WIGS TO THE RESCUE

For many cancer patients, hair loss is the most distressing and feared side effect of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. If you don't want anybody to know you're losing your hair, wigs may be your answer.

Chemo preferentially affects rapidly dividing cells.  Because cancer cells divide more rapidly than normal cells, they will be affected by chemo first.  Many cells like in the hair follicles are also rapidly dividing.  They get affected by chemo as well.  That is why mouth sores and hair loss are so common in chemo patients.
Because the question of hair loss concerns many people facing chemotherapy, there were some attempts made to save the hair on the scalp during chemotherapy by using ice or binding the scalp.  The result was that chemo was not getting to the places it needed to reach to eradicate the cancer.  So avoiding hair loss from chemo can actually lead to leaving cancerous cells in the scalp.
Such attempts were stopped when it was realized that it was detrimental to cancer patients.  The good news is that hair that falls out due to chemo does grow back.  Sometimes it is of different texture, at least initially.

Covering up hair loss due to chemo can range from wigs to hats to bandannas, whatever is most comfortable and least irritating for you.  It is temporary.  Hair usually grows back after chemo is finished.  You don't want anything that will irritate or abrade the skin during chemo as any abrasion or scratch can lead to infection at the time when the body is most vulnerable.

A wide range of factors will influence your choice of wigs: human hair or synthetic; short or long; custom- or machine-made.

• Synthetic wigs are the most popular choice and most widely recommended type of wig for cancer treatment wearers.Most people prefer synthetic hair. It's easier to maintain and less expensive. Synthetic hair also dries faster than real hair. Well-made synthetic wigs may look real. Major drawback of synthetic hair is they fry when exposed to heat. So no curling irons or blow dryers unless they are specifically designed for wigs. Hot rollers can be used, but only at low settings. And avoid exposing the wig to any intense heat sources such as an oven. The blast of heat will cause frizzing. Synthetic hair wigs that are usually worn are extremely uncomfortable, itchy and expensive. The cost of one such wig is about Rs.25,000 to Rs.30,000.

• Real hair is human hair. The majority of hair is collected from women in Asia who have long, good quality hair. The hair is then treated and dyed into a range of colours.  Real hair wig needs more care than synthetic hair. As each time it is washed it normally needs blow-drying and styling to look good. Natural hair wigs, meanwhile, come at price of approximately Rs.17,000.

             

• Machine-made wigs are the least expensive and most widely available. Wefts of hair are sewn together in a straight line, cut and assembled into a wig. Many look extremely realistic as long as they are not parted, pulled back or otherwise altered. Some people find these wigs more comfortable because the construction creates vents that allow air to circulate to the scalp.

                                         

• Hand-made wigs look the most natural of the prefabricated choices because individual strands are knotted on to a skullcap rather than wefts of hair being sewn together. These wigs can be parted and styled with accessories because there is no chance the vents will be exposed. The hair also falls and moves more naturally.

                                     

• Custom-made wigs are almost indistinguishable from natural hair. They are usually not a viable option for cancer patients, as they are extremely expensive and generally take more than two months to complete. Make sure that you have final approval on the choice of hair and style

                                         

         

   

Take a look at this little girl who is donating her hair for the sake of the cancer patients:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwQZggdZrOo

Emily James is just your typical little 3 year old princess. She loves nail polish, frilly dresses and when she can get her hands on it, mums lipstick. Emily’s parents suggested the idea to Emily to cut her hair and donate it for cancer wigs. They sat down and explained to her that to donate her hair, she would need to cut it fairly short, and that it would be a long time before she had long hair again. They looked at pictures together of little kids with no hair, they looked at pictures of wigs and they also looked at shorter styles - and she still wanted to make the donation.

Places where the cancer patients can find wigs in India are:

Hair aid:  http://www.hairaid.org.in/

Allure hair:http://www.allurehair.co.in/

Raj hair intl: http://www.rajhairintl.com/

Thanks for reading and please keep visiting our blog to discover and appreciate more Yoddhas. 
Feel free to contact the Yoddhas team at team@yoddhas.com 

Lastly,

Praise the Yoddhas; Support the Yoddhas ; Love the Yoddhas!

Cheers!

Author- Akshay Shaligram

5 REASONS THAT CURB PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT CANCER AND 5 TIPS TO OVERCOME THEM!

Every 1 in 10 cancer patients feel reluctant in talking about cancer and related symptoms which can be stern most of the time. Here are reason and tips so that there is a good way to bring in confidence and be the one you want to be!

       WHY NOT TALKING ABOUT CANCER? 

• People expect that they are never getting this disease 

Most of the people in the world think that they are the last ones to procure this disease.  In the gender category of men, almost a quarter of men have never told to their relative or a friend about the cancer in them 

• The word Cancer is believed to be a ‘Taboo’

Even in the 21^st century taboo still exists and one of taboos would be cancer (which is a myth) and when they are diagnosed with the disease, they tend to freak out because they think they are ‘unclean’.

• It is my body and what happens to it is my business

      This attitude might bring in the selfish element whereas in reality it results in depression. There is a no-use-talking-to-anyone feeling that gives birth in some people because everyone around them seems useless to them.

• Fear of being isolated

      Most of the cancer patients do not talk to others about cancer because they fear that they would never be understood instead be judged.     
  

• Fear of posing as a sympathy figure in the society

There is always a fear that they would be figured as a sympathy symbol and that he or she will not be able to lead a normal life ahead.

WHY IS THERE A NEED TO TALK ABOUT CANCER?

1.       None of us are immune to cancer

There wouldn’t be anyone who is completely immune to the disease and accepting that fact would bring a confidence and positivity.

2.       Talk about it and the taboo will be diluted

Only by opening up a dialogue can the taboo surrounding it be diluted and can get more people will feel like talking more about and be aware of those facts.

3.       Everyone will help you, just give it a try!

Talk to the people who you trust and believe in (can also be someone who is in the same state) .

4.       Need not always be a hero

Even when people look up to you as a hero, there can be times when you have to remove the mask of being a hero and let your feelings flow. Be who you are because sometimes we all need a support and be proud to accept it!

5.       Ignorance is never bliss!

Ignoring symptoms will not help you in any way; it can only push you down. Talk about symptoms and how you feel every day.

Silence always comes in with fear and being a hero is not to be silent but talking about it and bringing up a change. It doesn’t matter if you don’t talk…..but imagine if your one talk can make even a small difference…..it will even save a life…BE THE CHANGE!

Thanks for reading and please keep visiting our blog to discover and appreciate more Yoddhas. 
Feel free to contact the Yoddhas team at team@yoddhas.com 

Lastly,

Praise the Yoddhas; Support the Yoddhas ; Love the Yoddhas!

Cheers!

Author: Shruti Manmadhan Nair                                         Co-authored by Rahul Yadav

                                         

AN EARLY DIAGNOSE CAN BE AN ANGEL IN DISGUISE

A swollen feet and a bulging tummy...that’s how I remember my uncle during his last stages of cancer as. “ I am not hungry anymore, its hard to walk for a long time and I don’t know why”, my kaka (uncle) would say with a fear in his eyes and a stammer in his speech.

It was 2 years ago when my uncle passed away due to ‘ignorant cancer’ and that’s what I would love to call it as. My mother and I would tell maushi(aunty) and kaka to check out with a doctor and diagnose the problem as soon as possible.  Both would reply negatively and carry on with their lives monotonously.  Since my mother is a paramedic, she would understand certain symptoms that were giving birth on my kaka’s body. A know- it-all kaka would not bother on such “small symptoms” as he ‘feels’ active while he is not. The sudden weight deterioration would catch hold of my attention and I would try convincing on the same but stayed adamant on his decision of ignoring it.

Later, a blood vomit made it all obvious about the whole scenario of cancer and the stages. He was diagnosed with third stage liver cirrhosis and some days to live on it. A storm of confusion and fear struck the whole family even then there was hope that someone would carry the situation up and everything would be fine. Chemotherapy was out of the remedy list we had.

The hope shattered in a few weeks when he was bed ridden for a couple of days. There was very little expectation on his survival and was just a result of a late diagnose that had crawled into the dooms day. Doctors had to clean their hands off from the situation when a helpless hurricane struck in. We had to just wait for him to die and not try to get any help on his survival when early diagnose could have been an angel in disguise for him rather than letting the cancer grow on his body. I couldn’t force him much because he was the Mr. Know-it-all to me and it was hard to digest the fact that something unknown had grabbed him from me.

Early diagnose is a necessary factor as it would be a real life saver element to every cancer patient. No one knows what can kill us and being over confident over it cannot mend things up. There are certain things that are out of our box of knowledge and we should be alert enough to know what is going on in our body. Google and Quora may not be the answer to everything and it is a necessity to see a doctor in certain intervals. The cells in our body may not act the way we want and that may not be a result of drinking or eating something. It is also not necessary that an alcoholic or a drug addict falls prey to Cirrhosis. It maybe a luck in game for anyone and there are no final destination ghosts playing on us. Cells and tissues may not be in favor of us and we should accept the fact. Kaka wouldn’t have even thought of such diseases till he was a victim himself. Knowledge may not help us to such an extent because it can sometimes blindfold us to the unknown and that was exactly what had happened to my uncle. Knowing the symptoms can help us tackle the disease much faster and safer than others knowing about our diseases apart from us.

Thanks for reading and please keep visiting our blog to discover and appreciate more Yoddhas. 
Feel free to contact the Yoddhas team at team@yoddhas.com 

Lastly,

Praise the Yoddhas; Support the Yoddhas ; Love the Yoddhas!

Cheers!

Author: Shruti Manmadhan Nair

EVERYDAY HEROES : Pranjali Pande.

The word cancer itself gives us goosebumps. But when cancer casts Its dark shadow, there are few courageous people with warrior spirits who leave everyone awestruck. 

One such warrior is  Mrs Pranjali Pande, a very simple Indian housewife and a motherly figure. She thought her life would pass off as a mediocre, like most of others. But after what she has had to endure, having contracted cancer a couple of years back, she has emerged strong. 

With a very positive attitude she considers this life as her second birth and that God has a bigger plan for her. She is now living life to the fullest, fighting, winning and relishing every moment. She no longer has the urge to ask God 'Why me? ' .

Mrs.Pande who got married at an early age was always an art enthusiast and an avid reader. Currently , pursuing her masters in Sanskrit for the love of the language, she dreams of teaching it in a professional course. 

She also counsels cancer patients and lights in them the hope of a new beginning on recovery.
She serves as an inspiration not only to cancer patients but to everyone around her.

We salute you Mrs. Pranjali , you are a true Yoddha !

Thanks for reading and please keep visiting our blog to discover and appreciate more Yoddhas. 
Feel free to contact the Yoddhas team at team@yoddhas.com 

Lastly,

Praise the Yoddhas; Support the Yoddhas ; Love the Yoddhas!

Cheers!

Author - Vaibhavi Kardale, 
Yoddhas Ambassador at Yoddhas - Indians Fighting Against Cancer