Cranial Prosthetic – An Adventure in Wig Shopping!

It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t apprehensive about wig shopping. As many of you know I am sort of attached to my hair and as we may soon be parted, I wanted to be prepared. Having never been wig shopping before, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

It took a bit of research and planning (fortunately I excel in this area) prior to the actual event. I am sure it would come as no surprise that the insurance system needed a bit of navigation before I could shop. Apparently one needs a prescription to obtain a “Cranial Prosthetic” (yes – folks, a new head) – we wouldn’t want to overdose or anything! One also has to find a location that supplies “Cranial Prosthetics”. The insurance company makes this easy by giving you a list of 20-30 places which may or may not carry such a thing. Imagine the fun of calling random providers and asking if they carry CP’s when they really specialize in artificial limbs! Got tired of that by call 4 or 5 so I called the insurance company directly to ask them to tell me specifically where I could go.

Fortunately I hit the jackpot with a very sweet and helpful agent who discovered that since we have no local suppliers (good thing I didn’t bother calling all 20-30 places!), I could go to one of two out of network providers and be reimbursed. Translation - Let the paperwork begin! Now in addition to my prescription, I needed a detailed form from my doctor referring me to the non-participating provider and now also have to submit another form for reimbursement. How fun!

Armed with my paperwork and CP prescription I was ready to shop! Knowing that this is something I could never do alone (I can barely pick out clothes without a second opinion) and having had several conversations with Auntie Gail about this (she handled all my frantic “what does this mean”, “how do you know” calls), I knew I would need some good people with me for this adventure. Hey, just like some girls can’t go to the bathroom by themselves, I can’t shop for breasts & cranial pros ethics by myself! It was time to go to my cancer support posse for some assistance.

My time frame was a bit limited seeing as I would be traveling the next two weeks (you think cancer is gonna stop me? Phhleeaase!!), so I need to go on a Friday in the middle of the day (wig shops have limited hours – like 10-2pm). My sister, Kristin, was able to break away from work along with Shawn. Perfect team! I knew my sister would be honest with me and Shawn would give me the guy perspective (hey I still want to be cute!). Besides these two are the most stylish “metro” people I know!

Never in a million years would I have guessed wig shopping could be so much fun! Thanks to Shawn, Kristin and Janey (the woman assisting me at the shop); it was a fun and positive experience. As much fun as I had getting breasts! Kristin made it to Seattle early and did recon on the two shops my insurance said they would cover – low and behold one of them was a costume wig shop (now I know where to go for the pink wig) and the other one, “Hair Options” was a little more what we were looking for.

As you can see from the pictures it was time to let the fun begin! So many choices, so many looks! Janey brought out different styles and colors – there was Erica, Veronica, Sasha, Brittany, Debbie… so fun! I played with all the ladies! After trying the different colors and styles it was hard to choose! There were certainly some clear top picks! In the end I decided on three (having only one is just not as fun) different styles and colors. Now I can pick out my hair every morning, not just my clothes! The best part – these are perfectly styled and ready to go every morning! No prep time! Snooze button here I come!

Thanks again Cancer Posse!