Yesterday I discovered, rather admitted, my hair is falling out. Yep. True story. I've actually been ignoring this fact for several weeks now. After all, every woman with long hair - don’t deny - has some majorly nasty bathroom drains due to shedding. Sadly, globs and globs have been coming out over the past several weeks. No worries though, I'm not malnourished and there's no cancer (but it sure is a daily reminder to pray for people going through those battles!) Apparently it's a side effect that can occur around 60 days after being on heavy medications. Of course, why wouldn't it be? Next thing I'll find out it's common for a person’s arms to mysteriously disappear after 120 days after being off heavy medications. For goodness sakes, what next?
Fact: I was bald until I was four and my nickname was Charlie Brown. My family was oh so kind. I had this odd nervous reaction where I'd pull my hair out. Thankfully it made my head tough! I mean, try yanking fists full of hair out of your head and tell me if it's more like a unique head massage or a sting similar to when a racquetball smacks your skin. My first grade teacher once asked me how I got a large bald spot on the side of my head. I am ashamed to admit my response: "A HUGE swarm of BEES came and just RIPPED my hair out!!" Mrs. VanVeldhuizen: ""Really? I've never heard of bees doing that." Little me: "Yeah, it's a rare breed." What perhaps I'm even more ashamed to admit is it wasn't until I was telling this story about 12 years later that I realized (after someone told me) she most likely did not believe me. I had always thought she'd bought it!
Thankfully, I am confident that with fish oil and biotin all will be good and no bald spots for me! This has gotten me to think about the things I've learned over the past four months though. So I began a list:
1. The Princess & the Pea is a direct parallel for people with pelvic and back injuries.
2. Men and women who make the hard decision to give up drugs cold turkey are tough!
3. Jeans are one of life’s cruelties. Dresses are much better.
4. It is possible to walk forward while leaning on and pulling the walker behind you, but it is somewhat inhibiting and can prove dangerous.
5. A modified ballet move where you jump and do the splits in midair is entertaining on crutches.
6. Pillows are to me what harnesses are to rock climbers. Vital.
7. The ability to do normal, daily living is not to be taken lightly.
8. I would rather be given the youth discount than the senior citizens discount.
9. Icepacks on the rear are no joking matter. They are pure bliss.
10. A wheelchair and walker bound person can easily go mad with the simple task of getting ready for the day. Patience truly is a virtue.
11. While grabbers are helpful tools, at times they make you contemplate if you've regressed to a toddler struggling with hand-eye coordination.
12. I drop things far more than I should.
13. I am struggle with being dependent.
14. Carrying a glass of water by myself can be equally thrilling and terrifying (note #12).
15. A no-bending status paired with #13 means you either have to get sneaky or get used to being reprimanded.
16. It is good to set goals. A goal I'm considering: prepare for unicycling by seeing how long I can balance on crutches without touching the ground.
17. Withdrawals are possibly the most mentally and physically taxing experience ever.
18. Make sure you have trustworthy people around when on narcotics. The whole "whatever you say can and will be used against you..." Um, yeah.
19. Pennsylvania roads are worse than Iowa's gravel roads.
20. I am blessed to have a high metabolism. I hear that changes come 30....
21. I could totally live the life of a nomad.
22. It is entirely unprofitable to forget about the whole recovering thing and run down the stairs.
23. Crutches may be my new carry-on item while flying (more on that in another post).
24. It is not smart to lie on the floor when a large dog is in the midst.
25. Vehicles need to be made so they do not shake when every door is shut.
26. Do not put a homemade Ziploc icepack upside down on your lower back.
27. There is no record for the longest time spent twiddling thumbs.
28. I enjoy the finer things in life, which is obviously incongruent with #21.
29. Make sure you rinse all the shampoo and conditioner out of your hair prior to getting out of the shower and dressed.
30. The little things in life are not to be overlooked.
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