20, Hair Loss, Anxious

[zadie]

Hi,

I'm 20 and have PCOS, Insulin Resistance and Hypothyroidism, and my main issue is anxiety about the future. I am 5'5 and 140 pounds (I put on ten pounds last year despite going to the gym 3 times a week, and the fat continues to pile on), and I've been affected by a rapid form of hair loss. I estimate that I've lost about 40% of my hair in the past year and a half, especially near the crown, and my family and endo don't take me seriously.. telling me that hair isn't everything and that there are people out there with far more serious issues. I take Levothyroxine, Yasmin, Metformin, Biotin, Fish Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, and a Multivitamin. The number of pills I take is upsetting as well, because if PCOS is a lifelong issue as I have heard it is, then this can only get worse.

The thing is.. the hair loss has definitely impacted me psychologically, but its worry for the future that everything is going to get a lot worse that's really affecting me. If I see a woman with a bald patch on her head or just plain obesity, I cannot stop staring because I wonder if that's going to be me in a few years. I am worried about diabetes, cancer, my weight gain exploding out of control, infertility, and losing hair in a male pattern baldness kind of way... I know that alot of this is irrational thinking but I'm the kind of person who needs to have a plan and some kind of vision for the future. Right now I don't know what kind of person I'll see in the mirror in five or ten years, and that makes me deeply anxious. In fact, I'm wondering if a lot of my hair loss is because of this kind of anxiety. I've become seriously depressed for about three months now, but I hate to admit it to anyone who can do anything about it. I feel like society just doesn't accept those kinds of images on women.. and that absolutely terrifies me.

Help!

[MissRebellious]

Hello Zadie! I'm Eliabeth. I'm 17, suffering from PCOS, IR, Hypothryoidism, the works. I apparently have been having this problem for yearrrrssss the IR and hypothyroidism really just took their toll. I'm 5'7'', 290 lbs. (At 17.. sick huh?) I kinda went and am going through what you are. Along with the above, I suffer from clinical depression, insomnia, and I'm bipolar. Although, I've been told that the PCOS can explain the bipolar and some of the depression.

Along with my weight gain, I've delt with nasty body hair that's dark on my upper lip, the few single ones under my chin and some that grows around my belly button. It's sooooo gross. I have super oily skin and hair, which they say is due to the increased tesosterone from the PCOS.

I'm not an expert, but here's my opinion based on my eperience :D :
This is going to sound bad, but stick with me for a sec. Losing your hair isn't that bad. There are sooo many options out there! There's several clinical things you can get to help stop hair loss. (Most are for men, but your hair loss may be due to increased testosterone levels from your PCOS...) You have the option of getting hair implants later, or hair pieces like wigs and what not. Nobody would ever know the difference. You also need to be aware that hair loss can be do to anxiety and depression too.

First thing I would do in your case, is relax. You need to take a day to yourself, and treat yourself to a good day. I dunno, take a bubblebath and read a good book, take a nap and RELAX. It will do wonders to calm you down. My depression has ben pretty bad the last few years, to the point that I spent a few weeks institutionalized because I became suicidal..

I promise this isn't the end of the world, and you will make it through this. It's just another turn in your life. If you're religious, God is with you. If you're not, then it's just fate. This just happened because it did, and you just have to be strong. Everyone on this site and everyone else is here with you, and ready to support you. You also really need to sit down with your doctor, gyno, whoever... be like: "There is something wrong. I need you to listen to me. I'm anxious, I'm gaining weight, I'm losing my hair, and this is causing me to become very depressed." Tell them about what you've been diagnosed with and how that's affecting you too. Go over what meds you're on, and explain those effects. And lastly tell them that you would like some tests run to figure out what is going on. Even if you don't know what tests to run, they should know what to do. They're the doctors right? And, if they tell you that there are people that have it worse, maybe it's time to find a new doctor... A lot of people here on this site will also tell you to look into and Endocrinologist. They're the experts on this stuff!! They'll know how to help you, or they'll know someone who can :)

Zadie, be strog, your Cysters are here for you :D

[mom]

Zadie, First I want to say that I really understand how you feel. It is my daughter who has PCOS and is having the struggle with hair loss at the moment, but I myself have experienced 2 major bouts of hair loss in my lifetime. One of these times I was in college and it lasted for almost 2 years. My hair was long, beautiful and my crowning glory and ended up extemely thin to the point you could see my scalp in the front. It caused me GREAT distress. My hair loss was due to stress, and of course the hair loss caused MORE stress and it was like a vicous cycle. I am very sorry your doctors and your mother don't seem to be taking you seriously. That can only make you feel worse. Until someone has this happen to themselves-they just can't know how it can make you feel. I did the same thing you did-I couldn't help staring at balding women and wondering if that was what I was going to look like.

Zadie, my hair did eventually stop falling out and it grew back. When I got to my lowest point, I went back to church (my attendance and my prayers had all but stopped). I am not what you call a religous person, but I needed help and strength to get me through everything-I had become SO depressed. I actually started praying all the time-I guess you could actually say I started Talking to God all the time. I, like you, didn't really get much support on the home front. "Turning it all over to God" as I have heard people say many times really did help me to calm down so my body could start getting strong enough to get back to normal. Perhaps your hair is falling out because of stress as well. I would not be suprised at all. Depression and stress can really do a number on our bodies. It is so easy to get obsessed about what the future holds-but what I have learned is that everything always seems to work out-even if the road to getting there is tough.

I had another huge bout of hairloss as an adult (again-stress). The amount of hair loss I was experiencing was even greater this time. I was able to not become so worried about it this time-I was married with a family-my life WAS set. It is so much harder to deal with something like this when you are young. The length of time my hair fell out was much shorter this time. And again-it grew back.

Having said all of this, I think it would also make you feel better for your doctors to double check what is going on with your hormones at this point. You have a right to ask for that. Show your mom my note to you. If I were you, I would look at my thyroid levels again and make sure all is well there. I would also want to see current levels of estrogen and testosterone and make sure they are being balanced well. If your testosterone is too high, you could talk to them about spironolactone. It reduces testosterone and has helped people with hair loss. If your estrogen is too low in comparison to your testosterone, it can cause the same problems as having normal estrogen, but too high testosterone.

Also, I noticed that the thyroid medication you are using cautions that if you are taking a diabetic medication (which Met is), that your doctor may have to adjust the amount of Met you are taking.

Hang in there. Be firm with your parents and your doctor. You have a right to make sure you are doing everything your body needs to do for it to function the best it can. If you do your follow up blood work and everything actually looks fine, then you know the hair loss could possibly be related to stress. Having these answers should reduce your anxiety-and this is key.

Keep us posted on how things go for you! You have support here and people who understand. You are not alone on this.

[MissRebellious]

This is totally off topic, but Mom, I love you :D You're so encouraging and smart. Heh, my mom isn't like that, but hey, we're all different. Zadie can definatly get a lot out of what you said. If I were in her place.. (I think) I'd love you too.

-Elizabeth

[mom]

MissRebellious-you just made my day! Thank you so much for the compliment. I want so much to help, but sometimes feel like I just don't know what to say. Today you made me see that any effort I make (or anyone makes) is worth while. YOU made a big difference to ME today.

[MissRebellious]

And it made my day to be able to make your day! I feel so useless most of the time, because I sit and watch other people hurt and there's nothing I can do about it. I don't know alot about PCOS, I'm new to it myself... but I try to encourage and offer support for other people. You seem like a wonderful person, supporting others as well as your own family just by posting on this site. My own mother isn't so supportive. She was for the first week after I was diagnosed, but after that she shrugged it off like it was nothing. PCOS has affected my life in so many ways, even before I knew it was PCOS. But sometimes, it feels like she doesn't care enough to help me out.

People like Zadie, the woman who started this thread, I feel like i have a connection to. She is in a lot of pain, emotionally, psychologically, and it probably feels physical too. I can relate to that. I may be 17, but I think I've had enough life experience to last me until I'm 150.

I just hope the people here, who are expressing themselves, realize how important and special they are. Some are having depression problems, some weight problems, some appearance problems and from what I've read, they feel like they aren't as good as everyone else. It's people who can come up and above these kindas of things that are the better people. We are all equal, but it really comes from how we view ourselves. Those who think they are better than everyone, aren't. Those who think they are less than others, aren't. I just wish people could see past what is on the outside and see what's on the inside. "Well, what is it that you want for Christmas?" "Well, Santa, I want my neighbor to get my present. She's always sad." I actually witnessed that once at the mall... the little girl sitting on Santa's lap looked so innocent, all I wanted to do was cry. She was offering her Christmas to her neighbor, because her neighbor looked sad and all the little girl wanted was to see them happy.

Zadie, Mom, everyone else, you're special. :) And I hope everyone realizes that. There is good in all of us, there is bad in all of us. But good always overcomes evil in the end right?

I hope you have a great day, Mom!
Zadie, feel better. :)

-Elizabeth

[mom]

Elizabeth-You are one wise woman!

[MissRebellious]

Not really, just a realist at times. I love people, even if they don't love me as much as I them. :)

[sweetsunshine72]

Elizabeth, you are becoming a great source of support, here on the boards. Keep it up!

I'm older, now (37), but I still remember what it was like having NO support when I was young. In my case, my family was abusive and neglectful, and I eventually had to cut them out of my life. That experience, though, has helped form who I am today, and I wouldn't want to change that for anything! It's strange - I feel younger now, at 37, than I did at 16! lol Go figure! :p

Mom - you are right up there, too! :) You put things so simply and beautifully!

Zadie - I would second what they said. If your endo is brushing you off, then find a new endo! Doctors are human - there are good ones and bad ones. A good doctor who takes you seriously is worth his/her weight in gold - no matter what his speciality (although an endo has the extra training to figure out the interaction of your meds).

One other thing - have you been evaluated for Non-Classic Adrenal Hyperplasia (NCAH)? It has similar symptoms as PCOS, but it's caused by a genetic issue with the adrenal glands and does not respond to Metformin or other Insulin Resistance treatments. This is a milder version than the full form and doesn't usually show immediately. One of the main differences is that it can cause early puberty. This early puberty can cause you to have your growth spurt too early, so you start off very tall for your age, but end up short as an adult. Here's a website: http://www.caresfoundation.org/productcart/pc/ncah_late_onset_cah.html

Take care, and if it helps any - I'm always losing my hair in fits and spurts! I've found, though, that it's gotten curlier over the years, and if I keep it long and layered, then you don't see the thinner spots, and I still have hair that I consider to be one of my better assets!

Hang in there - it WILL get better!!!! (((HUGS))) :D

[MissRebellious]

Hey, at least I can do something right. :)

I kind of understand what you mean about what you said about your family, SweetSunshine. Mine has hurt me pretty bad many of times. I love my family, but they... I guess they just don't work. My birthday is only a year away, I'll be 18, and then, I'm going to try to do something with my life. Woohoo, senior year, here I come!

[zadie]

Hey guys, it's been a little less than two months since I posted, and I wanted to say that since I've stepped up my working out and eating well, I've come down to 136 lbs. I look and feel better, but there's still a ways to go. The hair loss however is going strong. I recently started Rogaine, and experienced even more rapid hair loss (think about 200-300 hairs a day) but was told that that was normal during the initial 2-3 weeks. However, this is my fifth week of using it, and it hasn't really abated, so I'm a little worried. I've stopped stressing so much though (back in May, I was crying maybe 2-3 times a day which was completely ridiculous. Haven't cried in about a month now, as I've taken a come what may attitude. Hopefully I won't be pushed into a need-a-wig situation, since that prospect is still frightening to me. A doctor recently told me that I was not a candidate for hair transplants a) because my hair loss is diffuse and widespread and b) because of my underlying condition which could attack the transplanted hair follicles as well.

Is there anyone else exploring similar options/treatments? What do you do to get by?

ps: Thank you thank you thank you for all the sweet messages of support in this thread. Elizabeth, mom, and SweetSunshine, you made me smile.