Quick Update

Hey everyone!

I'm SO sorry I haven't been posting at all. I have a lot going on and my finals for my summer courses are tomorrow and Thursday. Which is why I haven't been posting lately OR responding to emails! I PROMISE I am not ignoring any of you, I just have to deal with school first! I hope you can understand and I will be responding soon!

When I get back to school I plan on writing a post on a set day every week depending on what my schedule allows!

Have anything you want me to address in a post? Comment below or email me!

I love all the support I get from y'all, so I hope you can forgive me for the delay in posts/responses!

My Treatment-Long Post!

First off, I want to thank NAAF for posting my blog on their Facebook page! It means a lot that they support me so that I can better support my readers (YOU)! Second off, I'm so sorry I'm late on this post! I am a college student and I have a lot to take care of before my blog, but from now on I will manage my time better!

So now what you have all been waiting for; my treatment choice. I am fortunate enough that treatment works for me, but it wasn't easy for my to find the right treatment option. It took me about a year and I saw at least 3 doctors. I finally found the right doctor in Wake Forest and they suggest cortisone injections into the scalp. My original doctor had AA, but it was too far of a drive for me to go every couple weeks.

SO cortisone injections into the scalp...sounds scary right? It really isn't. I started getting the injections when I was 12. The first nurse practitioner who gave them to me wasn't very gentle and was rude to me and my mother. She said I was overreacting and was being childish..well I was 12 and getting a needle put in my head..so yeah I might have been upset and crying. Needless to say, we didn't go back and at that point I was dead set against this treatment. A few months after this, I lost more hair and was so devastated that I told my mom we could find another doctor and I would try again. Luckily, this is when I found my wonderful doctor (who happens to be my friends dad). I now get my shots every 4 weeks and it works for me.

I want to share the process with you, so that if you decide to explore the option with your doctor you will know what to expect. Before I go to my appointment, I use numbing cream on my scalp. My doctor knew how much I hated needles (definitely my biggest fear), and suggest using numbing cream on my patches to make the process less painful. BELIEVE ME IT WORKS!  I use this, but your doctor might suggest something else:

I usually have someone (my mom or roommates) help me apply the numbing cream to the back of my head. When my mom helps, she uses a brown eyeliner pencil to mark each spot that has numbing cream. This helps us and my doctor to keep track of each numbed area! I also usually tally the number of spots in my phone and list where they are so it is a quick process!  I literally just use some eyeliner I found in my house, but I suggest dedicating 1 to just your injections or else you'll get numbing cream on your eyes and that just isn't pleasant.

So then I go to my appointment and get my shots (usually 20-40)! It still hurts, I'm not going to lie. It's painful for 5-10 seconds per shot and then its over. It is nowhere near as bad as you would expect. There will be blood but not a lot. I bleed minimally:

After my appointment I usually go home and take some tylenol or advil, because you will have a headache from all the pressure! You will also notice some divots in your scalp-totally normal from the needle pressure.

I know it seems scary for young girls (or anyone), but it IS an option. It has given me my hair and I'm thankful for it. It is about 5 minutes of pain all together, and if you want hair I think it is worth it. I would ease into it with younger patients, and would definitely make an effort to have a closer relationship with your doctor so that they feel safe.

One downfall, is that you cannot skip treatment with this. I skipped 3 months because my NP at school left UK's practice, and I couldn't get an appointment since everyone was overbooked. Skipping 3 months resulted in going from 10% hair loss to at least 25-35% if not MORE hair loss. It was fast and it made me realize that I had to find another doctor at school ASAP.


Here is a picture from after my injections, you can see the eyeliner but there is no blood:

I do realize this is only a viable option for those who have lost patches, but I will focus on other treatments and options later! I'm sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps and is useful to you! Feel free to email me if you have any questions!

Some of you have added me on Facebook or have emailed me and I love it! Continue to do so and I will respond as soon as I can!

Thank you for the support!

-Sammi

Treatment Options

Before you read this post, realize I am not a medical doctor, and I am not trying to be. I am posting the treatment options which have been presented to me personally, and those found on the NAAF website. Everyone is different, so please consult your doctor or the NAAF to help make the best choice for your particular situation!

Over the next few blog posts I will be discussing treatment options! I have tried many different treatments and only one seems to work for me-but I will do my best to remain unbiased.

I know it is difficult to grasp, but realize that as of now that there is no cure for AA and that treatment is not approved by the FDA. Treatment varies case by case, and unfortunately treatment may not work for you individually.

The first treatment I will discuss is the one that works best for me! I'm going to my dermatologist tomorrow (July 10, 2013) and I will post pictures and the process of my treatment!

Until then here are some things I wanted you all to see to help keep you confident:

I suggest making these  your computer background or printing them out and putting them on your mirror! It will be a constant reminder to love yourself and that YOU are BEAUTIFUL. I have these and many other pictures like these on my phone and whenever I feel down about alopecia, I read them and instantly feel better.

-Sammi

Go CONFIDENTLY!

My sorority really is my life. I can't imagine who I would be without Kappa Delta. If not for KD. Kappa Delta supports the Confidence Coalition, and it is something very dear to my heart because my goal is to help whoever reads my blog become more confident while living with alopecia.

Did you know that 90% of all women want to change AT LEAST one aspect of their physical appearance, and that only 2% of women think they are beautiful? The numbers don't lie and they are absolutely shocking. My point is, that you aren't alone. Everyone wants to change something about themselves--but you shouldn't feel that way!

The goal of the confidence coalition is to help empower women and girls to be confident in themselves! God made you the way you are, and you are beautiful!

Alopecia is a disease, but comparatively it isn't as bad on your health as most diseases are. Plenty of models and pageant girls who are judged daily on their beauty have this disease and are still absolutely stunning. Every time you feel that you aren't beautiful enough, remember that you are lucky! Hair is just hair. It doesn't define you and it doesn't decide if you are beautiful or not. You ARE beautiful without it! I know its hard, and I'm guilty of feeling the exact same way, but if you "Go Confidently" you will feel so much better about yourself and live a happier life.

Here is some more information that Kappa Delta has on the confidence coalition: http://www.kappadelta.org/confidencecoalition

If any of you have any topics you would like to discuss, please leave a comment for me!
Or email me with anything at my brand new email goconfidently.copingwithAA@gmail.com

-Sammi

Just a Brief Intro!

Hello everyone!

Since this is my first post on how I cope with alopecia areata (AA) I just wanted to let you all know who I am and what I hope to achieve with this blog! I realize it might not get too popular, but I want to do my best to help young girls cope with AA so that they can still feel beautiful and realize that hair is superficial! :) 

My name is Samantha Davis and I was diagnosed with AA when I was 10 years old. I'm currently 20 years old and a junior at the University of Kentucky. I'm majoring in psychology, with a double minor in math and family sciences. I am a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, have been a competitive cheerleader since I was 8, and I compete in pageants. I am currently Miss Moore County USA 2013, and I will be competing in Miss North Carolina USA in November! I am super excited, and hope to get AA more publicized in order to help find a cure. 

As I said before, I was diagnosed with AA at 10 years old. 10 years old is a pivotal time for young girls, because they are trying to figure out who they really are. It was really hard for me to cope with this, and I hated it when everyone would stare at me. At 10 years old I had over 70% hair loss. I saw doctors after doctors and they finally diagnosed me. Luckily today, I have 25-35% hair loss.

In later posts, I hope to post tips for AA, different treatments, and other miscellaneous things to help girls feel beautiful without all of their hair. I hope that this will give girls a way to talk about their worries and to improve their confidence. 

-Sammi Davis

PS: Happy Belated Fourth of July!
PSS: I will be setting up an email account in a few days, so that girls can email me if they want to talk privately!