Nothing new to report

Still brushing out the hairs, but finding new hairs. One spot that I was looking at appeared bald. I was upset because this was an area that I had found new hair on. I felt it and I could feel the transparent hairs. I tried examining it in the mirror (very difficult to do to the top of your head) and discovered that translucent hairs were there. It is odd that some hairs went through this vellus phase and some came back with their normal color.

More hair loss, but regrowth is getting longer

I brushed out and removed a ton of hair last night. The bald patches are being filled in by transparent hairs that are slowly turning dark brown. It is filling in patchy just like it left with the top of my scalp regrowing first. This is odd because the base and sides were the first to go, but I can't complain. I'm happy to see it filling in. The strands are limp and I can't even do a comb over that would entirely cover all the bare patches on my scalp. The look is pretty pathetic, so I continue wearing a wig. The Paula Young whisperlite wigs aren't really uncomfortable. I can wear them all day long with about the same discomfort as a ponytail.
I noticed one strand in the mirror was almost an inch. That is good, but not all the hair follicles are producing hair, so it is just weird.

Almost gone, but growing back

I'm amazed and horrified every morning. More hair falls out in the brush and in the shower. I can see my scalp now. I think the only reason that I have cut all my hairs down to the same length is because I like knowing how much hair is falling out everyday. I guess that I just want to know what is new growth and what isn't. If I shaved my head, then it would all appear to be new growth, when in reality some of it is on its way out.

Another wig compliment

Some student today told me he liked my hair. So nice, but I think he was trying to stop me from yelling at the class for being too rowdy. Tons of hair fell out today, but now when I look in the mirror, I can see the regrowth from five feet away. I don't have to examine my scalp close up. However, it is still just coming back in patches and falling out in patches. I'll be relieved when I have enough patches to cover my entire scalp. While I'm bursting with excitement about the new regrowth, my mother still doesn't want to see me without my wig. It was difficult for her to watch my sister lose all her hair. Since she bought the wigs for me, I honor that wish. I'm pretty self conscious about the bald patches, but excited for the regrowth.

Shared my story on Squidoo

In addition to this blog, I shared my alopecia story on squidoo. Here is the link to check out the condensed version of my story. http://www.squidoo.com/alopeciastory

Indentations

I noticed that there are indentations in my head where the cortizone was injected. Not only that, but the area that is indented isn't growing hair. I have circles of regrowth outside the injection sites. What is bothersome is that these shots were give a couple months ago. I would have expected the steroids to run their course and the indentations to be lessened by now. I did brush more hair out this morning. I found some new growth, so it is just a matter of time before all of it completely falls out and regrows. The aloe vera capsules make my skin feel a lot smoother. I no longer have dry skin. My nails seem to be improving as well. It used to be that I was using hardener on all of them to prevent them from splitting. Now, I just use it on the thumb of my right hand and I have even noticed that it isn't breaking despite the hardener as was once the case. Overall, that is improvement.

Brushed a lot out and found more regrowth

So, I can feel the new hairs, but I'm still losing hair. I finger over the regrowth at night. It is turning the normal color. I just wish that it was all over my head and thick and growing quickly. I also wish I knew if it would have happened anyway or if this is from one of the products that I tried. I think it is the Chinese herbs and aloe vera because I didn't use the Thymuskin consistently and when I was on the prednisone my hair kept falling out. The cortizone shots did work, so perhaps the prednisone stopped some inflammation, but didn't prevent the hair fallout. My sister wants to go with me to the alopecia conference next month.

Found more regrowth, BUT

Tons of hair was brushed out and washed out this morning. I was grateful to see some new regrowth and the regrowth that I mentioned yesterday is turning thick and brown! Yipee! I'll still wear a wig for a long time, but it is nice to know that there is regrowth.

The new hairs

This morning I awoke and brushed my finger over the new growth. It isn't over the entire scalp. More hair fell out this morning, but it seemed like less. However, there is much less to fall out now, so it makes sense that less would fall out. I have a dilemma. I don't know if the regrowth is due to the vitamins and herbs I'm taking or the prednisone I took a week ago. It does take some time for hair to grow, so I wouldn't have seen regrowth immediately. It is nice that it is growing back. I'm hoping that my head will have regrowth at the front by January so I can start teaching swimming again. That is when the next session starts. I would still need to wear the volumizer or a wig to look normal. But, time will tell. Who knows if this new growth will stay.

New growth! More falls out.

I found new growth in an area that was not an injection site! When I purchased the Hairvive Chinese herbs, it said that six bottles were enough to start regrowth. I was down to the last couple pills in the sixth bottle this morning when I noticed some vellus hairs on the top of my head. I'm not going to attribute that to Calosol, which I have only taken for three days. I'll continue to use the Calosol to encourage more growth, but I think it was the Chinese herbs and aloe vera capsules that caused the regrowth. I expect all my hair to fall out, but I fully expect it to regrow.

Lost a lot of hair this morning

It seemed like I brushed out a ton in the morning. Really disappointed about that. Oh well. I wore my cute wig and felt pretty today. I applied the Calosol. It smells like it has essential oils in it. I read on some website that they are effective in 44% of the people they tested them on. Might as well try them for awhile. I read on that particular website that onion juice was effective in 73% of the cases. So maybe I'll try onion juice again in the near future. I think it will be easier to try after my head is bare. I'm moving quickly to that point.

Nails and skin seem better

I have been on True Aloe for two weeks now. My skin feels better and my nails don't seem as bad. When I look at them, the ridging no longer extends from the tip to the base, it is only going half-way down. I want to take that as a sign that the condition is clearing up even though I lost a lot of hair this morning. I know it can grow back, it is just a matter of when. I haven't lost more lashes since I lost the last two in the shower a week ago. That is good. I think my scalp feels warm sometimes not just from the inflammation, but from the wig. It didn't feel hot when I touched it before I put my wig on.

Chicken Soup for the Soul

Today I spent my lunch hour reading Chicken Soup for the Soul. Wouldn't you know it, there was a story about a teenager who started losing her hair. She won he student government president position after talking about other great bald leaders. I wish I had that acceptance and confidence right now. However, there is a difference in self perception when you are 33 and have had hair your entire life. Okay, not much, but with the unpredictability of this disease, it is possible for me to grow my hair back. the shots worked, bu the oral prednisone didn't. Time will tell.

Calosol

I think the next thing I'm going to try is Calosol. They have a money back guarantee. However, it is only if you have lost 75% or less of your hair. I am right around 75% or more. But, if there is a money back guarantee, what do I have to lose besides more hair. I know, I won't be able to determine what is working if I am doing three things at once, but you feel so helpless when you are losing your hair. Trying multiple things just seems like the thing to do.

Can't even pretend it is stopping

Tons came out today. I wish I could believe that the aloe was reversing the inflammation and the Chinese herbs were working. But, it is wearing thin. I stopped the prednisone because I was getting fat and had body acne and the hair fallout wasn't even slowing down. Same story, different month. I'm not sure what direction that I want to take yet. I'm continuing with the aloe vera and Chinese herbs for at least another month. Although the regrowth hope is getting low.

What you can't control

I can't control that my hair is falling out. I could obsess over it, but it would do no good. I keep trying to convince myself that if I get rid of the inflammation attacking the follicles, then my hair will grow back. After all, it grew back in the five areas that were given injections. What's the problem? The loss spread too quickly over too large an area. Not only that, but the injections gave me dents in my head. It is easy for me to take the Chinese herbs and hope they work, but the reality is that it isn't preventing fall out. It may stimulate the growth, but that hasn't happened yet. I wish I could report that it had.

Lots of zits...prednisone not working again

Well, the same thing happened this month as last. My hair continued to fall out of my scalp on the highest does of prednisone. It gave me body acne and a little weight gain. I was hopeful that the aloe vera capsules would be a little stronger and fight the inflammation, but I'm not sure if that is the case. I realize that even though I have almost gone through the recommended six bottles of He Shou Wu Chinese herb, it was at double the dosage. It hasn't been 3 months and it is supposed to take 3 months to work. So, maybe in another month and a half I'll start seeing some regrowth. Maybe my liver chi will be balanced out by then.

Skin never felt better

My skin has never felt better since I switched to the True aloe capsules last week. The small wrinkles around my eyes are not evident and it is no longer dry. I do have some acne appearing on my body due to the prednisone. That happened last time I took prednisone. After 8 days, pimples appeared on my back. I think once I stop the prednisone, my skin will clear up again. It is difficult to say whether the prednisone actually helped or not because although I lost hair, it could have been more. While the scalp hair left, the body hair mostly stayed, so I can't say for certain that it was entirely ineffective. Only time will tell if it all falls out. Even then, it isn't the end of the world.

Losing lashes now

I noticed two of my eyelashes on the shower wall this morning. I'm not thrilled. I had such high hope that the aloe vera would work. My skin has felt fantastic since I switched to the whole leaf capsules last week. However, I know the inflammation is still there. The prednisone didn't inhibit it. The reports of people who had inflammation from arthritis were that it took six weeks to get relief and then the relief was immense. If that is the case, then that is fine. We're headed into fall and I don't expect to have regrowth until Christmas. I'm realistic. You can't change your body chemistry overnight.

It is still falling out and it has been a long time

I guess it has been all summer that my hair has been falling out. I noticed it in May and started taking the Thymuskin, shortly thereafter getting the injections. I didn't start taking aloe vera until sometime in June. I started in on the oral steroids in July, but gave up on them after three weeks. They didn't seem to slow down the hair fallout at all. Last week, I switched from a liquid form of aloe vera to a capsule that is supposed to be more potent. noticed the patches of regrowth last week and decided it was worth it to try the oral prednisone again. However, I haven't noticed a decrease in my hair fallout. I still feel my scalp and notice symptoms of inflammation like heat and redness. I don't know if the aloe in the capsule is stronger or not. I'm assuming it is. It gives me diahrea. I will cut back the dosage in a couple days and that side effect should go away. It isn't bad though. Just some loose watery stools. I think the capsules are stronger because I do have that side effect. On the liquid aloe vera, I didn't experience that side effect. We shall see.

My sister's perspective

My sister has been alopecia universalis for five years. We have had different experiences in terms of alopecia. She has given up hope on the idea of her hair growing back. Injections did not work for her and they worked for me. She couldn't try prednisone because of her diabetes. I tried it, but it was not successful in arresting the hair fallout. I find it interesting that she has given up hope and doesn't see the cause as the same in both of us. She says it is her white blood cells. I call it inflammation because I can see redness sometimes and feel heat. But, white blood cells are behind the inflammation. For me, it is just a matter of getting that under control and then the hair will grow back. She has regrowth on occasion in small areas that usually falls out. She tried a poison ivy treatment that didn't nothing more than irritate her scalp and grow peach fuzz. There are lots of products on the market that she hasn't tried, yet she claims she has tried everything. Interesting how people have different perspectives.

More hair fallout

Tons more hair fell out in the shower this morning. I just ran my fingers through it and pulled out more handfuls of loose hairs. That is disappointing. It means that the aloe vera and oral cortizones aren't stopping the inflammation. What gives? I'm noticing that there are more bald areas on my right arm despite the ones on my left arm filling in. I'm going to try icing my head. That is supposed to help reduce inflammation. It is free. We'll see if it works. Although I doubt it.

More redness this morning...more will fall out

I noticed more redness on my scalp this morning. I know that area will fall out soon. I put the aloe vera gel on my head this morning. I am adjusting to the lack of sleep with the prednisone again, but I only have one more week worth of those pills. I still have more hope that the aloe vera capsules are going to help me in the long run. Natural therapies are always preferrable to steroids in my opinion. And aloe does help a sunburn heal. It should help calm the inflammation somehow.