the emotional toll of shedding

[airmid]

Hey, folks. I'm at a point now where I just need some hugs, support, advice, anything. Maybe others sharing their stories. Some reassurance that this does get better. This may be a bit of a long post. :/

For the past two months, I've been having a huge shed. My doctor thinks it's due to coming off birth control plus other heavy medications, combined with stress/trauma. He never seemed overly concerned... but I sure am. I am heartbroken about it. There's just so much less of it, it feels completely different. I'm tired of picking hair out of my food, my dishwater, hair clogging my bathtub drain... my friend even found one of my hairs in her mouth the other day, I was so embarrassed!

I'm even starting to have crying spells, getting really down over it. Feeling so desperate part of me wonders if I'm going to have to chop off my hair. I won't, not unless it becomes really bad, but it's a terrifying thought.

I'm buying some biotin today, am already taking multivitamins, eating really healthy, doing scalp massages with rosemary oil... I'm hoping it will all start working soon. Is there anything else I could be doing?

I could use a bit of support from my fellow longhairs, the other people in my life don't seem to understand at all. They say I'm imagining it, except for my DBF who saw all the hair I lost one day after I brushed my hair, and said, "Maybe long hair just isn't a good option for you at this point in your life." That didn't help either!

[amantha]

Hi airmid! I think I'm coming out of an 8 month long shed (although now I'm starting to find shed hairs that are short which is worrying me ) which was due to severe iron deficiency. I just wanted to tell you that it DOES get better. I probably lost about 1/3 of my thickness, but it still ok. Just a tad thin at times. Has your doctor checked your iron and thyroid levels to rule that out? If not, I would demand that they do. I do remember years back when I wanted to get off of BC my hair shed more in general, but I wouldnt have called it "shed" because it never affected my thickness. But I do know that shedding is pretty common when one gets off of BC. I started taking MSM in November and I would say by Xmas time my hair was already significantly shedding less. Biotin made me get awful cystic acne. Maybe you might wanna try MSM too?

Dont be too sad. It will get better, I promise.

[Kiwiwi]

Oh, sweetheart. *GiganticHug*
I understand it must be very heartbreaking to have to go through this.

You say it's likely because of a combination of getting off of meds and stress. Therefor I believe it will get better again. Once your body gets used to being without the meds and once you have less stress your hair could very well get it's thickness back.

Do make sure you go to your doctor to check all the things that can cause hairloss (thyroid, iron, etc) and make sure you get all the vitamins you need. Don't overdose on vitamins, just a normal pill a day is fine. Also make sure you eat healthy and drink plenty of water.

Excersizing will help too. It'll make your body healthier which is good for hair growth but it's also good against stress. It will give you energy. And that's good for your hairtoo.

One more *Bear Hug*!!

[The Beldam]

I sympathize with how you're feeling, I've gone through it myself. I really can't add much here that hasn't already been said, except maybe to ask if you've tried meditation? There are so many benefits, it might be worth a shot.

[AnnaJamila]

Poor thing. I'm sorry you're going through this- I'd say that at least you're healthy but coming from someone who understands that it's not *just* hair I know it makes the whole situation worse.

Nothing is forever, darlin. Insha'allah, sooner or later it'll quit and keeping growing in full and pretty.

[Mai Gloeckchen]

Hey airmid!
I really understand how you are feeling. This summer I lost the half of my thickness due to iron deficiency. It was real horrer and I cried a lot. The worst thing was to know, that even at the point when I knew it was because of the iron and I got injections, that it would last twelve long weeks until the shed could be really over. Because of the growing phases (is that correct? I meen the different states hair goes through when it is growing: growing, pausing and falling out). Pausing is about twelve weeks long.

People around me just said: "Ah, it is only hair, it will regrow! Never mind."

But for me it was as if a bodypart of my shriveled. Just becuase there are no nerves and no blood, it does not meen that your hair is not part of you. Maybe hairloss does not hurt in the true sense of the words, but it does hurt, I know.

Now, the shed is over for five month and it is regrowing. I have a fringe now. An all-over-the-head-fringe. I am still sad, that so much is gone and I am still afraid that this could happen again.
But I can also be happy about my babyhair.

See the doctor, check your blood. Cry, when you feel like crying. And do something to distract you. And then, there will come the point, when it will get better. And it will get better faster then you now think. When you feel not at ease, your hair usually shows that. When you feel better, it will look better, livelier.

For a long time I counted my hairloss. At the start it was shocking. About 400 hairs a day. But then, the number got smaller. 300. Still too much, but 25% better. 200. Still too much, but 50% better. The first time under 100 and I was really happy. It relieved me to the the number diminishing. Now I am back at 20-40 a day.

Best wishes!
Mai

[Theobroma]

I've been there, so I know what it's like. When I started shedding heavily I had no idea what was causing it, so it was all the more frightening that it went on and on until I'd lost at least a third of my thickness. It stopped eventually, and much later it dawned on me that it must have been severe protein deficiency. (I'm mostly vegetarian and had discovered I was wheat intolerant about four weeks before going on a summer school in Rome. Ended up spending six weeks with no opportunities for self-catering, trying to find wheat-free, meat-free stuff in Italian restaurants that I could eat; the end result was pretty much salads and gelato the whole time. Not exactly a balanced diet.)

At least you know up front what's causing it, and while I know that it isn't any fun either way, you do also know that it'll stop once your body adjusts! Take comfort from my experience -- I too cried over the wads of shed hair, but apart from myself not a single other soul even noticed that my hair was thinner!

[Theobroma]

amantha and Mai Glöckchen, that's interesting about the iron deficiency. Were you or your doctors able to identify what caused that?

I wonder about my own iron levels sometimes, as I'm still mostly vegetarian (see above; started eating fish after the protein-deficient episode), but the only time I was tested my levels checked out perfectly normal.

[ktani]

Hey, folks. I'm at a point now where I just need some hugs, support, advice, anything. Maybe others sharing their stories. Some reassurance that this does get better. This may be a bit of a long post. :/

For the past two months, I've been having a huge shed. My doctor thinks it's due to coming off birth control plus other heavy medications, combined with stress/trauma. He never seemed overly concerned... but I sure am. I am heartbroken about it. There's just so much less of it, it feels completely different. I'm tired of picking hair out of my food, my dishwater, hair clogging my bathtub drain... my friend even found one of my hairs in her mouth the other day, I was so embarrassed!

I'm even starting to have crying spells, getting really down over it. Feeling so desperate part of me wonders if I'm going to have to chop off my hair. I won't, not unless it becomes really bad, but it's a terrifying thought.

I'm buying some biotin today, am already taking multivitamins, eating really healthy, doing scalp massages with rosemary oil... I'm hoping it will all start working soon. Is there anything else I could be doing?

I could use a bit of support from my fellow longhairs, the other people in my life don't seem to understand at all. They say I'm imagining it, except for my DBF who saw all the hair I lost one day after I brushed my hair, and said, "Maybe long hair just isn't a good option for you at this point in your life." That didn't help either!

I agree with your doctor. When I went off the pill my hair thinned out too and mine is thin to begin with. Did I lose almost all of my hair? No. It just looked thin enough that my stylist noticed.

It is a hormone imbalance and that on top of your stress over your hair and other things is causing you to have crying jags too. It can become a circle.

Recognize 2 things. This is not unusual and that it is temporary. Your body will readjust. If you try to stay calm, and succeed, any hair shedding related to stress, should lessen.

Keep monitoring the condition but do not obsess over it. There are relaxation techniques you can look into or just get dressed up, go out and have a blast, while taking a mental vacation from worrying about your hair.

Keep your doctor informed of any changes so that he can possibly look into other ways to help you if you need it.

Good luck!

ETA: Re the other heavy medications. Your doctor may be able to prescribe alternatives to those that do not contribute to or cause shedding.

[Silverbrumby]

I've had 3 times in my life where I faced heavy shedding, the worst being before my thyroid condition was detected. It hurts and I've cried. This community has helped in so many ways. Looking around on the fine threads and seeing beautiful hair. Hearing everyones stories and how they coped.

A couple of things. I remember and have noticed that many women in their mid twenties do have a major shed. I recall reading that this can occur for some women as a hormonal shifting around. I had this happen when I was 26. I have fine hair but did have a lot of it. In my mid twenties I had a major shed then it settled into a new density. It stayed that way until I had my thyroid issues. The last shed was when they discovered I was low in iron and vit. D which I've now adjusted for. I think that was 3 months ago and I 'think' I've slowed down on the shedding.

I have read here that some people who oil the scalp get heavy shedding. I know I did and stopped doing it, instead going back to oiling the length. Does anyone remember this? I'm wondering if you should stop oiling the scalp.

I'm still shedding between 60 to over 100 on my bad days but have come to terms with my 'new' hair.