Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

So here we go..got back from the cottage Sunday night, Monday was a good day, I was a bit tired but it felt good to be home doing normal things. Monday night the top of my head stated to hurt, like I had slept on my hair the wrong way or like when you have a high fever and everything is aching. When I was a child and was sick with a fever I used to tell my my mom "my hair hurts". Today my hair has started to fall out. I knew it was going to happen, it's literally the first thing out of the Oncologists mouth when he(or she) begins to tell you about the side effects.  In fact the the first appointment I had with my Oncologists, I stumbled out of the office and into the rest of the Hospital with two prescriptions, one for a wig and one for a mouth wash in case I get mouth sores, which is another charming side effect of the chemo (none yet). But at the beginning when you're first learning all about the new buddy in your breast, they tell you all of the things all at once, what kind of cancer you have, what treatment plan they recommend, what the side effects are and in what order they will appear, and by the way, did we mention you have to come back tomorrow for all your blood work. When all you are hearing is stage 3, it's fucking stage 3, are my bones rotting too? is it in my lungs or liver or bowels? (thankfully, no none of these) but before all the scans and tests, you don't know and you spend weeks, wondering what the twinge in your back means  or if your knees are hurting because you're just old or are there tiny new little tumors growing there? anyway, I'm cutting my hair super short tomorrow, it will be less stressful I think than pulling out my bangs every time I run my fingers through my hair. I have reached out for support and found a wonderful group of ladies at https://www.facebook.com/groups/RethinkYWN/ it's a closed beast cancer group for younger women ( I was accepted at age 44 so I'm not sure what they consider young!) and https://www.facebook.com/groups/Lobular/ specifically for ladies with invasive lobular carcinoma. Already I've connected with a 41 year old mother of two, two years out of her treatment and still cancer free. She was encouraging and supportive, and it felt good to connect with another person who knows what I'm going through. So this week I have appointments Friday in preparation for my second chemo Monday the 3rd at 1:30. That's right holiday Monday, 'cause cancer never sleeps bitches...Heading up to our cottage this weekend for some family time, the cousins and Papa. Hoping for the kind of joy you can only really feel watching children running round being kids. love you, J