There Go My Eyelashes

Before starting chemo I spent hours scouring blogs trying to figure out when I would lose my eyelashes and eyebrows. For some reason, losing the hair on my head or the rest of my body didn't seem like a big deal because it can be covered up but I was terrified about losing the hair on my face.

If others are looking for the same answers, here is my experience:

After AC

• Lost 70% of the hair on my head after 18 days. The rest came out gradually after that but I wasn't really keeping track since I had shaved my hair short and didn't really notice. A lot of women rock the bald look which I commend them for but I personally am so glad I have a wig that I feel confident in. 
• Still had about 80% of my eyelashes and eyebrows, so it was not even really that noticeable.

After 1st round of Taxol

• Down to about 50% of my eyelashes and eyebrows

I lost the rest of my eyelashes gradually after the 2nd round of Taxol and by my last infusion, I only had a couple left. I tried not to touch them because the minute I rubbed my eye, they would fall out. 

Now I am 2 weeks post chemo. I still have maybe 20% of my eyebrows left, enough that I don't need to draw them on yet and all of my eyelashes are gone. I find that when I apply a black eyeliner on the top and bottom, it isn't really that obvious. I use a L'Oreal liquid liner on the top and an Annabelle pencil for the bottom.

A Cause for Celebration?

My 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds of Taxol were as uneventful as the first one which I am grateful for. At my last infusion, the nurses in the chemo suite presented me with a certificate to congratulate me. I also received messages from family and friends all asking if I was excited that chemo is finally over. The problem is, I don't think of my last chemo as something to celebrate. I think of it as the last step in the first part of a very long journey. I still have surgery and radiation ahead of me, not to mention all of the question marks that come after that including returning to work, check ups, scans, hopefully having kids and doing everything I can to prevent this horrible disease from ever recurring. I don't mean to be negative, I would just call it being realistic. Some people may celebrate the end of chemo as a milestone in their cancer journey which is great, but it's not for me. I'm just glad they didn't make me ring the bell.*

*My cancer centre has a bell in the lobby that is used to mark a milestone in your journey. I think I will ring it in 2-3 years when I am still cancer free.