I am newly diagnosed with AA; this is what I have started trying

Hello,   I am newly diagnosed with AA, it all started in Jan. 2014, I too have had long very thick and fast growing hair my whole life.  But in Jan. it started to fall out, I was not concerned because secretly I have had lots of challenges with the thick hair.  Feb., it still kept falling out, no bald patches just continuously falling out, lots and lots of hair in bathtub, on floor when styling. By March it was getting thin all over, hair changed its normal thick, somewhat coarse texture to wispy thin strands, color even changed because by March I quit going to stylist to color roots.(no hair, it was not growing!)  I am 56, went gray in my 40s, somewhere.  By the end of March I started wearing caps, it is so thin I can wear a cap, never could before it was so thick caps never fit right!   Beginning of April I went to the dermatologist, she did a scalp biopsy.  She thought it was TE, but it came back in two weeks with AA.  She gave me some liquid steroid,(clobetasol) to put in shampoo to wash and leave in hair once daily, then wash out.   I have been using this for two weeks and it is not working.  I still have my eyebrows, hair grows slowly on legs, still have facial hair, it grows normal, but my arms lost hair.  The dermatologist sent me to a regular MD, they have done a complete panel of eight blood tests, I’ve had a mammogram, pap test, all came back normal.  

So I went to another MD, they do natural medicine.  They are doing hormone and adrenal testing, a food allergen test, they aso did another type of thyroid test. The thyroid test here came back high.  But instead of putting me on normal thyroid med’s, they are going to do the food allergen, meaning what foods I show I’m allergic too, I will stay away from.  They will give me a menu to strictly stay on, for 3 wks and see if my levels drop down.  They call it a cleanse.  I have also started reading Sarah Ballantynes book:  The Paleo Approach, Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body.   Its all about eating organic foods, for one and non-inflammatory foods.  I do not know if this will work, I have just started this process.  I’m looking at wigs to wear til this is over.

 Believe me I have cried and feel hopeless, helpless,confused to what has happened, had people look at me, tell me to try not to stress, most people think its all about stress.  Reading these blogs with other people like us, has helped.  Thank you to this site, thank you for all your comments that I have read, its a godsend.   I just know there is no cure for this, some things work for some and not for others.  I just don’t want to sit and do nothing, while there is a war raging inside my body, its a helpless feeling not being in control.  Has anyone tried this?  How did it work for you?  Any suggestions on types of wigs,(where did you buy yours, etc., how to keep it on, taking care of them) the best ones for a active person (I horseback ride), all ideas, suggestions very much appreciated.

Views: 244

Comment by wigs and hairpieces on May 21, 2014 at 11:13am

If you are interested in wigs and hair pieces check out this blog: http://www.wigs-and-hairpieces.com/

You will find some helpful reviews on wigs and great tips on how to buy the right one for your needs.

Comment by hoofpick on May 29, 2014 at 11:46am

Hi Aimee, I am on a cleansing diet,(going on week three of it) They tested me for 96 different foods, it was strange that I showed a allergic reaction to most of them, but a very few.  I am gluten free for life now, as it showed a high response to gluten, while on this cleanse I am to stay away from gluten, dairy, eggs, sugars, beef and pork.  I can have fruits and vegetables, only vingaerettes for dressing on salads. Bananas, tomatoes, potatoes are out for now also, as I showed a high response to them :(.   I just went a week on fish only, veg., fruit.   I am tired of fish, in every way possible to bake, grill it.   This week I am back on lamb, chicken, fish, of course, fruits and vegetables.   I buy organic meats, but soy is off also on this cleanse, an alot of organic and vegan, vegetarian has soy in it.  Its been difficult, I also am on natural supplements, shakes, pills but I had a reaction to the amount of them they wanted me to take, so it is slowing down the cleanse process a lot, I am taking them slowly building up the amount of supplements again.   My immune system is wacky.  We talked about the end results yesterday, hopefully through this process I will get to know what sets my body off(allergic responses), food wise.    I have lost six lbs. on this cleanse, Dr. is not happy with that, as I am supposed to eat three meals a day, snacks,I am just not into some of the foods, plus I think they are more healthy and filling than the junk I usually eat.

 I also have noticed my allergies, headaches have gone away.   I used to wake with a small headache, some  nasal congestion every morning.  I also don’t ache all over like before.  My sleep pattern has not changed as much.  I still sleep light.  

Since going to get my real hair wig, they cut off most of the little bit of hair I had, I know it looked horrible, but I just didn’t want to lose it all, strange, but as ugly as it was, it was all I had left of my long hair.  That devasted me, it is short like a guys in back, where the longest hair was left.   It is growing slowly in the front half of my head, coming in all gray.  But the back is not growing at all, it is still very short.  Such a shock to look at it in the mirror.  But I am slowly getting used to it.  I, like some of the rest of the girls here on site, feel strange in my wig.  If someone stares at me for too long, I panic inside, do they know its a wig?, is it crooked?.   Etc.   I try and tell myself only my husband and my daugther know its a wig.   It’s just you knowing its a imposter.   

Thank you for your kind suggestions, they are helpful.  Health and Wellness to you.  

Comment

You need to be a member of Alopecia World to add comments!

Join Alopecia World

Disclaimer

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.

© 2024   Created by Alopecia World.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service