Fighting Breast Cancer, Wigs & All
by Glenda.
Date: 23 September 2013
Glenda continues her story of Breast Cancer... To read the first part click HERE!
So Chemo no 1 was done – I have to admit I felt pretty poo. Everything tasting like cardboard, hot flushes, feeling nauseous – not the most pleasant thing that I’ve had to deal with!
But I had to get better for a very special event. My Zumba teacher Tina had organised a Zumbathon for Macmillan Cancer at Washingborough School – it was already planned before I got the dreaded diagnosis and I thought flipping heck I could make them some money I am the perfect candidate, so on 25th June I announced my illness to the world of Facebook and created a Just Giving page.
So 12 days after my first chemo I took part in a 2 hour Zumbathon together with lots of ladies (they are all very nice!) and a very special postman! I did manage the 2 hours- just- and together we managed to raise over 1K for Macmillan Cancer.
So that was a good day – I still had my hair – it was black (well from a bottle) – I think more grey but hey I’m not ready to look old yet, it used to be long and past my shoulders. I was advised to get it cut before the chemo so it wouldn’t be such a shock so I had a good 4 inches off, just to my shoulders.
Hair Raising
My lovely breast cancer nurse had given me a voucher for an NHS prescription – it still cost 63 quid but the wig would be worth more. The week before the chemo I visited Face Facts in Lincoln to get my new hair – I went for blonde – I heard somewhere they have more fun…. Waiting for me at the wig shop there was a cake – the cake fairy had struck again (she’s a very special lady you know).
So I had a blonde wig but I still had hair well until the 14th July – 2 weeks after chemo no 1 – it started to come out in handfuls and I knew it was time…..
I asked my husband Nigel to shave my head. I think this was the point that it brought it all home – not the diagnosis or the 1st treatment but the fact that I was losing my hair.
When the deed was done I sobbed and I sobbed some more. I announced my predicament on the good old Facebook and when anyone wrote a nice comment I sobbed. I sobbed when my lovely friend and cake fairy rang me up and she delivered cake and was promoted to the cake goddess (you’ve got to love Waitrose).
On Monday the 15th July it was time to don my wig for the first time – in public – now that is scary. I walked into Aldi on my own and all the time I was thinking omg, omg everyone knows this is a wig – I still wonder if people can tell 2 months on but I feel more confident now – on a night out I even whipped it off in the ladies room when a young lady was crying about her boyfriend and said “you think you’ve got problems”.
My apologies to that young lady – maybe I had a few too many Pornstar Martinis that night but I did get to share a group hug with all the ladies in the loos that night.
I now own 3 wigs (I always was a bit of a shopaholic) you don’t pay VAT on them if you have cancer and all the lovely ladies in Face Facts now know me by name. I reckon my favourite is my long curly going out wig. I tend to take my wig off as soon as I get home – last week I left it in the cat bed and my son was just about to stroke it as he thought it was one of the cats!
So I don’t have to shave my armpits anymore and my head has a bit of a fuzz but it doesn’t grow (it’s very random) and I currently have half an eyebrow on each side –better than last week, at least they match now – 1 and half eyebrows is not a good look!
RESULT!
On the 5th August I had my second breast scan – and the Octopus had shrunk – the consultant said that the first time she scanned it, it filled the screen and now it was much smaller – the chemo is working and all the horrible side effects are worth it – RESULT
So that’s another part of my story done and last time I left us on a good note so here’s another one.
Let There Be Music
I love music – all kinds. A song can make you sad, make you think of a time or a place or a person. I think some of the most poignant ones are the ones you listen to at a funeral – whenever you hear that song again it makes you think of that person and makes sure that you never forget them. But I diversify again – I do that a lot.
One of my favourite songs is by Scouting for Girls it’s called Silly Song and part of it goes like this..
And I know it's hard but life's a bit like that
When it pulls you down and stabs you in the back
And I know it's hard, we'll get through this I know
I like this, I like it a lot.
