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[CLKD]

 

[jaycee]

Jaypo, yes i have heard of it,and seen it advertised in Boots,i did ask at H&B about rosemary oil, and in their handbook it did say Rorsemary is good for hair growth, so i have bought some and a carrier oil, but its a bit greasy,will put some in my shampoo
I was horrified last night to see more bare patches,i just can't understand why
I have Haemochromatosis, so that could be a cause, but i don't have it badly,it doesn't really affect me, but its probably classed as an autoimmune condition, but the only thing is that low iron can cause hairloss, and although it is caused by an iron overload i don't have high ferritin which is measured in a blood test, so my iron is still low , and rarely need a venesesction, which takes about a pint of blood every so often, whereas most people with this consition need blood taking very regularly

[Pennyfarthing]

Jaycee my daughter used the Mane & Tail horse shampoo (before they made it for humans)& she rated it,said it was good,it's an age old shampoo,used to use it on my horse 40 years ago I know Boots sell it x

Wow! Will have a look in the garage. We still have one horse and there is tons of horse stuff out there.

[Pennyfarthing]

I actually woke up this morning with thinning hair on my mind and imagining I was bald.    I made hubby check my hair last night and he said it is really thin especially at the back.

  I do remember the hairdresser I used to have said about 2 years ago that I had a little bald patch at the top which she thought was caused by always having my hair tied up there.    I tried to tie my hair up differently yesterday and took a top section up and thought I would leave the rest down.  I was horrified when I used a mirror to check the back as it looked very sparse.

Anyway I decided to make GP appointment and got a cancellation for tomorrow morning!  That is unheard of around here. If I didn't take it I have to wait until 18th.  I will just have to rearrange tomorrow, visiting Mum etc. 

I have also been reading up about what foods benefit the hair (most of which I eat anyway) and also read that drinking plenty of water helps so I am back on a big bottle.  Can't do much more. 

[Pennyfarthing]

The collagen won't hurt me anyway - I could do with plumping up my skin all over its so thin!

Where are you buying this Stellajane? Tablet or powder?

[jaycee]

Went in Boots today and while waiting to be seRved saw some packs of collagen for HAIR
It was on offer, but forgot about looking at it later after i had been served, but will look next time i am in town

[Pennyfarthing]

Back from GP.  She is sending me for blood tests for diabetes and thyroid.  If they come back clear she will refer me to Dermatologist.  She has put on the blood test form   Alopecia? Hypothyroid

Told me to eat plenty of veg and protein and eat oily fish. Came home and opened a can of mackerel in sunflower oil and took one nibble and threw it in bin!  I am not used to oily food and it was vile.

Will go for blood tests tomorrow.

[Pennyfarthing]

Yeah I've been hypothyroid and alopecian(?) for 25 years. Actually I always thought I'd be bald by now! It's all auto-immune stuff which tends to strike women in particular and especially as we age. Once you have one autoimmune condition it apparently makes you more likely to develop others - I have some little patches of vitiligo (pure white skin) too.

I'm not a fan of fish but OH and I have taken fish oil capsules for so long we've forgotten exactly why we started. Maybe its helping?

Let us know how you get on with the blood tests.

that's interesting stellajane.  i will order some fish oil  capsules now!  Is your hair very thin now, can you see your  scalp? 

It has really bothered me.  It suddenly hit me how thin my hair is. I always had loads and when I put it in a pony tail I used to twist the band round twice.  Now I have to twist it 3 or 4 times.  .
My hairbrush in the morning is full of hair!

[jaycee]

Penny,i have had tests for thyroid and every other test going i thjink,all clear, but i was told i was pre diabetic a few months ago
Will mention this to the Dermatologist when i see him next week

[Pennyfarthing]

Penny,i have had testes for thyroid and every other test going i thjink,all clear, but i was told i was pre diabetic a few months ago
Will mention this to the Dermatologist when i see him next week

Jaycee... Last night I dug out a book I bought many years ago called ?Tears Behind Closed Doors? by Diana Holmes.  See if you can get a copy on Ebay. it's about failure to diagnose underactive thyroid.  I am just re-reading it and I have so many of the symptoms .... very dry skin, tiredness, poor memory and confusion,  low mood, hair loss (as well as head, I have not had any hair on my arms for several years and very little you know where or my legs), dizziness (for the past couple of years I have to get someone else to get things out of low cupboards or I go dizzy, claustrophobia, weight gain (however hard I try I seldom lose any weight).

Apparently the basic blood tests they do for thyroid is not enough to get a proper diagnosis.  Too many are slipping through the net. 

[Pennyfarthing]

Yes its very thin. I have a condition called frontal fibrosing alopecia plus telogen effluvium. The underactive thyroid is said to affect it too, then of course there's the normal effect of ageing. Hells bells, what a crock!

When I was young my hair was so thick and heavy it would hardly hold in a high pony tail. It used to be so hot in the summer if I just left it loose over my shoulders. Happy days!

I can see my scalp but I've always been blonde and am only now turning a sort of blondey-white so I don't think its as noticeable as it might be on someone who has dark hair.

It is scary when you first realise the change. We were away in a hotel the day after I got my alopecia diagnosis and I woke with a nightmare. Frightened the life out of my OH. That was a long time ago though. I've come to terms with it all now.

I did try various treatments in the early years after diagnosis but gave them up as I just found it all too much hard work to keep on top of for no real improvement. Some people do find remedies that work, you can't generalise because each case is individual. All the best anyway.

PS - as this is a menopause forum just wondering if you or jaycee are on HRT - I only mention it because when I was on Norethisterone (progesterone) it made my hair fall out in handfuls.

Thanks for that Stellajane.  You sound as thought you are completely comfortable with it now.

I am still on HRT but the lowest dose.  have been on it for years and until maybe 18 months ago my hair was thick and glossy so I don't think  it's HRT that's the problem.  but good thinking!

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

I am new to all this thyroid business but in my experience if the standard blood test for TSH and T4  is out of range the lab will automatically include a test for antibodies. This is how I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis at the end of last year. My. GP immediately prescribed Levothyroxine and I am now having follow up blood tests to see if that dose is correct.

 I realise that there can be problems with the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease generally but hopefully all labs will test for antibodies where necessary.

Take care ladies.

K.
 

[Sparrow]

I haven't read the whole tread but I have read online that Vitamin D is vital for good hair health.  Low levels can cause hair loss apparently. 

[jaycee]

stellajane,i have heard before that thyroid tests are only the basics at the Drs,
My hair fell out when on Evoral Conti, which has Norethisterone as a progesterone,so did my daughters,
I have mentioned this before on here, but i am on Livial, and not sure if this doesn't  help, although some say it has made their hair thicker, but it's quite androgenic
I have gone off it, then back on it,as i do like it,and when i took it years ago i had no problems with hair loss

[NuclearScientist]

I have also been reading through this whole thread. A long story short at Christmas when i had a break from work I really noticed my hair loss. I stopped HRT 18 Jan as soon as I realised what might be causing it . the Provera and testosterone both have hair loss listed as side effect; with Provera it is listed as a common side effect. I had been cleaning out my hair brushes every week because of the volume of hair coming out. I went to my GP and also rang the nhs clinic of the menopause consultant I had been seeing last 7 months. My GP did blood tests which showed my ferritin is very low at 11 my GP said over 50 is needed to maintain normal hair growth. I went back over my records which show an earlier blood test last July at the clinic that Ferritin was at 17 then. I gave blood 3 times in the last year and research has shown that 2/3 female donors can suffer low ferritin. I found all this through my own reading and research. If you look at the Phillip Kingsley website one of the Trichologists has written about ferritin and hair loss. If it is low ferritin causing hair loss then it can be reversed. My gp sent me to an NHS dermatologist. He put me on high dose iron tablets and will see me again after blood tests in May. The menopause consultant rang me and started to talk about other patients experiencing hair loss on HRT. This came as a rotten shock to me. If I had realised I would not have taken it. I have felt ok since stopping HRT. Besides what is worse than losing your hair. I am going to see a Trichologists at PK next week and will update you. The dermatologist I saw wrote Alopecia as a preliminary diagnosis. He's not given me any other treatment than iron . He did hair pull tests and said it was positive I wasn't losing hair on the tests and that I wasn't losing hair from elsewhere. It was the menopause consultant who advised me to see a Trichologist. I will let you know how I get on. I am sharing my experience in the hope it is useful.