Hair today, gone tomorrow

Two dark brown braids,, about 18" long, sitting on a plastic bag.

Things have definitely been trending upward, for which I am incredibly grateful. I would not have gotten here without the ongoing incredible emotional support, encouragement and logistical support of David. As much as TMS has once again rescued me from the brink, I truly would not be able to survive without David. And that is not an exaggeration.

Spring has sprung around here and that means being able to sit outside without having to duck raindrops. A perfect time for an outdoors haircut. And cut it, I (or rather, Mara) did.

I love having long hair. But I also have to carry around a backpack with my TPN in it 10 hours a day. Add another small backpack two hours a day for hydration, and I am constantly putting on backpacks. And in doing so, my hair ALWAYS get caught in a strap. And as much as I love having long hair, I just got so tired of that.

David’s cousin Mara graciously agreed to cut my hair. Although I did surprise her by just how much I wanted lopped off. But she was game.

She started by dividing my hair into two ponytails. She then braided them both. Clarifying one last time that I meant to do this, she started cutting off the first braid. Even though I really and truly wanted my long hair gone, I couldn’t help but scrunch up my eyes as the scissors cut through the first braid. And then, it was done. And all I felt was joy. Off came the other braid.

Mara was a bit unsure about the cut at the end. She said that she intends to come back and do some cleaning up after my hair has had some time to recover from the shock. And she was right. The first day of my new haircut, I felt like Ramona the Pest with the Louis Darling illustrations. I hasten to add, that I feel nothing but happiness in that comparison. I happen to adore my fellow Portlander.

After a good wash and some days to settle in, my ends now show off their lovely layers and curve inwards as intended. Today both my nurse and my therapist exclaimed at how cute my new haircut is. Who needs higher praise than that.

We didn’t measure my hair before we braided it, but the cut braids are roughly 18″ long. Today we will be sending them off to be made into a wig for kids who, whether it be alopecia or chemo, don’t have hair of their own.

My hair is surprisingly healthy, given the years of malnutrition and TPN. But I can’t but help thinking that that hair holds the entire history of my illness. I am glad that it will be repurposed into something good for a child who is reckoning with their own illness(es).

In other news, the medication I am on to address the methane producing bacteria seems to be working. I am slowly being able to increase my flushes into my J tube. Once I reach 90ml, 3 times daily, I will be able to start the xifaxan, which will address the Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). From there, I will hopefully able to resume tube feeding and get off the TPN. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I am just happy that I am seeing notable progress after so many months of misery.

A smiling white presenting woman with glasses, wearing a black shirt with the words: [sic] "Powered bu tube feeds and IV's". Her hair is chin length curving under beautifully at the ends.
A smiling white presenting woman with glasses, wearing a slate colored shirt with Baymax surrounded by cats. Her hair is now chin length.
A smiling white presenting woman with glasses, wearing a slate colored shirt with Baymax surrounded by cats. Her hair is now chin length.
The back of the head of a woman with chin length hair. She is outside and standing on a deck in the woods.
Two white presenting women outside, in a woody backyard. One woman with curly hair and a green crocheted headband, is standing and is cutting a braid off of the other woman. The seated woman has a sheet over her, with one braid being cut and the other on the sheet. She is wearing glasses and scrunching up her eyes. It may not look it, but she is actually very excited to finally be getting her hair cut.
A white presenting woman, wearing glasses, is standing on her deck. Behind her are her kitchen widow and woods. Her long, dark hair is over her left shoulder.
A woman with long, dark hair down to her waist, is standing with her back to the camera. She is standing in a sunny backyard, with trees over the fence.
Two braids of dark brown hair, roughly 18" each, sitting on a plastic bag waiting to be mailed off as a donation.

One thought on “Hair today, gone tomorrow”

  1. You look great with the hair cut. Love you both. I am studying advanced Hebrew and Talmud with our interim rabbi. And loving it. Barb R

Comments are closed.