My big hair loss occurred about 2-3 weeks after my first chemo. Hair started to fall out 2 weeks after, and I had my all my hair cut off to about 1-2 cm. Then it proceeded to fall out over the next few weeks. It’s an interesting thing… I suppose like sunburned skin, it’s one of those things you can’t leave alone. You just keep reaching up and pulling out as much hair as you can. Of course, the guy who made my wig told me that I should get as much of my hair out when I showered, etc. I did a pretty good job too, because I didn’t have any weird feelings in my head. Or maybe I just didn’t have those weird feelings.

I became a big fan of sticking tape on my head (mostly wide package tape), and pulling it off to see how much hair would come out. It didn’t hurt at all. I suppose the hair is short enough, or the root-folicle-whatever is fragile enough that it comes right out. Or maybe the tape isn’t that strong. Whatever. It was fun. We must find amusement where we can. There’s not a whole lot amusing or funny about chemotherapy, let’s face it. In this case, I suppose that good intrapersonal skills are useful here – being able to talk to yourself, amuse yourself and appreciate yourself even when you’re cranky, tired and bald.

So here I am three chemo cycles later. My hair looks like it might be coming in again, but today I used the tape test and it looks like it’s falling out too. So are my eyebrows – the middle of each eyebrow is gone. No need for the tape test there. My eyelashes look rather scant as well. No tape test on the eyelashes. That’s just ewwwww!

If you’ve ever seen the Simpsons episode where Homer’s roomate in the asylum claims to be Michael Jackson, but he’s really a large, pale guy with not much hair. I look a lot like that.

But it’s ok to be bald. Earlier this week, I went down to get a package from the mailman without a wig or hat, and I walk around the terrace bald, and I go to the laundry room bald. It’s nice not to have to worry about washing your hair and styling or dying it. Just wash your head. It’s also freaky – it’s the one thing that makes you look undeniably like a person with cancer. And you do have to wear a hat or a wig out in public – it just generates way too much attention otherwise. And when I’m tired and cranky, I don’t want attention. I just want to slip under the radar.

But anyway, I found out today that other people do the tape test too. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy to know that I’m not the only one out there sticking tape to my head in an effort to gauge my hair loss.