Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Paige
















Over the last year Paige has had some real challenges but she has stayed positive through most of it. here are pictures of her over the last year

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Visiting ohma!

We have been visiting my mother this will be the third day. The kids are having sooo much fun! We are in constant reminder to keep sunblock on paiges head as it burns so easy. We have tried looking for one of those swimming caps but have not found one yet that will fit her. Anyone know of where i can find a childs swimming hat? Paige was excited to talk with my friend Erin from Utah on the phone yesterday. The kids call her grandma Erin. They love her sooooo much.

As for Paige she hasnt been feeling up to par lately the last few days shes been not feeling totally well. I wonder at times if alopecia compromises there immune system. I know not having nostril hair has to play a part in getting sick more often then a normal person as that catches the germs and if they have no hair in there nose what is there to help? You can replace head hair, fake eyebrows and eyelashes but not the nose...
anyway here is my small post for the day. I have tons of pool pictures from yesterday to put on here when i get back.
Have a nice day everyone!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

What is alopecia?

Overview
Alopecia areata is a condition that causes round patches of hair loss.
Symptoms
•Loss of all scalp and body hair (alopecia universalis)
•Loss of all scalp hair (alopecia totalis)
•Roundish patches of hair loss on the head
•Smooth, hairless scalp in the affected areas
Hairs that look like exclamation points are sometimes seen at the edges of a bald patch.
Treatment
No fully effective treatments are available. Typical therapy includes:

•Steroid injection under the skin surface
•Topical corticosteroids
•Ultraviolet light therapy
Irritating drugs may be applied to hairless areas to cause the hair to regrow.
Causes
The cause of alopecia areata is unknown. About a fifth of people with this condition have a family history of alopecia. Alopecia areata may sometimes occur with autoimmune diseases.

Forms of alopecia include:

•Alopecia totalis -- complete loss of scalp hair
•Alopecia universalis -- total loss of all body hair
Tests & diagnosis
On occasion, a scalp biopsy may be performed. Several blood tests may be done, because alopecia areata may occur with autoimmune conditions.
Prognosis
Full recovery of hair is common. However, some people may have a poorer outcome, including those with:

•Alopecia areata at a young age
•Eczema (atopic dermatitis)
•Long-term alopecia
Complications
Permanent hair loss is a possible complication of alopecia areata.

Paige keeping up to date

I was suggested to make a blog about Paige and her alopecia so I am getting it started. I will just update all the way from the beginning in this thread and keep it current and add some pics.

Paige is a 3yr old Live wire! She loves to sing and dance every single day. She also loves to swim and play with her family and Friends. Her favorite color right now is purple as it will change now and then. She is a total girlie girl when it comes to clothing but she loves to rough house with her two little brothers. In February 2010mommy was putting paiggie babys hair in piggies like She did often because paige loved her hair in piggie tails. As I was putting her hair up i discovered a round smooth bald spot under her hair. I was puzzled at first i thought she had pulled it out but noticed it was very smooth. I then looked around her hair and found another one. I was freaked out. My daughter was losing her hair but why? I immediatly called her pediatrician and they got her in the next day. The doctor knew what it was but because he hadnt seen it himself at his office he looked it up. Sure enough it was alopecia areata. We also discovered she had four spots on her head instead of the two that i had seen. I was told it would grow back and it would be ok that it might accure again, but everything would be ok. about two weeks after her diagnosis I had brushed her hair one morning i still did her hair in piggies as she liked even with her bald spots, but this time as i brushed her hair it would fall out in handfuls into my hands. I cried and cried now what was happening? within just a few days she had lost all but about 30% of hair from her head. Again i took her to the pediatricans office where he proceeded to tell me that she was not getting alopecia totalis(where they lose all the hair on there head)again i was reassured and told her hair would more then likely grow back. My ped even called primary childrens hospital and made her an appointment to be seen and talked to the actual doctor up there about miss paige. Just a few weeks after that last appointment i noticed Paige had started to lose her eyelashes as well and after further looking she had no hair on her body at all(arms legs, back etc.) she has now lost all of her eyelashes and eyebrows and has about 10% if that on her head. It has now turned into alopecia Universalis
She is still a happy little girl, but the month or so she has been very sad when it comes to her hair. She wants to know why its gone and when it will grow back. It is hard for me to talk about just because i hate seeing her so sad, but we do. We will not let her think she is different just because she has no hair. We have had a bit of people ask us if Paige is ok because they heard she had cancer. No she has alopecia I am greatful that is all it is and not cancer, but its still a little hard to deal with. Its sad to see your little girl go from being so outgoing and energetic to now gets sad and shy when she is around people. She was never that way. Alot of people think she is alot younger then she is as well i assume from her hair loss she looks more babylike and we have people ask where is your hair? We tell them and then they are upset they asked. I want people to ask! I would rather people ask then to stare like there is something wrong. People need to know of this because there are tons of beautiful Men,women and children out there with this very same thing!

I have been asked by family and friends to post a blog and make it available to let people donate money to get paige a wig. When she turns 6 she will qualify for wigs from hair club from men but until then they are very expensive. If you would like to donate hair,money,hats,wigs,hair bands please contact me for more info.
Thank you to all those people in my life that have been here with us through this!