The Final Chapter!

I got the "All Clear" from my CAT scan the other day! Hurray, hurray! At this point I continue to take my hormone-blocking pills - for 5 years - and just get regular mammogram check-ups.

I quit wearing my wig earlier this month. It just got too hot! I would come in from walking back from my office, in the 95 degree heat, and whip that sucker off! Then, someone would come to the door unexpectedly and I would answer it - totally forgetting that I had "no hair on." It was funny: friends would be looking at me wide-eyed, but not saying anything about it. I would be thinking "What's up with them?" Until I looked in the mirror and thought OH! It's funny how people don't comment on something really obvious.

Here are two latest pictures of my SHORT short hair. I kind of like it. A couple people have said it makes me look younger (which I doubt) or hipper (certainly true). Nancy and I came up with the term "soccer mom" for my look with the wig. I am still holding off going to the stylist, even though it needs even-ing up. They will cut it too much and I'll be back where I was when I didn't have the nerve to wear it.

Not all my hair actually fell out after I got it shaved. Some hairs (maybe 10%) continued to grow. So they were about 1.5 inches longer than the newly grown hair. It was like a Persian cat's guard hairs. I had my daughter go after them with the scissors. I continue to snip hairs that stick out beyond the rest.

The one thing I'm not sure I like about this short hair is that it doesn't balance the rest of my body. I think having bigger hair made my head better match my bigger body. Now I feel like I look like a pin-head. Oh well. I'm on a diet. Both being overweight and drinking alcohol possibly contribute to breast cancer. Not a direct link, but a "more women with these conditions develop breast cancer. "

I still have to get my port out. I had someone ask me the other day, when I was wearing a swim suit, if it was a pace maker! I had sort of forgotten that it was even there, so that was a reminder to go ahead and get that out. It's a last reminder of my year of cancer, anyway. It was just about one year ago that I had the "annual" check up that started this whole thing.

I have my sister Nancy to thank for suggesting I do this blog. I hope it has helped folks keep "abreast" of my situation, treatments, mental states etc. (Sorry for the bad pun - there haven't been enough of them lately!) And now I will sign off. I don't expect to write again. Thanks for reading and caring and being supportive. I couldn't have done this without all of you.