Hair Loss

[Sunshine]

Hi Everyone I would be very grateful for advice on hair loss which is getting a bit scary now. I don't have bald patches and thankfully as I had good thickish hair I am not showing any baldness, however I can't sustain the daily loss indefinately. I have been to my Doctor providing photographic proof of hair left in the bath after showering but didn't get much help as I was told my thyroid levels were ok and that she had never seen anyone go bald in 30 years of practice. I was so fed up with the tiredness etc I thought I might look up a private practitioner who specialises in Thyroid Problems. I have tried asking for a trial on Armour but was refused as the drug is not in their medical journal for prescription. Any ideas would be gratefully received. I have also noticed that my fingers are very stiff first thing in the morning. Many thanks

[Chippysue]

Sunshine, I do sympathise. I also had a lot of hair before being hypothyroid and witnessed a lot of my hair on my pillow or in the shower. Since I have been fully medicated I haven't noticed any hair loss at all, I am hoping now that it will re-grow.

When you say that you have been told that your thyroid levels are ok ... what were your last results for your TSH and free T4 and did you have Free T3 tested? If you could get your TSH under 1 and your Free T4 at the top of your lab range you could then hopefully sit back and wait for your symptoms to improve.

[Sunshine in reply to Chippysue]

Suze, thank you so much for your advice. I have been thinking about asking the surgery for a full list of my results over the last two years and then I can come back to these boards with some figures. Once again thank you very much.

[Charlie3055 in reply to Chippysue]

Hi Sunshine

I do empathise with you, I really do as it took me years before anyone listened to me regarding my thyroid. Eventually I saw a sympathetic endocrinologist who not only tested my TSH, free T3 and free T4 but did a 24 hour urine test to check how my body converts T4 to T3. That was where my underactive thyroid problem was found. You should demand you be referred to an endocrinologist who can run all these tests and I would recommend you read 'Your Thyroid and How to Keep it Healthy' by Dr Barry Durrant-Peatfield. It really is a fantastic book. Good luck and let us know how you get on!

[Sunshine in reply to Chippysue]

Thank you Charlie I will have a look at that book. I am trying to be level headed as I always look on the bright side of things especially when people lose their hair through other illnesses, however as I mentioned earlier I can't keep losing this much indefinately. Ususally things are put down to age, I am 52. I have had thyroid problems since I was 38 originally I was over active (although my initial symptoms were those of someone under active). I got treated felt much better then got recalled by the thyroid register for a routine blood test and low and behold I was under active and have been ever since. I was looking on the internet for a good thyroid specialist and found Dr Gordon Skinner but I don't think he is practising at the moment. I think I really need to get some special tests done. Thank you for your response.

[Charlie3055 in reply to Chippysue]

Hi Sunshine

I'm so sorry to hear of your problem. I have been going to the doctors for years as I suspected I had an underactive thyroid. It was only when I went to see an excellent and sympathetic Endocrinologist who not only tested my free T3, free T4, TSH and did a 24 hour urine test that anything showed up. It was in the urine that my problem was detected because my problem is at cell level, not blood level. (My body can't convert T4 to T3). There are however labs (Lab 21 being one) where you can pay to have such tests done yourself, although I'm not sure about the urine tests as mine had to be sent to the Netherlands.

Don't listen to your doctor! Only you know how you feel and blood tests often don't reflect how a person with an underactive thyroid is truly feeling. If your doctor is having issues with prescribing Armour because it's not in their medical journal, you could ask for Erfa or NatureThroid which are also natural dessicated porcine thyroid that include both T4 and T3.

Do keep us posted on your progress and good luck. Don't give up trying to get your doctor to listen, better still, change doctors if you can!

Charlie.

[Chippysue in reply to Chippysue]

Sunshine, Dr Skinner still holds clinics in Birmingham and Glasgow. I am no longer seeing him but know of people who have seen him recently. Dr Peatfield's book is available on Amazon (link to Amazon on Thyroid UK main site).

Hope to hear from you soon with your blood test results, if you don't already know, do ask at your surgery what your local lab ranges are for TSH and free t4 as they do vary around the country.

[Hidden in reply to Chippysue]

Hi all,

Ready for first appt with Endo on Thurs - with list of symptoms going back 8 yrs and an envelope containing hair which had come out after washing - I wash every other day and this happens all the time. No bald patches but I do tend to have fine ish hair anyway and it just looks worse than ever.

It feels grim on top of the increasing weight gain and poor posture through exhaustion - BUT, there is hope and this site is going to be great so that we can all help each other through the grimness.

Stacey