Where do I start?- Terrible insurance and no diagnosis

I started losing hair mid-July of this year. It fell out slowly the first two weeks after I noticed the first round, quarter-sized spot, and another spot about two inches from the first formed. Since then, my hair has continued to fall out, some weeks a ton falls out, and others, not quite as much. I have minimal insurance (it covers a wellness visit a year, and hospitalization), and paid out of pocket to see a GP when I first noticed the spots. I saw her twice, and after she put me on oral Prednisone, I decided she wasn't for me. I also paid out of pocket for a full blood work up (ouch $700) which showed that I am in perfect health. The one thing I didn't get from the doctor was an actual diagnosis or any attempt to explain what is wrong with me, she mentioned AA, but I think she was trying to milk as many visits as she could from me. From looking online, I can only guess it's AA- my scalp is very healthy looking, and before I start shedding heavily, my scalp feels tender and sore in the spots that I will lose the hair. Since the hair loss started, I've been taking fish oil with vit D, hair, skin and nails vitamins, zyrtec to manage my skin allergies (I have always been prone to hives), and stopped taking birth control, as the pill has always made me feel terrible. I am 26, and besides my skin allergies and some sinus problems, have always been healthy. I work on my feet, but maintain a low level of stress and eat carefully and well.
My question- if I can't afford to pay out of pocket to see a dermatologist, and a GP wouldn't officially diagnose, but could not find anything seriously wrong with me, should I go into credit card debt to see a specialist? From poking around here, it seems like everyone has health insurance that covers these diagnoses and treatments. For those without full coverage, what did you do when you started losing hair? In NYC, if I were to buy health insurance, full coverage would be close to $1000/month. I know I have no interest an aggressive treatment.

(Sorry for the greasy hair, I like to rub jojoba oil on my scalp before showering in lieu of conditioner- it seems to weigh down my hair less)

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Permalink Reply by sng on September 27, 2012 at 11:41pm

Thank you so much for the advice! my levels were healthy, all three thyroid test were well within the normal range, as were my vitamins. I took the prednisone for a week, and after talking to the doctor on the phone, decided not to continue. This website has been a much greater help than anything else I've come across. I'm just bummed that I moved to a state where I can't afford full insurance right before this issue arose... and there's the stress of waiting to see how much hair falls out.

Permalink Reply by Christine on September 26, 2012 at 11:53pm

I totally agree with wise1, I did have the insurance, and saw my GP, although when I saw her, I already knew I had AA, classic smooth round spots and the hair that fell out had the root bulbs attached, I did a lot of looking on the Internet, and found a wealth of information, that really helped me in having a clear idea what could happen for me, which helped a lot in my decisions, like you I would not go the aggressive route, and still feel that way, I did try topical steroids and minoxidil, the minox helped for awhile in thickening up the hair I had, and it seemed to grow in faster, but had to stop, one thing it can't do is stop the hair from falling out. I hope you did not use the oral steroids, they do more harm then good in my opinion. I have found the most help here on this site, from others who have gone before me, and I've gotten great advice. I wouldn't waste my money either, I've spent money for special shampoos and scalp treatments that claimed to help, but none of them did anything for me. I now have a great hair piece and buzzed what was left of my hair (not much) and have never felt better, no more stressing over how much hair I'm losing. Remember that AA often stops on its own, with or without treatment.

Permalink Reply by sng on September 27, 2012 at 11:46pm

I felt like I was being careless in not going back to the doctor, but I also didn't want to end up on Prednisone when in great health (even according to the dr). I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks that! I am also glad I found this website, it's definitely an isolating feeling to be coping with losing hair. Thank you so much for your response.

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