April Oncology Visit and Onward

The oncology visit last week went well as one can.  The pain under my left armpit is, tah dah!, from radiation!  Turns out my muscles under there are working like shoelaces now rather than rubber bands.  Thank you scar tissue.  Is it any wonder my mobility is reduced?  Still need to schedule PT for this but at least there's an answer.

With regard to the A1C, I'm to ignore that result for now.  It's a 3 month look back, and guess who still had chemo running through her then?  Me.  I will reschedule the test for 3-6 months out and then we'll get serious about it if we need to be.

The only shit news, and I appreciate the candor and honesty, is that there is NOTHING to do for my head hair.  It's still shedding, 17 weeks PFC, and it sucks.  I have a tiny bit of growth but it's random short hairs here and there.  I'm still treating it like lace and I am itching to REALLY wash it (scrub my scalp), blow dry it on full heat, and take a flat iron to it.  But no.  Could be 6 more months BECAUSE the anastrozole reduces my body's estrogen so much that it can induce, you guessed it, hair loss.  6 months to a year after you are on anastrozole, your body levels out and hair starts to return to normal growth patterns.

So the hair game is LONG but I completely appreciate SOMEONE giving me the bad news.  I did burst into tears right there, but I can stop searching for an answer and banging my head against a wall.  But please don't tell me my hair looks great.  It looks passable on days it gets washed and then like shit the other 5 days a week.  

All of this hasn't stopped my hair from growing everywhere else as quickly as it can!  I had my first dermaplane on my face 3 weeks ago and I am LOVING it.  Hair free (so much facial hair was growing!) and smooth and I swear it makes me look younger.  My eyebrows have been waxed 3 times which is a miracle.  My eyelashes are taking it slow but I can use mascara again.  

In other areas of 'taping myself back together', I had some botox around my lips.  Chemo killed all the good fat around my mouth; I looked like a smoker and my upper lip had disappeared.  A little botox brought that back and softened the smoker's lines.  Who knew?  I'm still working out and doing all the other maintenance things.  

And I'm still traveling - headed to Paris tonight with Long Day Lunch Friend.  Spring in Paris, shopping, flowers, vintage markets.  It all sounds heavenly.  I'll drop a line when I return, both to debrief and to get ready for my next infusion.  Only 6 more months of those.  Seems like a lifetime has passed since my first one.  Au revoir!  xo J

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