Exclaimation Point Hairs! Stress, Emails, and Blogging

So first of all, I got my hair cut last week.  I liked it long, and had been growing it out for the last year or so since my AA had been so good and most of it has stayed filled in.  BUT!  I realized that I am a short hair girl at heart.  I like it 10x better short; it's pretty much back to how it was cut when this all started.  : )

Secondly, I QUIT MY JOB!  My last day was June 29th.  I'm starting my own small business doing freelance graphic design, as well as making art pieces to show and sell.  I'm really happy and excited!  I am confident it will be great, but along with that comes the stress.  And with the stress comes...guess what...more hair loss.  Argh!  haha it's really not bad at all, but I am noticing a steady increase in loose hair, mostly exclaimation point hairs.  I think they're coming out in front, it seems to be getting thinner (my last post shows the front area that had already been thinning some).  I'm sort of anticipating another round of patches soon, though I'm not really worried about it.  I'll go bald to follow my passion and build my own reality any day.

There are a few things that've been rolling around in my mind lately I would like to talk about:

EXCLAIMATION POINT HAIRS
I've been asked many times about what these 'exclaimation point hairs' look like, and though I think the description is quite accurate, I thought I would elaborate some.  Exclaimation point hairs don't have a bulb on the root end...the end of the hair just kind of tapers off into nothing.

Here are a couple photos I took of recently fallen hairs.  (Click on the photo to enlarge it)  It's kind of hard to see, but the last 1/8" or so has very little color, and tapers off.  I also made a simple drawing to show what I am talking about more clearly.

Most of my fallen hair lately is like this.  Weird, right?  I am so fascinated by it.

EMAILS FROM (NEW) FRIENDS + WHAT WORKS FOR THEM

I mentioned before that I have been getting emails from strangers who have come across my blog.  I've been getting more and more of these lately, and building friendships with people who are going through the same thing I am.  Being able to connect with people all over the world through the magic of the internet makes me feel much less alone.  And to have people tell me that I am an inspiration, and that they are feeling much more positive about their own struggles after talking to me is incredibly flattering, to say the least.  I can't tell you how happy I am to have an impact on people, and to have my experiences help in the way they have.  I am so grateful for all of it.

I've been asking my AA friends what they have been doing in terms of treatment, stress management etc. because I find it really interesting that the disease takes a different route for each individual, and that certain things work for some people and not for others.

A few things that have been working for them:

- B vitamins for hair, skin and nails

- Acupuncture to help keep stress in check

- Injections and topical treatment

Several people also have mentioned that once they stopped analyzing their hair loss so closely, and stopped stressing over it, they started having regrowth (like me!).  It makes me really happy to hear about their regrowth, with whatever method they have been using.  I remember how excited I was when I started seeing baby hairs coming in!

BLOGGING

I started this blog a few days after I lost my first large patches; partly to share what was going on with my family (who live across the country) and friends, but mostly for me.  I find it cathartic to write about, especially on the days when it's hard.  Luckily, the hard days are very few and far between now.  I started this for me, and quickly came to realize that it has gotten so much bigger than that.  I have a handful of followers, but so many people come across my blog, I think mostly through scouring the web for information about Alopecia.  I get a ton of views, which is really surprising!  Having people go out of their way to write and tell me that I have enabled them to gain a new perspective on their situation and that because of me they are able to "let it go, it's just hair" has had a huge impact on me.

I feel lucky that this started at a time in my life where this kind of widespread connection is so available to us.  I want to encourage anyone reading this, that if you have something in you that you want to share, blog about it.  Seriously, do it.  You never know whose life you could change, or how it could change your own.