Hi Lisa! I am Donna! How are you? I know this alopecia mess is so challenging on a day to day basis. If you need to vent, I am here! Hope to talk to you soon!
hi Lisa... I too have AA or so dr says from a biopsy.. did you get a biopsy? Mine started in 04 and i'm not bald, yet it just lays wierd, you know? Mine is hard to explain.. I pull it back and constantly analyze if the part should be that wide.. its awful.... is yours any better? My dr told me most women get AA by a certain age, although that should make me feel normal? I dont know anything anymore... I worry about it and am trying so hard not to but unless you are going thru it, you just dont understand. Did you see a therapist for it as I had to stop having no job and insurance. Guess I wanted to ask you what your dr told you about it, guess my dr said the same thing... You are SO SO pretty and you are a strong person. Just wanted to talk to you since you have the same thing I do... Hoping mine doesnt get worse, yet its been almost 5 yrs and I think if it were going to, wouldnt it already? have to practice rational thinking but i still worry regardless and i cant help it... hope you are feeling good today.. You have a friend in me!
Hi, thanks for the msg if you ever need any help regarding meds, or cosmetic options I'd be more than willing to help, I'm in my twenties and my alopecia has hit me hard aswell, I have spoken to a lovely lady called Pat on alopecia world who helped me a lot regarding cosmetic hair and there are lots of other ladies on this site who are so helpful, hope I can be of some help to someone else just give me a shout anytime x
Hi Lisa!! I´m from Argentina..I have telogen effluvium and my hair doesn´t stop falling out. I don´t know how to go out..Are U wearing someyhomg on your head?
Hi Lisa! Wow, it's been a while! Sorry for that! I got your last message, thanks! I think of you often too! Wondering if you are ok and if things have gotten better or worse or the same. I know what you mean, sometimes it's really hard to say anything positive. Just the other day I was like, I'm just so sick and tired of being sick and tired! But I dont complain to anyone around me anymore because they are probably tired of hearing it too. It's truly draining! Sometimes I get sooo tired!! Anyways, here I go again! Yes, we have fall here in New Mexico! It's beautiful too! We don't get a ton of snow here but some. Not like you guys though! I went to Cleveland, Ohio like two years ago in March and I thought I was gonna die of coldness! LOL! It was funny to the people who live there! I guess you all get used to it! I would like to visit when it's the summer or fall next time! Girl, I've just been busy with my kids! Birthday parties, soccer, school, work, it all keeps me busy and mostly not focused on the hair part. But when I look in the mirror, UHG!! It's terrible!! then I re-live the whole feelings again! Trying to just stay busy and not so focused on it. My husband doesn't seen to care too much. Now he is having a little hair loss and freaking out about it, I dont want to hear that!!Come on!! Being a female and still young is worse I'm sorry!!! Crazy, right?? Well I guess that's why us like kind talk because we can relate!! LOL! Anyways, hope you have a great holiday and enjoy your fall out there! Wrote back when you get a chance. Take care!
Melissa
Lisa-- Could you tell me the name of the medciation you are taking for hair loss and the dosage?? I too have FPB and am only on birth control...Thanks for the help.
Lisa,
Hi there! Just wanted to check in with you and let you know I was thinking of you! I hope that you are doing ok. Write me back when you can!
Melissa Harris
Damn Lisa! Hope that you are doing ok girl! I know how you feel!! Just started feeling like that again recently! I'm so tired to shedding and loosing the hair. I mean, it's getting a little better, but it's still shedding and it drives me nuts!! Sometimes I just wanna scream!! I see other women that have hair for days and I used to have hair like that too! It's really hard to take. But what else can we do but move on with our lives and try to forget the pain. I'm 37 years old now. My thing is that I have 2 kids, a 5 year old and a 3 year old so that kinda keeps me distracted and busy most of the time. I think that actually helps me not think about it too much during the day. Plus, I do believe in God and I am hopeful that I will be healed, but it is still hard to believe that when things seem to be getting worse. I think I need to believe and have hope in something, otherwise I would have no hope and go insane! It would be too hard! Anyways, please let me know what happens with the natural doctor and your results. I'm interested in knowing what they tell you. Please take care of yourself too. Keep working out, eating well, ect. You will feel physically and mentally better if you keep that up. You also have the option (if you want to) to wear hair pieces. I have a few of them and sometimes wear them when I feel like it. It helps me feel better about how I look. I will send you some pics. of me with them on if you like. Do you have another e-mail address that I can send you pics. at? My other e-mail address is mjharris27@hotmail.com if you would like to e-mail me too. Just remember, you are beautiful no matter what happens and the people who really love you will be there for you always. Try to enjoy your life as much as you can. I hate the fact that this disease robs us so much of our happiness. Don't let it win!! Do what you can in the meantime to make yourself feel better! Go out and see a movie with your boyfriend, go for a run, go shopping, be with family and friends that love you. I know we will make it out of this sadness somehow. How is your mom doing? What does she think about all that's been happing to you? Well, hope to hear from you soon Lisa! Bye for now!
PS Please feel free to vent anytime! I'm always here and I will never judge your feelings because I have been there myself!! Take care!
Lisa,
Funny that you say a natural kind of doctor! When all the other doctors failed to give me any answers, I went to one too recently. They seem to think that I might have a food allergy and I need to take another blood test to see if that is the case. I will let you know what happens. He also gave me a lot of vitamins to take which I think is helping. Im taking a multi-vitamin, Vitamin C buffered, Vitamin D-3, Lysine, Omega-3s with Rosemary and Evening Primrose, Proboitics for better food digestion, Biotin, Calcium, and Selenium. Trying to eat better too. I dont know about you, but I used to not eat too well meaning I would eat maybe twice a day sometimes. So I am trying now to eat more regularly and eat better foods. I really think systematically, all these things are helping me to maintain for now. I think I need to just exercise more and sleep better too, because sleeping better helps your immune system to work better. Also, I have heard that being in the sunlight and even a little bit of tanning helps some people with our condition, so I have even been trying these things too. Plus, Im trying not to stress out too much even though thats really hard to do sometimes. Just get busy and sometimes you even forget for a while about your hair. I think thats good for us because we stress out so much about it and it takes a toll on you and you really get tired of feeling like that! I will be really interested to see what your new doctor treats you with. Let me know! Hang in there girl, hope you can get some more answers. I know how you feel! I will send you some pics. of me soon with my hair piece. It has been helping me to feel better too. You can get it different places but I will send you information on where I got mine if you like it! Take care and we will talk soon!
Melissa :)
Ps Yes, I have heard of Toppik, I have never tried it though. Let me know if you do, There is a lot of people on the internet that have tried it. Look for Toppik blogs on that other website that I sent you. I have seem people talk about it there before. Let me know how it goes!
Hi Lisa! Sorry I've been off the radar for a while! I got really busy and then got sick! Otherwise, I'm doing ok! Thanks for asking! How are you doing? Thanks for sharing that site with me. I got a few things to share with you too. Have you heard of Derm match? It's like a compact/makeup that you can use to put on the bald spots and it covers it up pretty good. The website is www.dermmatch.com. Let me know if you heard of it. Also, I got a half-wig that I wear sometimes and it looks pretty good. It's not a full wig, it has clips inside of it that clips onto your own hair. It's pretty cool. If you think that you might be into that kind of stuff, let me know and I can tell you where I got mine. It wasn't too expensive either. Also, I'm not sure if I asked you before, but I have been using Rogaine and it seems to help a little bit. Do you use it at all? Well, hope to hear from you soon. Take care Lisa!!
First of all Lisa do not feel badly that you are upset and you cannot seem to get a grip on things. It is a very BIG deal! It’s a very drastic change and it’s hard to adjust with any change in life, especially something as big as losing your hair. I really don’t think anyone gets over the fact that they are or already have lost their hair, it’s an acceptance, and it takes time! You will go at your own pace.
You know for years I felt so dang sorry for myself and I knew better than that, I should have been happy I was not ill. But it was still happening to me and I didn’t know why and I was different from everyone around me and I DEINATELY did NOT feel like ME at all! (I had the same feelings you are having) It was SO hard for me, especially losing my hair at age 14/15 in high school. I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata it turned into Alopecia Totalis and I shaved the little hair I had left and started wearing wigs. When first diagnosed I went to the dermatologist and he wasn’t helpful at all! He was actually a BIG JERK, and made me feel even worse about myself. HE gave me a steroid shot in my arm (not sure why) and I was crying and he told me “don’t be a baby it isn’t that bad” my mom took it from there she was pissed!!!! After that we found a wonderful doc name Dr Crotty we tried steroid shots in the spots (no help) topical stuff (again nothing) and another topical ointment that gave me a second degree burn on me head. I tried a couple of pills too. (Im trying to remember everything I blocked a lot out I think) but I did the medicine thing for about 3 years and decided to let it take its course by itself. It’s now been 10 years and I’m just now getting a grip on this. See when I started wearing wigs I wasn’t fine I acted like I was to people as a front but man I would cry and cry and cry! I believe it was around age 21/22 that I started feeling a little better and talking more openly about it. Which I think talking about it HELPS! But I still couldn’t tell the guys I dated and I was very ashamed. I think now that I am doing a lot better with it has a lot to do with me recently having a baby and now just trying to cope with it for her sake. I tell myself everyday there is more than life than hair and the most important thing in my life is MY GIRL, I want to be strong for her and I don’t want her to see me weak! So I try to put a smile on my face and be happy. Because in all reality I AM happy and healthy and have a happy and healthy daughter as well! What more can a girl ask for! Though it would be nice to get my hair back Im trying not to dwell on it anymore. (im trying) I know that God is here with me and helping me be strong otherwise I think I would still be where I was in the beginning flailing like a beached fish unable to breath (I will use this from you, it is the best way to describe how I did feel for years).
You ask if I feel beautiful. Well I don’t let many see me with out a scarf or hat or wig, but when I do go without and in front of my close friends and family I do feel beautiful because they are seeing the REAL me! Ya know! My friends and family always told me I looked much better with out my wigs and scarves because my facial features stuck out more and they were beautiful!!! (I think the reason I wont go out in public like this is because I don’t liked to be stared at and that is what will happen plus I will always think that people were laughing because that is how people treated me when I was losing my hair in high school. People can be harsh and I don’t think I can handle that)
Oh and reading about the way you style your hair to hide the spots, I did the same thing. Oh and the ROLL UP the windows, ALWAYS even when I started wearing wigs, you got to do what you need to do to feel comfortable. You are a beautiful woman Lisa with or without hair! And you Will get passed this! YOU WILL.! It just may take some time! I hope to talk to you soon! I gotta go feed my little munchkin!
CASEY
Hi Lisa! Glad that you are ok! I thought it was something like that! I go through the same thing so I know exactly what you mean!! That's totally understandable! Sometimes you need to do what you need to do to get through it. Thanks for the nice comment! That was me back in April of 08. I lost about 50% of my hair so it looks a lot different now :(>! But, I'm starting to get a little tiny bit of re-growth but I'm not gonna get too happy about it. I could loose it again. So, anyways just still hanging in there like everyone else and taking it day by day. Forgot to ask you, do you use Rogaine at all? I started to use it and I think it may help your condition too. Did your doctor tell you to use it at all? Lately, I have been distracted with a lot of things going on and I think it has been helping me not think about my hair so much. I'm feeling a little better than I was. Always on the edge of my seat though, wondering if things are ever gonna get better and if the shedding will ever stop. Wouldn't that be nice! Well, anyways, I'm really glad that you wrote back, I was wondering how you were doing! Take care and remember, I'm always here if you want to talk ,vent, anything! Talk to you soon! Melissa
Well I hope you start feeling better soon. It is hard losing hair! It changes your whole life. and outlook on life (well it did me at least) Im still tryin to except it and its been 10 years. I remember losing it and I can understand what you are feeling. Mine went very slow and just got thinner and thinner and it was the hardest thing Ive ever went through, just remember your not alone! and we are all here for you! If you ever need to talk about anything Im here!!!!
Thanks for the comment bout my girl! she is such a blessing!
Hey Lisa, how are you today? I got your post late!! Sorry, I am so tired lately! This AA is killing me, my spirit, my energy, everything. I posted on your post about your mom too, check it! I wish I could see a picture of your mom, she sound beautiful too. I will post a picture of me one of these days! We'll see, I guess that's a block for me now. I probably need to get back in the gym and run again soon for my own well-being. Well, anyways hope you are having a better day today! Thanks for writing back and hope to hear from you soon!
Melissa
By the way, you are a beautiful girl. Sorry I my typing was so sloppy! I was in a rush to go to dinner. I really can spell! LOL! Take care and hope to talk soon!
Melissa
HI Lisa!! Thanks for that e-mail! I really appreciate you sharing with me!! You sound a lot like me as far as the feelings go with the hair loss. Whether it's AA, AGA, AT, AU, you still go through those same kind of emotions of loosing your hair. For me, I have been unofficially told that I have AA. I am waiting for the biopsy results to come in still. I noticed loosing hair probably back in mid-April not thinking that much about it and then it got progressively worse everyday, the constant shedding. Then I got a little patch on my right temple and then around the nape of my neck around the same time. Then there was a slowdown of hair loss for a little bit, so I wasn't too freaked out at that point for some reason. Maybe thinking it would stop or grow back. I also had a rash on the right side of my neck for a while and so I went to a derm. and they gave me a cream that didn't really work to well. The hair loss continued and I started to get diffused hair loss around the sides of my hair and a tiny bit on the very top hairline. Then I really freaked out and went to a primary doctor would just told me I had Alopecia. Well, duh, I knew that, but he didn't offer any solution really. He ordered bloodwork and it came back ok. My ferritin levels were low but my iron was high and my thyroid was a little high, but not enough to warrant medication. So, I started to look stuff up on the internet and found out that derm. doctors are who specializes in this arena and so made an appt. to see one. She ordered more blood tests and I same thing came up, low ferritin, high iron, high thyroid, testost. low. So again no answers. So she sent me to a Internal Medicine doctor who ordered another blood test and found the same results. My ANA tests were all neg. too. I thought that if you have AA, I was told that you would test positive for ANA test, but who knows! Anyways, the last test also included a blood spear and the results said that I had lymphocytes in my blood and that looked like a mild reactive condition. So he told he is was stress or my birth control pill which I got off of for a month cuz I was thinking that it could have been that too. I was not comfortable with that answer so, I looked on the internet and found the "best" doctors in this field. I found one in Texas, closer to where I live and made an appt. to see him. When I went the nurse looked at me for 1 minute and said you have AA. I about died! I cant even tell you how I felt at that moment. Kind of like, oh my god, something is really wrong with me, I have a disease!! It was awful!! The nurse acted like it was no big deal, I guess she's seen it many times before, so it wasn't a big deal to her. So then they took a biopsy and gave me shots on the scalp and in the butt and sent my on my way. Now I just have to life with the horror of shedding and never knowing if I will go bald too. Like you, my hair was my best asset and I wasn't born with big boobs or any other outstanding features to mention! I was and still am very upset about it! I just cant believe this is happening to ME!! Everyone says, well at least it's not life-threating and they are RIGHT, but I can't help but really sooooo bad about what's happened to me! You are right about that, I have the same feelings sometimes. But your right, you cant live down in the dumps forever and I personally do not have time for that either cuz I have two little ones to look after too. My husband has been good, but I know this is stressing his out too. His job is stressful enough. I feel bad for him too in a way. As far as my girls, it breaks my heart that they would have a bald mom. They love my hair, it used to be long and full and now it looks like crap! I had to cut it a little bit cuz of the dead ends. Now I'm tired to crying and to the point of telling my hair, make up your mind and do whatever it is that your gonna do cuz I'm tired of all the shedding. It's a just a constant reminder of the pain and suffering all day long. I'm sorry, I know I should be positive, but that's how I feel a lot of the time. I'm not taking any depression meds either, so I'm dealing with this with no help. It's really hard sometimes. I try to pray and hope that that will help me though the rough spots. So I'm going back to see the doctor in Texas in a few weeks and get more shots. Also, I'm going to see an Endo. doctor on Friday to see what he thinks about my blood tests. I got about every vitamin under the sun to take for hair loss and started taking them hoping that they will help. I wonder if it really helps at this point now that it is chronic. Shampoos too and Rogaine. I haven't used to Rogaine faithfully yet cuz I read a lot of shedding can happen with that too and I freaked out about that. So Lisa, I think I'm just a mess right now. The worst part is the NOT KNOWING what's gonna happen to your hair. I'll keep you posted, for now, take a deep breath and keep moving on. Really what else can you do? I cant lay down and die, I got too much responsibilities in my life. I think I'm just venting at this point, sorry! But I was a lot like you loved to run and work out, be active, now I do not go to the gym at all. I know that I should, but being in public is really hard right now. I feel like I need to wear a hat all the time and dont comb my hair too much for fear of it coming out. So I walk around under a hat, stinky most of the time unless I really need to get ready for something. Gosh, this is depressing! I dont know if this is helping you. I think I'm just having a bad day. Maybe tomorrow will be better. I'm hoping it will just STOP!!!! I haven't lost all hope yet. Thanks for listening to my story. I hope that you are ok too. Take care.
Melissa
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Melissa
Hi there! Just wanted to check in with you and let you know I was thinking of you! I hope that you are doing ok. Write me back when you can!
Melissa Harris
PS Please feel free to vent anytime! I'm always here and I will never judge your feelings because I have been there myself!! Take care!
Funny that you say a natural kind of doctor! When all the other doctors failed to give me any answers, I went to one too recently. They seem to think that I might have a food allergy and I need to take another blood test to see if that is the case. I will let you know what happens. He also gave me a lot of vitamins to take which I think is helping. Im taking a multi-vitamin, Vitamin C buffered, Vitamin D-3, Lysine, Omega-3s with Rosemary and Evening Primrose, Proboitics for better food digestion, Biotin, Calcium, and Selenium. Trying to eat better too. I dont know about you, but I used to not eat too well meaning I would eat maybe twice a day sometimes. So I am trying now to eat more regularly and eat better foods. I really think systematically, all these things are helping me to maintain for now. I think I need to just exercise more and sleep better too, because sleeping better helps your immune system to work better. Also, I have heard that being in the sunlight and even a little bit of tanning helps some people with our condition, so I have even been trying these things too. Plus, Im trying not to stress out too much even though thats really hard to do sometimes. Just get busy and sometimes you even forget for a while about your hair. I think thats good for us because we stress out so much about it and it takes a toll on you and you really get tired of feeling like that! I will be really interested to see what your new doctor treats you with. Let me know! Hang in there girl, hope you can get some more answers. I know how you feel! I will send you some pics. of me soon with my hair piece. It has been helping me to feel better too. You can get it different places but I will send you information on where I got mine if you like it! Take care and we will talk soon!
Melissa :)
Ps Yes, I have heard of Toppik, I have never tried it though. Let me know if you do, There is a lot of people on the internet that have tried it. Look for Toppik blogs on that other website that I sent you. I have seem people talk about it there before. Let me know how it goes!
You know for years I felt so dang sorry for myself and I knew better than that, I should have been happy I was not ill. But it was still happening to me and I didn’t know why and I was different from everyone around me and I DEINATELY did NOT feel like ME at all! (I had the same feelings you are having) It was SO hard for me, especially losing my hair at age 14/15 in high school. I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata it turned into Alopecia Totalis and I shaved the little hair I had left and started wearing wigs. When first diagnosed I went to the dermatologist and he wasn’t helpful at all! He was actually a BIG JERK, and made me feel even worse about myself. HE gave me a steroid shot in my arm (not sure why) and I was crying and he told me “don’t be a baby it isn’t that bad” my mom took it from there she was pissed!!!! After that we found a wonderful doc name Dr Crotty we tried steroid shots in the spots (no help) topical stuff (again nothing) and another topical ointment that gave me a second degree burn on me head. I tried a couple of pills too. (Im trying to remember everything I blocked a lot out I think) but I did the medicine thing for about 3 years and decided to let it take its course by itself. It’s now been 10 years and I’m just now getting a grip on this. See when I started wearing wigs I wasn’t fine I acted like I was to people as a front but man I would cry and cry and cry! I believe it was around age 21/22 that I started feeling a little better and talking more openly about it. Which I think talking about it HELPS! But I still couldn’t tell the guys I dated and I was very ashamed. I think now that I am doing a lot better with it has a lot to do with me recently having a baby and now just trying to cope with it for her sake. I tell myself everyday there is more than life than hair and the most important thing in my life is MY GIRL, I want to be strong for her and I don’t want her to see me weak! So I try to put a smile on my face and be happy. Because in all reality I AM happy and healthy and have a happy and healthy daughter as well! What more can a girl ask for! Though it would be nice to get my hair back Im trying not to dwell on it anymore. (im trying) I know that God is here with me and helping me be strong otherwise I think I would still be where I was in the beginning flailing like a beached fish unable to breath (I will use this from you, it is the best way to describe how I did feel for years).
You ask if I feel beautiful. Well I don’t let many see me with out a scarf or hat or wig, but when I do go without and in front of my close friends and family I do feel beautiful because they are seeing the REAL me! Ya know! My friends and family always told me I looked much better with out my wigs and scarves because my facial features stuck out more and they were beautiful!!! (I think the reason I wont go out in public like this is because I don’t liked to be stared at and that is what will happen plus I will always think that people were laughing because that is how people treated me when I was losing my hair in high school. People can be harsh and I don’t think I can handle that)
Oh and reading about the way you style your hair to hide the spots, I did the same thing. Oh and the ROLL UP the windows, ALWAYS even when I started wearing wigs, you got to do what you need to do to feel comfortable. You are a beautiful woman Lisa with or without hair! And you Will get passed this! YOU WILL.! It just may take some time! I hope to talk to you soon! I gotta go feed my little munchkin!
CASEY
Thanks for the comment bout my girl! she is such a blessing!
I was just wondering how things are going for you?
I hope you have a wonderful day!
Casey
Hope you are doing ok! Let me know!
Melissa
Melissa
Melissa
Melissa
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Any mention of products and services on Alopecia World is for informational purposes only; it does not imply a recommendation or endorsement by Alopecia World. Nor should any statement or representation on this site be construed as professional, medical or expert advice, or as pre-screened or endorsed by Alopecia World. Alopecia World is not responsible or liable for any of the views, opinions or conduct, online or offline, of any user or member of Alopecia World.