Who Cares?.....It's just hair!

Well this week is Trichotillomania Awareness Week, Oct 1-7th, so I figured I would fill you in on exactly what is is and how I have dealt with it and how I live with it.
Trichotillomania (trick-o-til-o-MAY-nee-ah) is a disorder that causes people to pull out the hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, pubic area, underarms, beard, chest, legs or other parts of the body, resulting in noticeable bald patches. *I don't do my eyelases or eyebrows or pits cuz damn, it hurts, I don't fel pain anywhere else on my body when it comes to pulling, and pulling from the pubic are has turned me into a mild skin picker. *Hair pulling varies greatly in its severity, location on the body, and response to treatment. For some people, at some times, trichotillomania is mild and can be quelled with a bit of extra awareness and concentration. For others, at times the urge may be so strong that it makes thinking of anything else nearly impossible.
Trichotillomania (also referred to as TTM or "trich") is currently defined as an impulse control disorder but there are still questions about how it should be classified. It may seem to resemble a habit, an addiction, a tic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
While the underlying biology is not clearly understood at this time, we do know that people with trichotillomania generally have a neurologically based predisposition to pull their hair as a self-soothing mechanism. The pulling behavior serves as a coping mechanism for anxiety and other difficult emotions. It does not hurt and they are not trying to damage themselves. While the average age of onset is 11, trich can be found in children as young as one year old. Onset of trich can be triggered by simple sensory events, such as itchy eyelashes, or by stressful life events, and it can occur quite suddenly.Hair pulling is not purely a "nervous" behavior, though it is sometimes triggered or exacerbated by stress. Surprisingly, hair pulling is just as often associated with other emotions such as boredom. The strong compulsion to pull out hair exceeds the normal idea of a "habit" that can be controlled through simple will power. *Believe me...if I could stop it I would! I have been pulling for 21 years now! That's longer that most people I know have been alice*Hair pulling can lead to repetitive motion injuries, which do make it painful to move the arms or hands to pull hair. But often the pain cannot deter the urge to pull the hair. Biting or swallowing all or part of the pulled hairs is not uncommon. This behavior can range from harmless when hair roots are nibbled and swallowed, to dangerous when the entire hairs are ingested. *Oooo I have to admit, the roots are the best! I think I started eating my hair initially as a way to hide it from my mom when she would come search my room, and it just stuck. The formation of a hairball (trichobezoar) can lead to intestinal blockage and may require surgery. *I am super lucky that this hasn't happened to me YET!*This is a rare but serious condition that can even be fatal if not treated promptly. The danger is amplified by the fact that many people with trichotillomania are too embarrassed to seek medical treatment.

Ya know, I used to be embarressed by my hair pulling. In middle school it was the worst because damn, preteens are mean as hell!! I tried not to go to school as much as possible because there were a group of guys that made my life miserable everychance they got. I was going to therapy and on heavy doses of medication back then to help "cure" me. I ended up in the hospital after swallowing a bottle of pills. The anti depressants I was on made me severly lethargic and suicidal. I to this day and thankful that Monique was at my house that night and was able to tell her mom what I had done so I was taken to the hospital before I fell asleep. Let me tell you, drinking charcoal freakin sucks!! But it beats having your stomach pumped!!
Once I got into highschool I was deemed "undateable" by the powers that be in teen land. When I look back, damn those guys missed out cuz damn did they see me? I hate to toot my own horn but I was hot as hell in highschool!! I had huge boobs, a six pack, a killer smile and well, no ass, but hey can't that be overlooked?! lmao Those same guys that wouldn't date me in school were trying to get it in after highschool, and some of them succeeded. I have to admit I turned into quite a lil floozy after highschool even though I had a great boyfriend that adored me. I felt wanted and accepted when I was putting out. I do know that I wasn't wanted or excepted, I was just being a slut. Ah well, it was FUN!! I got over caring what anyone thought about my hair or lack of it along time ago. I figured if you can't get past my hair but I can get past ur ugly face or little man, you don't deserve my time!!
I started wearing wigs in 07. Why the hell didn't anyone show me a damn wig shop when I was in school? Thank you Angela for dragging me into one. I remember where it was too! She drove my but all the way to Lemert Park in LA to get some hair. I almost cried in the car. I told her there was no way in hell I was going in there, I was way too embarressed. Her exact words were, "But you aren't embarressed to walk around looking like that?" The thing about that girl is she keeps it 100 all the time! She was right. I walked in there and put some damn hair on. My first one was a short spikey cut with lil bangs. I rocked that hair!! Now I am officially a girl! I obsess over my hair like it is actually growing outta my head! I LOVE WIGS!!! Everyone should own one!!! As a matter a fact I'm going to end this so I can order some more!!!! :)