Wednesday, April 21, 2010

They're baaaaack!

Today marks 35 days since my last chemo, and the first harbinger of my own personal spring made its presence known -- on my chin. Yes, that's right. Like Phoenix rising from the ashes, the chin hairs have returned. It's time to whisk my tweezers off the unemployment line and dust them off.

This brand new crop of chin hairs is different than its ancestors. Not bristly at all. They're soft and pure white. This will require a much closer watch. The good news (or, perhaps not) is that they perfectly match the hair that is sprouting on my head. Soft and white. Whenever I'm sans wig, I can hardly keep from rubbing my hands across my head. I've heard that this is not unique among chemo baldies. I figure the reasons are two-fold: 1) my head feels like velvet and 2) it's a daily check to see if the hair sprouts have grown longer. I could be wrong, but it seems like there is more to grab near the nape.

What this all means, of course, is that all traces of chemo drugs have left the building and regrowth and recovery have begun. Now, there's a celebration.

My radiation began on April 8 and should end just before the Memorial Day weekend. Two days before my radiation began, I had an appointment with my radiologist where I was "fitted" for a Vac-Lok support cushion and "tattooed" for laser positioning, an interesting process in itself. Not as exciting as chin hairs returning, but...interesting.

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