HELP! Hair Thinning & Hair Loss getting me down :-(

FormerMember over 5 years ago

2 replies
28 subscribers
2318 views

Good Morning Everyone,

I was diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid cancer in February 2018. Staging is T4N1bM0 and one tumour was 5.7cm's in length with another being 2.3cm. It had also spread to the lymph nodes within my neck, muscles on the right side of my neck and also had grown around the sympathetic nerve.

Had total thyroidectomy and right neck dissection all the way up behind my ear in March 2019.

RAI was in April 2019 and was a dosage of 185 millicuries (hope thats the right word).

Since then my medication has be changed around so many times i have lost count, and also i will be having a second round of surgery for a left neck dissection and another round of RAI.

Anyway onto the point o this message...has anyone else experienced hair thinning or hair loss?

When i say hair thinning i mean bald patches and ares on their head and hair loss i mean its coming out in clumps?

I have spoken with m multi disciplinary team and they said that with any cancer and treatment that hair loss and thinning is very common yet mot people assume it only happens with chemo.

Thanks for your advice and for listening.

XXX

Lass over 5 years ago

Hello again Paw,

I was just wondering, are you in the UK? I ask because the UK tends to use GBq rather than mc in measuring radiation. Also, 185 milicuries is a higher dose than is usually used here.

I don't suppose you know what your latest blood tests show do you? Looking for TSH and T4 numbers, and if you're not in the UK, I'll need the units of measurement for the T4 so I can convert. Lol

Hairloss is known to occur with thyroid issues, usually when you're too hyperthyroid, which is why I'm wondering about your levels. Have you noticed that your skin is drier too? Are you on any other medications and have you checked their side effects?

I've ended up with mild alopecia because of my womb cancer medication, so I understand the sorts of thoughts and feelings that might be going through your head at the moment.

Lass

I have no medical training, everything I post is an opinion or educated guess. It is not medical advice.

CazBee over 5 years ago

Hi Paw,

I really feel for you, it can be so hard with changes to appearance. For me, it made me feel more like a patient than i'd felt before. I'm in the same situation, my hair is thinning, possibly from high doses of thyroxine, possibly stress and vitamin deficiency.

Some advice i can give you is make sure you have a good multi-vitamin or nail and hair vitamin (approved by your doctor), nioxin thinning shampoo and condition, OR rosemary shampoo and condition (I went to a salon specialising in cancer hair care and that is what they recommended me) and Castor oil (rubbing it into the scalp cleanses and moisturises it, promoting hair growth). If you're feeling up to it, have your hair cut shorter. It makes what you do have look thicker and it might just pick you up. If you think it could be stress related, consult your GP/doctor. There could be useful therapy sessions or medications to help you cope, which in turn will help your hair loss issues.

Get your doctor to order a blood test to see if you're low in any vitamins etc - I discovered that i was anaemic after surgery, another possible cause of my hair loss.

I dont think there is a magic cure that grows it all back, which is what i was wishing for. But I've been trying the above and i haven't noticed it getting worse.

I hope this helps.

Caz Xx

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HELP! Hair Thinning & Hair Loss getting me down :-(