My TN reached the worst of the worst pain 6 weeks ago. Unable to talk, eat or drink for weeks, I reached the point of wanting to die. All I could think about was ending the pain. Fortunately I was able to have an MVD on an emergency basis. With everything happening so fast I didn't have a chance to color my hair before surgery. Word to the wise, if you know you're going to have an MVD and you dye your hair to cover the gray, make sure you color it before surgery. I was told I would have to wait 2-3 months before I could get rid of my gray roots. After losing so much weight and being in pain for so long, I wasn't happy with my post surgery appearance. I felt and looked much older than I really am.
I'm getting ready to go back to work next week and couldn't bear the thought of returning with nasty gray roots so today I took on the challenge of coloring my hair without getting dye into my incision. I am happy to say that the challenge was successful.
I'm not suggesting that anyone else defy their doctor's orders, but just in case you get really depressed about your gray hair, here's how I did it. First I purchased fast acting color with no ammonia that was a darker shade than I normally use (hoping it will last longer). Then I covered my incision with a very large self-stick bandage. Careful to avoid the incision, I worked the dye into my hair and then rinsed it out using a hose sprayer. I am so happy that I look human again. It may sound silly and trivial, but doing this has really helped me feel better. My life is getting back to normal. Yea!!
That is wonderful! TN is so dehumanizing - can't brush teeth, can't eat, talk, leave the house.....
THEN it is terrifiying to get the MVD that you sooooo wanted
so just to get pieces of normalcy back one at a time is something to celebrate!!!! Very Happy For You !!!
My surgery hair behind my ear is now 4 inches / it is shorter than the rest of my hair-- still won't stay up in a pony tail!
Most people grow hair 6 inches per year --- I only get 3 inches per year - so took me a long time to grow any shoulder length hair -- using biotin supplements.
I am reallllly considering dying my surgery section purple or something just so people ask me about it! It's my brand new 1 yr MVD hair!
What a great post… I am one week post-MVD and had a weeks notice of my surgery … Wot did I do? I went and had my hair cut And coloured(grey hair) and also had my eyebrows waxed and tinted. I decided that if I was going to feel like crap, I needed to at least look half-decent! I knew it would make me feel better when I needed to. I just got out of hospital yesterday and am yet to blog my experience. Hopefully in the next day or so I will feel up to it.
This is so funny to read! My MVD was 3 months ago. I finally dyed my hair last week. I was so upset at myself that I didn’t dye it before surgery. I’m like KC, my hair takes forever to grow. My sister suggested I bleach the short patch from surgery. Make it a conversation piece. LoL
KC and ihold-YES do the bleach and the purple! Super-cool! And Gen I can't wait to read about your experience. I will do as you did and get all "gussied" up BEFORE surgery, LOL!
Ha ha ha…“gussied up”…I love it Donna!! Isn’t it funny, less than 12 months ago I had a hysterectomy but didn’t think to “tidy” myself and felt a little vulnerable!!! This time, I was all prepared, even though being operated on my head!!! Just makes you feel good to be normal going into the hospital, because I know I looked like death-warmed-up leaving, with the pale face, goo-ed up hair and feeling weak. Lol
Donna Cook Turnage said:
KC and ihold-YES do the bleach and the purple! Super-cool! And Gen I can't wait to read about your experience. I will do as you did and get all "gussied" up BEFORE surgery, LOL!
Ladies - this post made me smile, which I’ve not been doing much since my pain came back about 8 weeks after my MVD. It’s now been about 12 weeks in total since the op & one thing I too regretted was not getting my hair done before I went in. I’m 36 & not a natural blonde, so I was desperate to get rid of my regrowth & felt a million times better a few weeks ago. Now the pain is getting worse, so I might get my long hair cut to just above my shoulders… Who knows, the “new look” might lift my spirits somewhat. I’m also exercising my behind off in the hopes that I may as well look fighting fit even if I do feel like crap inside!! Love that at any age, us girls just love having our hair done!!
And I LOVE reading about this and all our replies, because one of my thoughts to emerge from this week has been, "well, hell, even if my head EXPLODES through my face, I am going to the gym because my body still can feel great...." LOL! You know what? This whole THREAD disproves the discussion on the front page of this site of TN being "all in our heads." We ARE taking care of ourselves. We ARE laughing. We ARE doing healthy things to make us feel better. So when the APA issues a formal apology for even insinuating this is just *stress,* we'll accept it LOOKING FABULOUSLY. :)
EXCELLENT!!!! I colored my hair before my surgery as well, but for whatever reason since my surgery my hair has grown extremely fast, hence bringing out my grays that much sooner. I was about 4 weeks out from my MVD when I dyed my hair for the first time--mych to my poor husband's panic--I just avoided the surgical area since the rest of my hair is already long and was able to cover the site. Just because we've been through hell with this diagnosis doesn't mean we have to look like we just got in a fist fight with a weed whacker wielding badger.