I was put in an induced coma on Christmas Day 2022 due to having double pneumonia, sepsis, strep b, flu and a plural infusion! I spend two weeks in an induced coma and followed by 3 weeks in hospital a total of 5 weeks.
I am now suffering with ptsd which I am managing but the main thing I am struggling with is the hair loss, does anyone have any advice?
I had sepsis shock 3 years ago lost most of my hair now it is back longer than ever try boots hair burst vitamins also do alight head massage also try Lee Stafford hair growth treatment also at boots let me know how you get on? do not listen to people who say it is only hair it is your identity who you are we have been through enough I was not told about hair loss so it was such a shock yes we are glad to be alive but we still want our hair let me know how you get on good luck
Thankyou for the advice! It’s affected me massively even when trying to stay positive and think about how lucky I am to still be alive , just so hard when it’s your hair isn’t it
collagen & biotin hair products 😊 - most people have some hair loss which will grow back in time - it’s called telogon effluvium
Hi,I also experienced huge hair loss after being in icu for6 weeks plus 6 weeks in a ward recovering. I was on life support/ ventilator for a month. My hair began coming out by the handful around 2 months after discharge. All normal I was told.dur to the body's reaction to trauma. This was exactly 3 years ago. My hair has stopped falling out, but is now a different texture. Very soft and much finer than before.
It is upsetting but given the fact we are here to moan about it, is a better thing than not being alive!
Keep well and try not to stress over it .
Mine came out in great clumps a few months after ICU/induced coma/ECMO but gradually came back, although it is quite a bit thinner than before.
I use Aussie Volume shampoo as it is the only one I can find to sort of bulk my hair up.
All part of the various weird and wonderful challenges after surviving! Good luck with it.
Hello! Went through sepsis my self 3 years ago. Lost half of my hair. As women we identify with our hair, and after everything I went through I just saw it as a sign that my body wasn’t healing. your hair will grow back its just the shock your body goes through. A lot of natural hair products out there. Stay away from medical hair growth prod. as they have more negative effects. You need to heal on the inside first and your hair will follow. Look into medical medium protocols, ashwaganda for the nervous system and stress. If you want something topical Jojoba and castor oil mixtures. Remember you were strong enough to survive sepsis!
OMG EXACTLY SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME! I got flu went to docs sent to a&e with a oxygen tank.
Because I didn’t realise I had pneumonia, this was just after Christmas and next thing I knew it was February and I was in the icu.
now in march my hair is falling out and I want to shave it I am also26
HiI was in an induced coma in August 2021. I also suffer from ptsd. I also lost my hair - not all of it but it came out in handfuls and got extremely thin. The odd thing is that it appears to happen some time after the shock of ICU.
It's called telogen effluvium. It's caused by your hair follicles kind of going to sleep and not replacing the hair as normal. For me it lasted 2 or 3 months, then it gradually became thicker again and got completely back to normal. I hope this reassures you
It happened to me too after spending 6 weeks in hospital last year (a week on ITU). Hair loss happened about 3 months after & I had to cut it to a very short pixie cut. It’s been 6 months now & growing well - hoping it’ll be a bob soon-ish! I totally understand how you feel, of course grateful to be alive, but absolutely doesn’t stop the hair loss being horrible & affecting self-esteem. I’ve been using Plantur 39 Phyto-Caffeine Shampoo for coloured & stressed hair. It does seem to be coming back nice & thick. Go easy on yourself & take care.
Unfortunately hair loss does seem to be a side effect of critical illness. I remember 8 weeks after I had been discharged and my hair started coming out in handfuls to the extent that I started looking at headscarves as an option. Your body does not regard hair and nails as critical for survival as it focuses on more important organs - quite clever when you think about it, although I found losing most of my very thick, long brown hair traumatic at the time.
I can confirm that most of it has grown back although it is not quite as thick as it was. I also noticed I had white hairs and was told that this was due to the stress my body had been under - but hair dye solves that!
You may also notice that you nails start growing through a little thinner before returning to normal - all part of critical illness recovery.
I had a really complicated hospital experience including sepsis (see bio) and was in hospital for 305 days. One of the nurses recommended black Jamaican castor oil to encourage hair growth. She said it had helped her alopecia and was recommended to her by a black patient who had said black women use it to help their hair grow back after they lose it due to the weaving process. It has helped my hair grow back fairly fast I think and quite thick.
Hair loss has taken me by surprise as I'd never thought about it until it happened to me, someone who has been used to a thick long curly mane! It is upsetting and I'm sorry for your loss. I have been advised by a herbalist to take collagen and biotin supplements. I have been recommended by people who have had hair loss to use Watermans and\or Nioxin hair products.
Gosh, that sounds like a really rough time you've been through. Dealing with hair loss on top of everything else must be really hard. From my own experience, I found that being patient with yourself is key. It takes time for hair to grow back after such a major ordeal. Have you tried gentle scalp massages? They can stimulate blood flow and promote hair growth. You can use Batana hair and scalp serum batanabio.com for the massages, it really helps with hair growth. Give it a shot, I hope this helps!
Memory loss after induced coma
Post ICU trauma
Critical illness neuropathy and critical illness myopathy
Tired and emotional after coma
Walking after medically induced coma 
