Had my final Nadir labs and check-in my with my PA today. Blood work was good, including the white cell count. Hemoglobin is still lower than they want, but not in transfusion range. I shouldn’t have any issues with chemo next week.

It was a rather bittersweet visit with the PA, especially when I think back to my first session with her in January and how pissed I was that I couldn’t get her to answer any of my questions. Over the past few months, we’ve built a nice relationship, and I know that she has come to understand what I need when I ask a question — not an absolute, but a “ballpark” so I can prepare myself mentally.

When I go in next Tuesday for my pre-chemo labs, we’ll see the GYN Oncologist for the first time since I started chemo. I expect that he will provide some preliminary details about the final leg of this cancer marathon: Radiation. I am already working on my list of questions for him, believe me.

This week’s wrinkle is the presence of three new phlebitis locations (phlebiti???) in my left forearm. The PA told me not to be concerned, that this is just an ongoing result of my poor abused veins from that reaction I had during Chemo #4 in early April. She told me to continue to treat the phelbiti as I have been (baby aspirin and warm, wet compresses 3x/day) and they should clear up soon.

But the big news this week is: STUBBLE!

I was drying my head after a shower a couple days ago and I felt something on the back left side of my head that felt like tiny little bristles growing from my scalp. Could it be?

To make sure I was not imagining things, I asked mom to check.

It’s true! There’s hair on that thar head!!!!

As of this morning, it’s about 1/4″ inch long (hey, I’m a quilter. I know how to gauge a quarter inch!), mostly gray, and coming in all over my head. Plus, I’m seeing some new eyelashes sprouting out of my eyelids! Unless this next round of chemo kills it, I should have visible hair and eyelashes within the next month.

And soon my hair will be long enough to dye lavender…one of the post-treatment goals I set for myself. Because if I can rock a bald head, I can definitely rock a lavender one!