One Eyelash

So, I've been off my blog for months. I started blogging about my 50th birthday, which was not something that I was looking forward to. I was derailed in my irreverent meanderings by a cancer diagnosis. My last blog was April 2, 2009 and my diagnosis was on April 3, 2009. I've had a lot of experiences since then.

What about my 50th birthday party? It was awesome. The party was held in the Clubroom on the top floor of the Viridian in Nashville. What a party. Turning 50 was actually fun. To get an idea of the atmosphere, here's a short video:

Now on to eyelashes...or should I say the lack thereof???

I have one eyelash. It's on my right eye. I can see it if I use a magnifying mirror. It's not like I have one special eyelash among the many on my eyes - I have only one eyelash in existence. To be blunt, I have Bald Eye Syndrome. (I have no eyelashes of my own in the video above)

Bald Eye Syndrome is caused by chemotherapy treatments. Not all chemo drugs cause Bald Eye Syndrome. Taxol does cause hair loss. Taxol was one of the drugs I received in my chemo treatments and since eyelashes are hair, I lost all of them but one. Not everyone loses their eyelashes. I was hoping to get through it with only the thinning of my eyelashes. No such luck...I lost the last of my eyelashes on Hair Loss Thursday after my 4th chemo treatment. (I'll talk more about Hair Loss Thursday in a future blog)

Losing eyelashes is a strange experience. The first thing that happens is that I started to notice that my mascara just didn't seem to be doing a good job anymore. I noticed that after the 3rd Hair Loss Thursday. At first I didn't understand...but it didn't take long to realize that chemo was taking my eyelashes from me.

I didn't know how bad the Bald Eye Syndrome would get for me, so I got some false eyelashes and made an appointment at a day spa to learn how to put on false eyelashes. I ordered top and bottom eyelashes from headcovers.com. Headcovers was the only place I could find false bottom lashes. That was important to me at the time. At A Better You day spa in Chattanooga, TN (http://www.abetteryouspasalon.com/), Lori taught me how to apply false eyelashes - both top and bottom. Let me tell you, that was not easy!

If I were to do it over again, I wouldn't have been as concerned about the lower lashes. I have never used the lower lashes during the time I have had Bald Eye Syndrome. As long as I have eyeliner on, the missing lower lashes aren't noticeable. I have a few tips for those that are facing Bald Eye Syndrome:

Learn how to put on eyeliner, if you don't already know how. Use liquid eyeliner that is waterproof (your eyes may water a lot). Eyeliner alone helps camouflage the fact that the eyelashes are gone. Use eyeliner on both upper and lower lids.

If you have never used false eyelashes, go to a day spa and let someone there teach you how to do it.

Use false eyelashes on special occasions, it will make you feel more like a normal person. I have found that Fashion Lashes (109 or 110) work great. You can find these at Target for $3.99.

Put on eyeshadow and eyeliner prior to applying eyelashes. The eyeliner will provide a guide when putting on the eyelashes.

When your eyelashes are gone, you will notice that the part of your lid that used to produce eyelashes is now very obvious. Applying eyeliner to the bottom inner part of your upper eye lid will make this less noticeable.

Use a magnifying mirror to apply liner and the eyelashes. It's very easy to run the eyeliner brush off your lid and into your eye now that there are no eyelashes to act as a barrier.

Be dramatic. Use make-up to let your eyes shine!

If you are facing chemo and the possibility of losing your eyelashes, remember - it's only temporary and there's no guarantee that you will experience Bald Eye Syndrome. Everyone is different.