David Oliveira

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The Headache That Made Me Want to Hit With My Head on the Wall

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I’m not sure what it was, but it was not pleasant.

headache

It’s not the first time it has happened. A horrible pain. A pain that I cannot explain.

It felt like someone had put a knife through my head. All I wanted was the pain to go away, but it wouldn’t. The more I thought about it, the worst it felt.

So what happened?

A headache – but definitely, not a typical headache.

I am worried. I never felt anything similar. I will need to visit a doctor.

Now that I say that I just had a thought. In the UK, doctors use Google to diagnose their patients. I can do that too.

Google… severe pain on the side of the head.

Here are some of the results:

  • According to NHS cluster headaches are excruciating attacks of pain in one side of the head, often felt around the eye. Cluster headaches are rare. Anyone can get them, but they’re more common in men and tend to start when a person is in their 30s or 40s.

Not sure about this as the pain I felt was not around my eye, but good to know.

  • There are over 300 types of headaches, about 90 per cent of which have no known cause. However, a migraine or a cluster headache are the most likely causes of a headache on the right side of the head. Tension headaches may also cause pain on one side in some people.

More likely. However, the medication didn’t really help. I will definitely seek medical advice because this isn’t the first time it happens.

Do you have any suggestions?

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Inspiring Alopecia Story You Will Want To Read

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I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata in 2012. Here’s what I can tell you about it.

hair loss
Source: Pixabay

Alopecia Is a Form of Hair Loss

It’s not life-threatening or anything, but it can definitely cause lots of mental health issues.

I felt awful when I lost my hair in 2012. It was a difficult period of my life, and it took me ages until I learn how to deal with the situation. Now I finally comfortable to talk about it and share my Alopecia experience with the world.

Alopecia can lead to depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. #alopecia #alopeciaareata #hairloss Click To Tweet

My Alopecia Story

Let’s go back in time. That way, you can see how I looked before all started.

February 2012

The picture below was taken in February 2012, and just in case you’re wondering, the beautiful woman standing next to me is Anna Pazdro, my partner and the mother of my children. At the time, I had strong and healthy curly hair. I’m half African so strong hair runs in the family.

couple

October 2012

In October 2012 things changed. As you can see in the picture below a little patch appeared on my chin. Apologies for the quality of the pictures on this blog post, but at least you can see, first hand, my Apolicia story.

I had great eyebrows, didn’t I? Well, that didn’t last forever.

=)

alopecia

November 2013

For over a year, there weren’t a lot of visible changes however, as you can see, my facial hair continued to fall. At this point, there were several patches on my face and they were also bigger.

ALOPECIA AREATA

An autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, usually in patches. It can happen to anyone at any age and is not gender-related. Alopecia only lasts a few months for some people, but it can be a lifelong disease for others.

alopecia

I’m not sure when I’ve decided to go to the GP but I can say for sure that at the time this picture was taken, I was already diagnosed.

The GP identified the patches very quickly. Told me that I had Alopecia Areata.

The first thing I did was search on Google for Alopecia Areata. I wanted to see pictures of other people with the same health issue. I was gobsmacked.

The last think I wanted was to look like these people.

I was concerned with what others might think.

What would people say? Point fingers at me? Think that I have cancer?

I couldn’t imagine what would be like to walk the streets with all those patches on my scalp.

June 2014

Until now, the patches didn’t bother me that much because they were all in my head. But things changed.

When the first patches appeared in my scalp, I couldn’t help but feel depressed. When I walked outdoors, I always had the feeling that everyone was looking at me. Even though that wasn’t the case. The patched got bigger and bigger, and I knew that I had no choice but to shave my head. I was the hardest decision ever. It felt like losing my identity.

Can you imagine yourself bald? Probably not.

August 2014

I had to go through with it. Finally, I shaved my head. I had to because I couldn’t hide the patches anymore, so I went to a barber one morning and just did it.

I still remember the feeling.

Before the cut, I was nervous – seriously. After, I was relieved. The reality is that I didn’t look that bad. It took me some time to get used to it, but the truth is that men shave their heads. I wasn’t the first and definitely not the last.

The hardest part was to come clean to family, friends, colleagues, and the worst part, the world. For a long time, all I could think about was what others were thinking about me.

My image completely changed. That wasn’t easy. People that didn’t see me in a long time wouldn’t recognise me.

January 2015

In 2015, I realised that Alopecia isn’t a life-threatening despise, and for that, I should be grateful. Alopecia affects people psychologically, yes, but once you accept it for what it is, it becomes just a cosmetic issue.

Millions of man suffer with hair loss, most when they reach their 30s but for some that happens much earlier in their life. To me, it happened in a slightly different way, but that’s just life isn’t it?

At some point, I can’t remember exactly when I started a YouTube channel showing the results of the treatments that I tried. My videos were all in Portuguese so I will not share them here

There are several treatments for Alopecia, including lotions, steroid injections and natural teas.

I tried everything, but unfortunately nothing worked for me.

The good news is that for most people Alopecia Areata is temporary – some will not even notice because they only lose hair in their arms or legs and after 3 to 6 months everything goes back to normal.

Anyway, the YouTube channel experience made me realise that I am very lucky. I have a supportive family and I am a man.

Something interesting happened:

My videos reached hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Many viewers sent supportive messages, and others sent their own Alopecia stories.

I realised that I was helping people and so having Alopecia is maybe an opportunity to become a better person.

Alopecia Awareness Became a Mission

  • I spoke with young girls that are going through the same. Made them smile and help them realise that looks are not what makes them beautiful.
  • I spoke with a mum but was deeply depressed because her children feel ashamed of how mum looks. She called me many times just so that she wouldn’t feel alone.
  • I spoke with men that lost their confidence. I told them about the little girls and made them understand that we’re quite lucky for being men.
  • As part of my Alopecia Awareness Mission, I raised money for Alopecia UK.

February 2015

When I finally thought that everything was under control, my eyelashes started to fall. I didn’t expect that at all. Losing my eyelashes and my eyebrows felt like going back to square one. Losing my hair changed my identity, but this was a lot worst.

Have you seen people without eyelashes and eyebrows? Probably you thought that they were going through chemotherapy. That might not always be the case.

April 2015

This was probably one of the worst phases of my Alopecia journey. At this point, I was feeling like a weirdo. I didn’t feel good with the way I looked. My eyebrows were falling really quickly, and I had no control over it.

June 2015

A new David was born. I now looked completely different. I didn’t recognise myself in the mirror. However, I have accepted the disease and the fact that I will probably live with Alopecia Areata for the rest of my life.

Filipa, my best friend, visited me and it felt so good to know that I was still the same old David for her. My personality didn’t change, nor did my values or my sense of humour.

September 2015

I hit rock bottom, not psychologically, but physically.

In September 2015, I didn’t have a single hair in my body, not even in my nostrils.

Breathing became difficult. My nose felt like it was on fire all the time – burning. That’s because my nostrils didn’t have protection against the polluted air and smoke on the streets.

Once again, I had no choice but to get used to it and continue living my life.

August 2016

It took me a long time, but I finally got back on track and felt like a human again. I was at a wedding in this picture, feeling handsome and not ashamed of my bald head.

May 2017

I continued to work on my self-esteem. Started to workout (a little) and looked after me. Hair loss is not painful or requires medication – it’s just a bump on the road of life. Get over it, and everything will be fine.

May 2018

One year has passed, and nothing changed for me, except for the fact that I kept getting older. My hair kept growing and falling.

Alopecia doesn’t stop the hair from growing.

The problem is that the hair keeps falling.

August 2018

I now know that this is who I am. Alopecia Areata is part of me, and that will never change. I will keep telling everyone what Alopecia is so that when people walk past young hairless girls, don’t assume that they have cancer.

People like me need to be treated normally by others. The worst feeling ever is when someone shows that they’re sorry for me.

Sorry for what?

I am blessed for being healthy and having a beautiful, supportive family. There’s nothing to be sorry about. Please don’t show that you feel sorry, especially to ladies and young girls – it will make them feel worst.

May 2019

Getting older also affects people. I’m now 30 years old.

Does it matter? Not really. Still feel like I’m eighteen.

Anna Pazdro, my partner for life, supported me and loved me, since the very beginning. She has never judged me and has always made me feel like nothing changed. I can only be thankful. I thought that my drastic change in appearance could affect the way she feels about me. Anna could stop feeling attracted to me. I feared that, really, but it never happened.

July 2020

Most of us spent most of 2020 at home. Usually I shave everyday.

Yes, every single day. However, during the lockdown, I thought it would be a good idea to let my hair grow. That way, I would be able to see what is the current condition of my Alopecia.

Well, you can see it for yourself.

I have probably over 60% of my hair back, but for me, those aren’t good news. It only means that it’s harder to shave every morning.

I still can’t bear the idea of going out looking like that.

October 2020

When I shave, I feel good. I got used to it. I say jokes about it all the time – people laugh. with me, not at me. That’s a good thing.

November 2020

COVID-19 hit me, and I had to stay home for 2 weeks. I didn’t shave during that time so that I could take some more pictures of my scalp. I wanted to share them with you all to see it for yourself and try to understand how people with Alopecia might feel.

How would you feel?

December 2020

I know this isn’t my typical optimistic and positive post. In fact, it might feel like I am portraying myself as a victim of a depressed man.

That is not the case.

I am very grateful and happy that I am generally healthy, and I have a beautiful and supportive family.

I wrote this article to share with you what it is like to live with Alopecia.

I want everyone to know that there people out there feeling depressed, sad and ugly. Please be kind to them and love them.

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Quotes To Motivate You Right Now

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Sometimes we need a little help to feel better. Here are 14 quotes to motivate you. Share them to motivate your followers too.

From Unsplash.

Be happy. Stay happy.

When it comes to happiness, the sky is not the limit. Click To Tweet

Happiness is what we all want, right? There are so many things we can do to promote happiness. I find it that making other people happy, makes me happy too. A smile, a kind gesture or joke, it all counts.

Push yourself to the limit. Click To Tweet

You’re not limited to what you can achieve. Try something new, achieve your next goal and celebrate life with your loved ones. You’ll feel great.

quotes to motivate you

Achieve it.

Make it happen. Click To Tweet

If you have a goal, pursue it. I always wanted to have a successful blog. What am I doing? Writing new content regularly for my readers. Hopefully, this blog will start generating passive income and I’ll be able to do it full-time. All I have to do is continue doing it consistently. You can chase your dreams too.

Do it now. Click To Tweet

Not tomorrow, not next year, but now. Why postpone your dreams? Get up, stop procrastinating and d it now. Thank me later.

Set goals. Feel good.

Don't stop until you get there. Click To Tweet

Be persistent and stay focused on your goals. Talk to your best friend about it to stay motivated. Don’t stop until you achieve your goal. No matter what it is, you can do it.

Make someone smile. You'll feel great. Click To Tweet

You don’t need to say jokes or be laud and silly. Simply smile at people. They will smile back.

=)

Dream it. Feel good.

Success feels good. Click To Tweet

Oh, yes, it does. You don’t need to become a millionaire to celebrate success. Start by recognizing your small achievements. Saved enough for your next holiday? That’s a success story if you ask me.

Dream big. Click To Tweet

There’s no shame when it comes to dreaming big, but be realistic. Don’t think you’ll win the euro-millions tomorrow, because it’s very unlikely to happen. Chase big but achievable dreams.

Know your rights. Be grateful.

You're allowed to dream too. Click To Tweet

Don’t ever think that you’re not worth it of happiness. Chase your dreams, move forward and challenge yourself. Your dreams can become true too.

Feel great. Click To Tweet

If you’re feeling blue, act immediately. Don’t let your negative thoughts dominate your mind. Play your favourite music if you have too, scream, dance or eat ice-cream. Everything counts, just make sure you do everything you can to feel great.

quotes to motivate you

You can do it.

Try something new. Click To Tweet

I’ve been learning about FASTING and have now decided to give it a go. That’s something new, believe me. I usually eat a lot. Hopefully, it will help me feel better and with more energy.

Your comfort zone is not your friend. Click To Tweet

What could you do to step out of your comfort zone? Give me an example on the comment below. For me, stepping out of my comfort zone could be giving a speech. I don’t show, but I have a quite shy personality.

Procrastination is not a thing.

Don't wait for tomorrow. Click To Tweet

Don’t be lazy. Procrastination is your worst enemy – mine too. Put yourself together, be brave and strong and go do it now. Not tomorrow, not later.

Challenge yourself. Click To Tweet

Do it regularly. Do it every day. Start small and go from there. Challenging yourself doesn’t have to involve jumping off of a plane. Instead, set small goals, like wakeup 15 minutes earlier or saving 5% more than the last month.

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Fasting? Is it safe and good for your health?

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My friend Mafalda Pereira posted on Facebook that she is fasting. I got curious about it – might even give it a go too.

fasting

Mafalda is a dear friend of mine and the author of the blog Agora É Que Vai (it’s Portuguese and it translates to Now It’s Going).

We met 10 years ago in Portugal.

Those were some crazy times that I will never forget.

Party, intellectual conversations, family, hangovers.

Long story short, Mafalda and I share many interests in life – she one of my TOP 10 people in the world.

Mafalda is on the left – if she recommends fasting, I’ll listen to her.

I am in the middle – yes, that’s me before losing my hair.

Filipa, my best friend is on the right.

Disclaimer:

Please note that this blog post does not provide medical advice. If you’re concerned about your health, you should speak with a health care professional.

Fast. Feast. Repeat.

This book has over 5000 positive reviews on Amazon.

This book is for everyone – not only for beginners but experienced fasters too.

I’m sure there are other great books out there, but I found this one to be the best of them all.

Check Price

What is fasting?

Lately, I’ve heard the word “FASTING” so many times that I had to look into it.

Eating all day long? No.

The opposite!

Fasting means not eating food for a period of time.

It could be 6 hours, 12 hours or even longer. Mafalda told me that she does it for 72 hours sometimes.

Apparently, there are a lot of benefits associated to fasting.

The Benefits Of Fasting

  • Promotes weight loss.
  • Stabilizes your blood pressure.
  • It protects the brain from oxidative damage.
  • Reduces your blood sugar levels.
  • Less leptin, less appetite.
  • You’ll be healthier.
  • It helps to burn fat faster.
  • It will strengthen your immune system.
  • You stress levels will reduce and you’ll feel better.
fasting

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Disclaimer:

This blog post contains affiliate/referral links, which means that I might receive a commission when you decide to purchase any of the services/products recommended on this page.

I Just Got Diagnosed With Coronavirus – What Now?

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I’m writing this blog post because I’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19, and I feel like sharing my experience might help someone.

covid-19

I’m Fine

First, I’d like to say that I’m fine and that there is no reason to worry about my health condition.

The only symptoms I have at the moment are extreme tiredness and no sense of smell. Losing all sense of smell is the weirdest thing ever, but I’ll tell you more about that later.

Other than that, I feel okay.

What happened?

Last week Anna (my partner) told me that a family member got diagnosed with COVID-19. I asked what were the symptoms this family member had and Anna said that the only symptoms were lack of sense of smell and headaches.

I was at my dinner table, so my first instinct was to smell the candle that was in front of me.

It should smell like mango, but instead:

NOTHING

NO SMELL

ZERO

At this stage, I knew that something was up and that the most responsible thing to do was order a COVID-19 test, so I did.

Today, I got the test results: POSITIVE

Positive for me, for Anna and for Nicholas, my oldest son.

What now?

Well, now we all need to isolate, which is not easy an easy task because we’ll have to keep the kids entertained and I’m not great at that.

I have contacted the people that were in contact with me and have advised them to read the GOV guidance and isolate for 14 days.

Timeline

On Friday, 20 November I didn’t feel too well. In the evening, my throat was itchy and irritated.

On Saturday, 21 November, I realised that my sense of smell was completely gone, so I ordered a test.

On Monday, 23 November, I received my test through the post and sent it back straight away.

Today, 25 November, I received the test results.

Up until now, I have also suffered from extreme tiredness, headaches and muscular pain. No high temperature, I think.

NHS, WHO and GOV COVID-19 Guidance

I urge to follow the COVID-19 guidance that the relevant organisations give you.

That is, in my opinion, the only way we can fight coronavirus and hopefully see better days.

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