A day I was dreading

First, let's talk about CrossFit last night.  We started with 10x3 sumo deadlifts.  I hadn't done sumo DLs for a while and I had to remember how to get the starting position just right, to minimize the risk of injury.  But, it didn't take long to settle in and get it right.  I did 2 sets each at 165, 175, 185, 195, and 205.  All in all, they felt pretty good.  I had to be careful that nothing affected my chemo port, but the lifts felt fine.

Then, a 7 minute up-ladder of 3 push-ups and 3 ball slams.  I did knee push-ups and used a 30# slam ball.  The round of 3 and round of 6 went by fast.  And then, my triceps started to get tired.  This made push-ups very slow.  On the round of 9, I did the push-ups as 6 and 3.  But, on the round of 12, I was reduced to doubles.  On the round of 15, I did 7 doubles and a single.  I was losing all of my time to knee push-ups.

I ended up finishing the round of 15, and doing 18 ball slams and 10 more push-ups.  I was pretty happy with that, considering I'd skied on Sunday and Monday, and done CrossFit on Monday.  I'm a bit sore today though.

This morning, when I got out of the shower, I had hair in my eyes.  Multiple hairs.  I had to put on my reading glasses to even find the hairs and brush them away.  Then, something occurred to me.  I wasn't expecting to lose my hair due to the chemo for another week or so.  But, I looked at my towel.  It was covered in hair.  I reached up to my head and grabbed a small clump of hairs and pulled.  They came right out of my scalp.  Dammit.  I wasn't quite ready for this so soon.

I've heard people describe the day that you lose your hair as one of the toughest days in the process.  While I imagine it's true for some people, I would guess it's tougher for women than men.  It's simply not uncommon to see men who are bald, so it isn't noticed as much.  So far, it's a novelty, but not really bothering me that much.  I knew it was going to happen sooner or later.

On the way to work, I realized that the hair was just going to continue to fall out all day.  I'd be shedding everywhere I went.  So, I called the place where I get my hair cut, and told them I needed a very tight buzz cut to fight the shedding.  Because it could be done so easily, they squeezed me in with the woman who normally cuts my hair.  She buzzed my head and my facial hair in just minutes.
I've been getting my hair cut here for 14 years, and I've outlasted a few different employees who cut my hair in the past. The lady who cuts my hair these days, Chantal, knew what was up and why I needed it cut so quickly.  They told me it was on the house and didn't charge me.  I did still give Chantal my normal tip, but I very much appreciated their kindness.

I will probably shave things more cleanly, and I suck at taking selfies, but this is the new me:

I talked to the nurse at the oncologist's office this morning.  We are starting to set up all of the appointments for the second round of chemo, which starts a week from today.  Between now and then, I've got a lot of CrossFit and skiing to do.  Plus, I get to spend an entire day with my daughter on Friday.  Her in-person interview for admission to Syracuse is Friday, and I'm making the trip with her.  I'm looking forward to that trip very much.  I'm not sure if she's looking forward to being stuck in the car with her dad for 10-12 hours though.