How to Put on Fake Eyelashes

     After my first round of adriamycin & cytoxine (famous acronym: AC), I remember going to the gym with my best friend April.  I decided to shower at the gym because I wanted to sit and relax in the steam room.  When I rinsed off in the shower after a rigorous workout, I thought there was a very hairy animal on the drain. I screeched April's name in horror to come to the shower..  Half my hair had fallen out!  I had random bald patches on my head. I remember feeling embarrassed, shocked and numb.  Another characteristic that identified me as a woman I had lost.

     When I went back to my apartment, I told my parents what happened.  They looked at me with sad eyes and said, "It's time to shave the hair off".  My stepfather bravely grabbed the clippers and started what seemed to be a type of lawn mowing of my once very abundant head of hair.

     Shortly after the hair loss, my eyebrows and eyelashes started to fall out and within a week, I had no hair anywhere.  My goal during treatment was not to appear sick because I am a strong believer in how you present yourself affects how you feel about yourself.  

     The most inexpensive way to appear to have eyelashes was to purchase them in bulk at the $1 store and change each set out every week.  Some dollar stores have varying lengths of lashes so if you want to look a bit sassier, the option is there.

     If you decide to put mascara on your fake eyelashes, you can purchase makeup remover and clean your eyelashes gently.  I found makeup remover wipes to work best because you didn't have to deal with the lint on the cotton.  You set down the eyelashes on a clean surface and hold one end of the eyelashes lightly with your finger and run the makeup remover cloth gently over the lashes.  (Be careful not to apply too much pressure!)  

     I found that regular mascara (not waterproof) was easier to remove.  If you clean your eyelashes regularly if mascara is applied, you can make your eyelashes last approx. 1-3 weeks.  

     I found this Youtube video very helpful on how to put them on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_c0LI-gr64

     The reality of this video is that the instructor is under the assumption you have natural eyelashes to put mascara on.  Put on the eyeliner and skip the "mascara on natural eyelashes" step!

     Good luck!  After enough practice, you will be able to do this with your eyes closed! ;)

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How to Choose Your Headscarves with Cancer Hair Loss

     After my first round of Adriamycin & Cytoxin, I was expecting to feel a lot worse than I did so I decided I would go to the gym with my best friend to workout.  I vividly remember taking a shower at the gym and glanced down at the shower drain where I saw what looked like a little dark brown furry animal. The little animal was about 30% of my hair that had fallen out!  I called my best friend and she stared at the shower floor, horrified by the amount of hair that came out.  I left the gym to head home, feeling a bit numb from shock. My parents were at my apartment at the time we arrived home and saw the bald patches on my head. My stepfather then said calmly, "I think it's time to shave your head."  I sat in the chair and watched what I called "Texan pelo" land on the ground as the razor buzzed away against my scalp.
     Cancer patients hair loss can come early or later during chemotherapy.  Some patients never have hair loss because they do not undergo chemotherapy or are on targeted regimens. We see so many commercials and ads on products for women to have long, healthy tresses.  Losing it all in one day is a very odd feeling; women may feel less feminine looking thus less attractive. Losing my hair was especially hard for me because I was always known to have what my friends and family called "big hair."  I used to complain about how long and thick it was and how my arms would be sore from drying and styling it.  I quickly learned to be careful what you wish for.
     After all the hair came out, I received many handmade hats and scarves from friends and family.  I had silk and a small number of polyester scarves.  I found unique ways to tie the scarves to make them appear stylish.  Here is a helpful link on different ways to tie head scarves: http://www.scarves.net/how-to-tie-a-scarf/head-scarves.htm
      I found that the silk and polyester scarves slipped off frequently and so I decided to go to the fabric store and purchase a yard each of my favorite colors and prints of a lighter cotton material.  I then went to my tailor and had my fabrics sized, cut and sewed just like the head scarves I already had.  My tailor didn't charge me a dime (she was nice enough to do it for free because I think she felt bad for me) otherwise it is pretty inexpensive for them to do. I found that these cotton scarves were not only inexpensive, they were easy to wash (I recommend a lighter, cotton fabric that doesn't wrinkle.)  Because they were easy to wash, I liked wearing them to the gym.  I always had issues with the silk and polyester scarves slipping off my bald head however the cotton fabric scarves stayed put and could be tied more tightly.
     Here is a pic of a head scarf I wore a lot during treatment and surgeries.  I used to hate the color pink, however after getting diagnosed with breast cancer, I have more of an affinity to the color.  From a yard of material, I had 3 pink scarves made that were slip free, easy to wash, inexpensive and easy to tie!