Been away for a while fighting my own health battle, which has recently gotten worse. Last night, I noticed that my hairline is receeding fairly fast as I have lost big clumps of hair in this area. What does this all mean? I am only 16 years old, I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LOSING MY HAIR!!!!! How do I go about reversing this before it is too late?
As always, all of your help is greatly appreciated
Thanx, K-lyme
Posts: 227 | From CA | Registered: Apr 2004
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I too have lost a fair amount of hair. I would estimate about half of my hair.
Just yesterday I noticed my hairline receding. This means I'm still losing hair. It started July of '05 for me.
I don't know of any treatment, besides getting treated for lyme. Just offering you my support. It must be so difficult being 16 with this problem. I can't imagine.
I hope you're seeing a good LLMD.
Hang in there! Posts: 366 | From MA | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
Me too! I'm only 38 so it's a bit unnerving. I'm guessing I've lost about 40% of my hair since August. It just keeps falling out in the shower in handfuls! Gross!
My hair is long so it's pretty obvious. I plan to have it cut this week so it won't look quite so bad both what is on my head and what I find in the shower. Since my hair is somewhat curly, I can scrunch it to make it look less thin...but I'm desperately in need of coloring and afraid the chemicals will make it worse!
I try to look at it as my body de-toxifying (if that's a word!). I know I would have freaked out at 16 if my hair started to fall out! Just know that it WILL grow back after treatment is done!
I also try to remind myself that thin hair and a healed body is better than great hair and feeling sick all the time! But then, I'm a middle aged mom and not a teenager! Posts: 154 | From Medford, NJ | Registered: Jun 2006
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Jill E.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9121
posted
Please have your thyroid checked. Lyme can really disrupt the thyroid and hair loss can be a symptom of thyroid problems - as well as being a symptom of Lyme.
Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
Treating babesia has helped me with this. I test negative, repeated, but I really respond to treatment.
I'm on my second round of mepron, zith, artemisinin. The first round, six months, didn't do it.
Good luck.
Posts: 925 | From California | Registered: Sep 2004
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
K-lyme, so sorry to read this and especially at your very young age.
Otherwise, I'd go to a hair salon/cosmotologist and ask their help on buying a natural looking wig.
My late sister was a cosmo....hair stylist. With each chemo session, she lost her gorgious hair. Each time it grew back with more curl in it, and the last time she went to streaked white/brown hair.
She had me take photos of her bald look from the front/back; I was the only one she trusted to do this.
Good luck, and hope the above suggestions help you.
Your close school friends could help you too; all get their hair cut off as many do as their friends undergo chemo. Just a thought.
Best wishes to you on keeping what you have and getting more back! Bettyg
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posted
One of my 1st symptoms, within 1 year of the undertreated Lyme. I was 29!! How about facing 30 with hair falling out, and a mysterious illness to boot!! I sure can empathize. This was pre-Internet access, so I did actually get some help and support from the Alopecia foundation, even though it wasn't that. Anyway all my hormone, thyroid etc. tests came back negative and lupus was pretty much ruled out by an ANA test and a "punch biopsy" of sun-exposed skin. (Make sure you don't have lupus...it's possible to get more than one thing at a time.)
My hair was dark, shiny, straight and fine. I finally said the hell with it, had a hairdresser chop it off to a punk look and streaked it until it was really blonde (you couldn't see the bald through that as well). This at least gave me the self-confidence to navigate during some of those hardest years (it stopped falling out after awhile, but never did grow back except some growth during my brief IV treatment). I did the whole hair vitamin regimen and maybe that helped. I never tried Rogaine. Hey...good luck and no matter what, keep your chin up.
Posts: 459 | From Connecticut - just across the river from the Lymes (Old Lyme, Hadlyme, East Lyme, South Lyme & Lyme) | Registered: Oct 2000
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groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Hi K
I had bad hair loss until I started treatment for Babs Also-- then it stopped and is comming back--
Threw the 20 yrs that I have been sick my hair has turned gray(silver) 4 times- and then back to brown-
One time my hair turnes so silver that my hair looked like shiney silver wire-- How crazy is that--
Like MA says dont use hot water on hair- also dont wear a hat--- Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I started at 15. I know how it is. I had a little recession, but more diffuse thinning on top, which to me was worse since it's almost impossible to hide.
I'm now 23, it has progressed over the years, but not a lot. I have very little genetic hair loss in my family.
I just started treatment for pyroluria, hoping that helps.
posted
I can only slightly relate--my hair always comes out in pretty large bunches when I brush, shampoo, or run my fingers through it, etc. But even though I'm always startled by how much comes out I still have noticed no difference in its general appearance (thank goodness!) I'm so sorry you are going through all this. I hope it starts looking up sometime soon! P.S. is it okay if I send you a PM?
Posts: 89 | From UT | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
I was at my regular doctor's (not LLMD) today and mentioned the hair loss. He said that in about 9 months my hair will start growing back in again...not to worry.
Any time your body goes through trauma, it can cause all kinds of problems such as hair loss. The trauma could be stress, illness or the boatload of medications like the ones needed to treat Lyme.
I agree with one of the PP about having your thyroid checked. I had mine checked and that doesn't appear to be my hair loss problem. I'm pretty sure it's all the drugs!
At least at 16 you don't need to worry about gray roots growing in!!
Posts: 154 | From Medford, NJ | Registered: Jun 2006
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TheCrimeOfLyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4019
posted
Have you had your thyroid checked? I had a low thyroid and wasnt losing my hair, but it was dry and course. After I started meds for it, my hair started falling out in HUGE clumps to the point I had to quit taking the meds.
-------------------- You want your life back? Take it. Posts: 3169 | From Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2003
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5000 mg of Biotin. That's a huge dose, but it's a water soluble B vitamin, so you can't overdo it. I've noticed much less hair coming out.
Nioxin shampoo, conditioner and especially the leave-in scalp treatment. I notice a huge difference in the amount of haif that comes out on my brush when I run out of the leave-in stuff. It'a kind of expensive, but it's woth it. I think that http://www.cosmeticmall.com has a starter kit.
Both those things have made a big difference in how much hair I see lying on the floor.
3ktykatz
-------------------- 3ktykatz + 1 new kitten Posts: 24 | From Alabama | Registered: Jul 2006
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posted
Sorry to hear about your hair loss at such a young age. My younger sister had slight hair loss, probably from lack of vitamins. how well are you eating ?
talk to your doctor about this, and get some blood tests if necissary.
Vitamins should help. Worrying can worsen problems though.
I am not a doctor but hair loss may be from stress, lack of nutrients, chronic illness ( lyme ), hormone imblance, or medications.
This should be a reputable website; check the cdc website also.
Was it after you started meds for thyroid that your hair started falling out? I just started thyroid medication and am trying to understand what has happened.
Thanks
Posts: 460 | From Illinois | Registered: Aug 2005
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Andie333
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7370
posted
I'm really sorry you're going through this. For me, it was an early symptom.
In the summer of 2005, the plumber had to come twice to snake out the drain in the shower, and I was pretty careful to clean it. My hair was coming out by the handfuls.
After being on treatment for Lyme, Babs and Bart for about a year, I am no longer dealing with this. In fact, my hair has begun growing back and is as full as ever. My treatment has included things others have mentioned, including biotin and artemisinin.
Hopefully, this will all start to reverse for you, too!
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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Since my hair is somewhat curly, I can scrunch it to make it look less thin...but I'm desperately in need of coloring and afraid the chemicals will make it worse! ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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