Telogen Effluvium or misdiagnosis

[rapidfrontal]

Well, after seeing that my hairline has gotten worse over the past few days and diffusely pretty much all over the top its getting incredibly thin, I talked to my father again, remember he's a Derm, and he is still of the opinion that I have the Telogen Effluvium and that its coming back, with the exception of total filling in of the hairline areas that I've lost. My shedding seems more under control more than ever before, but it is still hard for me to believe that I won't be completely bald by the end of the year. I've never heard of somebody losing it as quickly as I am. I estimate that I've got 6 months max before I am going to have to start shaving my head, probably more like three months.

I wanted to pass along that through all of this, the only thing that ever makes me feel better is when I tell myself that I'm just going to give it time and see what happens. Somehow, to think that I'll just check back with it in a month or so and see where it is relieves some of my anxious stress over the matter. I try to focus on that idea and it is hard, but it seems to help me cope.

 

[JayB]

Well, after seeing that my hairline has gotten worse over the past few days and diffusely pretty much all over the top its getting incredibly thin, I talked to my father again, remember he's a Derm, and he is still of the opinion that I have the Telogen Effluvium and that its coming back, with the exception of total filling in of the hairline areas that I've lost. My shedding seems more under control more than ever before, but it is still hard for me to believe that I won't be completely bald by the end of the year. I've never heard of somebody losing it as quickly as I am. I estimate that I've got 6 months max before I am going to have to start shaving my head, probably more like three months.

I wanted to pass along that through all of this, the only thing that ever makes me feel better is when I tell myself that I'm just going to give it time and see what happens. Somehow, to think that I'll just check back with it in a month or so and see where it is relieves some of my anxious stress over the matter. I try to focus on that idea and it is hard, but it seems to help me cope.

I hear you, my doctor who ive been seeing since last may still insists its Telogen Effluvium . While i still have very thick hair, my vertex has taken a beating, i can see little "parts" where theres just no hair. I have decided for the first time in ONE year after reading your guys testimonials to relax, take a deep breath, be patient and give it time. I do believe that this Telogen Effluvium thing will stop once we get a handle on the anxiety.
Let me also refer you to this picture i found after endless hours of searching for a men with Telogen Effluvium.

now mine is nowhere near that, but i do have that straight part in the back where hair is visibally missing, as well as a part in the middle. It almost looks like the letter T. Now if this guy had Telogen Effluvium and made a full recovery, we must learn to relax and tell ourselves there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I also look back at pictures of myself and see now that my frontal hairline has gotten back much more density than it had..and i never even realized it back while it was going on because other parts of my hair seemed to me as though they were still bad. Bottom line- Stop counting hairs, try your best to relax, and keep positive. We can beat telogen effluvium

 

[Mickey]

JAYB
im sorry to sound selfish by saying this but im glad i have read that you have the straight line of hair missing at the back.That is exactly the same for me im totally bald in that area.I have to spend ages trying to cover it up to make it look more resonable.i feel stubble coming through in that area but that is the worse hit area on my scalp.

 

[Mickey]

Also have the letter T shape you described.

 

[JayB]

JAYB
im sorry to sound selfish by saying this but im glad i have read that you have the straight line of hair missing at the back.That is exactly the same for me im totally bald in that area.I have to spend ages trying to cover it up to make it look more resonable.i feel stubble coming through in that area but that is the worse hit area on my scalp.

its not selfish, i feel better knowing someone else was diagnosed with Telogen Effluvium who has that as well. That was hit hardest for me as well. Im thinking about getting some coverup to put on that area while i wait because i think that would help ease the anxiety Alot what do u think?

 

[Mickey]

I was thinking the same thing about cover up im a bit unsure if i want to use it myself but i suppose it would help the anxiety a lot but im a bit worried about putting too much on my hair at the moment as it still dont look to healthy but it seems to be getting better.Its a relief aswell to hear somebody else having the same pattern of loss like i have.Even though the crown is diffused and the front is a bit thin.The vertex is just a total mess and sometimes i do get a bit paronoid about it.

 

[rapidfrontal]

JayB, I love seeing pics like that. Mine is nowhere near that either, but a simple little run through my hair with my hand shows plenty of scalp, especially on crown and vertex. I am curious how long your guys' hair shedding lasted. I thought mine was getting under control, but I shed about 50 hairs in 30 seconds earlier today. JayB, your attitude is pretty impressive and makes me feel quite a bit better about my own situation. Let's just give it some time and see what the hell happens. I guess all my questions should be answered within a few months, or at least by the end of the year, for better or worse.

 

[rapidfrontal]

By the way, JayB, I agree about not counting hairs. It is a sure way to drive yourself to insanity and really doesn't provide any solid information. On one hand, I guess it could all be falling out permanently, but on the other the hairs falling out could indicate that the new ones are coming back.

 

[JayB]

JayB, I love seeing pics like that. Mine is nowhere near that either, but a simple little run through my hair with my hand shows plenty of scalp, especially on crown and vertex. I am curious how long your guys' hair shedding lasted. I thought mine was getting under control, but I shed about 50 hairs in 30 seconds earlier today. JayB, your attitude is pretty impressive and makes me feel quite a bit better about my own situation. Let's just give it some time and see what the hell happens. I guess all my questions should be answered within a few months, or at least by the end of the year, for better or worse.

im not really sure how long my sheds have lasted. I think they usually last for a week or two and then subside. The itching, tenderness, and all that crap has only occured once before this for me so im not really sure. the last shed i had lasted a long time. i couldnt get rid of it because my body was so out of wack and getting panic attacks every single night. Once the attacks subsided and i got on medicine to help my scalp because it was so inflamed, it subsided soon after. My shed seems to have stopped now again, but it left my hair completely dead. i put my hand on top of my hair on the crown, and the hair just falls flat against my scalp. It feels horrible and made me realize how good it had been starting to feel before my most recent outbreak of anxiety flared up.
And this attitude of mine...it was not something that came overnight..it took months and months of crying, of panic, of fear, of everything i shouldnt have been doing if i want to get better.
So finally after my most recent outbreak i decided its about time to listen to the docs and maybe give into the fact that it might get better no matter how scared you are it will get worse.

 

[JayB]

By the way, JayB, I agree about not counting hairs. It is a sure way to drive yourself to insanity and really doesn't provide any solid information. On one hand, I guess it could all be falling out permanently, but on the other the hairs falling out could indicate that the new ones are coming back.

i dont think the hair will grow if you are still doing everything wrong. Its been my experience that just because u shed with this sh*t, doesnt meant the hair cycle is going back. You actually have to wait for the cycle to get back in alignment which takes as long as it does for the stressor to be removed. Im about ready to shave my head though so i dont have to constantly feel just how bad my hair has got since it came on. We all just need to forget as it hard as it is if we want to beat this effluvium thing. But then theres always that litle voice in the back of your head that says "but what if its not"

All i know is that i qualify for the extreme amount of stress necessary to cause ones hair to fall out. I know roger maris lost alot of his hair during his home run record breaking season. it grew back but watching that movie "61" where you saw his hands uncontrollably shaking and then he would touch the back of his head and 10 hairs would be on his head is something i relate to completely.

 

[wotsthedeal]

One thing that has brought me some (albeit a small amount) of comfort during my Telogen Effluvium is that I'm losing hair from all over my body - and I mean all over. Literally any place I have hair, I am losing it. While I am hoping I don't have alopecia universalis (that'd be a bit of drag), this basically confirms the Telogen Effluvium diagnosis.

My advice to you (and to myself, I need to do this more as well) is to try and stop stressing about it. Maybe get a haircut, generally the shorter your hair cut is, the less noticeable your loss will be. Like some of you, I am paranoid and I'm thinking that I am losing more at the crown. Try to rest assured, there is a reason that dermatologists you see and websites you visit insist that the hair will grow back - hair follicles don't die in the span of a few months (unless you have an underlying disease like lupus).

Try to relax - smoke some pot, that works for me! :lol:

 

[curbed my enthusiasm]

HI, everybody. i posted some info about Telogen Effluvium awhile back on this thread. i'm pretty sure i mentioned it directly, but if not i think it may be likely that some of you are going through Telogen Effluvium and male pattern baldness. if you have loss everywhere but significantly worse loss in male pattern baldness affected areas this could be the case. I feel confident that that's the case for me. if you are on finasteride or a dht inhibitor then your male pattern baldness hair should be protected from the miniaturization that you would experience in affected areas during a Telogen Effluvium. if your not on finasteride or a topical get on one immediately. unfortunately for me it looks like i'm going to have to discontinue finasteride due to other sides. any idea what is the best topical alternative to take finasteride's place? good luck, i truly understand how devestating this is, it's comforting to know i'm not alone.

 

[wotsthedeal]

Most people would probably suggest minoxidil as an alternative, but I think Adenogen came out today (alleged 94% success rate) so it may be worth looking into that instead.

 

[lossing my hair]

Jay B, nice search for that Telogen Effluvium pic. most doctors would diagnose that pic as male pattern baldness because it's concentrated on top. but i guess the rapid way that guys loss his hair and history was what diagnose him as having Telogen Effluvium. That's good news for those of us who believe it's possible we have Telogen Effluvium.

 

[rapidfrontal]

[

quote="curbed my enthusiasm"]HI, everybody. i posted some info about Telogen Effluvium awhile back on this thread. i'm pretty sure i mentioned it directly, but if not i think it may be likely that some of you are going through Telogen Effluvium and male pattern baldness. if you have loss everywhere but significantly worse loss in male pattern baldness affected areas this could be the case. I feel confident that that's the case for me. if you are on finasteride or a dht inhibitor then your male pattern baldness hair should be protected from the miniaturization that you would experience in affected areas during a Telogen Effluvium. if your not on finasteride or a topical get on one immediately. unfortunately for me it looks like i'm going to have to discontinue finasteride due to other sides. any idea what is the best topical alternative to take finasteride's place? good luck, i truly understand how devestating this is, it's comforting to know i'm not alone.

I have been told I have Telogen Effluvium, but I seriously have my doubts. The reason being that my temples, mostly right, are receeding and thinning so rapidly. I am on finasteride and today I bought 5% minoxidil and I guess I'll start using it on my temples, but you wouldn't believe how fast my temples are receeding. I know I've had some very slow temple recession for a while, but as of the past few months the speed has increased by about 100 fold. At this rate I have another couple of months before my temples are no longer temples. I wish I could find somebody that would tell me that when my Telogen Effluvium subsides, so will the current speed with which my temples are receeding.[/quote]

 

[JayB]

its the vertex im most petrified of...last night i looked with in the mirror under a flourescent light with an enlarging mirror and almost passed out at what i saw. the tears just couldnt be controlled.

 

[rapidfrontal]

its the vertex im most petrified of...last night i looked with in the mirror under a flourescent light with an enlarging mirror and almost passed out at what i saw. the tears just couldnt be controlled.

I decided a while back never to use one of those magnifying mirrors because it distorts the reality too much. Other people don't see as well as those things reflect.

 

[rapidfrontal]

By the way, it is amazing how a positive change in a person's career can make one put this hairloss thing in perspective. In the past week I have had a major development in my career to the point that I found myself saying a couple days ago that I don't even care if my hair falls out because of what I think my career may develop into. Now of course I care if my hair falls out, but if I can continue on my present career path, then when it does I will be able to take it in stride with no negative impact on my confidence or self esteem.

 

[Mickey]

its the vertex im most petrified of...last night i looked with in the mirror under a flourescent light with an enlarging mirror and almost passed out at what i saw. the tears just couldnt be controlled.

I know ive been through it aswell i did the same and nearly passed out with shock at how sparse it had got.Now though im in a different situation even though it is still a mess its getting darker with regrowth sprouting up.Hang in there

 

[JayB]

Mickey are you taking anything?