Brain cancer is...

...A changing scalp landscape.

Even though we all mourn the loss of the staples, I think we can agree that the resultant scar is pretty impressive, as is the reverse orthogonal mohawk we see now that Darrell's hair is growing in.  We decided to post this progress pic now because Darrell's scalp is starting to get irritated from the radiation, and this can only mean one thing:  More exciting scalp changes in the near future!  

He's to expect hair loss, but with a conundrum.  Most people choose to cut their hair very short in preparation for impending hair loss, but the radiation therapists  (side note:  if that were my job, I'd choose a different label, say, X-ray Gunner Woman) told Darrell that the fit of his mask would be affected if he were to cut his hair.  Hmm.  How does the hair falling out of its own accord NOT alter the mask fit?  We have questions to ask, clearly.

Updates

Darrell appreciated a couple days off of radiation.  He's taking a medication that completely controls nausea, and the chemo isn't yet affecting him noticeably except for some fatigue.  They tell us to be prepared for cumulative effects of both radiation and chemotherapy, most specifically pronounced fatigue that is at its peak in the weeks right after treatment.  Last day of combined therapy:  April 8.  That's just around the corner!

Bonus Content

In finding yesterday's pic, I ran across this one I took of Darrell on the same vacation to British Columbia.  It's a 10-year old shot of the scalp in question.  It's also me sharing my husband's hunkiness under the pretext of scientific observation.

(Author's note:  Darrell helps select content and reviews/edits every post before we publish.  I barely got this part of the post past his editorial standard.  But he really is hunky.)

A Final Note:  How to Correctly Read this Blog

Never mind!  You're already doing it right!

Some of our loved ones tell us that they like to read but don't comment in the blog because they feel uncomfortable, don't know what to say, or would just rather keep it on the down low.  Sometimes they sound like they feel a little guilty, like it somehow takes away from their support if they don't comment in the blog.

If you see these loved ones, please tell them that there are so many helpful ways to participate.  Some people like to comment in the blog.  Great.  Some people text or email us in separate conversations after a post.  Awesome.  Some people just read and empathize.  Super good.  We value all of these ways that people are interacting with the blog; we are honored that people continue to care!

We are also learning that different topics or formats are helpful or interesting to different people.  Except for staples.  Everyone loves staples.  That's been a good lesson for us too--we are all experiencing  this a little differently, and we're all doing it right (or at least there's no one to tell us we're doing it wrong).  Nonetheless, if there is something that would be helpful for you to see or hear, please do feel free to suggest it.  We really are a team.