©Survivorship Media Network, LLC. All rights reserved.
One of my mother’s favorite things to say is, “You have no idea what it’s like to get older.” I’m always amazed at how she manages to say this with a straight face, ignoring she gave birth to me when Howdy Doody was at the peak of his career, or that it won’t be long before I qualify for Senior discounts, thereby calling further attention to the fact that I do know what it’s like to get older. <PREVIEWEND>
“Wait until you go into a room and can’t remember why you went there in the first place,” she continues, “and your knees hurt when you get out of a chair and you start loosing your hair.”
“Been there done that,” I want to say. “Side effects of chemotherapy,” but since mother has dementia and looks puzzled when I mention having had breast cancer, I let my comments go unspoken. The worst thing is that all of mother’s harbingers of aging still apply to me even though my last chemotherapy ended five years ago! Actually the worst thing is that I’m losing my hair, yet again, and I’m not alone.
Many women have problems with thinning hair. Other than taking chemotherapy, possible causes could be thyroid problems or maybe those women are post menopausal. Perhaps they are breast cancer survivors who are taking Aromatase inhibitors to stop their production of estrogen and keep cancer at bay. The latter case applies to me and I feel like everyone, including the plumber, has discovered my condition.
A few weeks ago he pulled something out of our shower drain that looked like a limp, wet rat. “Wow,” said the plumber. “Looks like you’re loosing your hair.”
Thanks for the reminder, pal. Perhaps I should look into getting a wig or do you think anyone would find it strange if I started wearing hats… or is that a woodchuck?
Click here for more...
Comments | Make a Comment | 14 Previous comments
