Pink Wigs

Hair loss – A side effect of chemotherapy

Thanksgiving is always a wonderful holiday to catch up with family and friends. Hectic, but less than the gift-giving frenzy and multiple family festivities of Christmas. So, this year we had the champagne signature cocktails, turkey and all the fixings, gatherings that included our growing family, as well as family who traveled from Cleveland and … pink wigs. 

Yes, pink wigs. With my chemo starting in a few days and knowing that my hair will begin to fall out before Christmas, I decided I needed a different, proactive approach to the emotional trauma of hair loss.

Losing one’s hair is an insulting experience. 

I thought I had prepared for it last time by cutting my hair short and wearing chemo headwear as the hair loss began. It began slowly. Then, one day in the shower it all fell out. I was covered in hair. The whole bathroom was covered in hair as my son tried to cut away what was left. It was a nightmare!

I admire people who can walk around with their bald heads. I felt like I was walking around in my underwear. It was also very cold! Who knew my thin little hair actually kept my head warm!

I also wasn’t a huge fan of my wig that was supposed to match my old hair. It was such a thick full head of hair, dealing with it was annoying. Who knew I liked my thin little hair so much.

I decided I needed an attitude adjustment this time or it would become another emotional insult.

So, I found pink wigs on Amazon!! They were all under $20. What a great discovery! I ordered 6 of them.  Immediately I rejected the first three. Too much wild hair. Insane colors.

So, this Thanksgiving I tried on the three remaining wigs and modeled them at a family gathering. One made me look like Patty Duke, the next, Carol Channing and the last, an Anime character. My brother took pictures of me in each one and sent them to family around the globe: Chicago, Cleveland, Japan, California. Votes were tallied.  

All of them won votes.  No decision was made.

But I won. With all the support I received: My new attitude did emerge. 

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kbraier

This is my blog about living my life with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer—End stage. I joked about writing this imaginary blog when I spent a year on a treatment that allowed me only 10 days to feel well enough to live a fairly normal life. (Actually normal doesn’t even really exist for me anymore!) To earn those good days, I spent the previous 10 days living in post-chemo treatment physical hell – that also became normal in a perverse way. I’m also writing to honor those who are diagnosed with Stage Four Pancreatic Cancer. You might live longer than you expect and I want you to have someone who tells you what that’s like. There aren’t many role models for people with this because, well, they’re usually gone. So, this is for you. Maybe your journey will be similar to mine. Actually, it will probably be very different because “everyone is different.” Even still, maybe this will still be a bit of a guide.

3 thoughts on “Pink Wigs”

  3. Oh my gosh Kathy… you are AMAZING with your personally worded posts. You bring us right into your thoughts so beautifully and they are so touching and so very real. As you get the chemo underway tomorrow, know, as always… our thoughts and prayers and support are with you. Sending love beams!!!!

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