My Patient's College Essay on Overcoming Alopecia Areata

The following is a college essay from a 17 year old patient of mine, Hallie, whose medical story is quite inspiring.  She has given me permission to post it online. 

"I was in the familiar position, sitting on a chair, hunched over, my long thick hair hanging in front of my face.  My mother prodded and poked at the spot on my scalp right above the nape of my neck, looking at the red, scaly skin that was itchy, painful and extremely annoying.  I was immediately alarmed when I heard my mother utter a gasp of shock.   When she informed me that a round patch of my hair was missing, I went from feeling shocked to feeling a profound sadness.   My mother never would have noticed this had she not been about to apply a cortisone cream to my already unfortunate dilemma of psoriasis.  Psoriasis is a serious autoimmune disease that results in red, scaly patches on the skin.  I was given several topical ointments to counteract the psoriasis, but some caused terrible side effects, and regrettably none were effective.  By this point, I could no longer wear my hair in a ponytail for fear that my friends would spot my red scalp.  We were both terrified and unsure of what this bald patch was.  Was it a side-effect of the medication?  Was it a symptom of psoriasis?  We immediately made an appointment with the dermatologist to discover the answers to our questions.

As the doctor entered the room, my palms became sweaty and I trembled with fear.  I had had an abnormal amount of skin problems in the past prior to having psoriasis, and I was worried that this could be the worst one of all.  After examining my scalp, the doctor told me that I had a condition known as alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease which causes large patches of hair loss. The doctor seemed so calm regarding the situation, which angered me.  By the frightened look on my mother’s face, I could tell that she was experiencing the same feelings as I was.

After discussing the diagnosis, he explained that the only treatment that might work was steroids.  Rather than pills, however, I would be injected in my scalp wherever hair was missing.  The doctor warned me that he could not promise that the hair would grow back, nor was there any treatment to cure the disease.  

My mother and I immediately Googled “alopecia areata”, and the search results were terrifying.   I was a 16 year old girl, a sophomore in High School, and going bald was one of the worst possible scenarios for me.  

We were not satisfied with the inadequate medical solution the doctor prescribed for me, so we continued our investigation.  We decided to get a second opinion from a well-known, respected doctor who practiced both conventional and alternative medicine.

Our first meeting with Dr. Kroner brought back another rush of fear of the unknown.  But unlike the dermatologist, she was understanding, which enabled me to relax.  She explained that psoriasis and alopecia areata are related because they are both autoimmune diseases.  She predicted that I had sensitivities to certain foods that were preventing the absorption of necessary nutrients into my body.  She administered extensive blood tests which confirmed her suspicions.  The doctor prescribed a long list of vitamins and supplements in which I was deficient. 

Dr. Kroner then educated me on the diet I would now strictly follow.  I could no longer eat gluten (a protein found in wheat), casein (a protein found in dairy products), chocolate, sugar, soy, or oils other than olive oil.   My eyes filled with tears as I thought about my favorite foods, ice cream and pizza, which at the time, I didn’t believe I could live without. 

The following day I told my friends about my new diet.  They were concerned and were curious as to why I had to deal with such a terrible predicament.  I was too embarrassed to tell them that my hair was falling out so I told them I was experiencing stomach problems.  It was hard to think about what would happen if my hair loss became noticeable.  I was worried that I would be teased or pitied.  I decided that at the moment, I should simply follow my diet and hope that my hair would grow back.

A few weeks later, a new health food store opened in my neighborhood.  When I walked in, I saw that there was an entire gluten-free section!  They had everything from cookies to pasta.  I was overjoyed and felt suddenly at ease with my diet.  Now I could snack on more than just nuts.

After a month, it was time for my next doctor visit.  She told me that I should get the steroid injections from the dermatologist in order to speed up the growth process.  We trusted her and returned to the dermatologist.

A few months later, my mother was checking my scalp as she regularly did when she noticed that not only had the psoriasis healed, but a few small hairs were beginning to grow back.  We were extremely excited.  However, other patches continued to fall out.

Throughout the duration of my disease, I continued working hard in school and participating in many extracurricular activities.  Despite the dire situation, I managed to ignore it and continue to live my life.  Instead of constantly worrying about the future of my disease, I maintained a positive attitude as well as my usual confidence.  I was never one to get stressed, and so I put my disease out of my mind, while continuing my strict diet. 

Hair continued to grow back to my delight.  A year and a half later, I was told that there was no more hair loss.  It was the most wonderful news!  It was right after final exams of my junior year and the approaching end of my disease was a huge relief.

I believe that in addition to the diet, vitamins, supplements and steroid injections, I was able to overcome this disease because of my upbeat personality.  I focused on my schoolwork and on achieving my goals and I avoided thinking about the negative aspects of life.  I knew that letting depressing thoughts take over my life would not benefit me mentally or physically.

Fortunately, I was able to overcome this disease due to my perseverance and positive attitude.  I could have let it consume my life, but instead I held my head up high and continued on ."

Hallie K., Long Island, New York

Photo of another alopecia areata patient:


Dr. K




Posted by Zina Kroner at 2/2/2010 2:25 PM
Categories: Patient Stories
Tags: alopecia areata zina kroner autoimmune disease college essay gluten free natural approach to alopecia supplements
Previous Post
Next Post

 

What did you think of this article?




Trackbacks
Trackback specific URL for this post
  • No trackbacks exist for this post.
Comments
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)
Page: 1 of 1
Page: 1 of 1
Leave a comment

Submitted comments are subject to moderation before being displayed.

 Name

 Email (will not be published)

 Website

Your comment is 0 characters limited to 3000 characters.