Hair is more important than I thought.

WARNING: this post may become a self-serving pity party, although I will endeavor to keep it light.

As most of my family and friends know, I went through treatment similar to chemotherapy over the past summer to treat my Hep C- that I'd had since I was 3 months old, and being 31 now.  I decided to treat because I discovered that the disease could shorten my lifespan by half, and I still have books to read, places to visit, little people to watch grow up, and a husband to love.  After treatment, however, my GI doctor told me to stop taking my thyroid medication because my thyroid was fine.  Shortly thereafter, my hair began falling out.  After two months, I was put back on the thyroid medicine, because my hypothyroidism was indeed not cured, and only controllable by medicine.  So the combo of hypothyroidism, the chemo-like drugs, and the extreme stress in my life is likely what caused my hair loss.  I should be fine now, right?

NOPE. My hair is still falling out in clumps and I have a desperate hair appointment with my favorite cousin in a few days to see what can be done short of shaving it all off.  I'm afraid, and more than that- I'm vain.  I never realized it completely until now, but my hair was my most beautiful and natural feature.  I had just spent years growing it almost to my waist before all of this crap happened.



Blonde or red, I kept it long.  I loved it, but never really appreciated it.  Maybe it's a woman thing, I don't know.  But now I look like this:

The bandanna is covering my bald spots, and you can see the hair is much shorter and a lot thinner.  /In fact, there is not much left at all.  And after this coming Wednesday, there may be nothing at all left.  Even a pixie cut would be disastrous for me, as my long face makes me look ridiculous with short hair.  I know because I've tried it a couple of times.

I am worried it will take an extra long time to grow out again, because I am still under tons of stress and I am almost positive the Hep C has come back.  I feel so vain to be blogging about this when there are women everywhere being stoic about their cancer-related hair loss.  But I had to get it out somehow since no one understands and my husband says I'm still beautiful (he knows how to stay out of trouble).