[Anonymous]

#1076383

The body considers the hair and nails to be “non-essentials.” When someone is very ill, the hair and nails lose nutrients: they get diverted/used up by other, more essential body parts. They are the first to show strain of illness, and the last to recover.

It is, I know, troubling to find large clumps of hair falling out. We do not tend to go bald during this difficult time, but it IS common for hair to fall out as we are going through the process.

It is very important, therefore, that we treat our hair very tenderly for a while. Using harsh chemicals can add unnecessary strain to an already bad situation. You might want to consult with the person who does your hair: it is possible that you should not be coloring as often as you are, or that you should discontinue it for a time. My own hairdresser advised me to stop the perms I was getting. Perm solution is different from coloring solution, but I have heard that whatever is used to color hair “can” sometimes be hard on the hair.

Bobbi – NGDF Online Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1020218

Hi all-

I have been off my PTU now for about a month waiting on my uptake scan. I was losing hair when I was first diagnosed with Graves and then when stable on my PTU it slowed down quite drastically, but now that Ive been off it is worse than ever! It is coming out in clumps. Does anyone know of anything I can take or do to help it? Also I have been getting my hair colored since Ive been 30 ( am now 33) and never have I washed color out of my hair but now everytime I wash my hair it comes out. Any suggestions on how to help that? Thanks all.

[Anonymous]

#1076384

Hi standingfirm,

I just wanted to jump in and let you know that it is very common for us to lose hair (and for our nails to suffer) when our levels are fluctuating for ANY reason. In other words, even if you have been sick and your levels are changing for the better, they are still changing, and your body interprets that as an emergency. Its response is to remove support from the bodily “non-essentials,” nails and hair first. (I know *we* think they’re essential, but they truly are not essential for survival.) Once your levels have stopped fluctuating, the hair loss should subside significantly. As Bobbi says, in the meantime, treat your hair with extreme care. Any chemicals, rough styling, or even hats, can contribute to accelerating the hair loss.

~Ski
NGDF Assistant Online Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1076385

Standingfirm,

Sorry to hear about the hair loss, but don’t worry about it. Worry will only make it worse because stress can lead to hair loss. I have always had very fine hair and it was falling out daily. After I was diagnosed and began treatment my hair started growing longer for the first time in 30 years and got thicker. Now, I did stop dying my hair at the doctor’s suggestion, which I know helped me not to lose even more. I have started loosing it again since I had RAI, but it’s still growing back. I had lost my bangs in the beginning. They just completely fell out. I have went from a short cropped style to shoulder length hair – so hang in there – it’ll grow back. Just remember that God knows how many hairs are on our head – He will not give us any more or less than we need.

How are you doing off your meds? Are you hyper again? It is a long road with many hills and valleys, but I know there is an end in sight. When you have a good day, hold on to that and know that there are many more to come. When you have bad days, know that they are just about over. I’m hyper again, which I don’t like, but I know how to operate in hyper mode. That’s “normal” for me.

I’ll be praying for you.

[Anonymous]

#1076386

Hi all thanks for the support,

I know that the hair loss is just temporary and I will have to stop dying it, I was just wondering if there was any vitamins or something that would help with the regrowth? I started turning grey around 30 so to stop dying it is a big step for me, I know that my health is more important though. I have gone extremly hyper since being off the meds, It seems worse than before but im wondering if it is because i was finally feeling “normal” just before going off. I do not remember being shaky though before and if I do anything that Im not resting my heart starts to palpatate and sometimes I feel like I could pass out. Also I do not remember feeling dizzy before either. Well this should soon be over for me so I do have hope! Sorry to hear that you are hyper agian Mammaw I know that the road is long but we do feel normal eventually. I will be praying for you also.

[Anonymous]

#1076387

Standingfirm,

I don’t know when you see the doctor again, but if your heart keeps palpitating, call the doctor. I went far too long without telling them about mine until it got really bad. I even got them to put a holter monitor on me again after I had been out of a-fib for a couple of months. I have a home blood pressure cuff and I keep a close check on my blood pressure/pulse. When I am having palpitations/dizziness I check it more frequently. I check it at least every other day when I’m feeling “normal”. Palpitations is not something you want to mess with.

As far as hair, it is a big step to stop dying your hair, but it’s not that bad. Mine is just about grown out after a year and I kind of like it, but I’m much older than you. It is much healthier than when I was dying it, even on the days it feels dry because of the RAI treatment.

[Anonymous]

#1076388

Standing Firm,
I totally understand your dilema of making the tough decision to not dye your hair anymore, I have struggled with that as well, not having my son until I was 40, ( he is in college now) I have always not wanted to look like his grandmother as opposed to his mother. I also admit to having people tell me I don’t look my age and that has kept me from stopping the hair dye process. There are hair dyes out there that don’t have all of the harsh chemicals that are found in the more common ones. I have cut down on the frequency in which I color my hair. I don’t know what color your hair is but the blonde shades don’t have as many chemicals as the brown and black shades. I am through my hair loss period but if I had serious hair loss, for me having hair no matter what color, including gray, is better then no hair at all !!!

[Anonymous]

#1076389

Standingfirm,

I too had terrible hair loss. At times I wasn’t sure if I would have any hair left after I got to the other side of this, but I did. I have dark hair (with the help of hair dye). I had my hair lightly highlighted when it started to fall out. This gave me a two tone look, which allowed my gray to grow in without looking so drastically different. I still dyed my hair, but I was able to go much, much longer between dyes. I lost my hair for about 6 months and am happy to say it has started to grow back in. I also have very wavy hair that I normally straighten with a brush and dryer. I changed my style to go more natural curly which cut back on the heat and brushing. I think this helped also.

I will say that when it was coming out daily and covering the drain in the shower within 2-3 days, it was pretty scarry. I had decided I would get a wig if needed, but as I got my TSH back towards normal it slowed down, then stopped.

Good luck!
Cindyw

[Author]

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