| Author | Message | ||
     Kim New member Username: Itscomingback Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2009 |
I had a bad experience with telogen effluvium this past July. I lost about 50% of my hair. I never posted on any boards because I was so sick to my stomach about it that I could barely talk about it. The hair loss was from an antibiotic called Mycobutin. It caused my white blood cell count to drop to dangerous levels twice and by the time my doctor pulled me off of it the hair loss was in full swing. I wanted to post so that others will know there is hope. Once I stopped the antibiotics the hair loss slowly stopped but I did lose hair rapidly for about two months. I was scared I would go bald but that didn't happen - I just shedded a lot of hair. Yes, the hair came out with the white bulb at the end if you are wondering. I know all too well the horror of seeing handfuls of hair come out while in the shower; seeing hair all over the bathroom floor; feeling it hitting your arms as it falls out while you are sitting there at work. Sickening, horrible, SCARY. I also experienced a very irritated scalp with itching, pain and tingling. The dermatologist gave me cortisone foam, gel and cream but all of those irritated my scalp even more. The gel irritated my scalp so bad that I had blisters all over my head and I thought, boy I've really done it now! My hair will NEVER get better! For me, it was best to leave it alone. I couldn't use any heavy leave-in conditioners and had to use a lighter spray one. I also switched to "hair loss" shampoos and conditioners such as Lamas with Chinese herbs. They tend to volumize the hair which lets the scalp breathe. It also makes your hair look thicker which helps when you look in the mirror. I used Emu oil sparingly to soothe my scalp. Anyway, it's been 4 months since the hair loss stopped and I quit the "trigger" which was the antibiotic and my hair is growing back. It's filling in close to the scalp so my hair still doesn't look like it did before this nightmare, but I realize that it will probably take me an entire year to be back to normal and I can't wait! It is really nice to lift the sides of my hair and see it filling in. Whew! I am getting a bump or two on my scalp here and there but I think they are probably slightly ingrown hairs since so many are growing back at once. My scalp is not irritated anymore and I can't feel the air hitting my scalp when I'm out walking for exercise. I sympathize with all of you who are going through this. I tell my friends that it is up there in the top 5 "horrible things that have happened to me." When I was going through the hair loss, boards like this one kept me sane. I was thinking about it the other night and realized that people don't post success stories because they are over it and moving on. I know I want this creepy experience as far behind me as possible. That being said, I figured I would post my recovery story here so that it will give someone else some hope that the nightmare will end - it just takes time. | ||
| Jacob G New member Username: Vanilla_sauce Post Number: 18 Registered: 01-2009 |
I'm happy for you. Next, you should try going through an undiagnosable amalgam of androgenetic alopecia and telegen effluvium with some seborrheic dermatitis thrown in for good measure. As an extra challenge, lose your eyebrows. Sorry, didn't mean to rain on your topic. | ||
| Tom Hagerty Moderator Username: Admin Post Number: 3776 Registered: 01-2003 |
Kim: You wrote, "I was thinking about it the other night and realized that people don't post success stories because they are over it and moving on." People who regain their hair usually don't come back to the hair loss forums anymore. They don't want to associate with "losers." Often they have contempt for the guys who are still in various stages of hair loss now that they are part of the beautiful people set again. I was that same way when I got my hair back at 20 years old. I felt proud of my hair as I was driving down the Harbor Freeway in Santa Monica in my old convertible. Hair loss was a thing of the past - but I still kept doing the scalp exercise just as a precaution. | ||
| Kim New member Username: Itscomingback Post Number: 2 Registered: 01-2009 |
I realize that not all of you on this board are suffering from temporary hair loss; some are having issues with chronic telegon effluvium and others even more severe conditions. My heart goes out to you. I know how awful sudden hair loss is. I just hoped that for those that are going through a temporary condition triggered by medication or stress that my story might help them to sleep better at night knowing that it will pass. | ||
| KM New member Username: Aries Post Number: 25 Registered: 12-2008 |
Kim - Congratulations on your recovery. My daughter was told in May of 08 that she had TE. The doctor said to give it some time. In August when her hair was still thinning out I took her to a new doctor that said it was AGA. My heart is breaking as her hair continues to thin. | ||
| Jacob G New member Username: Vanilla_sauce Post Number: 20 Registered: 01-2009 |
People who regain their hair usually don't come back to the hair loss forums anymore. They don't want to associate with "losers." If/when I get my hair back, I'm coming back here and rubbing it in everyone's faces. :D |
