(KW) Oct. 23rd
was my birthday and man, did this birthday “hit different.” The existential
thoughts were floating around my head throughout the day and the thought, “I
wonder how many birthdays I have left?”
definitely crossed my mind. It was a gorgeous day outside, though, and my
family and friends spoiled me with
gifts and flowers, as well as a million sweet sentiments, which is all anyone
really needs to feel good
about themselves. 🌹🎂
I’ve been
donning a wig lately…it’s just a starter wig while my custom wig is being made
for me. I don’t hate the wig
life…I mean, talk about no muss, no fuss. I didn’t think I’d be emotional about
it when my hair started
thinning and then falling out. I mean, in the whole scheme of things…it is the
least of my worries. But
it’s been an adjustment for sure. We, as women, tie so much of our identity
into our hair. And I’ve worked
very hard on my “platinum money streaks” (to purposefully mask the greys) for
years!
But I am happy to report I was able to support another women-owned business in purchasing my custom wig that should be arriving any day now. My next blog post will definitely feature the new hurrr.
She was so nice to accept dozens of
pictures of how my hair used to look and design it to look just like it. I
actually am going to take it to my (women-owned) salon here in PA to have my
stylist cut it and style it for me. It’ll be a stressful salon visit, for
sure….because 1) it was expen$ive! and 2) it won’t grow back.
In other news, Chemo
session #7 is under my belt (photo below), and #8 is coming up on 10/30. THEN, it’s back up
to New York to Memorial Sloan Kettering for another set of scans. This time,
they’ve taken the liberty of scheduling consults with two separate surgeons AND
a whole battery of pre-surgical tests. This makes me very optimistic that I
WILL make it to surgery before the end of the year. 🏥
The exciting
part is that if they do schedule me for surgery, I have to be off chemo for 4-6
weeks in order to prep for it
(your immune system needs to be at 100%, your platelets and white/red blood
cell counts all at full
tilt, etc. etc.….things that DO NOT go hand-in-hand with chemotherapy). I can’t
tell you how much I’m
looking forward to that chemo break. Chemo truly sucks and makes me feel like a
different person. But I
know it’s serving its purpose. #thinkshrink
If and when
surgery happens, I’ll be in the hospital for 8-10 days and then another week in
a rental close to the hospital
(they ask you to not be more than an hour’s drive away, in case there are any
post-surgery
complications). I will have my mother and husband with me. It will be an
ordeal, logistically, to make it all
work, but I’ve already started to plan (new pajamas, eye mask, fuzzy socks)….I
even have my “leaving the
hospital” outfit planned out. I hope I look like a Hollywood star leaving her
hospital stay following
plastic surgery or something….just without the bandages across my face. 🤕
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