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Please help, I'm at the end of my rope

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Please help, I'm at the end of my rope

Postby Katy72 » Wed Aug 13, 2014 5:04 pm

I've never shared my story in a place like this, but my trich is constantly getting worse and I realize I need help.
I started pulling when I was in 6th grade, about 11 years old. I'm now 19 and it has gotten progressively worse. I always preferred pulling from my scalp because it didn't require tweezers and I could pull virtually anywhere. This resulted in huge bald patches. When my parents first noticed, my dad yelled at me a lot (as if that would actually help...) My mom was very supportive and understanding because she's dealt with the same problem. I used to be able to hide the patches by either changing my part or putting my hair up but last December it became impossible to hide and I decided to shave my head. Being a 19 year old girl, that was really difficult for me. I was very self conscious and no longer felt feminine. My boyfriend at the time broke up with me because he said he was "ashamed" to be seen with me. I thought that being so torn down would be enough motivation to stop pulling, but it wasn't. I've shaved my head about 6 more times since, yesterday being the most recent. It's even more noticeable now because it grows in extremely patchy. I don't want to do this anymore but I'm at a loss. I get stressed about pulling which just causes me to pull more, it's a never ending cycle.
I just want to be happy and feel beautiful again. If anyone has any suggestions at all, I'm open to everything. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story.
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Re: Please help, I'm at the end of my rope

Postby jeannalou » Sun Aug 17, 2014 10:19 pm

It is possible to buy wigs made especially for people with trich. I've never needed to use one myself but I have heard a fantastic review from YouTuber Beckie0. Secondly whoever that guy was SCREW HIM! If he was such a dick to you about it he isn't worth it. Gaining self confidence helps immensely in my experience. The day I started making friends at school my pulling levels nose dived without any conscious effort from me. Love yourself first and then concentrate on being pull free if thats what you want. The YouTuber I mentioned before makes an amazing case for the acceptance method of dealing with Trich.
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Re: Please help, I'm at the end of my rope

Postby ItsMee » Sun Sep 07, 2014 9:41 pm

I know exactly what you are going through. I've been pulling since I was 11 years old and now I'm 18 and still struggle in and out. It got worse for me as time went on for sure. What usually seemed to help me not pull as much was just finding things I liked to randomly do to keep my hands and mind busy like playing the guitar or knitting hats. Or if I was out all day busy doing things with certain people, that would cause me to forget about pulling and I would go a whole day without pulling. Recently my pulling got so bad that my whole head would hurt and I would feel sick and terrible for what I was doing to myself. So one night while I was lying in bed I told myself that I was going to stop and I downloaded an app that tells you how many days its been since your last pull. That night it said It had been 10 minutes since my last pull and just seeing that made me proud. I checked it every night and the counter kept getting higher. It has now been almost two whole months without me pulling hair from my head and I'm so happy. I feel so much better all around, and looking at the app helps me sometimes. I know that people have their own ways to cope and sometimes things don't work but I know you will figure a way that works for you. Just don't give up, you've got this. You are bigger than this, I believe in you.
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Re: Please help, I'm at the end of my rope

Postby Katy72 » Sun Sep 07, 2014 10:41 pm

@ItsMee That's awesome! Congratulations on going that long without pulling :) it's only been about a day for me. I think I may try that app you mentioned, what's the name of it?
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Re: Please help, I'm at the end of my rope

Postby ItsMee » Sun Sep 07, 2014 10:59 pm

Thank you very much! And congratulations to you for going a day without pulling, that's a big deal!
The app I found was created for people who want to quit smoking so it shows how much you save money wise but other than that it is pretty cool. The app is called Quitter. You type in whatever you want like "my last pull" and it will count how many days you've gone without pulling. And what's cool is that there is a window where you can upload a picture to inspire you if you need to look at something to motivate you. I put a picture of my boyfriend smiling really big in that window, so every time I look at it it inspires me to take care of myself and keep going:) It's pretty cool, give it a try!
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Re: Please help, I'm at the end of my rope

Postby Trichmale1979 » Mon Sep 08, 2014 2:31 am

I was totally bald . Now I have healthy hair . You need to learn say NO to pulling . I know it is hard . But start to build a wall to say NO. Forget about your boyfriend he is not reliable partner and needs to grow up.:)Trust me it stops asking you to pull after a while. If you learn how to avoid pulling.
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