[Ski]

#1073241

Of COURSE it’s worth being here, you will recover from this ~ right now it seems like that stretches a long way in the distance, but you’re getting closer every day.

The hair loss is caused by the hyperthyroidism and also by rapidly fluctuating levels ~ the body interprets these things as life-threatening conditions, so it removes resources from the hair and nails in order to keep the rest of you alive. It will get better as your levels stabilize, but meanwhile, even though your levels are moving in the right direction, it is a change the body doesn’t "understand." For right now, you probably need to get yourself a nice short haircut that doesn’t require a bunch of fuss. That will minimize the hair loss and also the sight of all that hair.

The sores do not sound like a typical response to PTU, but you should definitely have them checked out. Stress and strain can cause a lot of physical symptoms as well, but the point is to get you some relief.

Please know that we understand. We have been there, and it is difficult. But we are all evidence of the success you can have.

[hyperm]

#1019666

This may seem very vain but I can assure I am not vain at all. I have very thick hair (thankfully) but now its falling out in lumps. I am so scared to wash my hair as I know what I am going to see and it makes me cry. This disease has not only disabled me from caring for my kids in the way I would normally do (my hubby is having to take over) but now all these other side effects.

Also after the thyroid storm I was taken off carbimazole because my WBC was low and am now on PTU however I breaking out in read sores over my torso and I am not sure if this is due to general poor health or a side effect of the meds. I was on PTU 2 years ago when I fell pregnant and never felt great on them.

I am really at the end of my tether with all of this and again am thinking is worth being here?

[LaurelM]

#1073242

Hi,

Remember that you are also postpartum which can also result in hair loss. I lost quite a bit a hair as well but like you, started with thick hair. The hair and nails were among the last to improve for me. It never got to the point where I think it was noticible to anyone other than my stylist but I remember using a lot of lint brushes at work to de-hair my clothes.

You should definately talk to your Dr very, very soon about the sores. The first thought that I had when I read your post was that they might be Shingles. If you have ever had the Chicken Pox virus, the virus can lie dormant for years and then show up on your torso as sores. If it this, then there is something they can give you to shorten the length and severity but it has to be taken right away (within a day or two of onset) or it isn’t effective.

Let us know what you find out. I keep you my my thoughts and am happy when we hear from you. Eventually you will be able to post that you are starting to feel better.

Laurel

[DianneW]

#1073243

Hyperm,

I lost hair in droves so I didn’t see how there could possibly be anything left in my head and it worried me to death! Still, my hairdresser assured me I had plenty left, and said the new hairs growing in gave me natural texturizing.

As much hair as I lost post-partum, I have to agree that the two conditions combined must be a nightmare for anyone! But wash your hair all you need to, because the new hair is ready to grow back in, and you won’t be bald, I assure you!

I’m more concerned about your general well-being. I know you’ve been through so much, but if your meds aren’t controlling your levels this is dangerous. I’m concerned about the side effects and what this is doing to your emotions. You’re not thinking entirely clearly. Keep in mind how stable you normally are. I’m sending you a private message. You’re going to be okay.

[scubarn]

#1073244

I can’t comment on post-partum, but after 8 years with Grave’s disease, weight loss, bone density loss, and muscle atrophy in my arms and legs, I noticed I began shed a lot. My body was depleted since the HYPER increased over time where once it had stabilized on PTU.
I had to up my PTU dose in December, and the hair loss was exponential. Each time I brushed I pulled handfuls of my hair from the brush and would just flush them not knowing where to put it all.
The PTU made me very ill as well. I attribute the hair loss in part to the increased dosage needed to go euthyroid prior to surgery. It has been 3 weeks since my thyroid has been removed. My hair & nails are improving. I have less fall-out (excuse the pun) now that I had my dying thyroid removed.
Hang in there and keep posting. You are not alone.

Karen

[hyperm]

#1073245

hey thanks everyone I feel as though I am posting something new every day but I am just needing some support.

Karen what you are describing is like me – its is falling out in lumps and i have thick curly hair but am so scared of going bald. I know that sounds really vain.

Dianne, I know that I am not thinking rationally and that is the annoying thing as I am so aware of it and yet somedays can’t get a grip. I was really hurt the other day as my hubby and I were sniping at each other and he said "why don’t you just go and lie down thats what you do best" I know he didn’t mean it but it really hurt as I was so active with my first little boy and was at 5 baby classes a day and played, baked the lot with him. I cooked and baked everything from scratch and now I can’t even boil pasta in a pot that I have to go and sit down ” title=”Sad” /> I really don’t want to feel like this and am at my wits end. My hubby tries to keep the house clean be he isn’t the tidiest and yes I will admit I am rather anal about cleanliness and the house looking nice. I look around and I just want to burt into tears. I know that some people will say these things don’t matter but you have to have a level of cleanliness for your kids and if I don’t do it then most of the time it doesn’t get done.

I have had to be good to myself and also point out to my hubby that I worked part-time and yet ran the house cooked homemade meals and played with baby and was so involved with him. I done my house work at night so that I could have all the time with my eldest little boy – so YES there is something wrong with me and although I know you are tired I NEVER once went on at you for doing nothing in the house….. Its so degrading and I am sure many mums out there feel the same.

Thanks for all your support xxx

[Ski]

#1073246

Yep, you are NOT alone! ” title=”Very Happy” /> If there’s any way you can get some help from outside, that may be a solution for now. I know you don’t want to feel like this (well, no one does), and you don’t want your house to be a mess, but the solution is definitely not to suck it up and do it anyway. That will only make you feel worse, it adds to the resentment you feel about doing everything, and it wears you out so you have little time or patience for your husband or kids.

Do you have women friends? Neighbors, parents of your kids’ friends? Can you have a "clean my house with me" party once a week? Provide something for everyone to eat & drink, and split up the work among many hands. You could do your part, they could give you a hand, the house would be nice, and you wouldn’t be worn out. If that’s not an option, look toward a cleaning person ~ not every day, or even every week, if that’s too much for your budget, but maybe once a month for the really hard stuff. You need to reach out and get some real help from those around you now, because there are two parts to what you’re feeling right now. The first part is the exhaustion, the depression, the sadness, the frustration. The second part is the resentment you feel toward the disease (your body is letting you down, how dare it!), toward your family for needing, toward your husband for not helping, etc. etc. etc. BOTH issues need to be addressed in some way that helps, rather than putting you in an escalating state of upset.

Naturally, in the back of our mind we know that we love our family, our body can’t help this, we are expecting too much from ourselves, and we need to calm down over the whole thing. Unfortunately, this is largely chemical. It’s not as easy as just saying "I understand." We’re GOING to feel badly. We’re GOING to get angry. This is TOUGH. Sometimes knowing that is helpful. Sometimes not. It’s tough to be balanced when you feel as if so much is going wrong.

Anything that can put your mind back toward the positive will be a good thing. Get the old gratitude journal out. Write down five things you’re grateful for every morning. Try to make sure you build in to your day some things JUST for you, and don’t feel guilty about that. (And if that thing is wiping down the counters with bleach because no one else does it right, that’s okay too!)

Above all, remember that you didn’t put yourself here, no one is saying you want to be in this condition, but indeed, here you are. There’s no shortcut to wellness, sorry about that. You’ll have to take every step of it yourself. But you WILL get there, things will start looking up. One day you’ll turn around and realize you’ve been feeling okay for quite a few days. One day even further down the road you’ll be telling someone about this period in your life and find that you’ve really, truly recovered. That day IS in your future.

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