I had my first patch appear April 2005. It just got worse from there...they started on the side, then the back and then the top. I grew out my hair and was able to conceal most of it but it was tough. I got monthly injections and nothing else and eventually they started growing back. What would happen is that I would get 1-3 new patches a month while others started to grow back in. It went one for over a year until the new patches got smaller and less frequently. I have not had a new patched since May or June and stopped injections in May. THe last patch I got has not fully grown in and never got the benefit of an injection. It is small and is growing back slowly. In all of this though, I have noticed the patches grow in slightly thinner. I guess with time, it will get fuller but I cannot see the where all the old patches are. THe effect is that my hair looks overall a little thinner. It is hard to tell if I just have diffuse thinning or it is just the effects of AA as I had so many patches. I probably had patches over a third of my head throughout the entire duration. Hopefully things will get 100% back to normal.
I hope things goes well for you.