Hi Jenn! Snow? It was something like 80 degrees here yesterday. All of our trees and shrubs are blooming. Very colorful but a lot of pollen is triggering allergies. I love all the pics you've posted. I need to post some more. I'm doing pretty well, thanks! Hair's a bit thin but not falling out too much now. What's left is getting longer (though a lot of it's gray now). By the way - I'm getting psyched for the soon to be released Corner Gas DVD of season 6. I didn't get to watch any of this season, so I'm hoping the final season is a good one!

Hi jenn,

Just found your page. Love your blogs - reminds me of the time of the dreaded shed and coming to terms with it coming out. That was me this time last year. I've had a lot of regrowth recently, just as I came to terms with my wigs and thinking that it was all on its way out! It's weird the difference a year makes. Just like you, when I got my first wig, it was a great feeling. I did get a dip in emotions a couple of months later when I came round to the idea that I'd be wearing them for the rest of my life but a year on and who cares?!? Not me, well not as much as I used to anyhow. It's a great feeling when it all starts to feel better and I loved living it again through your latest blog. Keep thinking happy thoughts.

So here's something exciting. I emailed city TV, to see if they could maybe do a segment on AA, they phoned me today and they want to do a story on Kyler..I'll keep you updated on this. I so happy that I am going to get some awarness out there..

Good luck with the styling tomorrow! I'm sure it will turn out great. I loooooove my wig! I don't wear it everyday (I am really loving the bald look lately) so I only have to wash it about once a week, which is so convenient. And the wig has a natural wave to it much like how my old hair used to be. I'm really excited to get my vacuum wig, though. It will be nice to just pop it on and off my head. I look forward to seeing pics of your new wig soon :)
Cheers,
Natalie

Hi Jenn! Did you meet with Karen yet? How did it go? I just wanted drop by and say hi and I hope that all is well :)

How do I get to Karen's website?

Hi Jenn, Thanks for the wonderful wishes. I read your profile and am so glad to see that you "see acceptance working it way through" Once you get that, then alopecia is not a problem whether you grow your hair back or not. Focus on that and you will come out standing either way.

Thank you Jenn. I've learned so much since I had this condition - if it meant losing all that to get my hair back now - I honestly would pass! I believe that I'm a much stronger person now, and I have way more confidence than I did when I had hair! You will get through all this too. God is in control and He knows what's best for us, even when it seems like total disaster.

Hi Jenn! I'm glad to know that I was able to help you a bit :) You are going to love Karen! She is so friendly and very knowledgeable. I can't wait for my Freedom wig to come in! Let me know how it goes with her and if you order one. Keep smiling Jenn :)
-Natalie

Hi Jenn - just thought I'd drop a wee line to let you know there MAY be a light at the end of the tunnel. I developed AA October last year and shaved my head in January this year as most of my hair was gone. I have been wearing scarves. UNTIL THIS WEEK - I now have a full head of hair. Apparently if you are over 30 and have never had AA before there is a good chance your hair can come back and stay back. I never had any treatment - just let nature run it's course and I appear to be out of the woods. I do think I'll always worry it'll come back but right now I'm just dealing with today and today I have hair. :)

Hey! Thank you! Yes I am near Brandon, did I already say that? haha. anyway I am a nail tech and actually also have my hairdressing, I most;y got it to do wigs though, I used to order them through a place here but is is insanely expensive, like more than the reccommended so I know am getting them through my business and do them myslef usually. I am hoping to slowly sell and do them as well, I think since I understand it will be good. And I know what it is like to be in that position. Anyway that is where I get my wigs now. Where have you been going? are they pretty good. I never found a place in Winnipeg to get them so stuck with the one here until the prices went up and up.
Anyway you and your kids are beautiful :) if you ahev any wig questions I can try to help. are you wearing one yet?

Hey Jenn, Through my work I have the extended Blue Cross which covered 6 wigs maximum. Needless to say that coverage ran out long ago. I'm not sure of any other coverage out there. I haven't really checked into it. You can claim wig expenses on your income tax as medical expenses. I claim the wig, the shampoo, the styling gel. Everything I need with regards to my wig.

For years I wore a synthetic wig. There really wasn't much in the way of human hair wigs. I didn't mind them, but I never really had anything to compare them to. And then a few years ago, I became allergic to a certain kind of elastic that they were using in the synthetic wigs (not all of them, but I had no idea which ones used it). I would get a really bad itchy rash on my head at all the pressure points (like being bald wasn't enough). So Giselle suggested I go to a human hair wig. I was reluctant because I liked the ease of the synthetic wigs, just wash and go. But I got a human hair wig about 3 years ago and I love it. You can blow dry it, curl it, dye it, just about everything you do with real hair. The one thing I didn't like about it was that it was a lot hotter than the synthetic wig and there isn't really any cloth on the inside to soak up sweat, so I would drip sweat down the back of my neck. However, I have a new one now that was made specially for the dimensions of my head and it hugs nicely and it uses much more cloth on the inside so I am hoping this will solve the heat problem. Right now I have 2 human hair wigs that I use, plus I have old wigs that I use for different occasions (like bike riding or swimming). I found with the synthetic wigs you were kind of restricted to the one hairstyle, whereas with human hair you can style it whatever you want because it's real hair. If I were you, I would try on both the synthetic and the human hair and just see which one feels better for you.

I hope I haven't confused you. I'm always open to questions.

Hey Jenn, I had never heard of Alopecia either when I first got it, let alone know of anyone that had it. It took me quite a few years to actually come across someone else that had it. So these support groups are good for that. I'm always here if you have any questions or just want to chat.

Hey Jenn, Just thought I'd leave a quick comment. I find the best place in Winnipeg to get wigs is at Gisele's Hairloss Solutions. She has just moved her store and is now on St. Marys. She is excellent. She knows her stuff and can give you advice on just about anything. She too has Alopecia so she speaks from experience plus she's really outgoing and friendly which always helps.

If you want to talk more just let me know.

Im just in the process now of getting an experienced hair dresser out here to makeover all the wigs i imported. should be lots of fun!! i need to turn my spare room into an actualy spare bedroom, so time to take stock and get some out of here!!! im sure ill find some in there that i forgot id even ordered.

hi jenn
we are far enough out in the boonies that we just get regular snow melt runoff. still having to pump out our yard tho, but its slowly going. would sure be nice to have some sunshine tho.
ive been hairless now for a little over a year, really is no big deal to me lol i do miss the facial hair ALOT but ...
just starting to search around for someone in Wpg that does the eyebrow tattoos.
as far as head hair goes, i wear wigs in the winter, bought loads of them from China so can be different style and color anytime i want lol when i had hair it was very fine and wimpy and i couldnt do a thing with it so this is kind of a nice change, can wear all the styles i couldnt before. in the summer i wear my scarves. i designed a style that looks pretty but just slips on, no tying etc. its to hot to wear a wig, plus the whole menopause/hot flash thing, so scarves fit the bill!! at home i love in hoodies, can have hood on or off depending on the temperature. at the beginning of summer last year i didnt horseback ride much. was to hot for wig but was scared my hat would blow off and show off my bald head. by the end of summer i didnt care lol all my close friends that i ride with are used to seeing me bald now so i can just throw on my hat and away i go.
the best thing is, no more shaving, anywhere!! lol very liberating!!!

hey! Thanks for the add :) I am in MB too.. what are are you in? i don't actually first hand know anyone else here who has it, I understand a lot of what you are going through and would love to talk whenever. Keep positive!

Ahhhh thanx! They are so much fun to do once you get the icing out of your hair! LOL>..

Hi Jenn! Thanks for accepting my friend request :) I read your blog about wig shopping and I wanted to let you know that I, too, am going through the same process! I went looking for my first wig yesterday and I tried on a full lace wig with human hair- I felt absolutely beautiful, like I how I felt before my alopecia started getting bad. I'm really torn about whether or not I want to just shave it off, get it over with, and start fresh with a wig, or if I want to keep waiting a while longer....I have enough hair left that I can wear it back in a ponytail with lots of bobby pins keeping my bald spots covered, but I would love to be able to go outside on a windy day and not worry about my spots showing. And I would love to feel like I have feminine hair again! Sorry I am writing so much, but it sounds like we are in the same boat and I would love to hear what your experience/opinion/feelings about it are and share thoughts.
Cheers!
Natalie