major hair loss!!!!!

I am 6 moths post op and have lost 3/4 of my hair. It falls out by the handfulls all day long. I am beginning to look like I am going bald. From what I have read on the Q&A national post it is quite normal,something nobody told me about before the surgery. It does nothing for your self esteem. I have been eating Biotin, horse tail, and using rogaine. I can not color my hair as it adds to the loss as it it quite brittle. Any one else experienced this and has anything worked for you. Thanks!

Laura, I haven't had the surgery, but I have heard about it. Now, Dr. Blackstone said that normally you lose about 100 hairs a day, and the shock to your system from the surgery and from the change to eating so little, can cause you to lose 300 a day, which can seem, she says, like a lot. I'm interested in knowing if you're "eating the protein first", if you're taking a full array of vitamins, and if you're meditating and exercising. I was told those would be the most helpful. Keep us posted on your well being, okay? Patti in Tucson

Yes, I eat protein first and for the most part, mostly protein. I eat numerous vitamins on a daily basis, drink all the water and more. I exercise every day, and I get lots of sleep. I am not working now so I have no stress other than this surgery and protein diet! So to answer your question, I am doing all that I am supposed to do and much more. Laura Kuhl

I went through the same thing!!! Fortunately I have alot of thick hair anyways so it wasn't to noticeable. On the bright side......... It does stop falling out. No women has ever went bald from the hair loss. Be patient as hard as it is. Eat protein!!!!! It is needed for the hair you re-grow later. Hope this helps. Julie Smith

Dr. Blackstone says that the reason it happens is this: When your body stops getting food in the quantities it was getting, it thinks there's a famine and starts shutting down "non essential systems". Hair folicles are the first to get shut down. So, your poor body thinks it's died and gone to hell and there ain't no more food coming, and it darned well better stop spending life-saving energy on such non-essentials as hair! She also says that if you continue eating correctly and doing all the things you're supposed to do that it all grows back in with a vengeance. I personally suggest a few moments (not 20 minutes) of taking a breath and relaxing your shoulders. The chemicals that stimulates are healthy, healing and can certainly do no harm to your poor shocked hair follicles. with love, Patti in Tucson

Laura, I was reading through the main messgae board the other day and one of the hot topics was hair loss. A couple of people who claim to have had littl or no hair loss said that they use Real Meals protein shakes to make sure that they gat all of their protein in. The claim is that the type of protein in that brand of shake is more easily absorbable. The other thing that I saw often was that using Infusium 23 shampoo seems to help. I can't vouch for either of these things personally since I am preop, but there were alot of people of the boards who swore by Real Meals and Infusium. Good Luck, Connie