misschia
01-01-2012, 08:21 PM
Hi everyone. I'm a 35yo SAHM that's been suffering with hair loss for years. My husband and I have 4 children, and with each birth I've managed to "find" a few more pounds, and "lose" a lot more hair.
I've had numerous health complaints throughout the last few years- low energy, weight gain, excess fine white hair on face, scalp hair loss, mood issues, depression, generalized pain and fatigue especially in joints....sounds like Lupus, or my thyroid, or Lyme, or many other diseases, huh? Well, apparently it's not. I've been given all the tests, and the only things that are consistent appear to be a very low vit. D count and anemia. I can't explain it, I have no answers, and neither do the doctors. What I do know is...everything seemed to change when I had a "Depo" shot back in 1996 after my first baby was born. Everything.
Now, my hair is falling out in handfuls. I can't brush my hair, or run my fingers through it without finding at least 10-15 hairs falling out. My bathroom/sink/floor/bedding is covered with stray hairs. If I ever kill someone, they'll have no trouble finding me...just follow the clumps of hair that I leave behind me! I've dyed my hair light, then dark, then light...trying to hide the fact that my snow white scalp shines through these sparse top hairs like a halogen lamp. I've taken markers and colored my scalp to try to hide the giant part. I've tried extensions (I even make them now), invisible wefts, toppers, scarves, hats, ponytails...now, I'm just wearing my hair in a pony tail all the time. It feels a little pointless trying to hide the hair loss, especially when my husband has to wade through mounds of my hair just to use toilet, or the shower. His opinion is the only one that ever really made a difference to me. Of course, he's been blessed with the thickest and most beautiful curly hair I've ever seen.
Most days, I'm okay. I try not to think about my hair, but then I get in the shower and it's everywhere. I brush my hair and I see strands just hanging there, or I look over my shoulder and see the carpet of hairs scattered across the back of my shirt. And I lose the will to even try, or leave the house.
I've tried supplements, and henna. I have to admit, when I used the henna, my hair loss stopped. Then I used Bigen because the red henna didn't suit my skin tone and BAMM! I was shedding like a manged dog. Vitamin D supplements make me sick, as do iron, so I'm currently trying to find a way of getting both without the horrible stomach pains and fatigue that come with the supplements I've tried. I'm also going to go back to using henna because I can't deny the fact that my hair looked thicker and more importantly, didn't shed, when I was using it. I'll just have to find a neutral kind, or live with the red.
I want to offer my support to the youngest of the members here (as well as us older gals) especially... my younger years were really tough. We have control over so much...our clothes, our make-up, to a lesser extent our complexions and weight...but this thing, hair loss, it's the thief in the night. Even when I felt like my hair was improving, the time it takes to undo a few months of heavy shedding felt like forever. I've sold myself short in a lot of ways, although I love my husband, taking c**p that I shouldn't have, because I've been so afraid of putting myself out there to be judged. I've locked myself away for years, fought through jealousy and insecurity, and I still struggle, even 12 years into our marriage because I haven't found a way to accept myself as a nearly bald woman. It's like my femininity is under attack, and at the same time, it makes me angry that I've wasted so much time placing importance on this one thing. It's been hard not to give up...there are many days where I think, "why eat healthy, or go for a jog, or put on something other than sweat pants....I'm still bald." I'm working on this.
I'm grateful for finding this site, and I'm looking forward to meeting the other members and finding strength in all these beautiful souls. I love seeing the photos of women, sharply dressed, obviously feeling great, with little/no hair. I hope that I can venture out again someday with that kind of confidence.
I've had numerous health complaints throughout the last few years- low energy, weight gain, excess fine white hair on face, scalp hair loss, mood issues, depression, generalized pain and fatigue especially in joints....sounds like Lupus, or my thyroid, or Lyme, or many other diseases, huh? Well, apparently it's not. I've been given all the tests, and the only things that are consistent appear to be a very low vit. D count and anemia. I can't explain it, I have no answers, and neither do the doctors. What I do know is...everything seemed to change when I had a "Depo" shot back in 1996 after my first baby was born. Everything.
Now, my hair is falling out in handfuls. I can't brush my hair, or run my fingers through it without finding at least 10-15 hairs falling out. My bathroom/sink/floor/bedding is covered with stray hairs. If I ever kill someone, they'll have no trouble finding me...just follow the clumps of hair that I leave behind me! I've dyed my hair light, then dark, then light...trying to hide the fact that my snow white scalp shines through these sparse top hairs like a halogen lamp. I've taken markers and colored my scalp to try to hide the giant part. I've tried extensions (I even make them now), invisible wefts, toppers, scarves, hats, ponytails...now, I'm just wearing my hair in a pony tail all the time. It feels a little pointless trying to hide the hair loss, especially when my husband has to wade through mounds of my hair just to use toilet, or the shower. His opinion is the only one that ever really made a difference to me. Of course, he's been blessed with the thickest and most beautiful curly hair I've ever seen.
Most days, I'm okay. I try not to think about my hair, but then I get in the shower and it's everywhere. I brush my hair and I see strands just hanging there, or I look over my shoulder and see the carpet of hairs scattered across the back of my shirt. And I lose the will to even try, or leave the house.
I've tried supplements, and henna. I have to admit, when I used the henna, my hair loss stopped. Then I used Bigen because the red henna didn't suit my skin tone and BAMM! I was shedding like a manged dog. Vitamin D supplements make me sick, as do iron, so I'm currently trying to find a way of getting both without the horrible stomach pains and fatigue that come with the supplements I've tried. I'm also going to go back to using henna because I can't deny the fact that my hair looked thicker and more importantly, didn't shed, when I was using it. I'll just have to find a neutral kind, or live with the red.
I want to offer my support to the youngest of the members here (as well as us older gals) especially... my younger years were really tough. We have control over so much...our clothes, our make-up, to a lesser extent our complexions and weight...but this thing, hair loss, it's the thief in the night. Even when I felt like my hair was improving, the time it takes to undo a few months of heavy shedding felt like forever. I've sold myself short in a lot of ways, although I love my husband, taking c**p that I shouldn't have, because I've been so afraid of putting myself out there to be judged. I've locked myself away for years, fought through jealousy and insecurity, and I still struggle, even 12 years into our marriage because I haven't found a way to accept myself as a nearly bald woman. It's like my femininity is under attack, and at the same time, it makes me angry that I've wasted so much time placing importance on this one thing. It's been hard not to give up...there are many days where I think, "why eat healthy, or go for a jog, or put on something other than sweat pants....I'm still bald." I'm working on this.
I'm grateful for finding this site, and I'm looking forward to meeting the other members and finding strength in all these beautiful souls. I love seeing the photos of women, sharply dressed, obviously feeling great, with little/no hair. I hope that I can venture out again someday with that kind of confidence.