question about regrowth.

[Valorie]

I have been on the site perusing about hair loss. I never had incredibly thick hair to begin with but I've noticed shedding episodes in the past couple of years and I'm in another one now. I looked closely at my scalp tonight, and I can see tiny hairs growing back in. My sheds do have the bulb on the end, so I don't think this is damage. I will say that a few months ago in struggling to find a good way to wear my hair at the gym, I was using a high ponytail or even a hair fork. I know this is not the best way, and I feel like this might have contributed to pulling hairs out with the tension involved, and I probably should have just stuck with a braid(though I preferred having my hair off my neck during sweating but not if it's going to mean losing it).

Is this normal? I feel like it is thinner but my measurement hasn't changed, it fluctuates regularly by 3.5 to 3.25, in between the two.

I even bought castor oil and am thinking of giving up the henna for a while as I see the little hairs match the length of my root regrowth for the most part. I use body art quality henna but still... maybe my hair doesn't like it anymore?

I suppose it could be coincidence but I am having a lot of anxiety over it. I take medications but I will say it never used to affect my hair. In fact I've never really experienced visible loss until I had my gallbladder removed but that was two years ago. I had my first major shed after that and I thought that would be an isolated case from surgery but it appears to be ongoing. It was an emergency removal as I was unaware anything was wrong & they say unpreventable as it was infected about to rupture.

I've had the thyroid work ups, and all of that... I've mentioned to my doctors but they're just like, well, "It seems like you have plenty of hair. " So I'm pretty sure I'd need to be bald before any of them pay attention and even then I have to wonder if they would care.

It seems that ever since I have hit tailbone length and grown out my layers, I shed more and lose more hair. I read on here a few times that sometimes people can think they are losing hair once it's longer but it's not really the case. Anyone have any thoughts? I'm trying to remain calm.
shudder:

[mira-chan]

Ask doctors to check you for vitamin deficiencies. This is especially needed considering you've had gall bladder surgery and might not be absorbing certain nutrients as well.

I had a vitamin deficiency that caused repeating sheds. At first doctors didn't catch it either but when looked closer they did.

[Valorie]

My blood work all comes back normal as pertaining to that and more(I do have a genetic condition that I've always had and am being treated for that) - I was seen at a major institution out of state a few months ago and they looked at everytihng(for something else of course but still). While there was a slight vitamin d deficiency that is taken care of, too, now. Thank you for the input! I know it's not much go on at all...
Fingres crossed that the castor oil helps. I've never tried that before so I'm hopeful.

[mira-chan]

My deficiency was vitamin D too and I have a genetic condition as well. :) It takes a while for the vitamin D to balance out. After I found what was wrong it still took almost a year to get things in order and balanced and the random sheds stopped. The fact that you have new growth is good news. Hopefully they'll grow out quickly. For me it got so bad that my hair stopped growing completely for a year before anything was found and done.

Castor oil helps me with reducing shedding I find. I use it as a pre-wash oil diluted with another oil, I put it in for at least 2 hours before washing.

I hope things will go easier with the sheds for you soon and you get a lot of growth. :)

[Valorie]

Thank you so much ! That means a lot. Stopped growth must have been scary, too. I am so glad that you isolated the problem and it leveled out. That is great news,too! :)

[Jonquil]

Have you perhaps been under more stress in the past two years? You probably already know that, but it wouldn't hurt to start keeping track of when your shedding increases. That way you can look back a couple months in the calendar and see if anything stressful was happening at the time. I know for me there would always be a huge shedding period 1.5-2 months after final exam season in school (cramming for weeks on end, yay!), I didn't pick up on it until just recently, and it would always make me so anxious.

[Valorie]

I have been under tremendous stress. It's true. I wonder who hasn't though in today's world?
But I think back to other life stress such as people passing away which was worse, and my hair didn't shed. Or maye it did and I was too despondant at the time to notice or care.

I guess I have to roll with changes and try to adapt and help rather than fight it. I suppose it could also be genetic. I'm 39 which isn't old but it's not exactly super young either, and I have done a lot of reading lately about women and diffuse hair loss as the aging process happens. I know my hormones have been a mess and I'm sure it has a lot to do with it. Yes, constant stress for the past two years would be accurate. I guess sometimes it takes and objectivity to see the obvious. Thank you for the input, too.

I did just return to school as well and maybe it's more stressfull than I realized.
Thanks for allowing me a space to "talk" about it. Sometimes merely saying things helps to give perspective and it doesn't seem so terrible afterward.
Best to you on the exams! Yes, time management for me has been crazy difficult and the cramming is a killer! :)

[Hotrox]

Sorry to hear you're feeling stressed and your hair is adding to the anxiety. Maybe take a few back to basis steps, such as ensuring your diet is nutritional and varied, find a little time for yourself to do something you enjoy and maybe finding 5 mins a day to do a relaxation session (a guided audio app, or just sitting quietly focused on your breathing or whatever relaxes you). It sounds like you've had a rough few years and maybe your body is telling you it needs some TLC.