on the sides or the front of my head (kinda looks like a guy's receding hairline). Man am I going to look goofy if the rest of it doesn't start growing soon!

Graycie

Ternysmom... great picture, I love your wig and your daughter is adorable.
Laura... great picture of you too and your hair is really growing in good. Alot more than I have, you both look beautiful in your pictures.
Graycie

debbie444

Its so good to see everyones pictures - Laura - you look great!
I went shopping today without anything on my head - felt conspicuous but no one stared, everyone was really friendly. I was feeling on top of the world, thinking how nice everyone was - then i realised i had a MASSIVE hole in my jeans and had probably been flashing my bottom at them all. No wonder nobody was looking at my head!!!!!!
Debbie

debbie444

I have been on tamoxifen for 5 weeks now and no side effects. Anyone having any. we were prepared for allsorts - my hubby calls them my madcow pills!!!
Debbie

sherryhaire

Well today I go to a physical therapist my arm (on cancer side ) giving me lots of problems, do not think it is lymphodema but will see, feels like my arm is constricting and pulling towards my body, one more thing to deal with I'll see what they say. Friday is my appt with onc, will be starting on tamoxaphin hope I do as well as most of you. Will have a delay in reconstruction due to this arm thing but at least chemo seems to be over.Wish I had a digital camera to post picture you all look so wonderful My thoughts with you all

RoseMarie

Laura, Paula, Terynsmom...everyone...you look beautiful!!! I'm getting up the courage myself to go topless now!! It's still so cold here and the wig keeps my head warm so I might wait a bit. ONE more Taxol to go!!!!! Now I'm starting to feel like a lot of you a few weeks ago - yikes! I'll meet with the onc on April 11 for my first post chemo appt. and I guess more decisions will be made then. Have a great day!!!!!!!

ravdeb

maryanne...I like that.."beat to a snot" cuz that soooo describes it!!!

You young women are soooooo beautiful! My hair is SNOW and yesterday my friend said..."when it grows in more "we" need to do something about this"!!! Hmmmmmmm.... I have very little so, the white stuff on the top does not cover totally and I'm afraid that some of that white stuff is starting to fall out again. It did this a couple of weeks ago and then stopped and yesterday, I was finding a few white hairs around...and it's only from the top, it seems. I have more around the bottom and sides and it's coming in curly and right now, I really do look like a little old grandmother..you know...the perms on the white hair! I DO NOT want that look! I really really don't!

Maryanne..that is so funny about taking your wig off in the restaurant. Love that!

Also..your prechemo picture..you look beautiful there. But, that last one you shared with us when you were hiking with your dh...that is gorgeous.

I will see about getting a new pic of me for y'all to see...gotta be awake when somebody is home in the evening so they can take a pic of me...have been sleepin' lots.

ravdeb

RoseMarie

Brenda, you and your family are beautiful as well!!! If I overlooked anyone please forgive! This has been so great for me!!! I was stuck focusing on the negatives...what a boost!

ravdeb

oh..I'm SURE I missed something...I got lost in this thread! But I saw Brenda and family and thought...what a beautiful family!!!!

I am sure I saw all the pics...Terynsmom...you and your daughter and you in your cute one-out-of-SIX-wigs! That's funny to me cuz I have one and rarely wore it. Maybe I should have gotten a different one...whatever...no more wigs!!!!

I wish we could all get together and have a "Growing Hair" party. What a great picture THAT would be!

ravdeb

Anonymous

Yes! Brenda has a gorgeous family --- and Brenda, you look great in your avatar pic without hair, beautiful with it as well.

ravdeb

ok...so I said I had a "Coming Out Party" as far as my new hair do is concerned but I should clarify this...I kinda meant for it to be a "Selective Coming out Party" and well...this morning...I went outside to feed my cats, dog and peahen and to close the gate so that my dog would stay in the yard, and I was..well.. in my "coming out" state and my neighbor, who hasn't talked to me since the day I was diagnosed, feels obligated since she saw me, to come over and apologize for not coming to visit me, or whatever and she was totally emabarrassed and couldn't look at my newly grown WHITE, VERY, VERY short yet curly hair, and after she left, I at first said to myself...OMG and then just laughed!!! Not sure just how I feel about the whole thing. Should I feel badly for HER or for ME????

This hair thing...ya think ya got it licked at the beginning with it all falling out and figuring out how to feel okay with it be it with a wig, scarf or nothing, and then POOF...the whole thing comes back at ya!

ravdeb

sherryhaire

Well went to physical therapist yesterday have lymphodema amd some scar tissue that is pulling the muscles in on my arm will have to go in 2 to 3 times a week for therapy, bad part is I have to drive an hour each way and with gas prices these days! not to mention time off from work. See Onc tomorrow to find out if I go on tamoxaphin or something else, he is an hour away as well. Seems like I am on the road all the time, I keep telling myself it will be over soon. Hope everyone is doing well!!!

TracySeattle

Deb - the hair thing is definitely full circle, isn't it? I am wondering how long mine will be before I ditch the wig. I guess it will depend on how I think I look. The first time out and about definitely takes some bravery! Of course, I have gotten a lot less concerned about how I look after going through treatment, etc. I guess it is all relative.

Good Job for going topless! You know, after everyone sees you the first time, they will be used to your new look and it won't be a big deal. As far as strangers who see you--you probably will never see them again, so who cares?

Anonymous

Sherryhaire -
I still have problems with my arm. Went to PT for quite a while and now do stretching exercises at home. I can actually feel a "cord" running down through the inside of my arm. HANG IN THERE! It does get better - slowly, but surely, but you do have to work on it.
This helped me, maybe it will help you: try gentle stretches while in a hot shower or bath. It will feel relaxed and will allow you to stretch it with less pain.
Laura

ravdeb

Tracy..you are right. Once they've seen me, the fear is over. Another village person came over to pick up some papers and it was his first time seeing me topless. His dad is going through chemo for lung cancer so for some reason, I didn't feel all that weird about it and he didn't seem all that uncomfortable about it either. Unfortunately, we have this cancer thing in common.

sherryhaire..hope it all gets better soon. I can relate to the long drives..have to drive an hour and a half for all my treatments and cancer care...rads will be the pits!

ravdeb

ake

ravdeb....i get really pissed off when i feel like someone is staring at me. my best friend said that it's because people are confused because i look so healthy and they're wondering why i have my hair like this. in the long run, who cares...we're cancer survivors and we should be damn proud of ourselves! it does make people uncomfortable sometimes, but whenever i feel like someone is uncomfortable, i really want to yell, "yeah, i beat cancer. could you be this brave??" i don't, but it's what i think.

this week at work, i've gotten hugs from all my patients because they know how big this is for me to have hair. i feel so much more feminine despite my buzz cut because i have hair. so weird.

don't let anyone make you feel uncomfortable. we've worked too hard to get to this place to have anyone take away the meaning of it all.

TracyNY

I am leaving the country for the first time since I was diagnosed!! I am so excited. I travel alot and I had my wings clipped through all the BC drama.

I'm going to Toronto for a week, half for a conference and half for pleasure. I can't wait to sink in the Heavenly Bed at the Westin. I stayed at one of their properties in Orlando and when I got home I threw all my pillows in the garbage just to get fluffy ones like they had!

marymelodi

I have so enjoyed seeing you all in your pictures, whatever the state of your hairdo. I do not have a digital camera and no way to post a picture, but will see if a friend or relative can help me get something posted here. I am letting more and more people see my "new hair". I agree that I don't really care about anyone's reaction. It doesn't matter.

I'm finishing my 2nd week of radiation today. Having some discomfort now. In fact, I have a little ice pack in my bra right now to numb the area around my incisions, the location of today's pain. One more month to go. It seems like a long time at this moment, but I know it will be over soon.

Anonymous

marymelodi -
So sorry you're having discomfort! It's great you have already finished 2 weeks! I am so amazed that you and most of the girls here are going topless! I cannot get up the courage to do so in public yet.
Hang in there with the rads - best wishes.
Laura

RoseMarie

I haven't had the courage to go topless yet but I plan on going to my last chemo topless. That still makes me kind of a chicken (since it's to chemo) but it's a milestone for me! I can't get over how gray my new hair is!!!!! It's practically white around my face!
Sherry - I still have cording as well. I've noticed it more lately and have started exercising it again. Good luck!
Tda-HAVE FUN!!!:)

maryannecb

Tda have a great time in Toronto. Enjoy your time away.

Fists up!

sherryhaire

Thanks for the support, I've learned just because chemo is over does not mean it is over!! But so many of you are going thru rads and it doesn't look like I will have to so I shouldn't complain.

ake

laura...i like your new avatar. you look beautiful

Anonymous

Laura, your new avatar is great! I wish I had someone around to take a pic of me with my bald head!! My daughter has tried but so far she has not been able to either get my whole head in the pic or she is too close up!!

debbie444

Terynsmom - youll have to do what i did, take it of yourself using the digital camera, a mirror and some strange angles!!
Debbie