07 February 2018
MAR 16
Chemo is over and you’re over the moon! You’re in remission and the doctors don’t want to see you for another three months. The next question you have is probably:
“When am I going to get my hair back?”
It takes about three to ten months to get all of your hair back. For me, my hair covered my entire scalp in six weeks.
Not long enough to style but long enough to not be so cold.
My post chemo hair is weird and curly!
I learned these tips way too late. I was living with this awkward in-between phase for too long.
Tip 1: Wash with a gentle conditioner, skip the shampoo.
This is a tip from the book Curly Girl: The Handbook. By using a conditioner to wash, your hair will be weighed down a bit which gives your curls some form. It also helps lock in those fly away frizzy strands that look awful. And yes, your hair will still be clean, be sure to scrub your scalp to get rid of dead skin and build up.
Tip 2: Use an alcohol-free hair gel while your hair is wet.
Hair gel will keep your curls in good shape and keep you from getting a puffy mess of hair. You don’t have to use a ton either, especially if you don’t like that ramen-noodle crunchy style. Plus, you can save a ton of money by sticking to cheap LA Looks gel.
Tip 3: Let your hair air dry or use a diffuser.
Or a sock over the nozzle of your blow dryer. Do be sure to dry on low and warm, not high and hot. The other way will cause your hair to frizz.
Tip 4: Take a deep breath and try to accept it as a passing state.
When all else fails, or you’re just feeling down, just know that it’ll pass. Your hair is growing in bit by bit (take photos every week for proof!) and will soon be back to how you like it. If you really hate how you look, try adding a bunch of clips or headbands.
I really recommend the Curly Girl book! There’s a chapter specifically about post-chemo hair care and a whole section for men and children. I’ve always had curly hair but now it looks a lot better thanks to the tips in the book.
What are your post chemo hair care tips?
MAR 13
Spring is finally in the air here in Minneapolis. Go get some Vitamin D while you check out these awesome links!
- Of the 70,000 young Americans age 15-39 who are annually diagnosed with cancer in the United States, nearly three out of four receive late-stage diagnoses, resulting in reduced survival chances, unnecessary suffering and the premature death of thousands each year.
- I love how each bird has a name and a personality.
- Instagram wasn’t a thing in 2010 but if it was, you bet I’d be documenting my cancer journey on it.
- Mochimochi Land is looking for knitted gnomes!
- Your body, after cancer. It’s not easy but you learn to live and eventually accept it.
MAR 11
March is also Ovarian Cancer Awareness month!
Click on the photo to buy!
Signs And Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer
Like nearly all cancers, the signs of ovarian cancer boil down to “when something feels weird and won’t go away/get better on its own.” The Ovarian Cancer Network list these common complaints:
- Bloating
- Abdominal and/or pelvic pain
- Difficulty eating or feeling full very quickly
- Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)
Some other reported signs are changes in menstruation, painful intercourse, and back pain.
Who gets ovarian cancer?
The median age of diagnosis is 71 with the highest rates reported in women ages 55 to 63. If you’re a long-time reader of my blog, you’ll know that young people (anyone under 45) get cancer, too.
What can I do?
If you know someone with ovarian cancer, firstly ASK her what she needs and then go DO it. Secondly, you can peruse my list of gift ideas, grab a Survival Organ replacement ovary, become an advocate or donate to an ovarian cancer charity. Thirdly, if you are a woman of any age, it is important to stay on top of your appointments. Go get a yearly pelvic exam, go see your primary doctor for a check-up and be aware of what is and isn’t normal for your body.
MAR 09
One of the biggest concerns everyone (including me!) has about cancer treatment is hair loss. When we lose our hair, our faces suddenly look so different in the mirror and it’s a huge signal that we’re SICK.
But WHY does my hair fall out?
Chemotherapy attacks rapidly dividing cells. The cancer cells quickly divide so they’re targeted by the chemo drugs. Our hair cells, along with the cells that make up our nails and stomach lining, are also fast dividing cells. Unfortunately, chemotherapy isn’t “smart” enough to know the difference between cancer cells and hair cells. Since the hair cells are under attack, our hair falls out in big ol’ clumps and any new growth is also targeted and falls out.
How soon will it start?
Everyone’s different and everyone’s treatment is a little different. For me, my hair loss started the moment I had vincristine pumped into my body, so a week into treatment. My hair fell out in bits and then, as more chemo was given to me later that week, it fell out in clumps. I had to shave my head to get rid of the odd-looking bald patches.
I’m just losing the hair on my head…right?
I hate to break it to you but, nope. It’s all of our hair that’s all over our bodies. I lost my eyelashes, my eyebrows, my nose hairs, pubic hairs and even the fine hairs on my arms. By losing my nose hairs, I had a constant runny nose. Losing my arm hairs meant I was always cold. It was a nice bonus not having to shave my arms or legs, though!
When will it come back?
Again, that depends. My hair started “filling in” around late February/early March after finishing treatment in mid-January. It felt like it would never come back in but it did eventually. And yours will too.
Come back next week when I give my post-chemo hair care tips!
MAR 30
All about PET scans
Last week I covered what MRI and CT scans are and the difference between the two. Another type of scan used in staging cancer is a PET scan.
What does PET scan mean?
The “PET” in PET scan stands for Positron Emissions Tomography. It’s another imaging test that shows how your tissues and organs are functioning. An MRI and a CT scan, on the other hand, only show the structure (how it looks) and blood flow of your organs or tissue.
How does a PET scan work?
With MRI and CT scans, you are given either an injectable dye or has to drink a barium solution. PET scans need a radioactive material, called a tracer, either injected, swallowed or inhaled. You’ll have to wait about an hour for the tracer to go through your bloodstream and then you’ll lay down on a machine that looks similar to a CT scanning machine. In fact, some hospitals own a dual PET/CT imaging machine. If you’re having a combined PET and CT scan, the test will take a while.
What does my doctor see?
Here’s a .gif of what your doctors are looking at when they review your results:
“PET-MIPS-anim” by Jens Maus (http://jens-maus.de/) – Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Pretty neat, huh? Doctors also use PET scans to look at heart or brain function. They can see if there’s any damage to the organs or if certain parts of the brain aren’t “lighting up” in response to stimuli.
How is a PET scan used for cancer?
PET scans are used to see if cancer has metastasized (if and where it’s spread) and how large is the tumor. Since it provides a 3D look at the body, oncologists can see if the tumor is impacting other nearby organs. For example, my PET scan showed that my lymphomawas crushing my heart and lungs, causing me to feel like I couldn’t breathe and that my heartbeat was really painful. After chemotherapy, the last PET scan showed that my tumor had shrunk down and was no longer crowding out my heart and lungs.
Have you had a PET scan? What was it like? Share your story in the comments below.
MAR 27
Here’s to hoping the snow in Minnesota is done for good.
- Next week PBS airs Ken Burns’ documentary Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.* I haven’t read the book yet and I’m debating if it’s best for my mental health to watch it. Regardless, it’s going to be really good.
- Gretchen Rubin wants to know what personality traits you have. I’m an obliger (aka people pleaser), what’s yours?
- I love Zen Pencils.
- I always freak out about money. Here’s a podcast about how to deal with the scarcity blues.
- Serenity now for serenity later.
Lastly, I’ve been nominated for Stupid Cancer’s Get Busy Living award. I’m the second nominee and I would appreciate your vote.
MAR 25
Angelina Jolie Pitt went public with her elective oophorectomy in a New York Times op-ed.
“Angelina Jolie 2 June 2014 (cropped)” by Foreign and Commonwealth Office – http://www.flickr.com/photos/foreignoffice/14217374639/. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Angelina_Jolie_2_June_2014_(cropped).jpg#/media/File:Angelina_Jolie_2_June_2014_(cropped).jpg
Two years ago, she announced her elective double mastectomy. I’ve been following her story even though I’m not a big fan of her movies.
What I really appreciate it her candor about the stressful side of making these choices. She has access to doctors, surgeons and resources that many of us don’t but she lies awake at night wondering what else will happen, just like me.
So, Ms. Jolie Pitt, if you’re reading this thank you. Thank you for showing that cancer isn’t easy, it’s still stressful and fraught with complicated decisions to constantly make.
MAR 23
Oncologists rely on more than just simple blood work to diagnose, visualise and treat cancer. Two of the most precise imaging tests are MRIs and CT/CAT scans. They also use PET scans but I’ll discuss that in a later entry.
What is an MRI?
MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It’s a long tubular machine that uses powerful magnets to create images. The images it creates can either be cross sections of your body (like a slice of bread) or it can create 3-d images that a doctor can move around to look at all angles.
MRIs are a way for a doctor to look at the blood vessels in your body. It can also help identify and measure the size of tumors and to see if there’s blood flow into/out of the tumor. No blood flow means it’s dying or dead!
What’s an MRI like?
“MRI-Philips” by Jan Ainali – Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MRI-Philips.JPG#/media/File:MRI-Philips.JPG
An MRI test is painless, thankfully. The hardest part is lying still for an hour or more while the magnets spin around and do their work. The machine itself is a long tube with both ends open, however the ‘ceiling’ of the tube is really close to your face. It can be really claustrophobic for some people, but your doctor can prescribe you an anti-anxiety medication before hand to help you stay calm. Also, most hospitals now give you headphones to wear so you can listen to music instead of the noise of the machine.
What’s a CT scan?
A CT scan, also called a CAT scan, stands for computerized tomography. It works by taking a bunch of x-rays from different angles and then processing them together into one continuous image. A CT scan, unlike an MRI, shows more of the bones and soft tissues inside your body.
What’s it like?
Before a CT scan, you may have to drink a barium sulfate solution. It’s (sometimes) a thick chalky substance that’s flavored to make it taste worse better. It’s not absorbed by the body so it coats your intestines making it easier to see your guts, if you’re having an abdominal scan. In addition or in lieu of the barium, you may be given an IV of contrast solution. That solution also coats your blood vessels and blocks the x-ray so they show up white on the images. That way your doctor can see any clots or blockages that may be inside of you.
Unlike an MRI machine, a CT machine is shorter and not as narrow.
“UW Medical Center PET-CT-Scan”. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UW_Medical_Center_PET-CT-Scan.jpg#/media/File:UW_Medical_Center_PET-CT-Scan.jpg
It’s less claustrophobic since it’s only part of you inside the machine. Much like an MRI, the scan itself is painless. A CT scan is usually shorter and quieter.
After having either test done, it’s a good idea to drink a lot more water than normal to flush out any contrast that you took. My MRIs haven’t needed any dyes but I still leave feeling dehydrated and tired from not eating.
Stay tuned to this blog to learn all about the mysterious PET scan!
MAR 20
I now want a fleet of little happy Pomeranians to greet me each morning.
- “As the seemingly unending sad emoticon-peppered announcements of young people gone too soon swirled through my newsfeed over the past month, I found myself struggling with those stating these amazing people had “lost their battle” with cancer.” – We Are All Losers.
- I used to volunteer at the American Museum of Natural History. They’ve teamed up with a bunch of Etsy artisans to make exclusive gifts. I’m in love with the bird coffee cups and the iconic blue whale necklace.
- I love punching things too!
- I’m opting out of still sometimes feeling like an awkward 15-year-old.
What are your Friday Finds for this week? PS I blogged about how to care for your post-chemo hair and why I opted out of wearing a wig.
