I posted this on Facebook the other day and was encouraged to post it here, as well. It's basically my alopecia "coming out" post. Most of my local friends have known about it for a while, but most of my friends from back home and other places I've lived and worked didn't know, because I never talked about it on Facebook. 

The support and love I've received has been nothing short of amazing.  I've gotten about 175 likes, over 200 comments, and several requests to share. I'm blown away! So much love!! I feel like my confidence level has shot up like 200% in the last 3 days and it makes me wonder why I ever hid behind wigs, scarves, and self-made insecurities.

We all have to follow our own hearts, as far as how we deal with alopecia, how and when we talk to people about it, and whether we feel comfortable in wigs, scarves, or au naturale.  I wore a wig for the first 6 months and was miserable (I live in Texas), so I've been sporting scarves for the >3.5 years since.

Other than medical professionals and friends on alopeciaworld.com, only 3 people (husband and 2 former roommates) had seen me without some sort of head covering, so this was a big move for me.  For those of you who have been on the fence about opening up, this may provide some encouragement. There's a lot more love and support out there than you may realize.  If this somehow helps even one of you to feel a little better, this post is totally worth it to me. Alopecia is no joke! We all need as much support as we can get!! :)

Anyway, here is my post -

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My birthday gift to myself this year is the courage and freedom to be authentic and open.

A lot of you already know what happened to my hair, but I haven’t talked about it openly on Facebook.  Ya know what?  It’s time to get over all of my hang-ups about it, because I am not my hair. Also, I have amazing friends and family, who have proven that to me over and over through all of the love and support I’ve gotten regarding the loss of my hair and surrounding concerns about my health and well-being.

Basically, after several years of working crazy hours (often over 80 hrs/wk, sometimes over 100 hrs/wk), plus taking classes, I was completely stressed out. I also had some personal challenges, like my car accident, ankle injury and subsequent surgeries, etc. I started having a variety of medical issues, including frequent, severe migraines, insomnia, narcolepsy, dizziness, and an array of other random symptoms.  My nutrition was questionable, my exercise was intermittent, and my doctors gave me a variety of prescriptions to deal with symptoms, but most didn’t try to figure out the underlying cause.

I was way too stubborn to pay attention to what my body was trying to tell me.  Eventually, after years of me pushing through the issues and/or denying them, my hair started to fall out.  It started with alopecia areata (an autoimmune disorder that causes bald spots - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alopecia_areata).  A few patches would fall out and then grow back in… then more would fall out.  By early 2010, it started falling out rapidly and by June of that year, it had progressed to alopecia totalis (my whole head).  I wore a wig at first, but I kind of hated it.  It was hot and itchy and didn’t look like “me” to me, anyway.

Of course, this whole process was extremely difficult to deal with at the time, but it was a blessing in disguise. I FINALLY started listening to my body.  Thanks to an amazing and caring friend and wellness practitioner, I began looking into alternative treatments like acupuncture, instead of more prescriptions.  I got a doctor’s note for work, to limit my hours. Thanks to my new passion for Flying Trapeze, I started taking care of my body.  I also got used to wearing a scarf, because it’s kinda hard to keep a wig on while flying upside down through the air!

The very best part is that I met James [now, my husband] there!! He immediately made me feel comfortable, despite having no hair.  He also encouraged me to take care of myself and helped me learn how to relax and enjoy life.  After about a year, I quit the crazy stressful job and started really working toward following my heart.  I was able to complete the requirements to get my speech-language pathology assistant license and got a part-time job working with kids.  My other job is still in the tech field, but it’s work-from-home and very low stress.  I'm still working toward my eventual career goals, but I'm taking it one day at a time.

I’m eating way better, sleeping better than I ever have, exercising regularly, and remembering to do the things I love.  I’m off all of the prescriptions and almost never get migraines anymore.  I usually don’t even need ibuprofen for headaches.  My hair is coming back, too! It’s been a slow process, but any progress is a sign to me that I’m doing the right things for my body.  Honestly, I’ve learned that my health is way more important than my hair, anyway.  I mean…of course I want my hair back, but that’s just a bonus!  I’m so blessed to be healthy and happy... and married to someone who encourages me to take care of myself!

So, there you go.  That’s the story of why all of my long, thick hair has been replaced by scarves (for now).  Because I’m learning to love myself and the way I look, even without all of the hair that seemed so much a part of me, I’m posting a few pictures without my scarf.  My awesome friend Courtney took these last summer to help me feel more comfortable, so thank you Courtney!  Thank you to all of you who have loved me, accepted me, and supported me, as I learn to do the same!  I love you all!!

Happy Birthday to me!!