My story by Harry Bos

The discotheque were my girlfriend and I were out for the evening, was very crowded. There was one guy at the bar with a couple of friends, and he started to be a little annoying. He made some nasty remarks to my girlfriend and was starting to get on my nerves. Suddenly it happened, he turned around and broke his glass on a nearby wall. It felt like a smash but he pushed the glass in to my face. It fell against the bar  whit the thoughts to give the guy a good beating, but when I looked at my girlfriend and the people around me, the faces of those people and specially that of my girlfriend looked shocked. Because of the smash there was a big wound in my face and the blood was poring out very fast. The first thing that came up was to see this my self and I started running to the toilets. It didn’t look very good I can tell you. The owner of the bar was also shocked and offered to bring me to the nearest hospital.

A few days later I didnt feel that well, and the only thing I could think about was to get back at the guy that did this to me. Two days later when the shock was almost gone but the anger toward the guy who did this to me was still there. My girlfriend, now my wife, told me that the first couple of days I was very far away whit my thoughts. It all happened so fast.

The reason that I start my story like this is that I'm very sure that it got everything to do whit the disease Alopecia Areata that I have today. Six months later it all happened, my wife was cutting my hair as usual and noticed some small patches in the middle of my scalp. We didn’t give it any thoughts at the time and I said to my wife that it maybe had something to do with my work. I was working as a car technician and gave maintenance to al types of cars and maybe burned my hair on a hot pipe. When I took a shower and discovered that there ware allot of hairs in the drain. When combing my hair there were a lot of hairs sticking in the comb. I was very concerned where this all was coming from and gave the blame to the stuff that we were using in the garage to clean bumpers and tires. My employer was not waiting on a visit from the labour inspection, and told me that the used the stuff for about 10 years and he didn’t hear any complains about it.

Going to the local doctor for the first time. Because the patches on my scalp were getting larger and larger and there was no hair what so ever coming back on these bold spots. The doctor told me that he had seen this before and made an appointment for  an visit to the hospital. He didn’t say the name Alopecia Areata, go and visit my colleague he is a specialist and can tell you more about this. The First appointment was two weeks later at Ikazia Hospital in Rotterdam. Ok sir put your cloths on that bench and follow me, the assistant said. I did found it very strange that I had to do a complete strip, it concerned my head and not my complete body? But it was clearly that there was something ells cooing on.

Yes sir, we think that it is an allergic reaction to something in your environment the assistant told me. Well I did not found that strange at all, whit the stuff that we used in the garage on my mind she could be right. The assistant asked me to bring a sample of the stuff so it could tested on my body. And we will also make a complete test she said, I aspect you back next week. The allergy test was a dart game and it looked like the enjoyed it. Over 40 spots where injected whit different samples and marked whit a number. I wasn’t very happy about all of this and a couple of spots were already showing some allergic reactions.

After   a week the only thing the could tell me was that I had an allergic reaction towards cats and that I had an very heavy reaction to some grasses. Well tell me something new, last summer I found that out already and it doesn’t make you happy at all. Why was my hair falling out did the already now this? Ok sir, we will try something with ultraviolet the assistant told me, it will help I’m sure. Could be but I was still not knowing what was going on and the doctors neither if you ask me. After the treated me 10 times I was completely bold and the very tinted on the head hi, but no hair was growing at all I was still a boldy.

In tree months I was completely bold and none of the treatment seams to work. I saw that the hairs from other parts of my body where disappearing in the sink. I will advice you to go to my colleague the next doctor told me, he has seen problem before Alopecia!! Well that was not to difficult, he said the word Alopecia, was this the disease where the all talk about. But could anybody tell me why Alopecia strikes me? Well sir there are some investigations in the USA but over here it is still a new thing so go and talk to somebody in a academic hospital maybe the can tell you more. So a week later I went to the academic hospital Dijkzicht in Rotterdam. There were not to many people waiting in the waiting room and after 30 minutes it was my turn.

In the first interview we talked about the ultraviolet treatments and the allergy tests. Undress your self-sir, I will be right there with a colleague she told me. My chest hair and pubic hair was completely gone and I thought the would see this to get a good picture what was going on. Before I new it the room was filled whit 5 students who would take a look at the strange bird that was on the table. Oooh, sorry sir, we are students and we are writing a script on Alopecia do you mind if we take a look? I must have known better, it was an academic hospital so what would you expect. The could have asked me if I approved whit all of this.

After been true all of this, the doctor told me he was sure it was Alopecia Areata. There was a treatment whit Medoxdiciel he told me, it is a fluid that was known to be a suppressor of high bloodpressior for women and give them hair on there legs and face. So why not try this on Harry’s head and see what happens? Do I get my hair back white this stuff I asked him, well sir I cannot give you any guarantees that it will but we can at least try? You must put the stuff on the scalp sir, this is what the doctor told me 1 week later during his consulting our. I have a bottle whit a concentration of 15 %, start whit this and come back next week. If this stuff would work I did know, well I could at least try it and hope for the best.

The first week did show any result, was it word the effort the to proceed with it? My scalp was itsy and red of colour but now hair was growing at all. Four weeks later in hospital the receptionist told me that the doctor was on a vacation and his assistant would help instead. Well sir, tell me what is going on this what the assistant asked me, strange that I had to tell him what my condition was. I’m here for a treatment whit the medicine Medoxdiciel sir. Ok let’s try a stronger concentration this time and see is it gives any result. After one our the stuff begun to burn like hell and my head turned red like a tomato, I didn’t trust any of this and yes in the evening there were little blisters on my head. Two days later my head was covered whit blisters big like a dime. The concentration that he had used was much to high I was very angry with this guy because he treated me like a test case and never had any idea what he was doing. After this experience my trust in all the doctors was completely cone and I never visited a hospital again.It is 17 years ago that I visited the hospital for the last time and seen a specialist on AA I think you can imagine why. Because I still have not found why I have AA I started this website to share information and talk ore write about this disease. I hoop that you had any benefit in reading this story, if you have any questions about it, please feel free to me at any time. All comment and reaction are welcome positive ore negative. Thank you for reading my story.

< Copyright © 1993, Harry Bos  Netherlands Europe.