Arthritis and Long Hair.

[Kome]

So I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and I've been REALLY tempted to cut my hair for over a month now. It is just past waist length at the moment. I have cut four inches off in the last couple of weeks just from irritation. It is SO FREAKING HARD to deal with right now. My hands hurt too much to use hair ties on some days, or my shoulders hurt so much I can't get my arms up to even put my hair up. When I take a bath it gets stuck on my skin and under my body. I lose SO much hair and it gets stuck in clothes and in places I can hardly reach and it ITCHES SO BAD.

As you can see.... it's driving me nuts. I'm thinking about cutting it just above my chest, just past BSL, but I am wondering if this will help at all? I am tempted to cut it around shoulder length, but am afraid I will regret it.

So my question I guess is... if you deal with arthritis or chronic pain, have you ever cut your hair, how short, and did it help???

I take a bath every day to help with the pain and my hair is constantly greasy and nasty looking. I don't even see the point in having long hair anymore. Blah. :undecided

[Charybdis]

I have occasional bouts of severe neck and shoulder soft-tissue pain, so I sympathize. My episodes only last a few days, so I've not had to face the question of "What if it doesn't stop?", but maybe some of my experience will be helpful.

When my neck and shoulders go crazy, it hurts to detangle, wash, braid, etc. However, it hurts *much* more to use a hairdryer, because you have to support that weight over 5-10 minutes or more. And I imagine that would be much worse if you were also suffering hand pain. Your hair type is close to mine in terms of curliness, and I think you will have a very hard time styling it in a way that you're happy with at shoulder length or above without using a hairdryer. If you're going to leave it long, BSL is probably the way to go. At least then you can wear it down more conveniently, but have enough length to keep the ends from flicking out in funny directions.

Another option to consider is the pixie cut. Growing them out takes forever and is not fun, so this is not something you should do unless you really like the idea of going super-short for a couple of years and are comfortable with losing the length. Also, if your hair grows fast, you will need trims every 6 weeks to keep the shape and easy maintenance of the cut, and that can get expensive; a quality cut is the key to making it look good. I've had pixie cuts in the past, and they are brilliant in terms of being wash-and-go; you just shower and do a quick rinse or shampoo, finger-comb a bit of gel through your towel-dried hair, and you're done. Unfortunately, that's pretty much the only thing you can do with them, so you're liable to get bored after awhile.

HTH! Good luck finding a solution you like, and I hope your current flare-up gets better soon. :blossom:

[kitcatsmeow]

Hey Kome, just curious (and I know this is off subject) but have you had a root canal? I was just diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and I'm reading there might be a connection....

I suffer from chronic fatigue as part of my illness so I can understand. I was my hair once a week and it pretty much stays in a bun all day so I don't have to deal with it.

More on the subject....have you tried diet to manage symptoms...paleo, SCD, Gaps and raw vegan (which I am) help a lot of people. Might be worth a go!

[lapushka]

So my question I guess is... if you deal with arthritis or chronic pain, have you ever cut your hair, how short, and did it help???

Shorter hair was actually harder for me to deal with, as it needs to be styled to look presentable. Shorter also means it needed to be washed more frequently, thus styled more frequently. Shorter also means upkeep and frequent trims, the shorter you go, the more expert the cut needs to be, so self-trimming is pretty much out. This means you need to be able to get out of the house to go to a hair salon. It's all a big pain in the butt. Longer hair is easier. One wash a week, or thereabouts, and the styling part is virtually non-existent. It's up in a claw clip most of the time, except on wash days.

[ptricia]

When I was 15 or 16 years old my mom fell from her horse once and she hurt her shoulder. First I thought it was dislocated because she had so much pain. So I called my dad and we when to the hospital. In the hospital we heard her should was broken. But they can't put a cast on shoulder or collarbone so they only gave her a sling and told her to let her arm rest.
Her hair was BSL back then so for a couple of week she needed my dads or my help with washing and getting dressed. She couldn't lift her arm. We showered together and I shampooed her hair. I also braided her hair and pinned it up in a bun. :wannabe: She had to wear her hair in a braided bun every day for weeks. Because that was the only hair style I could do for her because she has very fine and slippery hair.
I didn't mind taking care of her like that, she took care of me the same way when I was younger.

Kome do have somebody who can help wash en style your hair?

[Tapioca]

How long since you were diagnosed? I was diagnosed with RA in Sept. of 2010, and I chopped my hair from hip to shoulder in December of that year. I regret it. Back then, I had just been diagnosed and had just started meds. A year and a half later, my pain and swelling are considerably better. I can knit again, and I can handle longer hair (I still do Cricket's hair every day). If I had know then that it would get better, I would have toughed it out.

[Kome]

How long since you were diagnosed? I was diagnosed with RA in Sept. of 2010, and I chopped my hair from hip to shoulder in December of that year. I regret it. Back then, I had just been diagnosed and had just started meds. A year and a half later, my pain and swelling are considerably better. I can knit again, and I can handle longer hair (I still do Cricket's hair every day). If I had know then that it would get better, I would have toughed it out.

February of 2012, but I am still not on Dmard's, so things just keep getting worse. I know if I am patient... they could get better and then I'll want long hair, but right now it is not even appealing at all. I think the best thing is just to leave it alone since I definitely can't style it. I mean, it's a MESS. Sometimes it takes everything just to brush it... I figured a bit shorter might help with that. I think I won't do more than just above chest if I decide to.

Thanks for the help. :D

[Kome]

When I was 15 or 16 years old my mom fell from her horse once and she hurt her shoulder. First I thought it was dislocated because she had so much pain. So I called my dad and we when to the hospital. In the hospital we heard her should was broken. But they can't put a cast on shoulder or collarbone so they only gave her a sling and told her to let her arm rest.
Her hair was BSL back then so for a couple of week she needed my dads or my help with washing and getting dressed. She couldn't lift her arm. We showered together and I shampooed her hair. I also braided her hair and pinned it up in a bun. :wannabe: She had to wear her hair in a braided bun every day for weeks. Because that was the only hair style I could do for her because she has very fine and slippery hair.
I didn't mind taking care of her like that, she took care of me the same way when I was younger.

Kome do have somebody who can help wash en style your hair?

Not really... the big problem is that I have to take baths because I can't get the shower pulley out and I can't stand for long periods of time. My hair gets really oily in the bath and greasy. Yuck!

[MinderMutsig]

Not really... the big problem is that I have to take baths because I can't get the shower pulley out and I can't stand for long periods of time. My hair gets really oily in the bath and greasy. Yuck!
How about separating washing your hair and washing your body entirely? That should cut down the time you have to stand.

Once or twice a week wash your hair and only your hair and get help with that if at all possible. After washing put a little oil on it, braid it and you can leave the braid in for a couple of days. If you can't get (or want) help with the washing maybe someone could at least comb and braid it for you?

Then the next day you put the braid up in a braided bun and take a bath to wash your body.

That's what I do when my arthritis is flaring up. I'll leave a braid in for days on end putting it up in a braided bun during the day and leaving the braid down for bed.

[jlb]

Not really... the big problem is that I have to take baths because I can't get the shower pulley out and I can't stand for long periods of time. My hair gets really oily in the bath and greasy. Yuck!

No reccomendations about hair length. But I just wanted to suggest adding a shower bench & hand held shower to your bath. It makes life much easier when it's difficult or unsafe to stand in the shower/tub. The hand held shower is excellent for rinsing long hair, I like it so much I'm planning to install one for me.

I found all the parts I needed to install these at a local home improvement store. It made life much easier & safer for my folks.

[dulce]

Also try using a floor fan to nearby dry your hair ,leaving your hands free.I do this while at the computer.