Not many people have ever heard of Alopecia areata. The National Alopecia Areata Foundation defines it as:

Alopecia Areata (al-oh-PEE-shah air-ee-AH-tah) is a highly unpredictable, autoimmune skin disease resulting in the loss of hair on the scalp and elsewhere on the body. This common but very challenging and capricious disease affects approximately 1.7 percent of the population overall, including more than 5 million people in the United States alone. Due to the fact that much of the public is still not familiar with alopecia areata, the disease can have a profound impact on one's life and functional status, both at work and at school.

I have suffered from this disease since I was 5 years old. Mine happens to be stress induced. We first noticed the bald spots on my head when I was five. I remember the teachers and doctors thinking that I had a vitamin deficiency or something. They even went so far as to talk about giving me steriod shots. Thank God my mother decided against it. I guess at that time not many people knew about it. In fact, I didn't even have a name for what was wrong until I was around 11 when a hair dresser finally told me what was wrong with me. It was nice to have a name and reason, but growing up with it wasn't easy. Often I didn't know I even had one until it was too late.

Mine always surfaces on my head, and luckily it eventually grows back. Some people are not that lucky. I was picked on mercilessly at times growing up, but I learned to find them early and style my hair to that others don't know. The trickiest time was during my wedding. Obviously it was a highly stressful time, and of course I got one rightin the front of my hairline where my part was. That one was hard to hide since I could pin, curl etc right there. But no one knew the difference and soon the baby fine hair began to grow again.

Well, I just found another one. Right at the top of my head. I was scratching my head during a meeting at work and there it was. Alpha Male inspected it and confirmed it was the size of his thumb and bald as a baby's butt. Figures. And this one is bothering me more than they have in a long time. I guess I thought that it was over. I couldn't be that lucky.

What is causing the stress? More than likely it is financial. I am so far behind on my bills and it is a constant source of stress for me. I really need to get a second job, but I know in my heart that I wouldn't be able to stand being away from my babies so I am trying to figure out a way to pay them off and save every penny I can. Of course the car taxes are due soon. Why is $220 fair? Ouch!

Anyway. Just thought that I would share a little bit of myself that I don't readily admit to the outside world. Now to decide what to do with my hair. I really want to cut it all off, but I am chicken.

Nighty night all. Alpha male is gone for the night and So You Think You Can Dance is on. Gotta go indulge in mindless reality TV!