🎵 Englishman in New York – Sting (https://youtu.be/d27gTrPPAyk?si=LcXZ8rgzNM7nyLOs)
Not a massive update today – the week has actually flown by with no major side effects. I’ve been tired, obviously, when I overdo it, but there have been no real aches and pains. I filled in my usual weekly questionnaire last night to report how I’m feeling, confidently ticking “no side effects,” and then about ten minutes later my nose started bleeding. Apparently, it is a side effect but it was only a little one and there’s been nothing since. Standard though just as I thought I’d escaped scot free 🤣.
What I really wanted to tell you about today is all hair/head related.
It started this morning when I went to the Christie to get my bloods done. I went there completely bald, no wig, no bandana, no hat as it’s easier and I feel confident there. Everybody is in the same boat, so it’s a lovely, relaxed place to just exist without hair. I had my bloods done and had a lovely chat with the nurses, as always.
Afterwards, my daughter asked if I fancied a quick trip to IKEA because she needed a few bits. I thought, yeah, definitely, let’s do it.
Full of confidence from being bald at the hospital, I decided to stay brave and go completely wigless, and by the time I had tackled the four flights of stairs you have to climb just to get into the actual shopping bit though I was absolutely shattered! I’m aware that i’m not as fit as I could be, so when people looked at me, it could have been as much from my ‘out of breath about to collapse’ look than my bald head!
For the most part, it was actually fine; I definitely noticed people looking fleetingly but that’s fair enough. While we were there though, I nipped to the loo while my daughter waited outside. There were a few kids running about, but two in particular stopped when they saw me, started nudging each other, giggling, and loudly announced that I looked like an alien.
I was mortified and their mum looked equally mortified and quickly ushered them away, but I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I felt like such a total div. (My sister did try to reassure me when i told her, telling me that I look much nicer than The Boy from Space we watched as kids, so that’s some comfort!) but there and then, I just thought, Oh God, maybe I shouldn’t have been so brave and the confidence totally went.
By the afternoon, after relaxing at home on the couch, my husband, completely spur of the moment, said, “Do you fancy going out for a drink?”. I really did! I decided this time, the wig was going on as I didn’t fancy another alien comment and I wanted to feel nice. Before putting the hair on, I slipped on my wig cap. For the uninitiated, a wig cap looks exactly like the top of a pair of tights – specifically the kind people stretch over their faces in the films when they’re about to rob a bank. It stops the wig from rubbing and irritating your scalp, and it worked well – we went out, I felt normal, the wig didn’t bug me, and we even met up with a couple of friends who told me I looked great (winner!).
We came home, and I whipped the wig off, then cooked a lovely homemade ramen for the whole family. We all sat down at the table, caught up on the day, and happily ate our ramen (it was pretty good if i do say so myself!).
It was only when I finally stood up, walked into the hallway, and caught sight of myself in the mirror that the ‘horror’ dawned on me.
My lovely, supportive, attentive family had let me sit there through the entire meal with what looked like a pair of brown nylon tights stretched over my bald head. Not one of them thought to say, “Err, Mum, I don’t think you’re supposed to wear the bank robber look for tea.”
They just let me sit there, slurping noodles, looking like an off-duty criminal.
So there you go, the alien and the bank robber all in the same day! I’m off for a very long, well-deserved bath now. Tomorrow is my final day of freedom before round six starts on Monday.
Here we go again.
Sam x
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