traveling and shedding

The last couple days I've been feeling close to "normal." I was even able to swim in & coach the "fast" lane at Special Olympics last night! Overall the side effects of the second chemo treatment remained considerably more manageable than the first. I'm now gearing up for a weekend trip to the SF Bay Area for my twin niece & nephew's Bar & Bat Mitzvah! It's also my birthday on Sunday, and I'm looking forward to time with extended family, and also time with my close friend Anita, who will be accompanying me! (A note of surprised gratitude to Southwest Airlines, who made an exception to their "no transfers" policy when they heard my situation, and allowed me to apply credit from Don, Sam & Sarah's airline tickets to a ticket for Anita (with additional credit to spare!)

Despite all the preparation for and anticipation of my hair falling out (which has included online purchases of a number of scarves, hats, and turbans, as well as the fancy shave), the reality of it is still a bit disturbing. It started to fall out in earnest yesterday after my swim, and I feel like I'm shedding like a dog in springtime, and a very white scalp is starting to show through many parts of my head. 

Don and I have decided to try a somewhat more minimal approach to scheduling "sitters" for me for the next chemo round. We've scheduled a couple, but for the rest we'd like to try random visits. We encourage you to give us a call if you want to stop by for a visit. Times we anticipate we may be around and unscheduled are Thurs. 4/23 late afternoon & evening, Friday 4/24 morning or early pm, Saturday 4/25 afternoon & evening, Sunday 4/26 morning or evening.