Growing my hair back after chemo

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Yay, after several weeks and months of chemotherapy I noticed that my hair is growing back.

I had promised myself that I would chronicle my journey to recovery after being diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and one positive lymph node. My last chemo session was held last Feb. 14.

On Tuesday, April 10, as my husband and I ate at our favorite breakfast diner Showmars, a server named Janet commented: “Oh your hair is growing by bunch.”

And I smiled at her because I know that my hair is growing back and I am excited. It's a small source of happiness to be sure but taking into account everything that happened to me, there had been times when I've been happy, sad and fearful for not having all the answers.

So it was no small joy to see the hair growth at the mirror enlarger or even a simple mirror. I touched the strands of hair on my head and it felt quite itchy as if I had dandruff which I thought impossible since there's no hair for dandruff to thrive in.

I measured my hair growth at one inch by 4-10-18. From the looks of it, my hair may have streaks of gray/white and black. So let’s have a look at the before and after photos of myself during my chemo sessions.


First photo of me is taken two months after chemo.

While the second photo is taken three months after chemo. 

The third photo is with my oncologist. 

I'll update you when my head is covered with new hair.


Even with this development there are still times when I heard that another life was taken away by breast cancer and I am sad. Many are surviving though and I am grateful for them.


And to us who are still here, let’s enjoy life while it is still in our hands and hey, let's enjoy our hair growth. Whatever the color of my hair is, I'm quite excited to see it grow back after six months of losing it due to chemotherapy.


Watch out for the next blog as I will show you what I did to my head after losing my hair in the past seven months. Goodbye for now and have a good day.

Losing, recovering hair after chemo

Checking on my hair 

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

What to do when one's hair grows back after chemotherapy? Before I give you my own tips, a little backgrounder on myself.

I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and one positive lymph node in September last year. The following month, October 18, I underwent my first chemotherapy session using Doxorubicin which had the trade names of Adriamycin/Rubex.

Before the diagnosis I was already a “hairy” person: hair in my upper and lower lip, sideburns and only legs. Thanks to razors and wax, I dealt with that problem well. 

Two weeks after my first chemo my hair was gone: At first I noticed the loss of pubic hair, then the eyebrows, eyelashes and then my hair.  It was quite dramatic for me.

Everytime I touch my head, I see hair strands on my hands and all over the pillowcase and beddings as well. I was unable to finish the chemo sessions on doctor's orders due to severe neuropathy. The order came down last February 14.  

Then, Lord have mercy, I saw hair all over my face and upper and lower lips when I accidentally happened to notice “something” in my upper lip while using a mirror with enlarger a month after it was stopped. 

I had mixed emotions on seeing this. I was happy that my hair is back after the chemo but I was disgusted and in fact I freaked out when I saw hair on top of my lips. 

I blamed my husband Ronnie for not noticing the hair which also grew on my sideburns. It was not pleasant. I felt like a bearded lady .Que barbaridad! The hair is very light, almost grey/black and white. 

I was not enjoying it at all.  It’s whiter and fuzzier. It's very soft and not thick and looks fresh. I'm growing new hair. So I share with you my tips on keeping out all that unwanted hair.  

1. Don’t freak out, regain your composure. It is  sign that the body is responding by growing more hair to replace those you lost to chemo.

2. Don’t start shaving, waxing and clipping the hair. Instead enjoy the new hair growth. After all you are like a baby with new hair.

3. Google what to do in a situation like this and read all the experiences and opinions of people similarly situated especially closer to your situation.

4. If you're back working consult your oncologist or dermatologist on what  to do instead of ‘doctoring” yourself.

5. If you are working at home and hibernating let the hair grow and record how long it would grow as well as the color and keep that record for future reference.

Other than these, let's be thankful that the hair is back after the harrowing experience of losing it during those chemo days./Susan Palmes-Dennis

My conversations with my breasts

Me at a clinic for my treatments

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

I have this on again, off again conversation with my breast since I was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 14 last year. I don't talk to my breast before as there was nothing to talk about. 

All of a sudden right after the diagnosis I would ask my left breast now why oh why it allowed a cancer cell to develop without warning me.  If only the breast would reply, it would be an easy conversation.

If a woman's breast can talk, what do you think it would say? Maybe it would say “Don’t forget the mammogram, you are overdue for the next mammo ” or maybe take good care of your breast.” Or  some mundane topic like changing the bra, the bra size or the bra color.   

I am reminded of these breast talks since it is Women’s Month this March. Instead of writing about the global “Me Too” movement for women’s rights, I'm thinking about talking that other important reproductive female organ called the breast.

Photo from cpmsurgery.com

Breasts are seldom given importance except when a woman gets sick with breast cancer and it's not even on Women’s Month.  

Breasts, like vaginas, are two of the most popular reproductive organs but there's little discussion about it during this month when it is supposed to be Women's Month.  

Breast Cancer is set aside for October or Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I will be different this time and I'll talk about my breast; my little stories start when I was young until the present when I experience discomfort and pain caused by breast cancer.  

My breast or “totoy” story starts when I was 10 or 11 years old. I haven't heard about the bra and if there were any during my time, my mother couldn't afford to buy me one yet. 

But I am quite sure there was no bra yet at that time unlike these days when there are baby bras already sold in stores since the girls mature fast and develop breasts at nine years old. 

We see many girls with erect nipples even without the mothers doing anything about it. I can only remember wearing “sandos” or undershirts made of “sacks of floor” that were sewn by dress makers.

The cloth gets thin through constant washing and soaking and the material was later used for camesa. Later there were undershirts made of cotton that were sold in department stores. Mine was bought at a store owned by the late Iya Paring Amparo Lee or at the city.

Photo from healthliving.com

When I began to have breasts they were sore and when they finally developed I was so conscious about having protruded nipples that no amount of covering can hide.

It may be the reason why my posture is stooped since I have to hide my breasts frequently especially when I'm not wearing any undershirt.  I didn't like my breast then but when bras were being sold in the market I bought my own and now I don't have to be so conscious since it can hide my breasts from those men with X-ray eyes. 

As every female may have experienced during puberty, the nipples get itchy prior to menstruation resulting to some discomfort. There are times when I feel my breasts getting heavy or I experience a sensation I couldn't understand. Sometimes when I scratch it, the nipples become sore.

Indeed the nipples and the breasts become a discomfort to me. Maybe other women had no problem like mine. As time went by, I felt an uneasiness during mammograms since they were using the old mammogram machines back home in the Philippines. 

When the breasts are pinned down to the plate of the machine there is soreness especially if the technician's hands are heavy. 

While there is little discomfort in the 3D mammogram still there is some discomfort especially on the neck as you turn your face as the technician tells you to in order to hold the breast in place. 

Photo from kansas city obgyn

Maybe to others it is not painful or the pain is just fleeting but to me it hurts. 

When I breastfed my first child, the fluid that came out made my nipples sore. 

When the mother's breast is filled with milk and the baby is not ready to be fed, the feeling of fullness in the breast can be painful to me. 

Thus I don't share the ecstasy that is associated with it. Now that I contracted breast cancer, one could imagine the tests that I underwent. Whether touched by human hands or examined under a machine, for me the embarrassment is gone. 

For me, it's more about that feeling of “damn you breast. What have you done to me?.” I don't know about the others but for me, it's normal to have these conversations with my breasts because of what I am experiencing right now.  

Maybe organizers of Women’s Month activities should include women’s health in issues tackled during the month long observance in March so it would be a holistic and more well-rounded discussion on women's well being.

Grandson Sam graduates from K-12

Christian 'Sam' Palmes Mejorada graduates on Thursday this week

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

My first grandson Christian Palmes Mejorada will graduate at the top 10 of his class at St. Mary's Academy in Tagoloan town, Misamis Oriental in northern Mindanao, Philippines on Thursday this week. 

Christian ranked eighth in a class of 60 students who are the first graduates of the K-12 program introduced two years ago by the government. 

Christian or Sam as he is known to family and close friends is the class president for years now but his classmates call him “Mayor” maybe because it sounds like his last name “Mejor” as in Mejorada. 

He is a Mass reader and I am proud of him whenever I see him in his long white sleeved polo shirt holding the Bible and marching ahead of the priest. Sam is a fan of the popular “Aldub” love team of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza.

Sam is also a technology enthusiast. Here are excerpts from his blog detailing his love for cell phones: 

“I really love those phones who give the best particularly when it comes to photography. Two phones that I like and of couse I would love to have to is Oppo and IPhone.”

“As I heard from their very own users, it is really satisfying. They give the quality and features that users would like and love to have to. But even though the said phones may be as high-technology as they are, still I’m satisfied and I am proud to say that I LOVE my PHONE! It may not be the same level like that very high-technology phones, but still there are qualities and features that other phones doesn’t have features and qualities that my phone has. “

Sam also has his disappointments and one of them was the news that his favorite group One Direction disbanded. Despite this he stills listens to their songs. 

He prefers love songs and loves listening to Visayan love songs which made me say that he is his father’s son. His father Joseph “Bading” Mejorada is true to his Bol-Aon roots as he loves listening to Visayan songs. 

Sam's favorite colors are blue and white which he said is inspired by the character Amihan in the TV series Encantadia. He loves sports especially swimming, badminton and volleyball. 

Sam also treasures his guitar. Born on April 10, 2006, Sam acts as the “kuya” or brother to his cousins Susanne Lorette Palmes, Arianne Jaden Baesas and Jacob Boddison. Again, congratualtions Sam and you know your family and I love you always.

Sam with his parents

Dreaming of ‘ginamos'

The ‘muli' or shrimp native to Tagoloan town

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

I hope to find some “ginamos nga hipon (fermented shrimp)” or locally known as “muli” in the table during the fiesta celebration in my birthplace of Tagoloan town, Misamis Oriental in northern Mindanao, the Philippines on Feb 1 and 2. 

This would perfectly complement the traditional Filipino food spread on the table like roasted pig (lechon), adobo (stewed chicken/pork), sotanghon (angel hair noodles), spaghetti and pastries. 

Yes, “ginamos na muli” on the table why not?  I could not resist thinking about this when I saw the Facebook post of my friend Terry Abejo Racaza on the “ginamos na muli” that was ordered by friends in nearby towns and in Cagayan de Oro City.

Terry Abejo Racaza belongs to the  old rich family in Tagoloan town and popularized the “ginamos na muli.” She inherited the recipe for the dish from her mother, the late Nang Payla. 

It was not for sale and when she made her own “ginamos”, she gave it as a gift to  balikbayan friends from the US, Canada, Germany, Australia and to friends in Manila, Davao and other places. 

Word of mouth was favorable and Terry became a byword for those seeking some “ginamos” for their own consumption. 

The muli is caught in the waters off Barangay Nabulod in Tagoloan where it is plentiful during the last quarter of the moon. 

Residents there call it “himatayon.” Muli can also be found in the waters of Barangay Balacanas located between the towns of Tagoloan and Villanueva. 

In the 80s Terry used to accompany her mom in Balacanas to buy” muli” direct from the fishermen. 

“The supply of muli then was abundant and there was a huge crowd waiting for the fishermen. It was unforgettable,” Terry said.

People bought “muli” by the drums and some even brought trucks to stock up on muli. “I have not witnessed that in recent times,” Terry said. Whereas other women would be interested in other stuff, Terry's eyes would light up when she sees schools of fish.

When asked how she prepared her fermented shrimp or “ginamos na muli” she would smile and keep silent. That I understand though I guess she is willing to teach the basics of preparing the dish.

“We removed the amount of salt water before we combine it again with the rock salt. The procedure is easy but what is needed is care. The amount of rock sea salt should be enough for the fish,” Terry said. 

When Terry was in college, her mother would call her to tell that it is time to prepare the muli and she would come home to help in preparing and selling the dish. 

She would bring enough “ginamos” back to Cebu to last for one semester. But it wouldn't last the semester because she shared it to classmates, boardmates and finally to others.  

Terry said her friends and classmates told her that it tasted good and they developed a craving for it. Terry said she didn't know then that years later she would resume producing “ginamos na muli” after her mother died in 2002.

I am familiar of course with the “muli” because my own grandfather Felix Quilang Naelga was also a fisherman. But unlike before when supply wasn't a problem, Terry said now it would take six to eight months before the muli surfaces on the waters. 

“Fishermen and their families are praying for the muli because it would mean livelihood for them,” Terry said. For now, she said they could only tell when the muli would return if they see them in the stomachs of other fishes. 

Just like any Tagoloanon or resident of Tagoloan town, Terry is also disturbed about the changes to the environment caused by the pollution from companies around the town. 

She hopes that the local and national governments should implement programs to protect marine life and their habitat so she and other Tagoloan fisherfolk can hope to harvest more muli and my favorite fish called “pigok.”

I may ask former regional director Arlene Bibanco Pantanosas of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) about the decline in muli population since she is also a Tagoloanon.

In fact the Tagoloan municipal council should pass a resolution calling for the protection of the muli and I hope nearby towns follow suit.  

In the meantime, I wish a Happy Fiesta to Tagoloan town. Again, I repeat my wish and hope to find “ginamos na muli” on the table not only during the town fiesta but all year round.  (Please send comments or questions at susanap.dennis@yahoo.com)

Arianne plays sweet piano music

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

My nine year old granddaughter Arianne Jaden Palmes Baisas performed her piano recitals at SM Uptown Cagayan de Oro last December 16. 

Dressed in green with a black shawl, Arianne played such pieces as “Brother John”, “Café Vienna” and “Lavenders Blue” before a crowd of 100 guests that also drew the attention of a thousand mallgoers who stopped to listen to her performance.

Arianne is a student of the Clazzitals Music Studio located at Xavier Square Masterson Avenue in Upper Balulang, Cagayan de Oro City.   

She had her first piano lesson in June last year and she has lessons thrice a week. She is quite enthusiastic and focused and she's a quick study. She has the potential to be a great pianist and her awesome mom has a lot to do with it, encouraging her to practice diligently.

At a young age Arianne can already read notes and she has a very good memory. Playing the piano seems to be in her soul as her dad Edgar Baisas is a good piano player along with her uncles. 

But in our family, it is Arianne's great grandfather Simeon who was the born musician. In his lifetime Simeon, my father, tried to play all musical instruments  at his best. 

My father can play the piano notes but he didn't pursue it likely because it was expensive. But he did play the banjo, guitar, ukelele and other stringed instruments. 

At the ancestral Baisas house in Sampaloc, Manila the piano occupied the living room, its presence an open invitation to visitors interested to play it.  

Over the days I am sure Arianne would fine tune her pieces to perfection and maybe play my favorite song “Somewhere in Time.”

It is indeed recital season; Arianne's next recital is in May this year and hopefully it can be moved to the third week of June so I can attend it in person. But it doesn’t matter what month it's held since deep in my heart I know she would excel.

Arianne with her parents at SM Uptown Cagayan de Oro

My journey to recovery

Me posing with different styled wigs

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

I WAS diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer last Sept. 12 and to say that it was a complete turnaround for me would be an understatement. 

The diagnosis came 15 days before the Philippines observes Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October and about seven years after I had surgery on the same breast. 

A benign cyst was removed from that area at that time and it looked as if the cancer cells positioned themselves in that same spot. For two days I had to grapple both physically and emotionally the diagnosis on my condition.

I was on denial and I thought maybe the results were wrong. How can that be when I felt healthy. I did my own self-breast examination and I did feel the lump and not the scar tissue  anymore. 

Then I accepted the fact that the pathology report on my condition is true. How could it be wrong when two pathologists concurred with the findings?

In my case when I was called to a conference with the doctor who did the biopsy I sensed that something was wrong. Common sense dictates that when nothing is wrong, the result of the mammogram would be mailed. 

It was quite a difficult moment for the four of us in a table—myself and Ronnie, the doctor and the nurse navigator. When something like this happens, the doctor would not immediately tell the result and the usual preliminaries were made before the bad news is given. 

Then the doctor gave the result and it was Ron who broke down, not me since I am strong. After the emotional upheaval, the nurse navigator lost no time in discussing her role, the result of the biopsy, the disease, treatments, costs and the chances of recovery from breast cancer.

I forgot I was at Novant Health Breast Center Huntersville. The nurse navigator is in charge of explaining the details of the patient's condition and contacting the primary doctor, the breast surgeon and the oncologist. 

Everything was in motion.   I met the breast surgeon two days after and he examined me again and discussed the treatment and future plans. The breast surgeon Dr.Ilan Avin is very soft spoken when he explained the details. And I told myself I am in good hands.

He explained that in my case chemotherapy  would work best prior to surgery. The goal is to shrink the tumor. A week after I underwent the first surgery  for the port insertion. 
It is my understanding  that the port insertion is sort of a compartment where a needle is inserted during the chemotherapy. The device is surgically inserted under the skin in my upper chest. 

Now I have a bump under my skin and sometimes I forgot about it when I sleep. My arms and chest also felt heavy. Maybe it was a reminder that I have breast cancer. 

The doctor then proceeded to order for the breast bilateral MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), NM injection, CT chest, abdomen, pelvis and bone scans.  

In every procedure I underwent different experiences. The brain MRI tested my endurance during which my head was unable to move. I chose regular jazz music to help soothe my anxiety while the machine worked itself on me. 

The noise the machine made is comparable to hearing workers cut timber and the noise of an incoming train. My endurance was tested anew when I was made to lie face down for my breast MRT. 

I couldn't move too much and the jazz music didn't help much. So I shifted my attention to the sounds made by the machine and sure enough, I heard a nurse telling me to “hang on” for seven more minutes which was an eternity for me.

The CT for my abdomen, pelvis and chest were bearable as I was inside a machine with the company name Siemins (must be built by the previous company that my son-in-law Simon Boddison worked in). 

Anyway it was easy since I was only made to“ breathe and hold it” for a few seconds. The best part for the medical examination on me was the bone scan in which my hands and feet were strapped on and I dozed off from thinking too much. 

It’s been a tough 12 days for me emotionally and physically. It was also during this time that I changed my lifestyle and am now eating a lot of plant based food. 

I have enough supply of vegetables from Beth Kremer, Doreen Reynolds, Dalangin Wheeler and Joan Lighte. Ng Lydia Burdeos also made sure that I have enough supply of turmeric and ginger juice or liquid with the mother of Yulie Armstrong cooking all foods that I could eat for one month.

I thank also other friends who would be checking up on my condition every now and then. I appreciate it Lynn Lorenzo-Polk, Rogelio Lawsin and baby cousin Maria Jovie Pagsuguiron.  

All this time my family in the Philippines, New Zealand, the UK and US  started with the prayer brigade and extending moral support far and near.  At first I didn’t tell my daughter Honey, Janice and GG as I don’t want them to worry. 

But I summoned enough courage to tell them the truth so they would be forewarned about my condition. 

My daughter Janice Baesas was into research mode and had been sending me links on cancer research. I told her not to worry but she said “cancer is still cancer.”

What is funny is Ronnie and I had a reversal of roles- he is now taking care of me instead of me taking care of him and all the time showing me love and care and I am forever grateful to him for this. 

This journey has just started and I want to share to others who are similarly situated in order to think positive and keep the faith always. 

After all breast cancer is not a death sentence. Maybe breast cancer would save my life as I would be taking care of myself from now on. 

To all women, get up and be a proactive patient. Have that yearly mammogram and conduct a breast exam on yourself.  

And to paraphrase breast cancer author Judy Kneece, “there may be scars on my chest but may there not be scars on my heart.”