Part 17: MTHFR, you’re kidding me

January 29, 2024

Hey there, my hairless and hairlicious crew!

Your girl finally snagged a victory, not on the hair front (yet!), but on the health front, and it's all thanks to the magic of the internet.

Thanks to a desperate Facebook post last week, a lifelong friend helped crack the code on my constant nausea. Turns out, the culprit was hiding in plain sight – B vitamins!

Here's the deal: apparently, I have a little genetic quirk called a MTHFR gene mutation. Fancy term, but basically, my body struggles with a couple of things, like the ability to absorb B vitamins, like most folks. Some of the supplements (not all!) I popped with B in it were upsetting my stomach and zapping my energy. (That was super hard to isolate, just FYI.)

With this newfound knowledge and the elimination of the wrong vitamins, I can finally eat again! Food, glorious food! (Let's just say Publix fried chicken saw a significant increase in sales.)

So thanks to Jennifer and her own struggles with a completely different health issue, I finally got the answer I needed.  She saw my post and suggested looking into MTHFR – a total shot in the dark, but one that ended up changing my life.  Thankful doesn't even begin to cover it!  Sometimes, the answer comes from the most unexpected places – in this case, a virtual village.  Forget expensive doctors; the internet can be a powerful tool for collective problem-solving!

Speaking of taking a leap, I totally spilled the beans at work! Yep, blurted out my baldness and this whole blog thing on a company-wide call. No turning back now, folks, I officially outed myself.

Bumble-icious

On a lighter note, my dating life has seen some action!  With the nausea under control, I dusted off my online profile.  Full transparency isn't quite there yet – okay, let's be honest, it's zero transparency right now.  Updating those pics to show the alopiecia-ridden-wigalicious-me is a whole dilemma I can't quite process yet. (This is a whole dilemma I need the internet's POV on, tbh!) But hey, one guy complimented me on looking better in person than my pics! Score one for the new B vitamins making my skin glow!

In another little brewing romance, I’ve been talking with a bicoastal Pickleball Instructor (fancy!). He unexpectedly called me on FaceTime one night…. And in my haste to answer, I grabbed my wig but completely forgot to add some eyebrows (I’m down to about 47 eyebrow hairs now, yes, I’m counting).  Imagine my horror staring at a wig-clad, eyebrow-less version of myself for 90-minutes that night. Luckily, Mr. Pickle Ball remained blissfully unaware.  (Maybe because he was distracted by my dazzling personality? ) I’m a little smitten with this one….

*Bean got to go to Miami, too! ^

Sisterhood of the Traveling Wigs

Oooh, and work took me to the sunny shores of South Beach! I needed a little adventure. 

Packing for a beach-work trip with wigs and hats and my dog proved to be a whole new logistical adventure though.

Thank goodness I was driving and I had my car for all that extra luggage.

Accountable much?

Speaking of work, my mentor, Sam, and I had a heart-to-heart about this blog.  "What are you doing with this thing?” he asked with that New York accent that makes me sit up straight in my chair ready to edit a PowerPoint deck.  "What is your point?"

Welp, good question there Sam.

In true business coach form, we spent an hour on the phone analyzing my life and getting specific about my goal.  So here I am, with a fresh sticky note on my monitor: My goal is for 20 people to connect with this journey, find some inspiration, and reach out to tell me how this blog helped them.  Current count: 0. Lol.  We’ll get there…. 

It's That Simple

That's it, but wow - THAT'S IT. That's life. Giving of yourself to better those around you.  Thank you, Pops, for instilling that in me.

*My Dad ^

Side note: My dad was an amazing man.  Selfless to the core, he even snagged the 'Volunteer of the Year Award' for the state of Michigan twice in his life.  How crazy is that? The least I can do is wake up early and write this little blog every now and then.)

So, internet village, here's to unexpected victories, a healthy dose of (the right) B vitamins, and the power of community!

Read on, dear friends, read on...

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