When will it stop?

[Feelingbetternow]

My hair!!! It’s all falling out! Has anyone tried progesterone to reduce the hair loss? How much more am I going to lose? 😪

[Sepsur]

Most of us who have experienced this - telagon effluvium - our hair has all grown back. Ask your doctor about the best vitamins & minerals

[Myfanwy58]

I’m so very sorry you’re going through this. It feels particularly unfair after having gone through the trauma of ICU followed by the oft challenging onward recovery/rehab. I too am losing hair in handfuls following critical illness and an ICU stay. This marked loss has been going on for approx 6weeks. So very distressing. Whilst the loss is quite probably a response to recent acute illness, and will likely be temporary, it may be advisable for you to discuss this with your dr. I did. Blood tests were carried out to check for any possible deficiencies which might be contributing to hair loss eg thyroid, iron, Vit D etc. The results all came back normal, but at least these factors have now been ruled out. Seems I’ve to just hope & pray that it won’t be too long before shedding stops and re-growth begins. I sincerely hope the same for you.

[BBDEBS]

Hey lovely. I lost most of my hair so I shaved it off. This gave it a boost and grew back thick and strong.

The way it was described to me, is when in coma, and your body is trying to recover, it doesn't need to grow hair, nails, it needs to keep your heart pumping, your blood flowing.

Wear your temporary hair loss as a badge of honour. You survived x

Your family, friends would love you with or without hair, and whilst traumatic for you, this is the least of their worries, they are just happy you are alive.

I remember obsessing over my skin falling off my hands when still in hospital, and my family were so sad to see me so upset, but I hadn't lived their experience and they hadn't lived mine.

You will get through this x

[Copse77]

I am very sorry it is so distressing for you after all you have gone through. As others have said hair loss can result from all the trauma you went through. Ferritin stored iron protein needs to be around 80 to sustain hair growth. My brother was in ICU and it took a long time for his iron to restore as he was severely anaemic. If you do a google search for ferritin hair loss issues you will see this.

I wish you all the best for your recovery.

[RedNiche]

Hi,

I’m a COVID survivor. I was in ICU on a non-invasive ventilation helmet. I was discharged back in April and only in the last month my hair has thinned and has been coming out in clumps. It’s very upsetting. When I went for my follow up the ICU team told me that 80% of COVID patients have reported hair thinning/loss. As well as this, I’m tired all of the time and suffer with anxiety...when will it end!!

[Feelingbetternow in reply to RedNiche]

Hi and thank you for your reply. I am sorry you are going through this. The shedding is typically gradual. Just know that minoxidil leads to synchronization of the entry of hair follicles into the anagen phase (growth phase). This can result in a sudden increase in hair loss due to shedding of the hair that is in the resting phase. I began seeing shedding around 2-3 months after I was discharged. I then used minoxidil and lost more than 50% of my hair all at once. That is when I wrote the post. The best advice I heard was be kind to yourself. Someone else pointed out that ferritin levels need to be around at least 80 to help regrow hair. I now take supplements including iron since I was anemic. I wear a bandana and have accepted that this will also take time. I am 6 months out and I still have tiredness. My breathlessness has nearly resolved however and I think I will be able to exercise soon. It is amazing how the body has this innate ability to heal itself with time.

If you are experiencing anxiety symptoms, this may be due to a serious underlying anxiety disorder and should be addressed. Managing the anxiety is key to being able to cope and heal. I hope your doctors are knowlegeable and skilled in treating anxiety.

I wish you the best in your recovery!