Hi! Last night, my hairline made a sudden recession of one inch on the right side only. I assume that's just an indication that more patches of hair are about to disappear unexpectedly. A side effect of whole brain radiation is the mass extermination of hair follicles. The doctor said this almost always happens between day 10 and 13 of treatment. I completed day 13 on Friday and still had all my hair, so I thought I was in the clear. But alas, no. Now I just sit back and wait for the next several days to see if I lose all my hair or just odd patches here and there.
In any case, I was prepared for this latest development. Kelly gave me a tight buzzcut last weekend in anticipation of the hair loss. Jack buzzed his head as well in a sign of solidarity. Way to go, bud! Finn's wearing his hair short as well these days, as you can see in the picture (he wasn't too happy about being photographed though; and Jack had fun imitating him). I told Kelly we need to get some black plastic glasses for Finn and Jack, then the Dodd boys will really look alike.
Fortunately, my whole brain radiation ends this coming Tuesday. The doctor said it would make me fatigued, especially toward the end, and I can attest to that now. The fatigue has hit hard the past few days. Evidently the brain starts to get a little annoyed after being radiated over and over again, and this is how it fights back. I hope it subsides a little in time for my brother's wedding. In any case, all the attention on my brain lately has me thinking about those stupid TV ads. You know the ones: Head On! Apply Directly To The Forehead! Head On! Apply Directly To The Forehead! Head On! Apply Directly To The Forehead! I have no idea what that stuff does or is meant to do, but the ads are highly annoying and thinking about them is probably the worst side effect of the radiation and chemotherapy so far!
I'm not even going to comment on football this week.
Jeff
5 comments:
Jeff! Couldn't agree with you more about those Head-On ads...great, now that's going to be in my head all day too ;) You look great in the picture you posted. I'm really looking forward to seeing you at the wedding next weekend. I'm sorry to hear about the extreme fatigue. Hopefully the few days between your last treatment and the wedding will allow for lots of rest. Love you so much! You're my hero!
Michelle
Hi Jeff, Loved the picture and happy too see you're almost done. We're reading and writing from Michigan, getting ready for our big day. We're thinking of you. Say hi to all
Katie and Ed
Well, the good news for football fans, whose teams aren't doing so well, Hockey Season officially started, so (I know it's early) put up the football gear and put on the NHL gear! But if it doesn't interest you, this might be the year to try out the alternative sport ya know! (But don't put the football stuff too far back in the closet, just in case). Just trying to help...a change of shirts might help sometimes.
I must say....this is my favorite pic!! Lookin great guys! Def put a smile on my face!! Can't wait to see everyone at the wedding!!
Jeff are you saying you look like Patrick now ? He will like that you are sporting the same hair or lack of! It is a pretty good look.
It will be good to see you and your family on Friday.
See you all soon, Ann (Tracy Mom)
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