Sudden Hair Loss

[jj]

My Mom, when she was very sick, lost a lot of her hair gradually as she got sicker and sicker. It was explainable by her condition. Once she started putting on weight and getting healthier you could see new growth and her hair was getting thicker. Up until about a week ago her hair looked fairly normal regaining all of what I'd call a normal head of hair and it looked beautiful. She has the most shiny hair I ever saw and wonderful salt (majority of it silver) and pepper (very black) hair.

But last week I was noticing a lot of hair on her sweaters and when I washed her hair and put it up in rollers I definitely saw extreme thinning. We talked about it and she said her brush is just full of hair every time she brushes it. I was very concerned but decided maybe she wasn't getting some minerals and vitamins with her meals and decided she must drink an Ensure with lunch every day. I knew I had to watch this but I also know people tend to shed hair certain times of the year. Day before yesterday when I washed her hair I almost panicked as it was extremely thin- nearly bald in one spot. This hair loss is not normal.

I tried calling today but the doctor is out for the holidays. I'll set up an appointment tomorrow - hopefully he'll be in.

I'll let you know what I find out. Meanwhile I'm going to keep searching on the net to see what else I can find out.

[Dawn]

Did you find out anything yet JJ? I've been searching myself & pinning down the correct info is hard, but it may be that I haven't found the right search terms yet. I did find a few things :

Iron deficiency

If iron in the body is low then this may cause hair loss also, this is generally more a problem with women.

Stress

Physical or mental stress can cause temporary hair loss, it often occurs 2-3 month after the stressful event or period started. The reason for this is that the hair follicles enter the telogen phase prematurely, this causes them to stop growing new hairs and to shed hairs. Usually the hair loss will recover completely once the stress has been removed.

Drugs

Many drugs can also cause hair loss, though there many be a delay between taking the medication and the actual hair loss, so any medication is being taken it is important to consult a doctor to identify if this could be a side effect of the drug being taken. Following are some drugs which may cause hair loss:

* Anti-acne drugs (isotretinoin)
* Lipid-lowering drugs (clofibrate, bezafibrate)
* Blood-thinning drugs (warfarin)
* ACE inhibitors for blood pressure or heart failure (captopril, enalapril, lisinopril)
* Calcium antagonists for blood pressure (amlodipine)
* Drugs for gout (allopurinol)
* Anti malarials (chloroquine)
* Drugs for Parkinson's disease (for example, pramipexole, bromocriptine)
* Mood-stabilizing drugs (lithium, valproic acid)
* Anti cancer drugs
* Epilepsy drugs(valproate sodium, vigabatrin)
* Anti-thyroid drugs (carbimazole, propylthiouracil)

www.causeofhairloss.org/

The Causes Of Sudden Hair Loss

Two of the leading causes of sudden hair loss are genes and stress. Hairloss may be inherited, but this is usually not sudden, but happens over time. What is sudden about it is that you notice large clumps of hair staying on the brush or comb when you do your hair each morning. Although this is common in males, it does happen to females as well. Severe stress has also been identified as a cause of sudden hair loss because it interferes with the inner workings of the body’s hormones. This can be psychological stress or trauma to the body following an accident or major surgery.

People that experience sudden hair loss contact their doctor immediately to try to find the causes of sudden hair loss. If there is no underlying stress or side effects from medication, sudden hair loss could be a warning sign of the early onset of a disease such as diabetes or lupus or even an infection of the scalp.

Some people who experience sudden hair loss realize that the problem is caused by DHT. This is usually what causes rapid hair loss due to genetic causes. The doctor can prescribe a DHT blocker as a shampoo or a topical solution that will help to slow the effects of thinning hair and help some of the hair to grow back. Of course every case is different. What works well for one person may not work for another.

ezinearticles.com/?Find-Out-The-Causes-Of-Sudden-Hair-Loss&id=54646

[jj]

Thanks for posting that! I actually read pretty much all that you posted but just didn't have a chance to post it here. I honestly think this might be something to do with my sister and Mom worrying about her. It pretty much happened on the same time line.

I'll call the doc Monday for an appointment as he was out of the office for the holidays. I don't think it is an iron defeciency because Mom tends to have too much iron but I'll still bring it up to the doc.

I am almost 100% certain it is stress over the stupid antics of my sister. Grrrr!

[Dawn]

If it does turn out to be stress & you think your sister is the cause (Which she probably is) then I'd be sure to use that in your arguments for getting her to stop acting like a doofus & straighten up! Hopefully the Dr. will have a solution for your mom...keep us updated.

[jj]

Well, just an update. Mom didn't want to go to the doctor for the hair loss problem so I'm letting it drop for now. Instead I just kind of questioned her a little about how worried she is about my sis and if she thinks she is stressed over it. She is worried. I then realized I was playing a big role in just how stressed she is and vowed I would be up-beat and try to down-play my concernes and instead try to find more postitive things to say. "Like we have to trust my sis' good judgement, etc.."

Dawn knows the story about my sis so just so some of you aren't feeling left out I'll give you the short version. My sis all the sudden decided to try to "save" a homeless guy who has been in prison. She just dropped everything and is spending every waking and non-work hours with this guy not to mention going into debt providing hotel rooms for him to sleep. He is bad news, I can assure you.

So after I decided I was going try to keep my personal thoughts to myself regarding her antics and started trying to say positive things my sister came home all upset and told Mom and I that he got reallly jealose and yelled at her because she said goodmorning to a hotel manager. (This scares the heck out of me and I'm sure this is upsetting my Mom even more.) The next time I get my sister alone I'm going to tell her I don't want her telling stuff like this in front of Mom and that I think Mom's rapid hair loss is due to what my sis has been doing. I'm not pulling any punches. Grrr!

[Dawn]

Even if its not the cause of the hair loss (but I'm pretty sure you're correct that it is), the stress is not good for your mom. You're right to crack down on your sister...she needs to put her mom's needs first instead of just flying off the handle without thinking.

I hope things start to quiet down. I hope she's not going to invite the guy to your house for Christmas too.

[trid]

My hair usually thins out this time of year. I was concerned until I talked with a cosmotologist. Give a call to a salon and ask to speak with one of the girls about possible causes. They might have more insightful answers than a doctor, since it is their specialty.

[jj]

Trid, That's what I thought it was at first - just normal hair loss that we go through and it is this time of year too for me as well. But this is not your typical hair loss.

Not a bad idea calling a salon. I'll let you know what they said. If her hair loss doesn't slow down soon and I don't get answers via the phone I'm going to have to find answers or she will be bald. It is so sad to see, what was just a few weeks ago a beautiful head of hair, get so thin so fast.

[jj]

Dec 4, 2008 11:24:42 GMT -5 Dawn said:

Even if its not the cause of the hair loss (but I'm pretty sure you're correct that it is), the stress is not good for your mom. You're right to crack down on your sister...she needs to put her mom's needs first instead of just flying off the handle without thinking.

I hope things start to quiet down. I hope she's not going to invite the guy to your house for Christmas too.

I know it may not be due to stress but your right, Mom shouldn't have to worry.

Oh Dawn, she is testing me saying things like..."I just feel so bad that when he says he wants to meet my family that I have to tell him he can't.....", stuff like that. Don't worry. He will not be at my home for Christmas as cold hearted as that sounds.

I'm sorry guys. I really should not post about my sister and her antics here. Just doesn't seem appropriate so I'm going to try to not elaborate anymore about her goings-on. .

[Dawn]

That's OK...in a way you are her caretaker too.