Some of you may have read my recent thread about my sister’s breast cancer surgery. The surgery went well. She had a lumpectomy, plus four lymph nodes removed (the doc said he knew one node was cancerous, but three others looked ‘suspicious’).
She is going for consultation with a radiologist tomorrow. She will have two weeks or so of daily radiation, followed by chemotherapy.
It’s the chemo that scares her. The nausea, the fatigue, but most of all, the loss of her hair. Her hair is not wonderful as it is, but it’s what she’s got, and now she’s looking at losing all of it, in great clumps, and it’s very disturbing to her.
She told her surgeon she cannot afford a wig, and he said “There are a ton of resources out there, if you just look for them”
Of course she can look for them, as could I. But it seems easier to pick the collective minds of the Dope.
Any ideas on resources for her? (Or me, as her primary caregiver, for that matter.)
Seems obvious but I would start by calling local charities such as those that work with women. Can’t hurt to call the local county health department as well, they work with low income people all the time. American Cancer society has wig banks, call your local chapter.
My mother was very upfront with her friends about impending hair loss and discovered that many of her friends had wigs hidden away. We ended up with maybe ten or twelve to look through and borrowed the best two. I know that some people think that a wig for chemo needs a better lining than a regular wig, but my mother did just fine with standard ones. On the other hand, she never wore one for more than a few hours at a time. I think she said that a local cancer resource center also had a wig bank, but I know that’s not what she used.
Thank you all so much for the information you’ve provided so far. I will pass it on to her.
We are already in contact with the American Cancer Society, because it is a 40 minute drive between here and the hospital where she needs her treatments; on most days, my schedule is flexible enough that that’s not a problem, but on some days, it might be. Given five days’ notice, the ACS can provide transportation between here and the hospital.
She’s thinking about doing that once a week, just to give me a day that I don’t have to drive into Clarksburg!
Wigs - check her health insurance policy - some will cover wigs if the oncologist writes a prescription for one. My sister’s insurance covered a very nice wig.
Tip - if she is going to get a wig, visit the wig maker NOW before she loses her hair. They can do wonders matching color, texture and style if they have a chance to see and touch her real hair.
Well, we found out today that she’s actually going to have the chemo before the radiation; she has an appointment with her oncologist on Monday, so I guess we’d better find a wig-maker in Clarksburg soon, because I have a feeling he’s going to want to start the chemo ASAP.
One thing the radiologist did at the consultation today was to give her some booklets that list some resources, so hopefully we’ll find some help there, too.
norinew - My sister’s insurance paid for a very nice wig, under the heading of “cranial prosthesis”, or something very like. She actually got many compliments on how cute her “hair” looked while she was wearing it.
Edited to add - She didn’t find the chemo horrible to take. Some fatigue, but no nausea (which is good, because she’s not able to vomit).
Thanks for the words of encouragement, but my sister’s tummy is notoriously dicey, under the best of circumstances. So, while we may be wrong, we’re expecting a good bit of nausea. Unfortunately, it’s more than a half-hour between here and the hospital, so I guess we’re just going to always have to have a few empty grocery bags with us or something. . .
I’m sorry about your sister. I hope she makes a full recovery. My Mom beat cancer. My Dad died of Leukemia had some radical chemo. I would bring bags where ever you go just in case. My Dad was able to take medical marijuana for the nausea as it was legal back then for nausea. Is there anything she can get prescribed for the nausea?
I would look for up the local cancer society and see if they have any tips. They may have a caregiver support group. It would be nice if she could get a wig until her hair grows back.
Take care of you and she is lucky to have a sister like you
People react different to chemo drugs, and every chemo drug is different, but during my sister’s first round of chemo she didn’t start feeling nauseated for several hours after treatment. Your sister might get lucky and not start feeling crappy until she’s home each time.
There certainly are nausea drugs (Phenergan, Zofran) that can be prescribed to help the nausea. If they don’t work though, let’s just say that she hypothetically knows some people who don’t necessarily have licenses to prescribe that can help her with alternative anti-nausea drugs.
Wigs can be very itchy - so I’m told. And chemo often has effects on skin making it itchier than a wig would be under normal circumstances. Which is why you see a lot of scarves and hats.
We threw a scarf and hat party for my sister. Just old ones, no one bought anything new. But lots of people have them lying around.
A lot of people decide to take control of the situation and shave their head as part of chemo rather than watching it fall out in clumps. Its normal to mourn it. And its normal for it to grow back. Went to Christmas lunch with my family - seven women, three breast cancer survivors. All with hair. My cousin is the most recent out of recovery - she has about four inches all over and - having worn her hair very long for a long time - it really looks cute on her. Anyone looking at our table would have been unable to tell that we’ve had seven years of this shit in our family (and NO genetic markers).
I strongly recommend this course of action. Partly for the “take control” bit Dangerosa mentions, but also because it’s a lot easier sweeping 1/8" “dust” from the sheets than tiny skinny dental floss.
Anyhow, this is what I posted elseswhere exactly two weeks after my first radiation dose:
