my hair is falling out.

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I'm sorry you're going through this, hyperlexian. It seems as though you've looked at all the usual culprits: sex hormones, vitamins, etc. You say that one doctor said that it's "stress" but did the doctor measure your cortisol levels over a time period? Also, you had been losing weight lately, could that have something to do with it?

I know your daughter's a teenager, so it's not postpartum-related. I lost tons of hair, for a while, after I had my kids.

Some of it could be aging, too, my hair is thinner in my 40s than it used to be in my 20s, when it was very thick.

ok soooooo...

last night i had a meltdown. i was towelling off after my shower and i saw that some of my darker peach fuzz on my chest and stomach disappeared when i rubbed it with the towel. i thought that was odd so i lightly pinched another hair and it gently came off in my fingers. i tried it a few more times and about 75 % of the time the hair came off my body like specks of lint. that led to a lot of crying and feeling very freaked out.

so i took an Ativan and decided to stay home in the morning (today) to do some thinking and researching about what can help me to relax. and the Ativan had an effect i did not expect. i have taken tranqs and anti-anxiety meds before, and had not felt like this. i learned something important about myself.

the Ativan suppressed my startle reflex. i first noticed it when someone came into the room when i was sleeping. i woke up without that feeling of startling. throughout the night, everything that woke me up woke me up gently. i was awake quickly, but without the feeling of a jolt of electricity every time a sudden even happened.

and i realised... once i woke up (still feeling the effects of the tranq), that on a normal day, i CONSTANTLY "startle". that sensation of a shock through your body like when you are falling asleep and you jerk (called hypnagogic myoclonus), that is happening every few minutes at least. but to a milder degree, so i feel subjectively startled, my heart rate goes up, and i get the sensation of a shock in my brain, but the only outward sign is i might have a finger or a toe (or my eyebrow or something) twitch very slightly. if i get an actual big surprise i am like other people but i react strongly out of proportion with the incident. sometimes it is just something in my own mind that causes the startle, like if i remember something i almost forgot to do. or if i am wondering something about work and i get a bit worried.

i have been diagnosed with PTSD and an anxiety disorder, but i had no idea what that meant for me physically and mentally on a daily basis.

i've seen that other people seem to have similar reactions, but perhaps not constantly, and perhaps it happens on appropriate occasions as opposed to every time the birds chirps outside or every time the another person speaks in a conversation. right now, on the tail end of the Ativan, what i am noticing is the absence of that sensation, and i am going to work on harnessing strategies to make my real world this calm.

Ok I been doing a bit of research into this, where you tested for Serum Ferritin levels in your blood tests? As both iron and vitamin B complex play a part of role in female hair loss.

what i can remember is that i had tests that checked pituitary gland, blood sugar, b vitamins, iron, hormones, thyroid, and a couple of other things.

in all honesty (gonna put my worst fears out there, gotta promise not to laugh) my concern is this package of symptoms that i've suffered from over the last 2 years:


-global hair loss (whole body)

-PMLE / sun allergy

-chronic kidney infection (had a problem for 2 years, but it has been cured for a year)

-a depressed reaction to histamine. on the scratch test for food and envrionmental allergy testing i did not react to the "control" - a dab of pure histamine on a light scratch. and so the doctor injected a large glob of the pure histamine under my skin and he could barely get any reaction at all. they had to monitor me so that i wouldn't go into shock. i even take a medicine that is supposed to cause severe reactions to histamine (beta blocker), and there was hardly any discernible reaction at all. the doctor did not believe that i hadn't taken an antihistamine in the last 24 hours, but in fact i had not taken one for many months.


i believe all of these things point to the possibility of a more systemic issue, but i also know i tend towards being a hypochondriac. i find it hard to be assertive with doctors to really get them to listen to me.

no he didn't measure cortisol but it sounds like a good idea.

yeah, i know that hair loss can come with age and i am exactly at the age when it starts to happen. but that should just be head hair and not body hair.

I promise not to laugh, you have my word on that hun. You have had a ruff time of it health wise now! If I remember right you also have high blood pressure and heart problems?

Well lets hope the dermatologist can find out what the issue is. One last thing to be honest and especially personally for me this week with my partner and her health, I dislike to say this I think you have a quite a few factors pointing out that you might have POCS, I feel you need to get tested for that as well! ((((mega big reiki hugs)))

yeah, just high blood pressure with no heart problems. the meds i take for that can cause hair loss, but the doctor is skeptical in my case.

i have a friend who is a trained nurse, who also suspected PCOS. but my recent hormone tests came back fine.

i think i am going to go back to another doctor today to insist that he check for an ovarian cyst, at least.

i forgot to address this. yes, it could. i haven't lost much lately, but i did lose a couple of kg a few months ago, and it usually takes a few months after a traumatic or serious event before the hair loss starts. so the lag is exactly right. good point on that one. since my weight loss stalled out, my hair loss may desist from this point forward.

The only doctor in my house right now says that if its related to stress the best solution would be to get some sort of physiatric help ASAP(dont want to freak you out but she mentioned that you loose all the hair everywhere and quite quickly)

If you want I could ask for a second opinion over dinner.(They were talking the other day about how inquisitive I was as a child and why did I stop so I dont think he´ll mind).

Dang, I'm sorry.

I don't really know what to say, except *hugs*.

thank you so much spongy. i would also appreciate second opinions.

i'm actually going to go to a second doctor right away for another opinion as i would like to be seriously checked for an ovarian cyst. i am rather stuck on that possibility, to be honest, as i have other symptoms going on. it's been about 3 months of symptoms of having a cyst but i put off going to the doctor as i knew they wouldn't treat it until it had been around for a while.

another doctor may have a further idea of why my hair is falling out, as well, even if it is not a cyst.

thank you, hugs help.

Great, my lover had a few of those removed this week, bless her I hope my sweetheart gets well soon. Some doctor's can be pains in the arse, just keep at them now! One time I had a problem with my GP over CBT so I told him I'll come back each and every week only asking for the same thing. So to make life easy for you now give me what I asked for and I'll piss off! In the end he did

just got back from visiting a second doctor. he has referred me to get an ultrasound tomorrow. don't know how long it will take to get the results. he suggested that if i continue to have problems with hair loss he will prescribe some kind of meds to block testosterone, as well. so that was cool.

he offered some painkillers, but i turned those down. i'd rather not take those kind of meds unless they are absolutely necessary.

:'(
hugs

thank you so much