Myself again. Sort of.

I was a bit nervous as I sat down at the salon last week.

It was the day I was to have my first haircut since losing it in October 2016, during ACT (Adriamycin, Cytoxan, and Taxol) chemotherapy.

My full chemo regime concluded March 1, 2017, and I started taking Biotin tablets to help with hair and toenail regrowth. Several of my toenails turned black and looked gnarly, also due to the chemo.

Thankfully, the toenails have rebounded and my hair made a pretty decent comeback. Although, it still has a lot of ‘chemo curl’ to it, my hair is starting to be something I can enjoy again.

As I talked with Tracey, my friend who has styled and doted on my hair for nearly a decade, I admitted I was ready to be rid of the length in the back, weighing me down. However, I was also nervous.

Fortunately, Tracey understood. She has overcome her own cancer diagnosis.

So, we talked. I showed her some photos of cuts I liked and we settled on a cut/style that plays to the curls and waves I now have, knowing those likely will relax as it grows.

When all the cutting was complete, I was surprised by the amount of hair on the floor around us.

I wasn’t sad to see it go so much as I was surprised at how far it had come since March.

When I look back at photos of a few months ago, I’m still wearing hats or my head is wrapped in scarves.

I’m glad those days are behind me.

I’m glad my husband can start to see a little bit of the woman he married.

I’m starting to be myself again. Sort of.