Just when you think you got the hang of this chemo thing and it’s mini roller coaster of emotion and hangover-like side effects, it can knock you straight on your ass. It’s like poor Charlie Brown trying over and over to kick that football only to have Lucy pull it away at the last minute.

Okay, perhaps I’m being a bit melodramatic ( which is entirely possible), but come day 10, I seemed to have a pretty good handle on chemo. LOTS of hydration, occasional pain pills, thankfully no nausea, seemingly better each day and then BLAM!!! Just like Lucy and the football, I got knocked flat on my ass with a migraine/ stress headache like I haven’t experienced in easily five years, when we went to “Urgent-Care” and they thought I might have meningitis.

Turns out it was a combo stress/ potentially small migraine headache, cause while I have been pretty good at dealing with all the emotions that this diagnosis is bringing up, it doesn’t give me a break from my life and okay I’m a bit of a politics freak and the Which with a shot of an anti-inflammatory went away pretty quickly. And I realized, despite eating all that shit that supposed to help get rid of inflammation, and trying to stay away from taking other drugs on top of my chemo, that if I had actually taken some of my pain meds that it probably wouldn’t have snuck up on me at all. Which is the many lessons I am taking with me, as I negotiate round 2 of this whole thing.

So in the brief

Day 10: Super awful migraine feel as if head will explode. End up going to Dr cause it’s so bad, and am given a shot as well as a amped up version of Excedrin Tension Headache . Shot works and I manage to sleep

Day 11: I rest all day but am feeling 75% better. Still no nausea, am taking the tension medication and have been sleeping as well as hot padding etc. Lips and sinuses super dry, get much needed facial. As Retta says in Parks & Rec “ Treat Yo Self!’

Day 12: Family in town I am feeling 90% . No headache , nausea, however in middle of night scalp begins to legit hurt. Like my hair is hurting, which I have been told is a sign it’s gonna start coming out.

Day 13: No meds needed am feeling much better even sub 2 classes. In addition to SLEEP , SWEAT might be a cure all.

Day 14 : Sinuses bothering me , but most likely air quality. Notice as I run my fingers through hair that it is indeed coming out in my hands. Perhaps I will try and preserve my new haircut that I love by not washing hair each time I take a shower .

Day 15: scalp hurts so take pain meds. Everything else is maintaining however hair definitely coming out more and more. MUST STOP TOUCHING IT. Thankfully my good friend Erica gifted me some Satin Pillow Cases so there doesn’t seem to be much evidence of hair on my pillow.

Day 16 - 18:Physically fine, lips less dry thank you sample of Aquaphor from my facialist as well as Weleda Skin Food for locking in the moisture. Take shower and wash hair, what remains is equivalent to a small animal at the bottom of my shower. Today is the day, I buy a clippers and Collin Shaves my head. Automatically my scalp feels sooo much better.

Day 19-20 I feel like my old self just in time to do this all over again. URGH.

Hey at least I have a mini map of what to do for the next round!!