There is a lot you take for granted when you don’t have Hashimoto’s disease. Little by little you lose things, and you learn to live without them so long you forget that you even had them. One of those is your eyelashes or what’s left of them.
I know that everyone gets less of them as they get older, but this was one of the first things I noticed early on in my disease. My once beautiful eyelashes became sparce and shorter. Yesterday was Easter, and I don’t wear very much makeup ever. That mostly has to do with that I need a twelve year old who can apply eyeliner better than me, to give me some help. I, who can paint and draw, can’t get it on without it looking like a morse code message on my eyes. The other women in my family always look good…. And then there is me.
I typically put on two swipes of mascara and not much else, fly for the door most days. Yesterday being Easter, and going to my sister’s for dinner, I wanted to look as reasonably pulled together as the other women in my family who dance circles around the soap and water girl. I used the same mascara as I have always used. And when I was done I looked at my face in the mirror, kind of puzzled. I kept thinking, I looked better! But what was different and so I pulled out a magnifiying mirror. It’s my eyelashes!!! Did you know you can get your eyelashes back???? I had no idea!!
I sent a picture of myself to Dr. Jack from head to toe. I am sure he hears this stuff a million times, but I wrote to him too. I felt like the kid who got the BEST Easter gift ever!! Eyelashes!!! They look full and nice again!! I saw my daughter at our family party. I got close to her face and opened my eyes huge! “Look!!! My eyelashes came back!!!” She giggled…. “Do you think I should take a picture of my eye and send it to Dr. Jack?” She giggled more. “Mom! It’s Easter! Can you see poor Dr. Jack and his phone beeps and he looks and there is a picture of your eye? He will choke on his dinner.” Then, I giggled too. I realize this is all everyday to him, but to me? This is like a news alert!!
Every time something comes back….. I am amazed…. It is my healthy hair with its new growth…. Those nasty patches of dry skin everywhere, even on my eyelids that are gone….. My outer third of eyebrows grew back….. My skin everywhere feels healthy…. And that is like only one percent of what’s changed!!!
Absolutely everything is different….. I can’t help but be excited! What did you get for Easter?? You can keep the candy and the flowers!!
I got…… eyelashes!! And I couldn’t be happier about it!