When is shaving your legs a good thing?

The actual answer to that question is never. However, the current answer to that question is now, because it means that my hair is starting to grow back!

While sitting in the car for many hours during our recent road trip, I had plenty of time to study my feet and legs. And what I discovered was that my legs were beginning to look furry! They were a soft and blonde furry...not really noticable to anyone other than me...but none the less, proof of a rebirth going on in my body! For the first time since I was an awkward teenager, I was excited to have a reason to shave again! Even though the act of shaving again doesn't excite me much, it's sure a good sign that things are moving along.

The hair on my head has the same soft and blonde furry look coming in, but ever so slowwwwly. You have to look really close to see it, it is so fine. I am impatient for it to grow in, and very curious as to what color and texture it will be. I am still surprised every time I see my bald self in a mirror...you'd think I'd be used to it by now. But the reason for my current surprise is that I feel normal now, and expect that I look normal as well. I forget that I still look like a cancer patient, not like the rest of you. When I said this to Rich, he told me that's how he sees me every day...as someone who has been sick. My hair loss is a constant reminder to him of what I've been through. I never thought about that. I just thought that he saw me as my old self again, physically as well as spiritually, as I do in my mind.

I mentioned that I had plenty of time to study my feet, as well, on our trip. It seems that the chemo has had the same effect on my toenails as it did on my fingernails...it just took longer to happen. In particular, both of my big toenails have been the most affected and are quite loose...they are curious, empty shells on my toes. I have to be real careful when putting on shoes or sandals, so that I don't bump them and loosen them further. All was well until the end of our trip when I bumped my left toe and loosened the nail some more, so that when we went swimming later that day, the kicking of my feet in the water pretty much finished the job. Surprisingly, when I went inside and removed it, it didn't hurt at all...there was absolutely no feeling in my nailbed.

I've lost a few of my past side effects, but I've recently gained a new one...sensitivity to the sun and heat. I've heard the expression, "prickly heat", but now I have experienced it as well. It seems that whenever I get too warm my skin prickles now, up and down my body. And I've also come close to fainting, as well, from the heat. I drink plenty of water...you could float a boat in me...so that's not the reason. It's just my continued luck of the draw, I guess. This just shows how powerful and pervasive the effects of chemo are, and how long it can affect the body. I guess it also shows that it is still fighting the bad guys for me!