Striped hair, splitting nails, oh weird wonderful world of post chemo

There has come a day, or at this time a night, when one needs to share some not very nice yet peculiar effects of body issues after chemo.

I started losing my hair again. This time it seams to have not come out all together, just a “nice” thinning. Especially on top. The hair on my head is mostly fluffy and soft and when it comes off it’s stripy! It’s very strange. Every hair is white/black/white/black or grey/brown/grey/brown! Badger or skunk like… But I prefer to think I’ve been Okapi-fied! When I told my oncologist on Monday, she said I wasn’t the first one to get stripy hair from chemo, but it’s a weird outcome! She also told me that I would probably get more color back on my hair which at the moment looks pretty much white on top. My eye lashes and eyebrows are pretty much extinct… There are vague promises of them coming back… All in due time… But I end up crying a lot. Not because of emotional rants, only because this is what happens when you don’t have any lashes! As nothing is there to protect your eye from things going in it, especially my right eye is basically pouring…

The surgeons and doctors are all very happy with my recovery and I’ll be able to fly home on Saturday! Especially as I’m coming back for all of October for radiation therapy. Mr Ghosh, my super surgeon, wasn’t super happy with my interaction with animals at the zoo, as his view was: “-Animals have lots of bacteria, you’ve had a major operation”! In true calming fashion, my super breast care nurse Lisa reassured him I wouldn’t really be too interactive with said zoo animals. I managed to then show him some photos taken this morning of Oni the okapi. She’s now got another new fan! And London Zoo will get another visitor soon to see their amazing Okapis!

During the last 4 chemos I started complaining about manky feet. Especially the nails, they unfortunately are still awful. Every day walking with normal “closed” shoes or trainers I end up crushing some nails and splitting them down the middle. As it’s started to involve bleeding, this is something I need to address with the doctors… Brain, please work with me and remember!!! Flip flops have been brought, but I’m not sure I could face walking in London in Flip flops in September.

Today I’ve been super busy and super social! After my walk to and from the zoo, my friend Jenny arrived from Sweden! We have then continued meeting up people for lunch, dinner and tea… Incredible really as it’s only been 17 days since the biggest operation I’ve ever been involved in!

Keep smiling 🙂 if you facing a new challenge, be intrigued by it, then dare to challenge it back! 

    
 

2 thoughts on “Striped hair, splitting nails, oh weird wonderful world of post chemo

  1. The more you see it it really is one crazy mixed up creature! I wonder if you could ride it?
    in the wee small hours do you dream or entering in the Horse of the Year Show, and also what you might wear?
    I somehow don’t think Mr Ghosh would approve. Farmorx

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