Hair Loss - Parkton,MD

Well, you could take the super-truthful and gentle path, or you could get a little crazy and tell them something silly like "Grammie's hair was so scared of her super smart, huge brain that it jumped right off of her head!" Or you could say "Grammie took her hair off so the eyes in the back of her head could watch you two being naughty better!" Or something like that.

It might sound weird but humor will often diffuse awkward questions from children and distract them.

Don't be delicate about it - be honest.

I lost 90% of my hair in chemo 2 years ago. I had a 2 year-old and an infant. I wore a wig professionally (which I hated) and preferred to be myself at home. I'd wear hats in public or my wig if I was really concerned.

Don't worry about your girls. Worry about your mom. Losing your hair is devastating, and she may not get it back with the radiation treatments. Somehow, the angst of having cancer gets filtered into our hair. Some women go bald and can be comfortable with it. I never lost all my dark, thick hair. I looked awful. But, I'd come home from work, take my wig off (my 2 year old told me he liked me better without it), and I'd go outside where all the kids in the neighborhood were playing. Somehow, I thought putting a headband on made it look better. It didn't but, it made me feel better about it.

All the kids knew the truth. I was losing my hair because I had cancer and the drugs made my hair fall out. I didn't mind answering questions. But, there weren't any. No one cared - not the 5 year-olds, not the 8 year-olds, not the 2 year-olds. Apparently, I was the only one.

Miracles do happen. Don't be afraid to ask for other opinions or to question the doctors. They expect your mom to want to get the best possible treatment.

Hi K.,

I actually shaved my head when my sister went through chemo. I was afraid that my son would be afraid of me, but he didn't even blink. He was younger, but my sister's best friend also did it and her older son (I think he was 3) didn't really react to it either. I would just explain that she has to take medicine and it may make her hair fall out. I would bet that they will be very understanding. Kids are resilient. Anyway, good luck with everything. I hope that health soon returns to your mother.

:)
M.

What if you said grandma has to take a special medicine that makes your hair fall out sometimes. Now that I think about it, they may not notice at all if she is wearing a wig if it's going to be close to her natural hair.

The truth always seems to be the best option I think. You could say that Grandma is sick and needs to be taking medicine that will help her but it also makes her tummy sore and her hair may also fall out. Look up some pictures online of some chemo patients that have lost their hair and show them so it is not a total shock to them. Tell them that you and Grandma will be going out to buy some new hair for grandma and she will get a whole new hairstyle! Kids can understand and process a lot more than we give them credit for! Good luck!

Hi K.! I am sorry you and your family are going through this. My Mom beat breast cancer 30 years ago. Then 5 years ago she was diagnosed with ovarian. My girls were 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 at the time. We just told them that Nana was sick (but not with anything they could catch!) and the medicine she was taking made her hair fall out. They accepted that simple explanation and never asked another questions after that. I'm happy to say my mom reached her 5 year mark this past Spring and is still cancer free! I hope the same for your mom :)

Hi. We have been dealing with my mom having cancer for the last five years. She lost her hair 3-4 times, but she opted not to have a wig. We just told our son that she was taking medicine to help her get better, but it was making her hair fall out. He is young, so he really didn't think twice about the fact that she didn't have any hair. It never seemed to faze him, and we adapted to it pretty quickly. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

When I started chemo this past May, I was worried about scaring the children I babysit when my hair fell out since I decided not to get a wig. They were 2,2 1/2, and 4 1/2. The 2 1/2 and the 4 1/2 each asked what happened to my hair. I simply said "it fell out" and both their responses were "ooh". They never said anything else or responded in any other way.

If your mom has a particular spot that she needs to be careful they don't touch, just tell them she has a "booboo". This is what I told the children about my chemo port. They have been real careful about bumping that area. The two year old wants to see my booboo every couple days.

I will be praying for all your family.

Good luck to you and your mom! I will be praying for you both. With your girls, just be very matter of fact. Tell them that the doctors are helping Grandma to get well and that the medicine made her hair fall out. If you don't make a big deal out of it, they will accept it fine. We went through this when my mom had a mastectomy. Hugs to you!!! N.