Chemotherapy Archives - Cat Lady in the CanyonCat Lady in the Canyon

My hair, while growing out from falling out thanks to chemotherapy had recently come to an awkward stage. The look went from sassy pixie to a mix of Dennis the Menace meets a short version of Farrah Fawcett’s iconic feathered “wings” only my wings looked like they could take me places. Enough of hair sticking up at the top of my head and flipping up on the sides—hello bandana! Last spring I wore bandanas because I had no hair. Today, I wear them to hide my crazy hairdo—and I couldn’t be happier. I have my hair and my health back.

An easy fix for unruly hair! Note: the sunflower painting in the background was painted by my talented mom!

Samantha Jo has given me cause to smile these days as well. She has eased into a more relaxed and joyful state of being. She still get’s a little cra-cra when she hears the rats at night scurrying across the roof or blustering wind, but she calms down so much quicker and finds solace by my side more often than inside an empty Amazon delivery box.

Samantha has taken to this vintage basket where she often sits while I work.

My feline counterpart is also going through an awkward hairdo stage, which in part has brought us closer. Her luscious ginger locks have become quite matted despite daily brushings. I’m in the process of de-matting her fur myself, which takes lots of patience on my part, and lots of trust on hers. Samantha enjoys being brushed, but I’ve had to carefully detangle and at times very carefully cut matted fur patches. I’ve successfully de-matted under her chin, on her chest and a few spots on her sides. With Samantha’s diminished anxiety, I hate to shake things up by taking her back to the vet for grooming; and she actually enjoys our detangling sessions. I play classical or meditation music and start by gently combing the top of her head, which she loves. Then she rolls onto her back and stretches out her front legs up over her head making herself look like the letter “Y”. I gently scratch under each front leg as though I’m tickling under the arms of a human, all the while telling her how special she is and how much I love her. Then I start picking away at the tangles—cutting them if she gets really relaxed and if I can easily see the fur from the skin.

Recommend tunes to sooth cats and us cat parents!

Samantha Jo with some bald patches and me with unruly winged hair have become quite the pair.

Only I can see her skin patches, her luxurious fur hides them well.

Sidebar: I’ve tamed my post-chemo crazy hair with amazing “hairwash”, conditioner and a crème texturizer by Innersense purchased at ROOTS the Beauty Underground in Laguna Beach, which sells only organic toxic-free products. I stopped into Roots a few days ago and was greeted by shop owner, Laura, who I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. She made me a cup of tea and we caught up, talked about my chemo hair, and she recommended the Innersense products that I ended up buying, and they have made my hair look and feel amazing. As far as the bandana goes—it’s kind of a cool look and I will continue wearing it, only now to add flair to my fashion.

On Friday, April 16^th, I spent my last day in the infusion lounge at Hoag Hospital receiving my final chemo treatment. Getting chemo isn’t uncomfortable or painful; it’s the knowing of the week-long (sometimes longer) side effects that lie ahead that I always dread, even with the final round. But this time knowing that a sweet spirited kitty would be awaiting me at the cottage helped to quell my anxiety.

Chemo side effects kick-in two days after all of the long acting premeds given before chemo subside. So when I get home from a chemo treatment, I feel peaceful and relaxed from the Benadryl buzz, and when that wears off by Saturday, I’m left with the lingering energizing effects from the steroid. Last Saturday after my final chemo, my kitten-like energy rivaled Samantha’s as we played “get-the-mousey,” “toss-the-pom-poms,” and hide-and-go-seek throughout the day. I asked Alexa to play some Sly and the Family Stone and danced my booty off as Samantha watched, saucer-eyed and intrigued with my movements until she joined in by prancing alongside me (no kidding). I organized my closet, vacuumed, did laundry, washed dishes, watered my garden then finally slowed down about sunset (oh to have that kind of energy everyday!). I got through Sunday with only mild nausea.

By Monday morning, intense nausea awoke me and by Tuesday, nausea was followed by fatigue, muscle aches and weakness, and thrush. Before my first chemo the nurse told me that chemo side effects feel like having the flu—excuse me—you mean the flu on steroids. Even the muscles in my feet became weak and achy.

For the remainder of the week I remained sofa-bound with the exception of random bouts of playtime with Samantha. As I would recline back on the sofa, completely worn out after playing get-the-mousey for five minutes, Samantha belted out sorrowful meows, begging for just one more round…

I awoke today almost side effect free, feeling somewhat celebratory in my chemotherapy treatment accomplishment. I’ve been called a warrior and have been praised for my perceived strength. But coping with cancer and chemo has been so debilitating that most of the time I’ve felt small and meek. I’ve just been riding out the storm, doing what I have to do until the clouds break and the rays of sunshine clear the darkness. I can see those rays now. I can feel them energize my spirit and reposition my outlook to better see the approaching end of this “long strange trip” I’ve been on.

I start radiation treatments in a few weeks, and will say that I’m anxious about it. I will be facing more side effects, but as I’m told, they are not as harsh as chemo. I hope that’s my case and that my renewed spirit can maintain its newfound power throughout radiation.