My best friend's hair has fallen out!!!

[kreeme]

My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

My best friend just had a baby about 3 months ago. She ended up getting really sick after having the baby and spent 2 months in the hospital. They didn't know what was wrong with her and why she wasn't healing. She had a c-section. Later on they found a piece of gauze in her stomach and removed it. Then they ended up removing her gallbladder about a month ago. Now, her hair has fallen out. I knew it was shedding, but she's been wearing wigs, so I didn't know how bad it was until today when she took the wig off to show me. She hardly has any hair left on her hair. She says everytime she combs it or washes it, it just comes out in clumps, but there are bulbs at the end of her hair strands. Do you think the anestesia had anything to do with this? I told her to try that Aphogee treatment...the kind you leave in and it gets really hard and she's been taking Biotin as well. She tried that about 3 weeks ago, but it has gotten worse. Any suggestions? I hate to see such a beautiful person go through all of this heartache and pain.

 

[Chichi]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

Hi Kreeme,

Sorry to hear this about your friend... What I would suggest is that she build up on protein (eat eggs, steak, and chicken, etc.) internally and also use a light protein treatment on her hair. Maybe a Joico K-Pac treatment. the vitamins that she is taking should also help her. Good luck.

Chichi

 

[adrienne0914]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

wow! i'm really sorry to hear about your friend's hair. i think this is really something that will be treated better internally vs. with different products. having a baby can make you shed anyway. that coupled with the other issues is probably just more than her body could take.

tell her to make sure that her diet is really balanced. in particular, make sure that she's getting enough protein. also, she may want to continue on the prenatal vitamins if she was taking them, or start taking one if she wasn't. i'd also add some silica, biotin and B5.

i think it's good that she's wearing wigs in the meantime. but tell her to make sure to wear a wig liner underneath so that it doesn't cause friction breakage to her already fragile hair. it should be one that lets her scalp breathe, like nyon... something like this:

she can also try scalp massages with Vitamin E and rosemary oils. i really can't say enough about this combo.

keep us posted on her progress!!

p.s. i modified to add a pic of the wig liner.

 

[kreeme]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

Thanks for the response. I'll pass along the information. adrienne0914, she does wear a wig liner, although I think it should be nylon or something. Hers seems like a little stocking cap and it's not soft at all. She said she is just going to get the rest of her hair shaved off and start all over. I'm trying to get her to change her eating habits and to drink more water. She has lost a lot of weight since the gallbladder surgery, but she still eats a lot of pork and stuff like that. I told her to take the biotin and to start taking the prenatals again. She's frustrated because she doesn't see a difference. I keep telling her, it takes a minute for the vitamins to work, she's only been on them since Thanksgiving. Anyway, thank you for the information, I'll definitely pass it along.

 

[pookeylou]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

I just read a post on another forum of a woman who's hair shed excessivly during pregnancey and after...

She needs a doctor to diagnose the problem for sure...but in the mean time...massages with aloe vera are helpful...rosemary oil is excellent to for hair growth.

I sounds like a hormone imbalance that happened during pregnacy...so she should avoid any processing of course...but conditioning treatments should be ok...anything relaxing, and soothing, and calming will certainly promote growth....

Find out what the doctor says though...before she begins with vitamins or someones medicine...

Let us know how she does.

 

[Supergirl]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

Dang, that's horrible!

There was a woman on Oprah a few weeks ago (show about medical fallacies) & they'd left a piece of gauze in her also. She didn't understand why she was doubled over in excruciating pain even 6 weeks after the baby was born. She had a vaginal birth & they left the gauze in her. Ugh

I hope your friend is recovering & I hope she will get some sort of settlement for her pain and suffering. How freakin' neglectful can these people get?

 

[Super_Hero_Girl]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

I'm really sorry to hear about your friend. I just wanted to say that my aunt was diagnosed with cancer a while back and of course chemo made her hair come out and she was told to avoid harsh chemicals that might make things worse. So she stopped relaxing and went natural. Maybe your friend can do this and go back to perms after she begins to feel better.

I'm not sure if this is much help, but your friend will definately be in my prayers tonight!

 

[jd_bdfly]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

You should urge your friend to pursue legal action against the hospital. She should be compensated for that kind of malpractice.

 

[Leshia]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

Good God! I hope and pray that she gets better soon. We count on those medical professionals, and although we all make mistakes, it should be a little worse for them to make mistakes...I'll pray for her and her hair.

 

[lthomas1]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

Tell your friend to start taking vitamins (multi, biotin, msm, fish oil, epo). Start doing a reconstructor every time she washes her hair until the breakage stops (apoghee, nexxus emergencee). Try scalp massages. Is she on any medication now, because that can affect hair growth, and cause shedding too. This may help a little just give it a try.

 

[elaine]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

If she just wants to get her hair growing back and has no money,(since she just had a baby and I know that is expensive) she can try the mayo and egg treatments. I had to do this when my hair fell out after surgery. I had it braided every two weeks and washed my hair with Mane & Tail shampoo, conditioner, and used a deep conditioner of mayo and eggs. It made my hair come back to a natural state.

 

[lalah]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

the same thing happened to me after I had my first child. my hair was almost shoulder lenght before I got pregnant and by the time I had him, my hair was almost bra strap. Three mos after I had him, I got a touch-up and my hair begain falling out in huge balls. every time I washed my hair, the bath room garbage was just filled with hair. This went on for months and I could not understand why this was happening. it was not like my hair was over processed. I stopped using chemicals,was only using natural products, and was getting my new growth pressed. eventually it just stopped. I was told that the hormonal changes that your body go through after birth causes this. the hormones from pregnancy causes your hair to grow excessively and afterwards the hair is going to shed from the excess growth.

with my second son, i did not get hair growth like this and my hair did not fall out after I had him either.

 

[Angelicus]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

I've been praying for your friend. To be honest I wasn't praying for her hair but her overall health. God bless.

 

[shinyblackhair]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

I am so sorry for all the agony your friend must be going through. How irresponsible of those doctors! I hope she starts feeling better. I agree with all of the advice given so for re: supplements and massage. I also agree that your friend should speak with her lawyer to look into the possibility of suing for malpractice/medical negligence. Doctors are heavily insured, I'm sure she'd get something for her pain and suffering.

 

[sterry]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

The amount of hair loss you describe is not normal. General thinning is common after childbirth, but "bald furrows," no way. During pregnancy the hair may all grow rapidly at once (rather than the normal pattern of some hair growing and some falling out); once you deliver, all the hair may enter a shedding phase. But in that case, hair falls out diffusely everywhere -- not in clumps.(quoted)
Ask her to have her thyroid tested. She may also be suffering form Alopecia.

 

[kenyana]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

I agree with sterry, this does not sound like post partum alopecia. It could be some sort of auto-immune condition thats affected her follicules and it was possibly triggered by the incident u described. She should have the problem checked out by a dermatologist.

 

[kreeme]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

Thank you so much for all of your responses. I am going to have her check out the site so that she can get some support from you guys. One of her sister's friends told her that there is nothing you can do to make the hair grow back. I told her I didn't believe that at all. My hair was very short earlier this year and once I joined LHCF my hair is down past my shoulders. So I know there is a way to make your hair grow. Anyway, thanks for all of your support.

 

[CocoaCure]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

I sincerely hope and pray that your friend recovers quickly and well from this! Everyone here has given some great suggestions. I too think she should stay away from the chemicals until she has a doctor/dermatologist look at it as well. Plus, having a second doctor look at may aid in her Medical settlement with the hospital! That sounds like a good idea to wear the wigs with the nylon underneath to prevent further friction and damage. I sure hope she feels better soon, both physcially and emotionally!!

 

[CocoaCure]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

Oh, and Kreeme, I'm glad she has you...........a good friend who is trying to help her and get ideas that will aid in her quick recovery!! God Bless you both!!

 

[kreeme]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

Thanks Cocoa! I'm trying to guide her in the right direction. she's not putting any chemicals on her hair and she really doesn't have enough to braid. She said she is just going to shave it all off and start all over so that it will grow back evenly. I hate to see her do that, but at the same time, I have to support her in whatever she decides to do.

 

[kreeme]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

[ QUOTE ]
lalah said:
the same thing happened to me after I had my first child. my hair was almost shoulder lenght before I got pregnant and by the time I had him, my hair was almost bra strap. Three mos after I had him, I got a touch-up and my hair begain falling out in huge balls. every time I washed my hair, the bath room garbage was just filled with hair. This went on for months and I could not understand why this was happening. it was not like my hair was over processed. I stopped using chemicals,was only using natural products, and was getting my new growth pressed. eventually it just stopped. I was told that the hormonal changes that your body go through after birth causes this. the hormones from pregnancy causes your hair to grow excessively and afterwards the hair is going to shed from the excess growth.

with my second son, i did not get hair growth like this and my hair did not fall out after I had him either.

[/ QUOTE ]

How long did it take before you saw your hair growing back? I'm concerned because her head looks like a baby's head. Just a few strands all over, not enough to do anything with besides wear a wig.

 

[godzooki]

Re: My best friend\'s hair has fallen out!!!

It takes about 2-3 months for trauma or stress to the mind and body to show up in the hair. Seeing as how she went thru a period where her body was basically poisoned by the gauze being left behind and all the meds and anesthesia, I'm not surprised her hair is falling out now, 3 months later. What she went thru probably caused the hair to grow weak and too fragile (just like the state she was in ) and so it's more susuptable to shedding because it's damaged. has she examined a strand? can she see any thickness, color or texutre differences towards the root? Basically, she went thru the same kind of cellular level trauma that a chemotherapy patient goes thru. doesnt take much to affect the hair. same thing happened to my aunt. she had a baby die inside of her and no one noticed for about a month. It began to go toxic in her system. her skin got hard and scaly, she got real sick and her hair began falling out (after they realized what had happened and removed the fetus). it took her a few months to recover, skin and hair wise. she did recover and now sports a thick head of beautiful hair that I'm constantly drooling over!