General Chat

Morning all..Happy new yr...xxx My head hurts!!;0)
Blue moon,i'm so sorry to hear what happened to you last night...and am quite upset that your 'friends' joined in the laughing...do they know how you feel about what you are going through?..if not you need to tell them. I will say though,dont expect any understanding...but you needto let them know. The reason i say dont expect understanding is....people dont see someone with an illness,they dont see you suffering...they cant see what is going on inside us. I get asked 'do you have cancer,is it because of treatment?',i say 'no,thank god..i have Alopecia'..then i get..'oh,thats ok then i thought you were ill'.....i know im not dying..thank god...and i know this wont kill me....BUT...it is what is happening to me..and i have to live with it everyday i look at myself in the mirror!!!! I think ive got it in the bag..then BOOM it hits me like a ton of bricks......pls dont cry..it wont your hair come back!!;0) i wish i could take your pain away..xxxx will you take mine???...;0)
Aggitaz....your reactions were spot on...and thank you for your post,all good advice...although...i would never wear a wig...whats the point...its not MY hair!.but it works for sooo many people..xxxxxxxx

Sorry to hear so many of you had such a difficult time and experienced side effects to prescribed medication. Alopecia is extremely distressing and can have an enormously negative effect on quality of life. It has been my professional experience that in broad terms there are three reactions from strangers.
1) They ignore you and pretend nothings wrong.
2) They assume you have a malignant disease and have lost your hair to chemotherapeutic agents.
3) They're rude or unplesant.

All of which are universally wrong and of no help when you're desperate for support. Take Mrs Ps advice. Talk openly, engage people directly, form your own on line support group and fight for recognition. As she says -
THE PEOPLE THAT MIND DONT MATTER AND THE PEOPLE THAT MATTER DONT MIND.

Did you know that most NHS Dermatology units have "hair loss" clinics or a dermatologist with an interest. Might well be worth asking your GP for a referal. Its surprising what is on offer.

If all else fails - ladies with permanent hair loss are eligable to an appliance grant in most Health Board Regions. Usually about £260 per annum for the purchase of a wig.This will cover most synthetic brands - you will need to pay the extra if you want real hair. It doesn't in any way solve the problem, but sometimes gives ladies the renewed confidence to interact socially or attend special events.


I wish you all well

Morning Mrs P

its good to see you back on the boards :~))

I think all of us to varying degrees understand what you are saying,
last night we went out to our local pub their was a couple of drag artiest on and and you know their is going to be a lot of banter going on,well i bore the brunt of some of it,
I was compared to Mo Molan ( who I admire for the way she handled her hair problem ) to hear 150 people laughing at you and having to laugh along with them when inside it was like a ice cold knife going through me,
I know it wasn't meant to hurt me but when your "friends" are laughing...... I just wanted to crawl into that big black hole that didn't open for me,
at this moment in time I just want to lock the front door and keep the world away ,but I wont ,I'll just carry on and pretend that its not that noticeable,
as I sit it tears yet again !!

I will keep in mind your closing statment,wise words :~)

Hayley, welcome back. Put on a bold face and look people in the eye, they wont dare to laugh. As I said, the other woman I saw in our local town (actually, it is a city) was just going about her business and I saw nothing wrong with her baldness. She looked fine. As you say, if people dont like the way you look, they are not worth knowing. It is the inner you that matters.

Best wishes,

Huia.

I'll be good mum...hehehe..xx Had to reply as it is something that i understand more than anything....i love u lots, going up now...xxx good to be back..xxxxxxx

Hayley, wow, didn't think my comment would get you back on here but very glad it has! Welcome home!

It's very brave of you to come and talk to us about your alopecia, and I am sorry if me mentioning it has upset you. All the pics I have seen of you with your lovely scarves and hats, or without anything, show an attractive woman who is strong and secure in herself. You have a lovely family and many many friends, and they all love you with or without hair, as you say, the people that mind don't matter and the people that matter don't mind!

love and hugs,

hope I am not going to have to keep you out of mischief again on here lol

Lizxxx(Mum)

Hello all.....i have renewed my membership tonight/morn.... because im the person Huia and Liz was talking about....i am 35 years old and up until 3 years ago had a lovely blonde hair do!!!..;0) i cant begin to tell you how hard it has been for me,my FEMINIITY has been taken from me and i cant even bear to look in the mirror at times. I am BALD!!! i also have no eyebrows now.....im just waiting now for the LITTLE SHIT!!!(my word for Alopecia) to take my eyelashes.....:0( i have cryed all the tears i can cry,and tryed every tablet,lotion and potion.....NUROKIN is a load of..........so dont waste your money!!!! I ask myself eveyday WHY ME??? why has god taken my hair....and i will go on asking....BUT the truth in the matter is....There is no known reason for hair loss......and no known cure,so............as i cry myself to sleep tonight(cause i will...now ive written this) i will think of you all,and ask you to pls.....for me,stop trying to find a reason and cure,just talk to each other about it,and be there for each other,i am here for all of you...just pm me...xxxxx THE PEOPLE THAT MIND DONT MATTER AND THE PEOPLE THAT MATTER DONT MIND..XXXXX

Hi all, I had a nice chat with our Marilyn and then went shopping, got a lovely warm hat , fur fabric and fleecy lined and it fits well so won't blow off in the wind, got to keep those hair follicles warm so they think about sprouting again !

Lizxx

Hi girls,

I am going to print this thread out and take to my doctor and ask to see a trichologist (sp)

I haven't take any medication except 5htp which are a natural sort of antidepressant, for a long time, and only take them when they are on offer altho I stock up then. I used to take kelp tablets but in fits and starts - they didn't seem to help altho I suppose since I have taken them less and less the hair loss is more. I only colour my hair occasionally due to the problem and have started using the sort that only takes a short time to act and has no ammonia.

I am sure stress plays the biggest part in my problem, I have had numerous blood tests and until the recent vit d deficiency showed up they used to come back showing me as my doctor said 'ridiculously healthy!'

Catch you all later, I have to get ready to go out and meet a friend off the boards!

Lizxxx

Hi Angelsong,
Thought I would add this to give you hope.
I was diagnosed with diabetes in March of this year which caused a lot of stress, added to which I lost a couples of family members.
I had a nervous breakdown and if I had saved the hair that was coming out each time I washed it or brushed it I could have donated to wig suppliers.
My hairdresser noticed the difference and went through my medication with me, which includes statins asd blood pressure tablets, also my diabetic tabs.
She suggested regular trims.
It has taken time, but as my stress level has lowered and my suger has become stable, my hair is getting back to its normal condition.
I am 63 years old and try to think positive. I did not look for remedies as all blood tests indicated that there was nothing untoward to cause the loss.
I hope this gives you something to think about. It maybe that the more you worry about it the longer it will take to return to normal if there is no underlying medical reason.
Best wishes for the new year. Sylvia

Thank you ladies for adding to the thread. Not heard of the Charles Worthington shampoos. Another suggestion to add to my list. Like you, Lindain, my hair had to be thinned each trim time. I have never had a perm, or colouring, apart from a year or so in my late teens when I shampooe'd for a hairdresser friend.

No, definitely not going on Trinny and Susannah, or Gok Wan's shows!

Angel

I too am suffering from hair loss.
I am a lady who used to have to have my hair thinned every 5 weeks or so when I had my hair cut. Not now though.
I have been diagnosed with underactive thyroid for 20 years, but this has really got bad over the last 2 yrs.
The menopause does have an effect too.
I am currently being tested for diabetes !!! When will it end, you have to ask.

I have been using Charles Worthington shampoo & conditioner. Firstly the one to volumise in a pink bottle. The current one is in a gold bottle for mature hair !!!

I haven't had a perm for about 15 years after surgeryand no colouring it for 2 years since I first noticed the problem.
When I asked my doctor about the hair loss, He had multiple blood tests done. Hence the now possible diabetes. But his main suggestion has been to try to get a hospital appointment with a dietician ?

I will keep an eye on this thread and add if I have any new advice.

Thanks for starting it. It seems to strike a chord with many of us.

Linda :o) XxX

My sympathies to all you ladies, but not so long ago I saw a woman in our local city and her head was a bald as a baby's b**. She looked beautiful. I think if you hold your head up and look confident nobody will think too much of any baldness, but if you look embarassed you will draw more attention to yourself. I had promised if I ever came to England I would shave my hair off and go out with a certain young woman who was distressed at being dis-tressed. I meant every word of my promise too, although the chances of getting over there are extremely slim (unlike me). Now if anybody has a cure for overweight other than cutting out food and exercising lots..........

Best of luck with your attempts to find a cure anyway.

Huia.

Well would you have believed there are so many of us with the same problem.
I know mine is partly hereditary because of the way my Mum's hair went so am not looking for miracles and don't have a fortune to spend on trying things anyway.

I have been telling my doctor for over a year that my hair was thinning and she would say, Yes so is mine!!! We are quite alike anyway in things that we suffer from, so she does understand but she is a lot younger than me and she still seems to have a lot more hair than I do!

Will wait to hear about these other things mentioned - we could offer ourselves as a test group for some new products lol Who will write to Trinny and Susannah or whoever does those programmes? Maybe Gok Wan would help us all!

Must find my winter hats soon - it's chilly out there.

Lizx

Btw, there used to be a yong woman in her thirties who lost all her hair and she still wears lovely scarves and hats as hers hasn't grown back, I don't think. She was healthy enough tho, has produced a beautiful baby girl since she left the boards.

Hi girls..
Im 54 and also have a hair loss problem,,although i lose a fair bit i have no bald patches. I asked gp about this and he says its my age and tha Im on the cusp of the menopause,..which is no help really....My hairdressser toldme about a substance one her other clients usues so i will get back to you when i find out more.

hiya girls, i too have thinning hair, its done me head in big time. ive avoided looking in mirrors and at my reflection in car windows , how sad is that lol, hv to laff r i wud hit rock bottom, i tried that nourkrin what that bucks fizz lass used, cost me over£150 for 6 mnts (off internet ) boots wud hv cost a lot n more, but have to say saw no change. i say to myself i may end up wearing a wig, if so i hope it looks as gud as val pollards in emmerdale, me mates not convinced she wears i wig but i am lol, take care all xxxxxxxxxxx

Just got back on the internet, so haven't replied to the later posts. I found the two male doctors I spoke to much more understanding than the lady doctor I was recommended to see.

I have been told that statins can cause hair loss, so beware. My doctor has told me to leae them off for six weeks and see what happens.

It is disturbing that so many of us are suffering in this way. I realise that it is a much less dreadful thing than some of the major illnesses, but it is distressing for women. Like Blue Moon, I feel like weeping, and dread washing my hair, because I know there will be too many hairs in the comb, and on my top.

Thank you all for responding, I really thought when I dared to put the thread on that there would either be sarcastic replies, or it would be ignored.

Bless you all

Angel

Margaret, I was recmmending cider vinegar to lower cholesterol. I havent found it any good for slimming, I only wish it was! I take the vinegar in water or my favouite squash.
Julia, some of us might grow flowers instead of hair, wouldnt that be a change!. Must read the ingredients of my Baby Bio pot.

Hello ladies

Yep another one suffering from hair loss,
I have just turned 50 and its not good, I have always had fine hair but its now awful,
the doctor has done all the tests,they have all come back clear,he recommended " Regain " which i must admit I've not tried I'm worried that it will make it worse all that rubbing it in daily and no guarantee it will work,
my Doctor isn't that sympatic (sp) he basically said its female pattern baldness and he doesn't understand what all the fuss is about,
I am receding at the temples and going VERY thin down the middle you can see my scalp through my hair now,if I was to put my hair into a pony tail it would be no thicker than your little finger.
It ruined my 50th Birthday,we went out for lunch and the lady serving our food passed on some advice to my husband,when we got home he told me,up until then i thought that maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought , but for somebody I dont know to comment on it !!!!...i spent the rest of the day in tears ( like now ). I went through the menopause about 10 years earlier that the average age,I'm on statins and suffer with stress ( I wonder why ).This is the first time I've ever spoken about it but I thought I'd let you know that your not on your own.

Don't laugh cos I'm serious - some years ago my mother suffered hair loss and the specialists couldn't work out why. The trichologist advised her to rub "Baby Bio" into her scalp.
Now I don't know if it was just the massaging action that got circulation flowing but it worked!