Taking A Shower For Granted

I never thought I would take something as simple as a shower for granted.  That probably sounds odd to those of you reading this, but not to me.  When I decided to do Penguin Cold Caps to preserve my hair during chemo I had to accept all that came with it.  Part of the protocol to save your hair involves washing your hair in cold water.  Yes, I said cold water!  You want to avoid anything that can cause the hair to fall out and so it is recommended that you don't wash your hair in hot water like you normally would in the shower.

I can remember the first time I had to wash my hair in cold water.  It was eye opening!  I have been washing my hair in cold water in the sink or over the tub since February.  The funny thing is I have gotten use to it and really didn't even notice it so much anymore.  I guess after doing for so long like that you just get use to it.

Last week I was in a hurry and just didn't have time to wash my hair in the sink and then take a shower.  They say by about 6 months after chemo you can return to your normal hair care routine.  It was almost 6 months for me so I just hopped in the shower and went with it.  Boy did that feel nice to just take a hot shower and let the water flow over my head!  I guess I never realized how much I took something as simple as taking a shower for granted.  You never think about little things like that.  You just get up and take a shower to start your day.  It's nothing special.  But when you have been dumping buckets of cold water over your head for over eight months, a nice, quiet, hot shower to wash your hair seems like a luxury.  It feels nice to returning to more normal daily things.  I even use the hair dryer again!  I use to hate that it took such a long time to blow dry my long hair.  Now I can't wait for the day that my hair is thick enough for it to take a long time to blow dry my hair!  Now because my hair is thinner it doesn't take that long, but I am happy I have hair to blow dry so I will smile about that!