It's slow going, this jumping over hurdles

First , let me catch you up on the current state of my hair growth:

This is about 3 weeks after the previous hair update, or a little over 3 months since my last chemo treatment.  It took at least 6 weeks for the hair to start growing back, I recall. 

I have no idea what's going on here on the back of my head - the hairline is all over the place and there looks to be a natural low-left part on the side of my head?  IDK.  I still look like my younger brother from this angle, if he let his hair grow and it wasn't a blindingly gorgeous shade of white.

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Had my last radiation treatment on 18 June 2020.

The last few were 'boosters' to the site of the lumpectomy, just to give that effer a strong boot out the door.  Thank God, because the wider-range radiation was becoming problematic, as in 'ouch please I hate this and can it stop now because my nipple has a sunburn and I can't wear a bra and my armpit itches and the skin is falling off.'

All of which is true.

So, all done with that now too.

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Follow up with the medical oncologist last week revealed that I am still low on white blood cells.  I am not surprised by this, nor is the doc.  We will monitor in a couple of months.

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I am to start an aromatase inhibitor this week.  Estrogen-positive tumors of the breast can be pesky, so this will help ensure that the ol' estrogen can't spur on new tumors.

Time to prepare to join the Bearded Lady Club, I guess.

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Getting a bone scan done Monday, for baseline purposes.  No needles involved.

The CT scan a week after that will involve needles.

I do not like needles.

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Also, the better half had an emergency appendectomy (is there any other kind?) Friday night.

Nothing but sunshine at the Tiny House, friends. We're all still here and exploring Instant-Pot recipes.  2020 isn't going to be the end of us, if we are consulted about it.

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Tiff out.

Hair we go!

I look like my younger brother in this pic.

For those of you following along at home, my last chemo treatment was on 19 March of this year.

11 weeks ago.

It took several weeks for me to realize that my hair was growing back.  At first I wasn't sure it was going to, but here we are 11 weeks after the last infusion and this is what's going on the scalp region.

Count the cowlicks.  Go ahead, I'll wait.  Hit up those bald spots too while you're at it, and the weird cranial creases.  There's a lot to marvel at that will soon be obscured by re-growth.  Behold!

Before chemo, my hair was NOT this gray/white/whatever.  It was mostly brown.  I might have to get used to a new aesthetic when it grows in, as I don't plan on using hair dye again, ever.

I was in fact leaning sideways in the photo in order to get some light on the subject, which might affect the apparently color scheme, but not by much.  I'm nearly 60, so whatever.  Gray it is.

Hair's growing back all over too, if you get my drift.  Pretty soon I'll have hirsute knuckles again, and bristly shins, and I'm not liking that all that much.  The low-maintenance lifestyle suited me well.

But yeah.  Hair.  Proof I'm healing, from the inside out.

Radiation is still a huge bore and comes with its own set of insults, but only for another couple of weeks.

And we march on.

Tiff out.