The New Old Me Unfolds

Had a busy day yesterday and got a few things acheived.  First up was another saline top up at the plastic surgeons.  I told him that last time it felt quite tight and hot and quite painful so he put in a smaller amount of saline this time. When he pokes the needle in feels very strange because my breast is numb but he said that I will get feeling back in it eventually. I am still a bit swollen under my arm and also there are some numb spots there and at a the top of my arm.  When I got home, I cut the underwire out of the left side of my 'normal' bras and so am wearing my pretty underwire for the first time in weeks.  Don't know if I'm allowed to do that or not but anyway I have.

Secondly, I met a wonderful lady at Image Works by the name of Leigh Renai.  She is a fantastic lady who also runs 'Look Good Feel Better'.  She tried different wigs on me and I ended up not getting the one as pictured previously; instead I got one that is very similar to my hairstyle that I had before I had a fit of madness and cut mine short.   The wig is brown  with honey highlights and she said the first time I wear I will feel like I'm walking down the street in my underwear with all eyes on me. A funny trick is to rub Bonjella on my nude nut so that it goes numb and I won't feel the weight of the wig for the first time out.

She also makes 'sleeping beanies' to keep the head warm at night (not that I will need that at the moment.)  I chose mine which is thin blue and purple stripes.  Yeah, 'talk about sex on a stick', not!! She also advised me to take it with me where-ever I go once I start chemo because when my hair falls out it won't be a gradual process, it will fall quite rapidly.  I will have to watch out for strays in my coffee or I will be coughing up furballs.  Once it starts going I will get Darren to shave it all off.  Keep tuned in for pics of that when it happens.

I received my eyebrow kit last week and couldn't wait to rush home and try it out.
Because I have still got my eyebrows I had to practise on my forhead.  Will take a few goes to master this, I'm sure.  Thank goodness no-one came to the door whilst I had two sets of eyebrows on;   and NO I won't be putting pictures of that first attempt up for those that want a giggle.   I text my friend in Greymouth and told her that I now had a third eyebrow. She text back and said, hmm, one boob and three eyebrows.....does your husband know what a unique wife he has?  Unique is not the word for it!! Till next time my friends.

Back to Normality

Well, I haven't blogged for ages because there hasn't been anything to blog about.  Life is pretty much back to normal with the Xmas break and everything so we have been enjoying time doing 'normal' stuff.  Darren even took me shopping at Westfield over the holiday break!!!!  We had a beautiful Xmas day with Darrens' parents (who unfortunately spent Xmas morning at the doctors with his dad having a sore eye where a leaf had flown into it whilst weedeating), my mother and brother and my daughters and daughter's partner. They all come to us and each brought a main and desert...it was awesome.  My youngest daughter came up from Wellington and stayed Xmas eve. My most favourite moment of the day was preparing the salads and fruit salads with her on Xmas morning....just her and me chatting away...we had never done that before...it was great.  My eldest daughter Nicole bought all the decorations around for the tables, even the paper lanterns and she had made an awesome ice table centrepiece with pohutakawa flowers embedded in the ice. Amongst my gifts from my daughters were a set of multi-coloured false eye lashes and a wig...see pic.  Don't really think it's my style but thanks anyway.

Still have had no news about when my chemotherapy is going to start so I am going to return to work starting for two days next week and gradually increasing it by a day every week just to ease myself into it and to allow some days off for when chemo starts. I have chosen a wig and am just waiting to hear back from the lady regarding this.

  It is great that the Health Department give you a grant of $600  towards your head coverings.  They also give you a grant of $200 towards special mastectomy bras.  I have opted not to purchase these at a $100 a pop as they are ugly!!

I am looking forward to doing the 'Look Good Feel Better' course which starts in February. It is a workshop designed for women who have hair loss and it shows them how to apply makeup and how to look after their skin whilst undertaking chemo. It should be interesting and apparently you get lots of free make-up and products.

I have also found a company on the net in Australia called Create A Brow which sell kits which consist of a stencil and powder so that you can create fake eyebrows that don't look painted on so am keen to send away for some of that.