We are still searching for the answers ……
What seems like just a few short months ago , I shared with you the story and background on how I lose all of my hair . If you are novel follower or missed the original tale , you’re able to read it here : Life Throws Us An Unexpected Curveball
October 2017 – The first month I was completely denudate .
October 2017 – The first month I was completely bald.
Since publishing that clause 6 months ago , we have received so many lyric of boost , persuasion and prayers from all of you and we ca n’t carry enough how much we treasure your support and kindness .
We have n’t blab about it publicly on the website since that sentence . There is too much gardening , DIY projects and recipes to incubate for that !
However , over the retiring match of month many of you have accomplish out to check in on me to see how matter were go . Because we truly think that you are an extension of our family , we think now would be a skilful time to give you an update and how we are still searching for the answers .
Jim and I in Roanoke, Virginia shortly after I lost all of my hair.
First , let ’s take a minute to go back to October 2017 . At that time I was diagnose with a sudden onset , autoimmune upset called Alopecia Totalis . That meant that I lost about all of the hair on my scalp .
This condition has no definite cause and no curative . However , if you read the tale of how we mystify to this pointedness , we definitely could find some likely triggers to the onset of the disorder .
The good news is that I have a non - scarring form of alopecia , which mean that regrowth is likely !
Jim and I in Roanoke , Virginia shortly after I lost all of my whisker .
The Dermatologist that I was see want to do an experimental intervention with me . He had heard from other physicians that a popular unwritten medicine used to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis helps you grow your pilus back . Because a freshly introduced medicinal drug seemed to tumble off my alopecia , this was n’t a route that I was willing to take .
I went online to see what I could discover . However , the net can be a grave place when you are searching for aesculapian result . From personal experience tale to connection - Maryland , I found conflicting info on potential causes and intervention options .
My hair started to come back in the front, but if you look closely in the back, you can see a bald spot.
During each article I read a common idea kept show up . I quickly see that food can be a trigger to a fortune of medical condition . Even intellectual nourishment that we perceive as salubrious for us ( like tomatoes , peppers , potatoes , etc .. ) can be toxic to some people . SeeDr . Grundy ’s Book – The Plant Paradox
I have always been a fairly sizeable feeder . I love oodles of garden veggie and run through little cherry-red pith . Yes , I do love a effective pizza pie or chicken wings now and then , but I scarce ever over indulge myself on junk foods .
My hair set off to derive back in the front , but if you face closely in the back , you may see a bald blot .
I just could n’t imagine that the food for thought I was eating would be capable to cause that much harm to my own body .
The only thing that I could do was extinguish foods that have the high-pitched potential to cause an inflammatory response in the organic structure . I basically began to eat mostly vegetable ( minus those in the nightshade family ) and limited origin of grass - fed , or rampantly - take in center .
My pilus began to grow back , but in patches . I had a Brobdingnagian ‘ target ’ on the back of my foreland where the nerve center patch get in , but the surround circumference was still without hair .
From the front, it looks like my hair was growing back fine. That is why there are no pictures of the back or top of my head!
I also had several temporary hookup on the peak of my head that refused to grow hair , while the sides and top part of my head germinate new growth .
My hair was make out back curly and with more gray than I commend . But I did n’t beware , at least it was hair !
I would stick to the nutritional limitations for a couple of weeks , and then it materialise … .. phratry role , sporting events , just one slicker repast , etc …
And of course , just one patch of pizza reintroduced gluten , dairy and nightshades all in the same bite . Sure enough , I would wake up the next day with a rash on my face .
From the front , it looks like my hair was growing back fine . That is why there are no pictorial matter of the back or top of my head !
The rash first started on each side of my oral fissure and down to my chin . This rash I was conversant with before I lost my hair’s-breadth .
Dermatographia – Writing on the skin causing a histamine/hive reaction.
Looking back at it now , it was the first sign that something in my trunk was different .
About 1 yr prior to my haircloth fall out , I noticed that I would get a light rash on my chin . It would scratch a little and it really was n’t that noticeable to anyone else .
My pelt has always been raw so I first chalked it up to poison something that I surely got while working around the farm . This rash kept coming and going and sometimes even needed a small superman of Prednisone to relieve it .
But now , each clock time I let something slip back into my diet , the skin rash got smart and get to spread to my cheeks and eventually spread to my eyebrow and hairline .
Not only was the rash fuck off bad , I noticed that the pilus that began to grow back was begin to fall out again .
I was frustrated ! ! ! ! It was now February and not only did I begin to lose my pilus again , but my face was bespeckle with a bright crimson rash most days of the workweek .
Our farm fresh eggs that I will no longer be able to enjoy.
This is when the sadness impinge on me . I was okay with have got a rash OR lose my whisker . But both seemed like way too much for me !
I have never been one to wear off a lot of constitution . But I found myself spending more time trying to cover up the blizzard with concealer than I had ever spent catch quick for an evening out . It just was n’t ‘ me ’ .
Jim would always tell me how beautiful I was and how he loved my patchy crinkly whisker as it begin to grow . He gave me loads of clinch , encouragement , and he always place upright proudly by my side when we were out in public .
He never batted an eye when someone would look strangely our way or when I told him someone enjoin I look like my principal had been pecked by a poulet . Really , that did happen ! ! !
We would smile and eventually express joy through it all , but I knew something had to be done .
I wanted to find someone to help me find oneself the root of the job and not just treat a condition . I looked through our insurance provider and we did n’t have a Functional Medicine Physician approve in our internet .
So I went the next best route – allergic reaction and immunology testing !
Dermatographia – Writing on the skin causing a histamine / hive response .
I finally got into an Allergy clinic with hope that tegument examination for certain intellectual nourishment item would lead me to know what was causing this awful rash on my face .
I arrived at the situation in such a good mood , knowing that response could be on the celestial horizon . fiddling did I jazz , there would be another bump in the route .
As I state before , I have always had very sensible skin . I get poison common ivy just by looking at it and if I get a mosquito insect bite , it turn lustrous red and swell up up to the diameter of a softball .
One reappraisal of my medical story form and a unsubdivided test , and the Physician knew that I could n’t have hide allergy examination completed on me .
He took the top of a rubber stylus and ‘ wrote ’ on my back . Five minutes later he returned and he could visually see what he pen on my skin – HIVES . A condition known as dermatographia ( writing on the cutis ) .
This meant that my cutis would react to whatever potential allergen was usher in . Not because of a true allergy , but because my peel would mechanically release histamines to seek to protect itself from being touched .
UGHHHHHHHH ! ! ! ! ! !
He did n’t recall the rash that was on my expression was a true allergy to anything , specially not food for thought . But when I explained and reexplained my story and research , along with unblushing pleading , I convinced him to do some blood allergy examination .
Since each blood allergic reaction test is nutrient specific , I was asked which unity I thought could be causing the response . I name the most mutual inflammatory food , along with nutrient that I eat systematically in hopes to nail down down the culprit .
Our farm saucy egg that I will no longer be able to bask .
After a week of wait , I finally got the call . All bollock , dairy farm , gluten and nightshade kinsfolk foods came out negative !
The one trial that came out as confirming for an allergy – EGGS ! Both testis whites alone and combined testis white and yolk .
The one food point that I did n’t eliminate from my diet because I only ate the eggs from our own pasture raised chickens . In fact , I probably ate more eggs than I had before because I had limited my dietary consumption to so little foods .
So , now the next stride in the road to recovery begins . I am not sure it is the last stair , but it is definitely a step in the veracious direction !
It has only been a few day since we discovered the intelligence , so I am adjusting to a new stage set of dietary restriction . However , I am sooooooo well-chosen that I can have my love apple , peppers and Irish potato back in my dieting !
And I am also excited that I was ‘ pull ’ to try solid food that I would never have consider through this cognitive process . Who be intimate coconut aminos would become my soy sauce replacement . And I never think I would consume , and like so many case of mushrooms !
I would wish to thank all my friends , phratry ( including my internet family from around the world ) for all of your love , reinforcement and kindness during this mad bump in the route that we call life . You have made the process gentle to handle and on the hard days , your genial actor’s line continue to lift my spirits up .
I look forward to the next update post when I can hopefully show you the newest tomentum vogue or tell you more funny tale on the things people say !
Mary and Jim
To receive our 3 Home , Garden , Recipe and Simple Life article each workweek , signalise up below for our free email listing . you could also follow us on Facebook , Twitter , Pinterest , or Instagram . This article may contain affiliate links .
