Traveling while bald…

I’ve been out and about these last few days because I have felt good and the weather has been very nice. I always wear a hat or scarf or cap when I go out. This doesn’t hide the fact that I have no hair. It does keep my head warm. Just walking through the house can be too much of a draft/breeze sometimes so coverage of some ilk is necessary. I’m not overly self conscious about the headgear anymore as it feels more normal to me after all these weeks. So sometimes I’m surprised when others approach me with comments or to talk chemo.

Husband and I made a run to Costco recently. A woman stopped us in the coffee isle to talk chemo. She opened the conversation by saying “I noticed your hat. Where are you doing your chemo? I recently finished up at TXOncology.” So the conversation goes on for several minutes.

I felt good enough to go to an estate sale this week. I love estate sales which have sewing “stuff” because there just might be something there that I don’t have!!! It is more likely that there is something there that I have already but don’t mind having more of it. This week I took a mask [in case there were kids or coughers around], a bottle of anti-bacterial lotion and off I went to my first estate sale in months. It was a good one!!!  I got too hot back in the sewing room so took off my hat [my personal vent-a-hood] and went back to digging in boxes. I was having so much fun I forgot the hat was off until 2 women started talking to me about their chemo experiences.

When I go to the Bernina store there is always “chemo talk.” Several of the staff women have been through various breast surgeries and chemo treatments. Almost every time a few customers join in the conversation and have something positive to offer. I’ve learned some good tricks from these women.

I was in the Donut shop this morning wearing my newest hat from my friend Joan. As I left with my little sack of treats a women in the order line said “Bless you.” My first thought was “I didn’t sneeze, did I?” And then I realized she identified me as a chemo patient. Ahhh.

Obviously I’ve joined a sorority of chemo victims and am readily identifiable by my headgear atop my bald head. It doesn’t appear that the women who stop me to talk are being overly solicitous or wanting to compare horror stories. It is more like “who [doctor], what [cancer], where [treatment center], and when [completed].” Once notes are compared we each go our separate ways.... anonymously.