Brooke
07-13-2009, 12:26 AM
I'm glad I found this website. It's good to know I'm not alone. This is my story:
I always had thick, curly hair. Over the years I would lose a bit in the shower, but didn't stress out about it. I was on the pill and actually thought it was a side effect of the pill! I was on lo-ovral and lo-estrin for 14 years straight, until I went off it to conceive. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in December of 2007, and went back on the pill 3 months later.
About that time my hair started falling out. I knew this was normal post-pregnancy, and didn't freak out about it. When it continued for 9 more months, I saw my general pracitioner. I brought him the amount of hair I collected in the shower that morning. He proceeded to pluck 10 hairs out of my head, studied them under a microscope, and diagnosed me with Telogen Effluvium, saying it will eventually stop and there's nothing I can do about it. When I asked for a referral to an Endocrinologist, he said that my thyroid was fine (based on one basic test) and I didn't have thyroid disease. I then asked for a referral to a Dermatologist, and he refused that too, saying, "they'll just wonder why I sent you to them, since I already diagnosed you."
I stopped the pill 2 months after that because I was starting to have migraines, and my doc thought they could be due to hormone shifts. The hair shedding got worse. Two weeks ago I had a migraine so bad it landed me in the ER and I was referred to a neurologist. He looked at my CAT scan and said I might have a meningioma, but not to worry, if you have to have a brain tumor, that's the one to have because it's easily treatable and grows very slowly. That's reasurring, right? :) He put me on Inderal, a blood pressure medication, that causes hair thinning. I told him I'm already having a terrible problem with hair loss, but he started me on it anyway. He also did some lab work and called me last week to tell me my zinc level was low, take 50 mg/day of zinc and that will correct my hair loss problem. I'm taking it, but I have a background in nutrition and don't think it's really the root of the problem - yes, low zinc can cause hair loss, but only in advanced stages (such as malnutrition). I eat a healthy diet with meat and eggs. I suspect my low zinc level was caused by many years on the pill, exacerbated by pregnancy.
I'm seeing a dermatologist for another problem this week and will talk to him about my hair loss. I'm collecting a week's worth in a baggie so he will see what I'm talking about. Every day I pray my hair loss will stop, but I'm presently losing about 70 hairs in the shower/gentle styling every day (some days I count, other days I just eyeball it). I started using Nioxin 8 2 weeks ago, the cleanser, conditioner and mousse, and so far it isn't helping. It also doesn't help that being a Soldier, I have put my hair in a bun 5 days a week for the past 18 years and I color my hair, but I also know that those things are not responsible for the amount of hair I am losing. I treat my hair as gently as possible, using one loose scrunchie to make a ponytail, twisting it into a bun and securing it with another scrunchie. I used to love straightening my hair by blow-drying/flat-ironing it, but I haven't done that in months because I can't afford to lose more hair.
I am trying to keep a positive attitude about this. I look at my beautiful daughter and think of how lucky I am - some women can't conceive at all. It's only hair, right? Yeah, that's why we're all on this site... Speaking of hair growth, I also started using the Nioxin vitamins, which I also doubt will help. Funny, one comment on Amazon.com said that it works so well that it will cause excessive hair growth in other parts of the body. So far that hasn't happened to me, but it got me thinking, "who among us wouldn't gladly shave her legs twice a day if only to not have to scoop up the hair she's losing from her head every day?"
That's my story. I desperatly want to find out WHY I'm losing my hair - low zinc? Hormone imbalance? Some other underlying medical condition? I'm of normal weight, eat pretty healthy, exercise daily (run about 20 miles a week, do yoga and elliptical machine), and there is no history of female hair loss in my family. This is a mystery that I am determined to get to the bottom of, or at least rule out what it's NOT. In the meantime, I am counting my blessings, which also include a wonderfully supportive husband.
Hang in there, girls!
Brooke
I always had thick, curly hair. Over the years I would lose a bit in the shower, but didn't stress out about it. I was on the pill and actually thought it was a side effect of the pill! I was on lo-ovral and lo-estrin for 14 years straight, until I went off it to conceive. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in December of 2007, and went back on the pill 3 months later.
About that time my hair started falling out. I knew this was normal post-pregnancy, and didn't freak out about it. When it continued for 9 more months, I saw my general pracitioner. I brought him the amount of hair I collected in the shower that morning. He proceeded to pluck 10 hairs out of my head, studied them under a microscope, and diagnosed me with Telogen Effluvium, saying it will eventually stop and there's nothing I can do about it. When I asked for a referral to an Endocrinologist, he said that my thyroid was fine (based on one basic test) and I didn't have thyroid disease. I then asked for a referral to a Dermatologist, and he refused that too, saying, "they'll just wonder why I sent you to them, since I already diagnosed you."
I stopped the pill 2 months after that because I was starting to have migraines, and my doc thought they could be due to hormone shifts. The hair shedding got worse. Two weeks ago I had a migraine so bad it landed me in the ER and I was referred to a neurologist. He looked at my CAT scan and said I might have a meningioma, but not to worry, if you have to have a brain tumor, that's the one to have because it's easily treatable and grows very slowly. That's reasurring, right? :) He put me on Inderal, a blood pressure medication, that causes hair thinning. I told him I'm already having a terrible problem with hair loss, but he started me on it anyway. He also did some lab work and called me last week to tell me my zinc level was low, take 50 mg/day of zinc and that will correct my hair loss problem. I'm taking it, but I have a background in nutrition and don't think it's really the root of the problem - yes, low zinc can cause hair loss, but only in advanced stages (such as malnutrition). I eat a healthy diet with meat and eggs. I suspect my low zinc level was caused by many years on the pill, exacerbated by pregnancy.
I'm seeing a dermatologist for another problem this week and will talk to him about my hair loss. I'm collecting a week's worth in a baggie so he will see what I'm talking about. Every day I pray my hair loss will stop, but I'm presently losing about 70 hairs in the shower/gentle styling every day (some days I count, other days I just eyeball it). I started using Nioxin 8 2 weeks ago, the cleanser, conditioner and mousse, and so far it isn't helping. It also doesn't help that being a Soldier, I have put my hair in a bun 5 days a week for the past 18 years and I color my hair, but I also know that those things are not responsible for the amount of hair I am losing. I treat my hair as gently as possible, using one loose scrunchie to make a ponytail, twisting it into a bun and securing it with another scrunchie. I used to love straightening my hair by blow-drying/flat-ironing it, but I haven't done that in months because I can't afford to lose more hair.
I am trying to keep a positive attitude about this. I look at my beautiful daughter and think of how lucky I am - some women can't conceive at all. It's only hair, right? Yeah, that's why we're all on this site... Speaking of hair growth, I also started using the Nioxin vitamins, which I also doubt will help. Funny, one comment on Amazon.com said that it works so well that it will cause excessive hair growth in other parts of the body. So far that hasn't happened to me, but it got me thinking, "who among us wouldn't gladly shave her legs twice a day if only to not have to scoop up the hair she's losing from her head every day?"
That's my story. I desperatly want to find out WHY I'm losing my hair - low zinc? Hormone imbalance? Some other underlying medical condition? I'm of normal weight, eat pretty healthy, exercise daily (run about 20 miles a week, do yoga and elliptical machine), and there is no history of female hair loss in my family. This is a mystery that I am determined to get to the bottom of, or at least rule out what it's NOT. In the meantime, I am counting my blessings, which also include a wonderfully supportive husband.
Hang in there, girls!
Brooke