Re: To Everyone Experiencing Hair Loss....
From: Bells (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 22 Nov 2000 16:25:01 -0600 (CST)
Pam, thanks for your brilliant post - I have noticed a few more hairs
coming out in the shower - about three months ago I stopped taking my
(minimal dosage) of Oroxine for a minutely underactive thyroid. I will
start taking it again today! Hair loss terrifies me. I can cope with
the hirsuitism, that is easy (for me) to hide. Losing my long blonde
hair would send me over the edge of sanity I think. Stupid though it
may be, It is the one thing I have always associated with my femininity.
Most of the time I feel it is my only good feature.
You have given me hope that maybe bald spots are not around the corner.
Isnt is amazing that when you are afraid of something happening,
everything which happens seems to point directly at that event
happening!
I know I have said this before, but this Forum is an absolute godsend -
Whatever one of us going through, someone else out there is also going
through it, or have been through it. Thanks Girls.
At Wed, 22 Nov 2000, Pam wrote:
>
>If I can help any of you experiencing hair loss feel a little better, it
>will make what I've went through have some sort of meaning.
>
>About 4 years ago (I was 26 then), my long, thick, gorgeous hair fell to
>the floor in clumps when I was having it colored (this is NOT what
>caused the problem). This is when the excessive hair on the face, etc,
>etc. began also.
>
>I also began experiencing scalp itching something awful at the same
>time. This is what I have learned from four years of intense research
>on hair loss. 90% of female hair loss is termed androgenic alopecia
>(meaning wacked-out hormones are the problem). What finally stopped the
>loss for me was finding a doctor who agreed that my thyroid was on the
>low side, even though tests were "normal". This also helped my skin,
>although not 100%. this was before they figured out I also have PCOS.
>
>One important thing to remember is that it is very rare for a woman to
>go 100% bald. I mean, very rare. My mother has this disorder also, and
>she is also now menopausal, a double whammy to the hair, and her hair
>got thin and still is. She thought she would go bald too, but it didn't
>happen.
>
>There are basically three things that cause hair loss in women. Messed
>up hormones, childbirth, surgery, and starting or stopping BCP's. The
>reason for this is that hair follicles are very sensitive to chemical
>and hormonal changes. Any extreme stress to the body can cause it. Hair
>grows in 3 month cycles, so what usually happens is for example: You go
>on the BCP, everything is great for a while, then you go off it. Your
>hormone levels dramatically change and the hair in the growing phase at
>that time is affected. 3 months later you think you are going bald. I
>have had months of counting every SINGLE hair that fell out in the
>shower (some days up to 300!). Normal hair fallout per day is 50-100,
>depending on the individual.
>
>My second experience with hair loss was when I let my doctor talk me
>into taking BCP's to try to control some of the symptoms of this disease
>earlier this year. If you read the information that comes with the
>BCP's, hair loss is listed as a side effect. I decided to take
>Ortho-Tricyclen because they rave about how it clears up acne so well. I
>immediately broke out worse, much worse, so I stopped them after one
>month. My hair fell out like crazy again for about 6 months afterward,
>although not as bad as the first time. I think this time I wasn't as
>freaked out about it because I knew what was happening and why and knew
>I would NOT go bald. Believe me, it has taken me a lot of sleepless
>nights and nightmares like you wouldn't believe to finally have this
>attitude.
>
>As for the dating situation, yes, it really made that difficult. My
>hair has always been my crowning glory and to lose that to me was like
>to lose everything. I know it sounds superficial. But I found that
>most guys are really understanding. They are people, just like us. They
>get zits on their rear, just like us (my drop dead gorgeous boyfriend
>got one once and was SOOO embarrassed). I was really surprised because
>he understood and stood by me. I just want to tell you guys...my hair
>has thickened back up again. It really did. I never would have
>believed it would. Twice now.
>
>My advice to you would be to go to the doctor and get a TSH test for
>thyroid (goes hand in hand with PCOS). Normal range for women is 1-6,
>but most women feel normal at 1-2. Find a doc who is willing to try. It
>took me four docs to find one. You can also take your asal body
>temperature (in the armpit, before you get out of the bed in the morning
>- anything below 97.9 is sub normal). If you're insulin resistant, get
>on Metformin, and Spironolactone is supposed to help with hair loss
>also. I am currently planning on starting Met soon, and it that doesn't
>help my skin I will then try Spiro also.
>
>Hope this has helped,
>Pam
>
>I'm sorry for being so long winded. I just had to see if I could make
>you feel better.
--
Thanks,
Bells in Sydney, Australia
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