Christine, Thanks for the comment! Yeah, with this AA you just never know. You never lost all of yours either but others eventually did. I think others just got tired of it and just shaved it off never knowing or caring if it will grow back. It is really an individual decision all the way around. I am very appreciative of the prayers and thoughts. That means a lot to me and I thank you. Still on the treatment and I will keep you posted on what's going on. Please stay in touch too! Melissa

Christine,
Sorry I did forget to mention, I do have allergies and now just recently have a little bout with ezema only on my ring fingers, weird right? Well, sorry I was going on and on. This is just a tough period for me. I think it does look worse now. Now I'm just hoping that I wouldn't loose it all and still scared about the treatment. My scalp still itches too and that doesn't help. I can always feel it. Well, thanks again for the thoughts and prayers. I know that there is more to life than this. i appreciate you listening! Keep in touch! Blessings! Melissa

Hi Christine, Thank you so much for the kind, kind, words! You made me cry! :) I know what you are saying, and you are so right. I'm just having a really hard time with it now for some reason. I think this is the worst my hair was ever looked. So I'm just really aware of it now. I went to Target today and thought everyone was looking at me. So tiring! My emotions are so out of whack! Not to mention yes, I did start the steroids. I don't think they are helping so far, but I think they said to give it a month and then we will take a look again. I read that it is pointless to do them because you just relapse after. So why the heck am I doing this?? i called the nurse and she told me, just take them, it will help you. She was AA too and she has taken them too and she told me it helped her. I just don't know if I'm doing the right thing. I think if this doesn't work, then I will give up on that route. I'm just committed to it now, so I'm just gonna see what happens I guess. I didn't say that on my blogs too much because I know a lot of people would disagree with the treatment. My doctor just kept reassuring me to do it and he said it would help. I told them about what I read on the internet and they told me to stay off the internet. So, I guess I will just stay here and wait to see if the medications will work or not and just pray. I just got some patches in the top back part on my head and I have never had them there, so it's driving me crazy. Not to mention the shedding. I just wish it would STOP!!!! Sorry! I think this week has been rough! Thanks for the reply, and please do keep in touch!! I'm just gonna take it day by day now and I will be in touch too! Take care! :) Melissa

Christine, Thanks for all the detail! Wow, Im so happy for you! I think you have it way better than I do! I never had a long period in between, the most was maybe a couple months. Then it all started again and worse, like 40% now. I did do the shots and it did come back in the back fairly quickly and I did grow it back probably better than before like you mentioned. Then I did have a period where I got back on BC in the summer and it messed me up again I think because I stopped it again after like 2 months. I think that was stupid for me to do that. Did you ever take any meds, like BC pills? That may have triggered it again and it came back worse. Now my doctor told me that I need to do the oral pills now or else it will probably get really bad before it gets worse. I know it is not good for you and I am scared to go either way, so I'm only gonna try this once. I did call the nurse again and talked to her about it in depth. She told me that the benefit will outweigh the side effects. We will see, there is no promise that this will work or not work. So right now I'm taking my chances, I know. I can't stand the hair falling out anymore. It is just tearing my up inside. I even had a tiny tiny little hair loss in the front hair line now on the side and I thought I was gonna die! I can't take it anymore!!! So here I am, in a situation that I totally hate. I too have faith in God and pray for a miracle but I also believe that God lets things happen for a reason too. There are so many people that loose all their hair. Although, my husband believes that all the worst cases are on the internet and the ones that are not, don't post their stories. I thought statistic wise it was ever more rare to get AT, but on AW, seems like everyone that has the same pattern as us, always lost all their hair. My doctor said that AA is like the NY Stock Exchange, you can never predict it, really reassuring! This diseases sucks, sorry to be blunt, I think I'm also having a bad hair day too. Oh, I too have Rogaine this whole time and also topical steriods, not to mention all the other stuff like vitamins, shampoos, ect.. Yeah, I have been aggressive on treatments. It did work the first time, but now I wonder it this AA just decides when it wants to turn on and off all by itself!! Probably! Seems like you just leave it alone and it does ok. Do you exercise a lot or do any other stress management? I really think that stress or any imbalance in you body can re-trigger it now. I have talked to so many people, as least with adults, I think that's the case. I'm just not happy about my situation now and having a hard time. I'm gonna try this once and if it doesn't work, I'm not trying it again. If I lose my hair, then I'm just gonna try to get a good wig. I'm already looking into them now. I wish you well on the AA journey. Please keep me updated. I think I will also make a group for our pattern and maybe for people that are not totally bald. I would like to talk with others about there experiences as well. Thanks for the openness and honestly. i really do appreciate it! I hope that you NEVER get a flare-up again!! :) Well wishes! Melissa

Christine, Wow thanks for the comments! You really gave me some hope that I will not loose all of my hair. I think you are the first person that I have found with this pattern that has has it that long and didn't loose it all. I was curious how long is your shedding phases? I'm having one now and it's been since September, so I'm wondering when this is gonna end! So tired of it. I too have lost a little eyelashes but they came back right away. Did you have loss the whole seven years or did you have any time in the middle that you were in remission?? I don't think I can take this for seven years, ever year! How do you deal with it? So you just walk around with your own hair then? I do too for now but it looks like crap and I hate it. I do wear a hair piece on occasion when I dont want it to look bad on that day. If I'm at home though, I just leave it alone. I would say about 30%-40% of my hair is gone now. I did recently get a spot on the back that is closer to the top and that is making me very nervous because I would never get spots on the top at all. Have you ever got them there too? It is mostly the sides and back now though. It also itches and I can't stand that either. I never used that shampoo that you mentioned. I wonder if I should try it?? I was doing the shots and they seemed to work the first time, but now they are not working. I went again on Monday for treatment. My doctor wants to do oral steriods now and I'm so scared that I'm gonna loose it all. I don't know what to do. So did you just let it run it's course and then it would just get better overtime?? I'm just wondering when the heck is this stupid shedding gonna stop! I know what you mean about just being bald and forget it. MAybe it's easier in a way to deal with it in the long run, but I just can't shave it yet!! My doctor also told me that he has seen our pattern take it's course over two years but I don't think that is accurate. If you have had it that long, then it probably never ends. Which is discouraging for me. I don't really know what to do anymore but I guess get a wig and I hate that too. So you had shedding in June and now you are growing? I hope so!! Thanks again for all the feedback, I glad that I met someone on here that has survived this pattern and not totally lost it all. I hope we can talk again soon. Good luck with your job too! Take care! Melissa

Christine! Sorry for the delay in the reply! OMG! You sound exactly like me!! I too walk around, hair gone on the back of my head and no one knows about it!! I too loose in the winter and grow in the spring! I too have a big patch on the side of my head that almost merges into the back part! This is so crazy! I wish I could meet you! So have you ever lost all of your hair, or came close?? You have had this much longer than I. This is my second year into this. I'm scared to death that I will go AT. I have lost a little bit of eyelashes, but grew them back right away. I have hair all over the rest of my body and it seems to grow on a regular cycle because I do shave a lot in those areas. Strange, right?! How do you cope with this all? I have received treatments and the first time it seemed to have worked, but this second time around, it seems like it has been harder to grow back and the shedding is crazy!! I shed like 500-700 hairs a day and it drives my crazy! Do you wear hair pieces now at all? I have one that I can put underneath my hair and it clips into my existing hair which gives me some fullness, but I hate wearing it all the time. Well hope we can talk soon. I would like to hear any theories that you may have about why you think you have AA. I'm not sure what to think anymore. Do you have any other conditions? I have met a lot of people that have other issues like thyroid problems as well. I'm not sure if I have any other conditions, but I wonder sometimes if I do. Hope to talk to you soon, take care! Melissa

Hi Christine! I saw that you mentioned that you have the Ophasis Pattern? So do I. I was wondering does it get worse every time you loose it and did you ever loose all of your hair? This is my second time around and it seems to be seasonal. I'm not sure what to expect from this pattern. They say it is hard to grow back but the first time I grew it back pretty quickly. This time it seems to be slower coming back. Very frustrating. Thanks for any information, it think I may start a group for this pattern of alopecia.
Melissa

Hi Christine,
Its nice to hear from you. In answer to your question I grew up in Calif then moved to Washington after my frist son was born. We lived with family there and it home for a good number of years. We did move to Nevada for about a year and I moved to Elma near Aberdeen Wa for a couple of years. Then moved back to Spokane then to Calif to be near my grandson. A couple days ago I talked to youngest son in Spokane and found out that are going to have a grandson also. So now its hard and I really don't like Calif so my choice is to go back home and stay.

Would love to chat more with you.

Eileen

Hi Christine! Thanks so much for writing. I'm 48 and have lived in the Auburn area my whole life and have never met anyone with alopecia either. I have been wearing wigs my whole life - don't want to create attention - but I do wear scarfs around the house and at bedtime. I have been wearing natural hair wigs for about 10-15 years now - they are so much more natural - the last one I bought was almost two years ago - I went up to Vancouver, B.C. on the advice of a gal that sometimes styles my hair at Gene Juarez at Southcenter. I paid about $1500 and it is still going strong almost two years later. I do need to get another one soon, though.

I would love to meet you sometime - please let me know. My daughter is getting married a week from today (yikes) but after that I would be available. Please let me know - I've been at this for so long and I know I can be of support to you and vice versa. Have a great weekend.

Hi Christine,

Unfortunately I have not had any regrowth at all... it just continued to fall out. Now I probably only have 5-10% of the hair left on my head and my eyelashes are starting to fall out. I'm going to start the DCP treatment in a few months when I get home (currently overseas for an exchange til the end of August) and we'll see how that goes. The doctors here in Germany where I am said the results are quite good with that treatment. We'll see how it goes.

Hi Christine,
Yes I did have a few pimple like sores in my head from the Clobetsol but only a couple because as soon as my hair new hair growth started falling out, I stopped using it right away and I have not use anything and refuse to use anything else.I am just going to let it take its course and see what happens, its growing and getting thicker every day, but it black and white, but its hair anway, not getting my hopes up though, cause as you said, you never know what can happen, so I'm to the poinT now, whatever happens , HAPPENS. I'm trying to keep on the go and do as much as i can to keep busy, so I don't think about it, still wearing my wig , always will I think, but I still get down about it too sometimes, I think we all will from time to time anyway , no matter what.Hope your hair comes back and stays , will pray for you too, as I am praying for all of us.God Bless and take care.Talk to you again soon.Let me know how things are going with you now and then, as I will do the same. Bye for now.

Hi Sweetie, I know how you feel, and I agree with you, I want to look and feel normal. I could never walk around without my hair like some do, I don't like that kind of attention. Now, if I had big boobs, that I would like. You will heal from this, trust me. It just sucks because it takes so darn long. You take care now, Your friend, Donna~

hi
how are you doing now. i hope things are going fine out there with you. i was a bit busy last few days so coulnt remain in touch. anything new these days..........

Hi Christine,
I was just up in your neck of the woods last week, too bad, we could of got together for a visit. I'm in Seattle qite often, I can let you know when my next trip is going to be and we can meet. I would be honored to help you and be your friend through this period your going through. Trust me, I've been there! you can email me at myimagebydonna@comcast.net or call me toll free at 1-888-668-9149
I'm here for you, take care Donna~

Hi Christine,

I worked at a small hospital for 17 years and for the most part really enjoyed it. Toward the end I started to not like it so well though. And then Voilla....I developed alopecia. I felt like it must have been the stress from work. I had been looking for another job for about a year and was being pretty picky. I finally found one that I thought was a good fit. Long story short. I should have stayed where I was. Haha. If a position opens up I'll take it.

Hope all is good with you.

Jeffrey

Hi Christine,

How are things going?
I have been an RT for 25 years now. Yikes i am getting old!!!
Hair regrowth is positive but not yet totally stoked about it. Time will tell....
I work at a huge hospital and am ready for something smaller and less stressful

Jeffrey

Hi Christine,

Maybe we chatted with Dotty on the AASC?
I love this site so much!!!
I am a Respiratory Therapist. I'm sure you know some in your hospital.

I still use the Minoxidil. I seem to be growing more and more hair now alot of it is brown instead of all white. We'll see where it goes from here.....

Jeffrey

Hey Christine,
Welcome to Alopecia World.

How are you?
I work in a hospital too.

Jeffrey

Welcome to our little corner of the world!! Blessings to you!!
Lori