What about my hair?

March 01, 2012

My hair has been a hot topic of conversation lately, since it could fall out any day now.

In one of the first meetings with my oncologist I was told that I'd likely lose it within the first 1-2 weeks of treatment (!), advised to just proactively shave it off in order to spare myself the emotional drama of seeing it come out (!!), and given a prescription for a wig (!!!).

Well, we're now two-weeks in and my hair is still hanging on, but here's what I've done:

I chopped it all off. Since I decided not to go the shaved-head route, I thought it would be easier to deal with the fall out if it were shorter, and also would give me time to get used to not having long hair.

My friend Catherine accompanied me on a very funny wig shopping experience to the Salon at 10 Newbury, where the owner Patricia has been making custom hair replacements for about 30 years. They were so kind and discreet - it's actually a large, full-service salon, but they have a private section in the back specifically for the hair replacement folks. Cath and I tried on a variety of wigs - and had lots of laughs doing it, much to the dismay of the more serious-minded Patricia - short, long, synthetic, and all human hair. The latter are absolutely amazing - they are made by hand and are so realistic it's creepy. They matched the color to my natural hair, ordered an "unfinished" one, and then custom fit and cut/styled it while on my head.

I also have a new found appreciation for Locks of Love, the nonprofit organization that provides human-hair wigs to disadvantaged youth (<21) suffering from medical hair loss. The human hair wigs are soooo much more realistic than the synthetic, but they are also a lot more expensive. Insurance covers a portion of it, but if you want a long one like I did, it doesn't cover all.

While my short hair is growing on me (ha), I decided to go with a longer wig that looks eerily like my old hair. Truth be told, I'm not sure I'm really a "wig" person (I've heard they get hot, itchy, and can give you a headache) and I think I may be more comfortable with a simple knit cap, but decided to get it anyway. There may be days when I just want to look like the old me, and it will probably be be more comfortable for business meetings and the like. We'll see.

So, without further adieu...here she is. I've dubbed her Kristen Wiig, after my favorite comedienne. I'm sure she'd be proud.