hospital haircut

We have been telling Caemon for a little while now that the children who come to this hospital have to get haircuts eventually, and that his turn would be coming soon. He has resisted because he does not like to have his hair cut on the best of days, but he is also somewhat accustomed to us using the clippers on him at this point. Because yesterday was Day 7 of his chemotherapy, we learned that he would soon be losing his hair. We decided that it had to be the day.

All day, we told Caemon that once he had his hair cut, he could put on his blue scrubs (which we bought because he wants to be a nurse for Halloween–and always, really) and look like the guy nurses he likes so much. This, and getting to be unhooked from his IV pole for awhile, was what it took to convince him. We got him all prepped, got him into a chair, and got to work.

Quite dubious about this hair-cutting business.

While we had originally thought it might be fun for one of the male nurses to give Caemon his haircut (this is something they apparently love to do), we ultimately decided that since I have been shaving his head for awhile now, it ought to be me. It wasn’t so bad once he felt the tickle of the clippers on his head.

Off it comes! The worst part: hair in the mouth.

He really was quite cooperative, and before we knew it, I was finishing up, and Caemon was having a bath and snuggling the clippers in a freshly-made bed.

Clipper cuddles: they are, after all, an appliance.

Shortly thereafter, Caemon donned his brand new scrubs, and two nurses came in to see. They are already in love with him, but this much cute nearly knocked them over.

Nurse Sarah, Nurse Caemon, Nurse Sally

Finally, Caemon was able to take his car out for a spin again, check in at the nurses’ station, and do some rounds. He got to see an older girl with his same haircut while he was out. He won over everyone he met along the way.

Nurse Caemon visits his patients in his car.

So far, Caemon loves his haircut. He likes how free and soft it feels. His hair has yet to start falling out, but when it does, we know this will be so much easier, both with regard to Caemon’s physical comfort and his moms’ emotional comfort.

These last couple of days, we’re seeing a lot of Caemon’s energy return, and he has been more eager to play, to interact with his world. Because he isn’t receiving round-the-clock IV treatments anymore, he can be unhooked from his tubes from time to time, which gives him so much more comfort. We even had a trip to the playroom for private playtime today, and Caemon actually played. This is all good news because it means he’s feeling a bit better, a sign that this chemo is doing what it should do.

Monday morning will be the last of this round, and after that, we’ll have a welcome break as we watch his blood counts dip all the way down and come back up again. Whether we go home at some point during that time has yet to be determined. We can hope, but chances are, we’ll be here for awhile.