Lupus

It was a big day, the place I had worked at for just over two years was throwing a huge Grand Opening bash. We moved in that April but with the weather being so wet, it made sense to push the bash until early June.

I worked my regular shift, finishing at 4:30PM. This gave me until 6PM to change my outfit, fix my makeup, and do my hair. Not to mention I had to help with the set up and still get my daughter. As it got closer to 6PM I was almost finished getting ready, just my hair left. Now let me paint you a picture, my hair was long. Almost to my rear end, and thick. But it had always been this way, I struggled getting my hair to thin out when getting it cut, had to use multiple elastics to keep it pulled back... it was hell! I decided to pull it half up, and it looked perfect.

You know that moment when you feel like a million dollars then someone just says the simplest thing and it tears all that self confidence down? That was about to happen.

While making sure that the red carpet up to the front doors was clean, the food was prepped and the lighting was perfect I walked past a co-worker. Then it happened, instead of pulling me aside, she (in front of about 20 people) asks why I am missing a chunk of hair? I am dumbfounded. I thought for sure she was kidding so I said something like "yeah right," she then proceeded to literally poke the spot.

My face went crimson. I bolted to the bathroom.

Sure enough, the size of a dime was missing. It was a smooth as a babies bum. I started to panic. Quickly changing my hairstyle as to cover it up. The whole night I was in a panic, trying to ensure it was covered.

This was just the start. The start of a long journey.

Over the next month I endured a lot more hair loss, that dime size spot turned into a size of a softball. I am constantly teasing my hair and fluffing it up to make it look full. It has lost all its weight and thickness.

I started constantly feeling tired, and not normal tired but like, could not even get out of bed.

On top of the hair loss and fatigue, I was constantly getting eye infections and within three months of the first sign I had developed an allergy to the sun, my eyes are extremely sensitive, can not stomach much (yet can not seem to lose weight when I want) not to mention my left leg has some sciatic nerve crap going on.

**After research and talking to others; I found that symptoms I had as a teenager could have been a warning sign, but my doctor just kept relating it to other things.