Saturday was supposed to be the preliminary wig scouting expedition with my mom. But I woke up with that feeling that you have Sunday afternoon or on Monday mornings. Dread. You just don’t want to go. I was not at all excited about going and was tempted to cancel the whole thing. After waking up, I sat next to my mom and stared at her until she woke up. She took one look at my face and said “what’s wrong?” “I don’t want to go wig shopping,” I replied.
Two and half hours later we were making our way out of the Wheaton metro and headed towards Amy’s of Denmark. This wig shop is the most highly rated in the area from doctor’s offices to support groups to magazines. So I figured we’d start there. My first impression when we walked in was that there were not that many wigs. No one immediately acknowledged us, but after a while my mom sidled over the lady at the front desk to ask how things worked. All the human hair wigs were $1600 and the synthetics started at $225. The human hair wigs didn’t look like too much on the displays, but I saw several synthetics that I thought would be promising. After browsing for awhile, we sat and waited to begin our consultation. The first wig I tried on looked almost exactly like my hair when it’s straightened, but it was slightly longer. I am sure it wasn’t a Black person’s hair, but it was so coarse that it looked way more realistic than most of the other wigs. I liked it, but if you have to have a wig – why not look much better than you already look. So I began looking for an upgrade on something realistic. All the short styles made me look like an old lady newscaster or politician. Some of the chin-length synthetics looked nice, but it was super obvious that it was a wig. And there was one really amazing black human hair wig, and although it was real – it was super obvious hair like that would never grow out of my head. But………finally Tina found a wig made from the same hair as the first realistic (in comparison to my actual hair) human hair wig that I tried on, only this one was much longer. I LOVED it. It looked like my hair only much thicker and much much longer. Like my hair on growth hormones. And since it’s human hair, I had the possibility to continually cut it (gradually) and style it. I could roll it, flat iron it, wash it, part it in multiple places and wear a low pony tail. But it’s SIXTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS!?!?! I think my insurance covers up to $500, but that’s still ELEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS!?!?!?! However, human hair wigs are one of a kind, you can’t order a certain model repeatedly (or at least not at this place) so if you see something you think you really like then you have to claim it then. This was the first wig store I had walked into and the prices were hard to accept, but I didn’t want to regret not getting the wig that I really liked. I’ve made that mistake before with clothes and shoes that I thought I would be able to purchase later, and still mourn my inaction. So I put down a deposit on this wig to set it aside from any other interested customers. I still need to keep shopping and trying on wigs to make sure I really really want to pay that much and that I much prefer it to anything else I see. My mom and I went to one other wig store that day (after a brief stop at the mall in Wheaton – it’s a cold day in July when a woman in my family walks past a mall without going in). The second place was called Esther’s and had Human hair wigs for $40-$80 and synthetics for $40 and under. Also, the selection was endless. Every length, color, and style. I was confused, what actually made the Amy of Denmark wigs so much better/expensive. I was also exhausted and hungry. And by this point my mom was carrying my purse for me. Both my shoulders were aching, and I just wanted to sit down for a while. So I didn’t try on any wigs at Esther’s. I guess I need to continue shopping for wigs to see if I can find something for $40 that I like. But I have decided that if I give up shopping for shoes and clothes for the remainder of 2011, I will likely have saved enough fun $$ to pay for the wig. Okay, I know it sounds crazy to think I could really save that much money by not shopping….but I have done it before and noticed that it makes a huge impact on my bank account. Besides I have a sh!t ton of clothes and shoes already and we’re entering a new season, which means a bunch of clothes I haven’t worn in months. So wig shopping shall continue, but there’s a plan in place if I decide on my first love wig (pic below). Also the cold cap therapy where you don’t lose your hair…. $500 a month to rent (3 month treatment = $1500 min) with an 80% success rate….. That’s too much money and it’s not a guarantee. It’s close to the cost of the wig (except insurance should cover some of a wig – and I can’t find that they would cover anything for the cold cap). I wish I could say I would be fine being bald, but I can’t predict the future.
In chemotherapy news: After visiting the Chemo Room at GW, I decided that I preferred it to the room at Dr. S’s. And that’s how I made my oncologist decision and chose Dr. K. Dr. B (my surgeon) cleared me for chemo during our Friday appointment. I mulled it over all weekend, to make sure I was okay with it. But eventually decided it would be best to start as soon as possible – so I could finish as soon as possible! And if all works out that would mean starting this Thursday Sept 15. I am still waiting for Dr. K’s office to confirm that they can fit me into the Thursday schedule after a day of phone tag. But hopefully, they can and everything will work out for my brother to fly in to go with me. The only down side of starting so suddenly is that it gives my family members no time to buy plane tickets or arrange their work schedules. And at first, I was all for waiting until next week, when my mom could come back to DC, however, my anxiety level is ridiculous. I can hardly wait til Thursday and waiting until next week just seems impossible. And as much as I would prefer to have a parent or sibling with me, I think I am willing to do it alone if I can just get it started this week. (I may ask some locals to stop by post-treatment if I go that route, so not completely alone). I did my chemo-grocery run today with my mom and tried to figure out what bland foods are (like I ever eat anything bland!) and bought other things recommended to have handy post-treatment. Next, on my list is a Target run of the same variety but without the food theme. I will post again if I get a date, and I’ll likely be sending out an email to my DC locals about wig shopping – probably for the week after I get chemo or this weekend if I end up having to wait until next week. So stay tuned for that. And I’ve also been a lot less talkative/communicative lately, mainly because I find this subject exhausting and depressing at the moment. So sorry to anyone that’s noticed no reply to an email, text, voicemail or phone call. It’s not personal, and I’ll do better eventually! But please let me know any thoughts on bland foods, wigs, cost of wigs, or if you think the raw/unstyled/uncut wig in the picture looks okay.
Stop 1 on the Wig Hunt
I doubt chemo will be fun, but if it’s horrible, I am ready to know the extent of its horribleness. I feel like a Gladiator in the arena just waiting to see what surprise is in store for the fight – I’d be the Gladiator screaming and shaking their sword ready to do battle and be acknowledged as victorious.