question for cancer survivors

[KnottedYet]

Good strong thoughts for you and your mom!

Coping strategies are good! Gotta love 'em.

I second the "soft soft soft". "Lion" brand makes a very soft and fluffy artificial yarn, very smooth. Silk, there are some nice silk yarns. Angora, cashmere, fake stuff, it's all good! Knit with big looser lofty stitches. (big honkin' needles, like size 10 or more!) Loose large ribs, double layer or double strand, think fluffy!

Also, variety! Lots of patterns, lots of different yarns. Don't forget polar fleece pillbox hats. You can make very cute pillbox hats with polar fleece, with maybe an applique or two to make it exciting. (sew the band part with the seams on the outside, so they don't irritate. cover the exposed band seams with appliques)

Look for crazy print bandanas. Make a few crazy print polarfleece bandanas by binding off the edges of big squares from bolts.

I didn't have to have chemo or radiation, just surgery a couple times. A friend of mine had the full barrage, and she lost all her hair. She had the best collection of hats, and I rarely saw her wear the same one twice.

BTW: bandanas can be worn under hats for extra warmth or itch protection. "Hav-A-Hank" 100% cotton bandanas are the softest, I think.

[margo49]

Voice of experience talking here
Yeah, soft and smooth.
I personally found headscarfs the way to go . Because you can cover your ears more and the back of the neck. Then you look ultra-religious/ spiritually advanced when it combines with the steroid glow. A bandana is too small and in a way accentuates your baldy hair.
The other thing to remember is that she may also lose her eyebrows so some cosmetic advice on that might be needed. (I didn't and have no idea about cosmetics in general).
Do NOT go for "funny" or "cute" I had a friend did that for me and it was just so awful. You feel bad enough without drawing attention to your head-wear with something funky and outrageous (and this from me who is funky and outrageous IRL)
Hope it all works out for your Mum.
Can you tell us a little about her and give us a name; for those of us who are spiritually a bit less sophisticated and not yet got our Black Belt who find it easier if we can put an actual name in our prayers

[Kano]

First, thanks to everyone for their good wishes!

Voice of experience talking here
Yeah, soft and smooth.
I personally found headscarfs the way to go . Because you can cover your ears more and the back of the neck. Then you look ultra-religious/ spiritually advanced when it combines with the steroid glow. A bandana is too small and in a way accentuates your baldy hair.

Thank you for this suggestion, Margo! Mom will love silk scarves too! Though, in Minnesota, where it's below freezing much of the time, and there are long stretches of below zero fahrenheit weather during the next six months, they may not be warm enough. That won't stop me from making a few, though, should she need them!

Do NOT go for "funny" or "cute" I had a friend did that for me and it was just so awful. You feel bad enough without drawing attention to your head-wear with something funky and outrageous (and this from me who is funky and outrageous IRL)

Good point! There's really nothing funny or cute about cancer. I'll keep that in mind while still working on "cheerful" to help lift both her spirits AND my dad's!

QUOTE=margo49;247856]
Hope it all works out for your Mum.
Can you tell us a little about her and give us a name; for those of us who are spiritually a bit less sophisticated and not yet got our Black Belt who find it easier if we can put an actual name in our prayers[/QUOTE]

We hope so too! For you -- Mom is Irene Leguil, lives in a beautiful small town in Southeastern Minnesota. She's 76, has this rare thing called "pleomorphic sarcoma" in her left leg, down in her calf area. Surgery that "needs" to be done "asap" is being delayed because the Mayo Clinic "doesn't know where to put her" -- beaureaucrats! Amputation is a possibility, I understand, but that's going to put quite a crimp in her twice daily walks, so I'm hoping for her that they don't have to go that far!

Karen in Boise

[margo49]

Thank you for this suggestion, Margo! Mom will love silk scarves too! Though, in Minnesota, where it's below freezing much of the time, and there are long stretches of below zero fahrenheit weather during the next six months, they may not be warm enough. That won't stop me from making a few, though, should she need them!

karen in Boise

You can wear "layers " on your head too eg silk scarf plus hood of coat or jacket.
You can also do really tricky things with shawls (look at some of the "modest clothing" or "head-covering" websites.)
Capes, wraps, shawls and poncho's are good because sometimes you are too tired to fight with sleeves.
Btw, I was really cold when I was undergoing chemo so perhaps you might be warned in advance.
All the best...

[Kano]

Good strong thoughts for you and your mom!

Coping strategies are good! Gotta love 'em.

Also, variety! Lots of patterns, lots of different yarns. Don't forget polar fleece pillbox hats. You can make very cute pillbox hats with polar fleece, with maybe an applique or two to make it exciting. (sew the band part with the seams on the outside, so they don't irritate. cover the exposed band seams with appliques) .

Thanks, Knotted! -- yes, anything to save my sanity and keep food out of my mouth these days!

Polar fleece hats -- good thinking! With machine embroidery! I LOVE an excuse to embellish fabric! Heck, so does mom -- HER coping strategy? She's making new pants with loose, roomy legs, and they're embroidered too! The last picture she sent was of a pantleg with dragonflies on it. I wonder if she realizes she's also sent a picture that included her wearing them too!

We had a bit of a giggle the other day -- with the pencil pushers at the Mayo Clinic not knowing how to deal with her case, I suggested she throw them another monkey wrench: have them deal with her cataracts while they've got her under!

Karen in Boise