I have always had the thickest, straightest least manageable hair possible, until about 2 years ago. I kept it very short because it was so unmanageable. Then I could no longer manage it short, so I decided to grow it a bit to see what was happening. I discovered it had gone curly. Great, great surprise. I had already discovered, when I stopped coloring it, that it had gone a nice platinum color. So, SCORE. Curly (not frizzy) platinum hair. I enjoyed it for about a year, and then it began to change again. The curls in the front stayed but at the back and sides went sort of frizzy and straight, and horrible.
Now? Suddenly I can see my scalp! It is falling out. This is the first time in my life that I am seeing hair on my pillow, my keyboard, my shoulders, all over.
I am totally depressed about it. What to do?
Alongside this, my nails, which never grew all my life, began to grow strong and fast for the past 4-5 years or so. Now they are getting brittle, with ridges, splitting and breaking.
What can be happening? I know I must be missing nutrients. I have only been on this very strict diet for a week now. The first year or 2 of this illness my hair and nails were fine. Now they are NOT! I remember a discussion about ridges on nails, but not them breaking.
Anyone else? Help!
Help!
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Hypothyroidism would be my first guess. Exposure to water and diet/malabsorption issues are also possibilities.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/2 ... 40959.html
Tex
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/2 ... 40959.html
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
LESLEY I HAVE LO
ST SUCH A LOT OF MY LOVELY HAIR AND CAN NOW SEE THE SCALP.
I HAVE UPPED MY B VITAMINS AND NOW HAVE STARTED TAKING FOLIC ACID.
MINE IS DUE TO THE STEROIDS I HAVE NOW COMPLETED TAKING.
IF I HAD KNOWN THIS I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT TWICE REGARDING STEROIDS.
I AM NOW LIVING HOPE THAT IT LL STOPS FALLING OUT AND STARTS GROWING.
MY NAILS ARE OKAY, NOT FABULOUS BUT OKAY.
KINDEST REGARDS TO YOU
MARIE
ST SUCH A LOT OF MY LOVELY HAIR AND CAN NOW SEE THE SCALP.
I HAVE UPPED MY B VITAMINS AND NOW HAVE STARTED TAKING FOLIC ACID.
MINE IS DUE TO THE STEROIDS I HAVE NOW COMPLETED TAKING.
IF I HAD KNOWN THIS I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT TWICE REGARDING STEROIDS.
I AM NOW LIVING HOPE THAT IT LL STOPS FALLING OUT AND STARTS GROWING.
MY NAILS ARE OKAY, NOT FABULOUS BUT OKAY.
KINDEST REGARDS TO YOU
MARIE
jmg
Lesley,
Some patients claim that epidural steroids can definitely cause hair loss:
Tex
Some patients claim that epidural steroids can definitely cause hair loss:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_an_epidur ... _hair_lossCan an epidural cause hair loss?
In: Hair Loss and Treatment, Epidurals [Edit categories]
Answer:
It definitely can! A year and a half ago I had 3 intramuscular steroid injections in my lower back and a couple months later my hair started falling out by the handfuls. It quit just as fast as it started but it did last several months. Then in January my second doctor told me he wanted to try a series of 3 epidurals. I told him I was concerned about hair loss. He thought it would not affect it since the steroid would be staying in the spinal canal. Well, guess what?? Here it is June and my hair has been falling out starting the end of April and is continuing to fall out by the handfulls now. Hopefully it will stop soon. My dermatologist told me this is definitely a side effect to steroid injections and about the time you start freaking out about it because your hair is getting so thin, it seems to suddenly stop. Keep your fingers crossed!! I know I will never have another steroid injection again!
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
WOW! Tex! I am amazed! Thank you. Had it helped my back it would have been worth it. If I think back, the change in my hair texture started about the time of my first epidural. The first one DID help my back, so I guess gaining a few months with less pain was worth it, but this time it sure as heck wasn't.
I have had a lot of those injections, and this has never happened before.
Had it helped I might have decided to go for the 3rd, but since it didn't there is no way!
I have had a lot of those injections, and this has never happened before.
Had it helped I might have decided to go for the 3rd, but since it didn't there is no way!
The actual cause of your hair loss might still be hypothyroidism. Here's why:
Tex
The Dangers Of Steroid Medications & How They Affect Thyroid HealthThe way that corticosteroids can cause the development of hypothyroidism, or worsen it in individuals who already have this condition, is by reducing or stopping the secretion of TSH. This in turn will result in a reduction of thyroid hormone in the body. So if someone is taking a drug such as Prednisone for a long period of time, it is possible this can lead to the development of hypothyroidism.
RAPID DECREASE IN PLASMA-TRIIODOTHYRONINE DURING SURGERY AND EPIDURAL ANALGESIA INDEPENDENT OF AFFERENT NEUROGENIC STIMULI AND OF CORTISOLChanges in circulating triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), binding of thyroid hormones to plasma proteins (resin-T3 test), cortisol, and glucose were evaluated in sixteen patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy. In eight of the patients afferent neurogenic impulses from the surgical area were blocked during and after operation by epidural analgesia. These patients were pain-free, and the normal stress-induced increase in cortisol and glucose was abolished. During epidural analgesia and general anæsthesia plasma-T3 fell rapidly and values in the hypothyroid range were found 6 hours after skin incision.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.