bad hair days

[SadMom]

Doesn't hairloss give a whole new meaning to the phrase *bad hair day*? I'm always trying to be calm, and positive with this whole process. I look in the mirror all the time, at least in the morning when fixing my hair, and look at the top and back. And try and tell myself *It's not that bad. Seems to be holding. Maybe there is a bit of regrowth*. Then there are those days, when whether real or imagined, I look and I'm shocked at how much negative change there seems to be.

I don't know if it's really gotten dramatically worse, just a bad hair day, or the slow progression all of the sudden shows in a big way. But I hate these days anyways! For the past 2 weeks my hair shedding has gone from 85 (which was down from 120+), to about 60. For nearly 2 weeks it's been staying there, which has been a big relief. I realize, if nothing grows back to replace those lost, I can still experience hairloss with small shedding. But at least it would be slower!

Then I have days like this when I panic, that maybe a BIG shed is coming again, before I can address the problem and begin to fix it, and I'll never have a chance against it all!

 

[athleticmom]

Ya gotta have a plan for those bad hair days, honey! I have a spot on my head that looks particularly bad, some days more than others. I don't really think it is noticeable to anyone but me, although on those bad hair days I feel like everyone is looking at it! Anyway, what I do on those days is wear a headband. I have a couple that I really like and I don't mind looking like a prepster anyway. But when all else fails, that's what I do and then I usually schedule a visit to my hair gal asap to highlight and cut my hair.

P.S. How can you possibly count your hair each day?!?!?!?

 

[SadMom]

Athleticmom said:
P.S. How can you possibly count your hair each day?!?!?!?


I know. Isn't that completely obsessive? I began counting when I began losing hair after having my baby, because my hair was thinning so badly and I went to see the Doctor and they asked me how much I was losing. So I started keeping track... just for a while. Finally, after I became nuts over it, I quit counting... I would only do it every so often. Then I noticed it had mostly stopped. So I felt that my calming down about it had helped and was glad I had quit.

Then all of the sudden it started again.... and I just can't help it. It's like getting on the scale every day (which I do too....) Unfortunately my mood too often reflects the number of hairs and number on the scale.

I guess I feel if I know the hairloss is getting worse, I might take more steps to treat it than I am now. Or, if I see it decrease, I might know what I'm doing is working. Aaaggghhh.... the insanity.

You seem so much more well balanced about this than I am! Although I can say I no longer cry about it EVERY day. I have 6 kids to keep up with and a life, whether all my hair falls out or not. So I push on.

 

[athleticmom]

6 kids? No wonder!!! (kidding!). I want you to TRY not counting or getting on the scale for a day or two....then for a week. See if you can do it and see how you feel afterwards. I don't want you morphing into an obsessive-compulsive disorder!!!!

I would not say I am necessarily more balanced; my hair has been falling out since baby number 2, 7 (almost 8) years ago so I am probably just more used to it. I still have horrible days with this, don't get me wrong. I do not count my hair falling out, but when it is coming out as I am styling it or I find blonde hairs on my shoulders during the day I feel angry. Likewise, the treatments I have used so far may have slowed the hairloss, but they certainly haven't fixed the problem. I think that I have become more and more comfortable (for lack of a better word) with the idea of the whole thing and that I will get a hair system or a wig possibly at some point in my future. In the meantime, obsessing about probably won't help much, right? :love:

 

[SadMom]

True, obsessing about it won't make it stop. I wish it would! If thinking about it enough would make it stop, I'd have a full head of hair. I've been getting more *comfortable* also with the whole idea. After living with it this long, I feel I don't have many other sane choices.

Mine has gone so quickly, I don't think I'd have anything left at all if I'd been losing it over 7 years. The speed of this has been scary too. Before I can find any possible solutions, it'll just be gone!

I agree about those blonde hairs on the shoulder.... I just grit my teeth! It's like a little reminder that all isn't well up top. :hairy:

 

[athleticmom]

Question for ya: Did you have a baby fairly recently? I am asking because my hair was falling out in a significant quantity after my second son was born. I was freaking out about it, in fact, as it just came out so rapidly. But once that shedding phase stopped, it did slow down. I am wondering if the same might be true for you? What was frightful was once I saw the dermo about the hairloss about 6 years later, he told me that by the time your hairloss is really noticable, you have likely lost 60% of it! Yikes! I just keep pluggin along, tho....

 

[SadMom]

Not REALLY recently. She was born 14 mo ago. I didn't notice much hairloss after the first 3. After each of the next, the hairloss during the several postpartum months was worse and worse. However, it did always stop, well before one year, and I thought it returned to normal. I never did have really thick hair.

It's possible, that I was slowly losing density after each one, that never did come back. But, either it wasn't noticeable, or I was content not to look too closely! I did lose quite heavily this time, for the first 6 mo pp. Then it did totally stop. And I had regrowth. And I thought my problem was over. But around 10 mo pp, it started shedding very heavily again. And after 3 mo of that, has slowed, but not stopped. I would say easily I've lost 50 % of what I used to have. And considering my hair was never thick and luxurious, that's hard.

I've had a scalp biopsy and know it's Androgenetic Alopecia unfortunately. So I don't have any hopes of it totally stopping (unless my PCOS treatment really works well). But slowly is better than quickly I guess. I do have some new regrowth, but it's probably not totally normal, and of course doesn't match how much I've lost.

I'm planning on having one more baby.... after I give the treatment for the PCOS time to hopefully make positive changes. But I'm sure there are no guarantees as to how that will affect my hairloss either.

 

[athleticmom]

More questions (yeah, I am full of em!): First, I gotta ask: you have SIX kids and are planning on SEVEN?!?!?!? Just making sure I understand you!!!! I simply cannot imagine being pregnant that many times! Yikes!

Okay....onward. How can they tell it is Androgenetic Alopecia from a scalp biopsy? Also...how do you know you have PCOS for sure? What are you doing to treat it? What are you doing for the hairloss?

Time for bed. I have a 90 mile bike ride in the morning. :roll:

 

[SadMom]

Yep, I have 6. I always wanted a big family. I am around lots of people with families this big, or even bigger. So, it just seems normal for me. In fact, I often feel the same as you (imagining being pregnant that many times) when I think about the ladies I know who have had 9, 12..... I can't imagine that!

And yes, I really want one more. My kids do too.. always asking when we'll have another baby (they usually begin asking the day the current one is born!).

I guess from the biopsy, they look at the hair follicles and can see miniturization if it's Androgenetic Alopecia. Or inflammation if there's some other condition going on. Or microscopic scarring for some types of alopecias, etc... supposedly from what I've read on Keratin.com it's definitive.

I'm not sure how to know I have PCOS for sure. I have always had a weight problem, acne, had irregular periods from my teens (although in recent years they have become quite normal). I did need fertility help with the first baby. I have started having facial hair along my jaw line (a few black hairs and some coarse ones) in the past few years. So, even though my lab work is *normal* it's obvious my body is overproducing androgens. Probably from the insulin resistance which is the cause of the PCOS.

To treat it I had just been exercising, eating healthy, and trying to lose weight. But, that obviously isn't enough. So, I'm now taking Metformin, which helps your body with insulin production and is supposed to then tell the ovaries to stop making so much testosterone. Plus, putting a more low carb slant on my already healthy diet. Continuing to exercise. That's really all you can do besides taking anti-androgen drugs which I'm not comfortable with... at least for now.

I'm hoping, once the insulin levels drop... the androgen problem will self correct, which will allow me to lose weight easier, which all reduces the PCOS symptoms. And maybe then my hair will regrow. No guarantees.

I exercise 5 days a week, 4.3 mph on the treadmill for 50 minutes. NOT a 90 mile bike ride for sure :freaked2: but the most and hardest I've ever exercised. And with that and a low fat, healthy diet.... it's taken me a whole year to lose almost 30 lbs. It's very frustrating to work so hard and get so little results.

But, I am 16 lbs below my prepregnancy weight now, and 3 sizes smaller.... so that's good!

 

[athleticmom]

Wow, you sound positively THIN! Don't overdo that, okay!

I too know how frustrating it is to work really hard and not lose weight. One of my co-workers keeps telling me she can't believe I train 15+ hours per week and am not thin! It is frustrating, but the more I train, the more I am hungry, and my body just works hard to maintain itself.

So, even tho your blood work came back normal, you were put on something to deal with the insulin issue?

I hear you on the anti-androgen thing. When I saw the dermo I think he WOULD have put me on propecia, but I would have none of it.

I think it is amazing that a women could have 9-12 babies, seriously! Having my 2 were hard enough! It also must take a really special person to be calm with all that activity all the time! I suppose the older ones really help with the younger ones, though, right? My youngest went to a family day care for quite a while and the family was Mormon and they had a huge family, and that was the way it worked for them (plus the mom was exceptionally calm and LOVED doing day care!!!).

 

[SadMom]

Wow, you sound positively THIN! Don't overdo that, okay!

I wish! I am currently at 224 lbs. That's the lowest weight since I first got married. I long ago gave up the idea of truly being thin. But I do feel I'm healthy. And I would be so happy to even be back to 180 lbs again.


So, even tho your blood work came back normal, you were put on something to deal with the insulin issue?

The Metformin (glucophage) increases your bodies sensitivity to the insulin it already produces. It's often used for type II diabetes, even though I don't have that. They claim it's the #1 treatment for PCOS now as it addresses the underlying problem, not just the symptoms.


I I suppose the older ones really help with the younger ones, though, right?

They have their times they aren't so helpful. But in general yes, they are. They are 13, 11, 10, 8, 5, and 14 mo and all can help with the baby. They think she's great! My 13 yo even gives the baby horseback rides the baby is now equally as horse crazy!