Hope and a lot of anger are the new emotions that are running through me after I finally ditched the dermatologist I was seeing. He was very dismissive with regards to outside opinions or suggestions. He diagnosed me alopecia areata. He would not take a biopsy of my scalp to rule out any other possibilities. I endured his ignorance for a little over 3 months and with it more steroid injections to my face, neck and scalp than I care to remember. I made an appointment with a new Dr. this past week who looked over my medical records in great detail and actually took a biopsy of my scalp only to discover that I don't have alopecia areata, I have what's known as Telogen Effluvium, which is hair loss brought on by traumatic illness. What my previous doctor failed to take into account or just didn't care, I'm not sure which, is that since this past Dec. I have had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, surgery to repair a tear in my knee, steroid injections in my spine to help combat a bulge between my vertebrae, pneumonia, the plueresy that sometimes follows pneumonia, the deaths of two close friends and the constant stress from my wife's first husband, and her three children. I have a renewed sense of hope regarding my hair loss, but at the same time I'm angry at having to endure the pain involved with the steroid shots and the hopeless feelings of knowing that there was no cure. I was spiraling into a depression that I don't think I could've found my way back from if it weren't for the friends that I found on this site. Thank you all for your support.