[Julie3588]

#1066008

I had RAI in June 2009 and was put on Synthroid when I went hypo. I’ve bounced around from being hyper to hypo on the meds and am still trying to find the right dose. I noticed in October that my hair was really starting to thin out. I had ultra thick curly hair and by December is was thin and limp and wouldn’t do anything but just kind of lay there. I really felt like screaming "what now!" It felt like another slap in the face after all the other symptoms. I noticed that it was mostly failling out around my hair line so it seemed like my hairline was receding, yikes. Everytime I washed or brushed my hair it would come out to the point where I would almost clog the drain. I was freaking out. I called my endo and he said that from swinging around from hyper to hypo I may notice "some abundent hair turnover for awhile." I took about 3 months for it to stop falling out and it’s started to come back in a bit ” title=”Very Happy” /> I started using Garnier Root Booster to make it look better through all this. Instead of spraying it just on my roots I spray it throughout my whole head of hair and it helps a lot. It makes the hair I have left thicker and bouncier. I also got more layers in my hair to make the thin section a but less noticable.

Hope this helps. Just know your not alone! There’s a bunch of posts on this board about hair loss. Congrats on your upcoming wedding ” title=”Very Happy” />

-Julie

[hyperteacher27]

#1018612

It’s been a while since I posted, but I am on the verge of an emotional breakdown and I thought I could seek some comfort from this board.

I had RAI on Nov 30, 2009. After about 3 weeks, I was feeling amazing. The best I had felt in years. By January I had gone very hypo though and was starting to feel the effects of that…significant weight gain and muscle pain were the two biggies.

My endo put me on 100mcg of the generic brand of Levoxyl. I did ok on it, but definitely started to notice hyper symptoms coming back. After a month she lowered it to 80mcg. I have now been on the 80mcg for almost a month and physically I feel pretty good, but my hair is falling out like I am a cancer patient. I am talking obscene clumps every time I shower. It looks like I could make a wig from what is in the drain. I shed constantly all day and it is to the point where my hair just looks awful every day.

I hate to sound vain, but this is really bothering me. Did anyone else experience this? What is it from? Does it get better on its own? Should I be talking to my doctor about this?

I am getting married in 3 months and I am starting to freak out at the the thought of being completely bald on my wedding day! I have no clue what is happening!

Need advice and or reassurance please!

[Ski]

#1066009

The hair loss has more to do with fluctuating thyroid hormone levels than anything else ~ it’s just not typical for our body to go through such radical shifts in thyroid hormone levels in the "normal world," so our body is programmed to sense that as a major emergency, and it removes resources from "non-essential" parts of our body, like our hair and nails (I know ~ non-essential to whom?? ” title=”Very Happy” />). Fluctuating from abnormal into normal ranges doesn’t make it different to our body ~ still an emergency ~ so until levels stabilize, we can suffer some hair loss. It is typically transient and minor, so in the meantime, the advice we usually give is to make sure you are not "messing with" your hair a great deal (no perms, color, hot appliances, hard brushing), and if you’re looking at a fairly long period of adjustment, just find a nice short haircut you like. Losing short pieces of hair isn’t quite as emotionally devastating. After you stabilize, you can grow your hair long again. In any case, it’ll end, that’s for sure.

[lizlair]

#1066010

As I stated in a previous post, my RAI was November 15th and I am currently in the hyper to hypo shift. As I was still on a low level of Methamizole at the time of the last lab work, I have about one more week to go before they can re-test and hopefully start the hypo medication. One of my clues that I was shifting to hypo was the sudden thinning of my hair. Heretofore, I had really thick, fast growing hair. In the past few weeks, it seems like my hair loss is competing with the cat’s! AND, it seems like what is left is gray! The good news is that I’m saving money on haircuts and I don’t have to shave my legs as often! Hopefully, once I stablize, some normalcy will return to my life!

[hyperm]

#1066011

Hi,

In a short answer YES! When I was very hyper it started falling out in large hand fulls. I have to clean the drain at least twice while washing my hair- I have long hair so it looked twice as bad.

It settled for a while then after I had my TT it was falling out again. I was petrified I was going to loose my hair. It certainly did get finer and brittle but I am glad to say it has settled down now.

I had to try and convince myself that I would loose around less than half of that hair anyway so its wasn’t as bad as I what I was thinking- some days that train of thought worked…most days not. I kept my hair tied back and reduced the amount of times I washed it.

As Ski said it is due to hormonal imbalance and your body has been through a work out xxx

[hyperteacher27]

#1066012

Thank you to everyone who has responded. It is comforting knowing that this is not only happening to me, though of course no less frustrating and upsetting. Again, it is so hard to express concerns over something like hair loss without sounding vain, but it is scaring me that Graves Disease is changing me more than just internally…

I will try the Garnier product and take the advice of not messing with it too much. I’ve always had long, very thick, very curly hair…so cutting it short is just not something I can even wrap my brain around right now…I am just hoping it doesn’t get so awful that I have to.

Thanks again!

[Bobbi]

#1066013

It really should not get so bad that you have to cut your hair. It does "look" like a lot of hair is falling out — mine came out in clumps at one point in time. But things corrected long before others could tell what had been happening.

[hyperm]

#1066014

Hyper teacher I have long curly hair too so cutting it was not an option for me. Hopefully it will begin to settle. I used to be able to pull my hair at the ends and large lumps would just come away ” title=”Sad” /> I brushed very gently from the ends up is small sections to try and prevent any pulling.

HTH xxx

[Kylar]

#1066015

I am still waiting on a diagnosis & today after an appointment at the nuclear medicine department (working on a diagnosis) lost a clump of hair immediately freaked out and started looking for posts like this one! Does anyone know if it is falling out or breaking off? I am back to see my DR tomorrow & I WILL ask! PS Don’t feel vain! You are totally normal! Very best on your wedding day!

[mamabear]

#1066016

Tips and tricks for hair/skin and mental health Click that link and it will take you there to read.

I’m in a rush but wanted to comment for those of you who are going through this. Please make sure that you aren’t doing anything to damage your hair further. I have very long, just recently cut about 5 inches of it and it’s now in the middle of my back. as of right now I would say it’s not very healthy, I’m going through a rough period right now with kids and illnesses and just a lot of stuff so not taking care of hair the best that I could be. I dyed it for about a year from 2008-2009 and it’s growing out. I was in a pool and it burned my hair from a certain point down and well I have no idea how because my dh has even longer hair than I do but his is healthier so that might be it.

Combing it out helps get the dead ones out and although you are taking them out and feeling that all of it is coming out, your hair will look better after getting all of the dead ones out. But combing is better than brushing, so knots out with a comb then a good boar bristle brush is best for our hair. it takes time but really we need to pamper ourselves!

Personally I am of the mind that if my hair is falling out (which it was at one point) to cut it off and play with short hair. I am a very very simple person though and if someone told me I had breast cancer I would be of the mind to say well take them out and put big ones in. It is just that simple for me, I know a woman who had breast cancer and bought a few wigs and was having fun playing with them. I’d shave my head if I needed to and have fun with that as well. It’s just my nature, i’ve always been this way. BUT not all of us are so keeping what we have means taking care of it.
You may want to get a sateen pillow case for your pillows. Sateen sheets help keep the hair from getting tangled at night time. You can also use a night cap to bed. I did this with my dd3 because the back of her head was getting so horrible with her tossing and turning at night that it literally ripped hair out as she slept.

when putting your hair in a bun Don’t do it too tightly, you will break off pieces where you have it tight. Like SKI said, no coloring or perms…it’s just not worth it. No matter how Gentle it says it is when you have graves’ it just isn’t that way on the hair.

Deep conditioning helps too, take time for yourself and your hair. It doesn’t take but a few extra minutes in the shower. Wash hair really fast by putting shampoo on top of head, work in, then rinse out, while it’s rinsing out the rest will flow down your hair and wash that too, there is no need to put shampoo all over your head (just wastes shampoo). Then put a conditioner on hair starting at middle/bottom then work in and leave in for as long as it says. If you dont have a special treatment then leave your regular conditioner in for a few extra minutes. Rinse well, conditioner and or shampoo left in hair can also damage hair…so rinse well.

You can buy an anti frizz treatment and sparingly use it from bottom up to the middle of your hair(not top or it will look greasy). work it in and then style as usual then say "Cuz I’m worth it!!!" lol

Now I put on my shopping list to get another head hat for bedtime since I have not doing right by my hair either…. just been so busy and well I need to pamper my hair again. it needs a little TLC. lol

Have a great day!

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