Pam and Deborah,
Thanks so much -- your responses give me hope! I mean, I went in 6 months from luxurious thick shiny hair people admired to about 50% thinner (no kidding, I've lost that much), and completely dull and lifeless and brittle and terribly ugly hair (I can't look in the mirror without feeling sad), despite trying every deep hair conditioner on the market to add moisture back in (to no avail).
But my diet has been VERY restricted for the last 6-8 months and I have started thinking that I need to take a better multivitamin daily AND drink more water. I also think I need to add essential oils back into my diet - - and if I find I can tolerate it, I'm going to take some Omega 3 and Neuroprotek too. And yes, go to my hairdresser for help (appointment tomorrow, but I worry about how the smells in the place may affect me so I will take a mask and pre-medicate with Benadryl just in case!).
I used to color my hair myself with a semi-permanent rinse and that always made it feel plump and soft, but I had been afraid to do it due to the anaphylaxis risk until two days ago. I found one that didn't have the hydrogen peroxide or PPD chemicals (a natural rinse) and used that without too much itching, so thinking of trying more soon since that will only last for a few shampoos. But I will also ask my hairdresser if there are any very natural products they have or recommend. I am only on 300 mg Zantac/day (150 mg in morn and 150 in eve), so don't think I will mess with any of my meds just yet but try the other things first ... because I am MORE stable (haven't had an anaphylaxis beyond low-level symptoms in many months, I'm back to work and able to go most places), but not completely stable yet (places with chemical smells, women's perfume, or when I try a new food - - all make me flare).
A nurse I work with told me that sometimes sudden weight loss of >15 lbs shows up as hair loss 3-6 months later, and I did suddenly lose a lot of weight when I first came down with this since I couldn't eat, so that timing seems right too. She swears that once I eat more nutritious food, I'll be better -- but of course she has no idea what a chore it is to try to find nutritious food I CAN eat without reacting.
So hard to know what is the cause! I do think I'll go in for a thyroid exam soon too, in case that's a factor. I did have my D and B12 levels checked and they were fine.
Yes, I'm vain, I admit it! But I'm a 53 year old mom to girls aged 12, 12, and 9 (two of them adopted) and I don't want to look like their grandmother due to limp, graying, thin hair! :0
Thanks all, I'm a little less blue this morning than when I wrote that first reply last night. I am not giving up!
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