loose leaf and spiral bound

Remember a few years ago when the interwebs were in an uproar when they found out that Angelina Jolie had a preventative double-mastectomy? And how they erupted again recently when they found out she had her ovaries and Fallopian tubes removes? Seriously, there was even a Buzzfeed article about it . (You know it's a hot topic when Buzzfeed covers it - http://www.buzzfeed.com/carolynkylstra/brca-genes-and-cancer) As you might have heard, Angelina Jolie carries the BRCA1 gene. So do I. Because of this genetic marker we are predisposed to getting breast cancer at early ages and it reoccurring later on as ovarian cancer. (Guys, this is the one and only time in my life where I will legitimately be able to compare myself to Angelina so I'm going to go ahead and do that. Because I can. Finally .)   A few people have asked me how I feel about Ms. Jolie's op-ed pieces discussing her very personal and monumental life choices. Have I read the articles? Do they bother me? And s

So, I  finished chemo round #2 and this is the part where my hair goes buh-bye. I was ready, mostly. I couldn't even touch my head without the hair falling out. Basically, shedding like a golden retriever. Now, I had previously purchased two beanie/stocking hat things, some bandannas, and a wig in preparation for this. The wig is something that I have yet to fully embrace but have it like a security blanket. Who knows, maybe I'll never wear it. Maybe I'll wear it everyday. I think I need to figure out if covering my bald head is more for me, or more for the people around me. I feel mostly okay with my new look, but will it eventually freak out my neighbors? I dunno. As of right now, I cannot stop thinking about the possibility of losing my eyelashes. How in the hell am I going to put on eyeliner without blinding myself? I use my eyelashes as a guideline and guardrail to avoid that! Ugh. And drawing on eyebrows? I do not know how to do that, and if you do it wrong, it does

For those of you following along at home, here's an update. I made it through my first round of chemo just fine. It was a little dicey for a few hours with a nausea that was pretty intense, but nothing a few pills couldn't fix. The day after was pretty much a blur. (I slept through most of it.) Then each day after that got progressively better and I felt like Jenn again within 3-4 days. So, now I know what that's like and am prepared for the next one. As of right now, the hardest part for me is walking into the infusion room and being the youngest one in there. It's a weird feeling to see pity in the eyes of other folks who are on the same damned boat as me. Just another reminder that even us younger folks need to be diligent in maintaining our health, regularly getting check ups, doing self exams (breast and testicular), and so on. Just a gentle reminder to the ladies to go ahead and give yourself a breast exam. DO IT. image found on the internet - colleenclarkar