My first try at this......

Hope you like the name of this blog, I went thru a few before deciding on this one. Ready for the list? We had: Kiwi Head (my husbands name for my little hair fuzz), CC & The Sunshine Head, Scalp Sprouts and Shiny Globe, just to name a few.
Ok, so can you tell that I like Jimi Hendrix, based on my blog title?
I've been writing since I was little and keep a journal when I need to get shit out of my head and I thought I would give a blog a try.
So here's the scoop, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung Cancer on October 20, 2010. Three months prior to this, I buried my father who died from cancer. So my first reaction to the news of my cancer was WTF! Seriously??? Damn!
Talk about changing your world with a few words.......
So began the journey, the experience...the hell and the fears and the laughter that comes and goes...
Surgery to remove the tumor was scheduled for November 8th, but during the mediastanoscopy, my amazing surgeon found that the cancer had spread to the lymp nodes...so I was sewn up and sent home.
Radiation and chemo started a week later. My hair was 21 inches long, I've always hidden behind my hair, it was my thing.People know/knew me by either my long hair or my raspy sexy voice. I started losing my hair 3 weeks into chemo, thinning and coming out in huge clumps. This lead to the ultimate Buzz Cutting Ceremony! One 16 inch braid chopped off, followed by random cuts by my kids and husband.....my only rule was to leave the hair down the center of my head alone...that hair belonged to me.....having gone to college for Art in the 80's, I always wanted a Mohawk!! and damnit I was getting one!! The Mohawk stood about 6 inches off my head! It was awesome and then it was gone. The rest of my hair fell out over the next few weeks and let me tell you its freaking cold in PA in the winter! I don't know how men do the short hair thing.
Anyway, after going thru chemo and radiation hell, chemo ended 1/5/11, radiation ended 1/6/11, I lost my job of 9 years on 1/7/11 due to FMLA running out. Talk about a slap in the face. So here I sat, bald, sick and unemployed and waiting to heal enough for surgery, and find out that my insurance had maxxed out at my lifetime benefits!! It was another WTF moment! Everything was delayed... We eventually got this fixed, got on another insurance, was able to get my Pet Scan done and FINALLY headed into surgery on February 28th.
Surgery showed that all my lymph nodes were dead- YAY!! But the tumor was still active.....and now here we go again!
I have 4 months of chemo to do, same cocktail as before...Taxol & Carbo. Say goodbye to my peach fuzzy head...but that's ok, hair is minor...but damn I would kill for a curtain of hair to hide behind.
I have no problem going out in public as Baldylocks, but adults are so weird when they see a bald chick...kids are so cool about it...more on that later.
Anyway, I am writing this because it feels good to write, sometimes its better than face to face talking with people....This won't be a depressing blog, as my friends and family will tell you, I try to find a positive in each day and to laugh and joke about it all, lifes too short to always be serious!
Until the next post...
Xo
Chemo Chick