Hair loss

[Amelia2023]

Hi there I'm 36 and from NZ.

Currently 3 months post Bacterial Meningitis after a CSF leak.

Prior brain surgery 3 weeks before.

Spent 6 weeks all up in hospital.

I've noticed I've lost over half my hair. Although I had the had the back of my head shaved for surgery. What i do have left it falls out constantly in the shower and its excessive. My skin in terrible and it just won't settle. Small price to pay to be alive. Have just under gone 3 months of rehab for speech, memory, cognitive thinking and physio. I couldn't even say a sentence without mucking up or saying it wrong.

Was interested to see how others recovered from this. Still a long way to go.

[JLJB]

That is rough! I am so sorry you had to go through this ordeal. I had a rare bacterial meningitis (ehrlichiosis from a tick bite) in 2019 at the age of 66. It resulted in sepsis, and I spent 3 weeks in the hospital and 3 weeks in rehab and many months of slow recovery after that. But nobody warned me about the hair loss that began 2 months after returning home. I lost about half of my hair. I had it cut very short and bought a wig. It did start growing back in a few months, but it grew in curly, curly, curly! I resigned myself to living with curly hair and kept it very short. It took about a year, but then it started growing back normally again. Of course it took a long time to completely grow out. So be patient, take things slowly, and try to get lots of rest.

[agapelmh]

I'm sorry. That is a lot to go through. I had bacterial meningitis and sepsis in December 2022. Was in hospital all of January and had to go back briefly in February and March as well. Yes to the hair loss. I have heard it is a common occurrence and takes about a year to get over. I am even pregnant and am still loosing double/triple the normal amount of hair. Taking collagen supplements has helped reduce it a bit. But you sort of just have to ride it out and know that it will improve in time.

[menchild]

I am so sorry that you have had such a trauma. I had pneumoccol bacterial meningitis in 2019. 3 months later I lost about 1/3 of my hair. Its called Telogen Effluvium and is a result of stress either mental or physical and large numbers of hair follicles go into resting phase n then hair falls out a few months later. The nutrients are redirected to healing vital organs. Its temporary and hair grows back. Its distressing but rest assured time will restore your hair. Rest rest rest is the best medicine. ❤️✨️

[Amelia2023 in reply to menchild]

Thanks for your reply. Its a very small price to pay but thanks for explaining it. Its amazing what the body does.

[menchild in reply to Amelia2023]

Your body can heal ✨️ in ways beyond belief. Rest lets it do its job of repairing. Its been an opportunity for me to slow right down and heal deep childhood trauma. I am grateful for it all as I see through eyes now that appreciate the simple things so much. 🙏🥰

[agapelmh]

Just wanted to post a hopeful update. In the past couple of weeks my hair loss has reduced significantly, like back to a normal amount. I am about 9 months post bacterial meningitis. I can't remember if the hair loss started right away or set in a couple months after being sick, but in total I probably lost about 1/3 of my hair. But wanted to let you all know that it will get better eventually. Now I just need the hair I lost to grow back, which will happen in time. So hang in there and keep up the collagen!