Kristal

Female

McAllen, Texas

United States

Profile Information:

Relationship Status:
Married
About Me:
My name is Kristal and I just got married on May 17, 2008 to the most wonderful, caring man on this earth! He loves me with or without hair, and I feel so incredibly blessed to have him in my life. We are waiting to see where God is taking us next...it's going to be an adventure! :)

I have been struggling with alopecia areata since November 2006. It started out as a dime size spot on the back of my head, and continued from there. I have tried Olux foam, steroid injections, and squaric acid for treatments. The squaric acid worked for awhile, but I was still losing my hair despite the treatment. I have also started to lose the hair on my arms and legs, and I think my eyebrows are next (I'm crossing my fingers that I'm wrong). I wear a wig and feel pretty good about it. However, a wig will never, ever be the same as having YOUR hair. I also have Type 1 Diabetes, which is also an autoimmune disease. So if anyone else out there has more than one autoimmune disease I would love to hear from you and about your experiences! I was excited to find Alopecia World and people who I can relate to.
Do you have alopecia?
Alopecia totalis
Are you age 18 or older?
Yes

Comment Wall:

  • JeffreySF

    Hi Kristal,

    Welcome to Alopecia World. This is a great place for us and our loved ones.

    Jeff

    Jun 9, 2008

  • Roger

    Welcome.

    Roger.

    Jun 9, 2008

  • LeslieAnn Butler

    Hi Kristal,
    What a beautiful photo of you!
    Yeah, the loss of arm and leg hair isn't so bad, but the eyelashes and eyebrows are! I've had au for 20 years.
    Are you doing all right?
    LeslieAnn

    Jun 9, 2008

  • Sarah S

    Hi Kristal-
    Welcome!! I love your picture...is that from your wedding day? I developed Alopecia in December 2006 and this past January I lost all my hair. I now have au. I have had a tough time dealing with it but this site has helped to remember all the wonderful things in life I still have. I am married too and having a supportive husband and family has been so great! Congrats on your marriage!
    My husband and I moved in February from Austin to Houston. I am still trying to get used to my wig! I love your hair color in your picture...what color is it?
    Sarah

    Jun 9, 2008

  • LeslieAnn Butler

    Hi! Well, since I don't have any eyebrows at all, I used a product from "Beauti-Full-Brows" which are temporary tattoo eyebrows. When I had spaces in my brows, I just filled them in with sharp eyebrow pencil. It's a pain, isn't it!
    If you get my book, I would love to know how you like it. Will you let me know? You can get a 30% discount if you order from this web site: www.leslieannbutler.npauthors.com.
    Hugs, LeslieAnn

    Jun 10, 2008

  • jennifer

    hey there! i just wanted to tell you, you look beautiful! is that a waig? it looks like your real hair? where is mcellen, texas? we live in houston. how far away is it?

    Jun 10, 2008

  • Cheryl, Co-founder

    Hi Kristal, I wanted to welcome you to Alopecia World. I can honestly say that we are a great community here and I hope you enjoy the time you spend with us. Cheryl, co-founder

    Jun 10, 2008

  • Sarah S

    Hi Kristal. Having AU has been hard but I try to take every day as it comes now. This site has helped me alot to connect with people that also have to deal with alopecia. I have had my wig for about three months...I am trying to get used to it and I think I am going to order another too =)

    So you might be moving to Houston.....I like it alot. I moved from Austin to Houston in February so it has taken some time to get used to it but there is a ton of stuff to do in Houston!

    So glad you joined this site...it is so nice to meet another Texan!

    Jun 11, 2008

  • Zoe

    Hey Kristal, I've also got another autoimmune disease. I've got alopecia and hashimoto. Congratulations on your marriage. My boyfriend and I want to get married soon, too. I just don't feel comfortable with no hair. The pics will be so aweful and I would love to have a nice, normal haircut! I hate just thinking about it. What kind of wig did you wear when you got married?

    Jun 14, 2008

  • Zoey

    Hello.. thank you for adding me :)

    Congrads on the marriage!! That is soooo cool.. I love your pictures!!! You lucky gal you..

    Hopefully some day i will get married again..... :)
    Hint-hint-hint if your reading this..lol

    Jun 14, 2008

  • Mommy

    Hi and welcome! Congratulations on your marriage. You look gorgeous and completely happy. Just as it should be. Come join the Texan group. The more the better so it can grow into a great group for us locals.

    Jun 14, 2008

  • Annette

    What a wonderful picture of you two!

    Jun 16, 2008

  • jennifer

    Thank you so much for writing all that you did! It was very helpful info to me! So when does your hubby find out about law school? You might move to Houston if he gets in, right?

    Jun 17, 2008

  • Katiebug

    Hey, how are you? I've had aa for about 2 years now, I was diagnosed with it after I had my daughter. About the same time I was also diagnosed with another autoimmune disease- UC.
    Your hair looks really good, where do you get your hairpieces? I would love to chat with you & I hope to hear from you soon!

    Jul 7, 2008

  • ruth

    Congratulations on your marriage.....that is an awesome picture...let me mentioned that i never shaved my legs and i never had any hair on my arms...right now i have AT

    Jul 13, 2008

  • Katiebug

    Hey, thanks for getting back to me! That's too bad about your hair piece, have you ever tried lace front wigs? I've been looking into those lately. I haven't had to wear a wig yet, but it will most likely get to that point someday, so I'm really trying to get as informed as possible!

    Jul 18, 2008

  • amanda~

    Hi Kristal,
    I too have type I diabetes and I've also got aleopecia universalis. I've had diabetes since I was 11 and AU since I was 15. I'd love to chat more with you. By the way your picture looks like what I'm planning for myself and my fiance soon.

    Jul 18, 2008

  • amanda~

    My birth weight was 'normal' 7lbs 4oz. I have done a bit of research and to my knowledge there is no correlation btw diabetes and aleopecia. That being said, who really knows! It is so nice to find someone else out there who's experience is so similar to my own. I can't even explain. I recall when I was younger, searching hard for a reason. I must tell you, I didn't really find one. However I learned a lot about myself, my friends and my world in general. I continue to learn about myself in relation to my AU I've found. Life is funny. I am not a spiritual or religious person by any means, but I do like to believe that whatever we're dealt in life is not more than we can handle. It's going to be tough, it's going to shock and surprise us, but it's never more than we are meant to handle.
    And to think, the reason I looked at your profile is because I noticed you were wearing a wedding dress in your photo and I'm newly engaged. Small world I guess. Silly question, how do I accept a friend who has added me?

    Jul 18, 2008

  • Billie

    Hi Kristal!
    Nice to meet you here. Is this place not great! It has become a haven for me to come to everyday to see the new members and know I am not alone.

    Jul 23, 2008

  • Nicole

    Hi Kristal!!
    I got married this year on May16th!!! So we have more than alopecia in common..lol ...How old were you when you first started developing alopecia?

    Aug 6, 2008

  • brian kirchman

    mcallen no kidding i grew up down there lived in palm veiw went to flores elementry school my dad used to work at mcallen stste bank

    Sep 16, 2008