Hello everybody!

[merseaone]

I haven't been here in a very long time, I know. Just thought I'd let you know I actually got my hair to my waist and was very happy! Went to a conference the beginning of March of 2020 with 500 + other people and had a reaction to all the perfumes,colognes, essencial oils, lotions, cleaning fragrances - the chemicals in them attacked my vocal chords and I still haven't totally recovered from it. This is the second time this has happened - last time it attacked my bronchials. Then covid hit (I didn't get covid nor the vaccines - hubby got two vaccines then got covid - go figure), then in November of 2021 I was diagnosed with breast cancer again (a different type than last time - small and aggressive)... it showed up a few months after they put smartmeters in the neighborhood, had to have surgery, had 12 rounds of chemo and a years worth of immunotherapy. I'm doing well :toast: ! But needless to say I had to start from 0 hair again. My hair is now between collar length and shoulder length, it is in a billion layers but the chemo curl is still there! Love curly hair!

Chemo messed with my eyes a bit, enough to where writing, drawing and computers were a major challenge so I did what I could on the computer each day until the headaches set in. But I was able to crochet so I did nothing but sit around and crochet and watch my Roku. By November of 2022 I had a large supply of afghans even after giving a bunch away that I did a craft show and sold them for next to nothing - just enough to build up my yarn supplies so I could crochet more. Good things always happen as a result of going through hard times.

Hope y'all are doing well and enjoying life!
God bless,
Merseaone

[Lady Winchester]

Welcome back!

You joined before I did, but I'm another breast cancer survivor (coming up on four years this October, since I count it from when it was removed, not when I was first diagnosed, which was around my birthday in 2019, so that birthday pretty much sucked) and I hope to never repeat the experience. I just read during my chemo appointments, since I'm not much of a crocheter (though I can sew the occasional Halloween costume). I have naturally curly hair that didn't lose my curls (it was curly before chemo, and came back curly after, though it might have been a bit curlier than before) or my eyebrows or eyelashes (everything else though). Before chemo, my hair was strawberry blonde to red, but has darkened to medium brown that looks more golden brown in the sun (not sure if it was from chemo or it just darkened naturally, perhaps a bit of both). It took about three years to grow my hair back to its former length (which was around mid back range), then I got a trim about a couple of months ago which made it more APL and is now slowly growing back to mid back range again. I've never had it longer than waist length, since then it gets a bit too hard to handle (at least for me), so if it gets to that length, I'll probably trim it back to mid back range again.

On top of that I also had a fibroid in my uterus that became more noticeable after I got hit by a car at a crosswalk (the driver's fault, not mine, since the signal said walk and the traffic light was red) so no kids for me except for the small, furry kind often kept as a pet (I'm more of a cat person than a dog person, but don't mind dogs). The doctors said they were feeding off each other (since my cancer was ER/PR positive and HER-2 negative) so it's a good thing they're both gone (and hopefully the cancer will stay gone, since I never want to go through that again). I was allergic to the second type of chemo (which wasn't the one that made me lose my hair) so they had to up the Benadryl and administer it more slowly which turned some of my toenails blue (which was a surprise even to the doctors, since it must be a very rare side effect).

I'm still on Letrozole for two more years, the same year I get my license renewed (2025), though the next time I get my picture taken, I won't look like an older version of Bart Simpson, since my hair was just starting to grow back from chemo and it looked a little spiky (and blondish, but darker than I was before). Mom was sure I would go gray after I went through all that, but it never happened (thank goodness, since then I would have had to ask my Oncologist when I could dye it, since gray/white would totally wash me out).

[embee]

Hope y'all are doing well and enjoying life!
God bless,
Merseaone

Nice to see you again! Sorry you had to go through all that, on top of the Covid mess. Gee whiz. When it rains it pours? ;)

Must be interesting to have curls. I only had them from a permanent wave which was nasty, smelled bad, and looked worse.

[TatsuOni]

Welcome back! :)

[lapushka]

Welcome back. I am glad you're doing well now.

[Greengable]

Lots of energy ������

[merseaone]

I'm sorry you had to go through all that stuff... this was my second time round. I used Letrozole (tried a various kinds to see which gave the less amount of side effects) the first time for 5 years then they wanted me to stay on it for another 5 years which I refused! Doc and I had a heated discussion in which I told him to make the Rx out in his name and he take it for 5 years and see how he liked it! (His PA was standing outside the door and she was laughing so hard! He's a great Dr but he is all biz and doesn't like to have someone refuse what he says to do.)

This time the type of cancer I had was different and Letrozole wouldn't have been of much help but they still tried to get me to take it. I looked him straight in the eye and said "NO! Absolutely not! I've been through menopausal mess three times and I refuse to go through it again - even for you!" Doc still asked from time to time but I just gave him "the look." :D (Drs aren't use to people researching and saying NO for any reason.