I may have stated this already here, but since the time change (well over a month ago) I've been having one heck of a time trying to fall asleep at night. For that first week, I just blew it off b/c of the time change. But after a few weeks of not falling to sleep until WELL after my bed time (sometimes around 2am!!) I decided I needed to head to the Dr. I've in the past had Lunesta prescribed to me... but... I have to pay every penny of my prescriptions until I hit my $1050 deductible (until last years surgery, I have never come close to hitting a deductible in one year!!). The Lunesta pills do not have a generic yet, and they are like $7 per pill... So I needed to get something different. I called the Dr hoping to have them call in a prescription since I've had sleeping issues in the past, but they said no, you must come in. I didn't make an appointment at that time, I thought I'd wait to see if I can get adjusted myself with the over the counter sleep aids I've been using.
About a week and a half ago I was getting out of the shower, and about to comb my wet hair... I noticed that I could see my scalp where my bangs started, I thought I don't remember it ever being that way before... I just shrugged it off and kinda forgot about it until the next day when I saw it again. A few days after that I noticed that about a half an inch back from my hair line I had this strange bald area... It is about an inch long and probably a quarter of an inch wide. I thought now that is SUPER strange. Again I shrugged it off... but each day seeing it again and again it started really bothering me. I showed it to my parents on Monday night, and they thought it was strange too. I talked to a couple of my hair stylist friends and asked them their take on it.... I forwarded a photo of it to my friend Ashley who told me that I should get in to see the Dr. So I called my Dr for a second time in a week.... this time I set an appointment.
Went in on Tuesday, and she prescribed me some medicine to help me sleep that wouldn't break the bank(YEAY!)... She also told me that I needed to see my dermatologist because she suspects my hair loss is Alopecia. I am so thankful that I have a friend that works at my dermatologist because I called her right away after seeing my Dr, and she was able to get me in the next day (had I not had my 'in' it would have been a month or two before I could see anyone!).
Went in on Wednesday and the derm confirmed what my Dr said, that I've got Alopecia Areata. She says it happens to a lot of people, that it may be the only hair I lose, but I may lose more in other places on my scalp. She said it's possible I could lose all of my hair but she said that it's more likely that I will only have little spots like the one that I currently have. She looked for other spots, but couldn't find any (THANK GOD). She also told me that it could have something to do with my thyroid, so she wanted to do blood work to rule that out.
Today I went to the pharmacy and filled my two prescriptions... soon I will be sleeping like a baby and growing hair in my "bald" spot.
1 comment:
I feel for you--I have been suffering very similar things! Because of my TMJ (and also because of the stress associated with it), I have a crazy hard time falling asleep, too. I now take 6 mg of melatonin every night an hour or so before the time I want to fall asleep. other people have claimed that this has given them nightmares--that hasn't been my experience (in fact, I don't remember any of my dreams when I take melatonin).
Last year my hair started shedding A LOT. Went to the doctor--apparently this was caused by going off the birth control pill I'd been on forever and then getting back on that same pill. The doc set me up with a new BCP and Biotin (Biotin is a supplement you can buy in your local drugstore, and it's cheap). In addition, I found some Phyto products at Sephora.com that help significantly reduce shedding (it may help alopecia too, but I'm not sure). And Redken just came out with a new line of products that combats hair loss (alopecia, too)...I haven't tried them yet, but just read about them yesterday on redken.com.
This all started close to a year ago...now I can definitely tell I'm not shedding nearly as much, my doctor says she sees hair regrowth, and my stylist also noticed hair regrowth when I went in for a haircut last month. I can't see it much because the hairs are too short for me to really notice at this point, but I will trust the doc and the stylist!
Hang in there! *hugs*
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