Three Thoughts About Hair (Not Baldness)

The Hedgehog Theorem

There's an old proverb called the Hedgehog Theorem stating that every head of hair must have at least one whorl.  So while I theoretically knew that the very short little vectors on my head would be mathematically non-differentiable at some point, the evidence on my head of burgeoning hair is currently much more obvious.
  
The Importance of Sideburns
I still wear a headscarf most of the time to retain heat, but I feel like my slowly-returning sideburns throw people off the chemo scent.  Or maybe I have stopped radiating the "I just had cancer and am still a little fragile" vibe.  In any case, it's been a while since a stranger, usually a client at work, has asked.

Going Pooless
Not only is this crop of keratin special for reasons of feminine vanity and survival symbolism, it's also an experiment.  I have become aware of a movement within the blogosphere (and so-called real world) towards going "poo-free."  The idea is that, given the chance and proper care, my scalp can produce the proper amount of oil to keep my hair beautiful without the aid/impedence of shampoo.  The problem is the transition period when hair/scalp that is accustomed to shampoo suddenly finds itself without that daily/bi-weekly detergent and has not yet adjusted.  But if you start with no hair, there's no hair to be greasy and gross for weeks on end.  Well, that's my theory. Strangely, I haven't read about anyone who started the method by shaving it all off.  At any rate, sometime in late October when I was still essentially bald, I quit using shampoo on my scalp, which I had been doing for the fruity fragrence and fun of it.  We'll see what happens.
[More info on the method here, although what lack of shampoo has to do with being a faithful young Christian woman I have yet to discern!]



Medical Update: 
I biked to and from work on Monday and Thursday - spectacular sunrises and raging endorphins make it a pleasure.  I haven't had a noticeable hot flash in over a week - it gets a little cold without them!  And I don't have a nasty taste in my mouth - that's been gone a month, but it's still really nice.  Friends have told me I'm back to myself again, but I think it's mostly the return of the eyebrows. 
I have a blood test this coming Monday and see my oncologist on Wednesday about the results from that and from the CT scan.  While it may seem odd, I'm really looking forward to seeing them again.