Please help!Malnutrition & Hair loss
mschybell
Posts: 33 Member
Hi there. I've posted on this forum once before but am coming back desperate for advice. I'm a 20 year old female who is underweight. While I didn't suffer from an e.d, I did suffer from severe stomach problems for about a year that made it nearly impossible for me to eat or keep anything down, sleep, etc. I went from 96lbs to 76lbs at my lowest. Stomach problem was resolved in July after a very long battle and numerous doctors visits and tests and I was slowly able to start eating again. My hair began falling out in the beginning of October and is still falling out.I'm doing my best to recover on my own and have done as much research as I can, but heres where I need advice. My doctors will not help me! I brought my hair loss up to my gp at the end of October(and she knows about my weight loss, how underweight I am, and about the stomach problem) & she ignored my concerns, said I was overreacting and said it was normal hair loss and sent me on my way. I came back in December with bags of hair crying and begging for help. She did not and would not take any new blood work, looked at blood work from the beginning of the year and said I was fine but did send out a referral to a nutritionist and dermatologist when I asked. The dermatologist said NOTHING about my weight loss/diet/malnutrition when I explained the situation, shrugged his shoulders and said the hair loss was from stress and to wait it out or try rogaine. The nutritionist said she had never worked with anyone with this type of malnutrition so she suggested an 1800 cal meal plan even though everything I've read says you need to be at 2500+ cal. I went to hematologist today and begged him to check certain things with bloodwork and he refused! And said I'd have to go back to my gp and ask. Please help me. I'm sorry this was so long but I'm so desperate because I want to get better so bad and for my hair to stop falling out but these doctors will not help. What do I do?? How can I recover without the help of doctors? How do I know I'm doing the right things?
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A new GP and a referral to a registered dietician would be your best course of action, in my opinion. Anyone with internet access can get a certificate in nutrition and a dermatologist can't help you with nourishment problems. And your GP just sounds plain lazy.0
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From what I have read it can take your body 6 months to a year to recover from malnutrition depending on how malnourished you were and how well you eat after.
I lost all of my hair due to chemo. I researched new hair growth extensively. Nothing but time helped it grow back. I did take Biotin and B6 vitamins along with a multivitmin but not sure if it did anything or not. I have very thick hair and it came back just as it was before.
I lose hairs daily. Everyone does. You may be noticing it more now that you had an issue. I become convinced it's falling out again all the time but really it's normal hair loss that everyone has.0 -
Just curious--how's your iron intake?0
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I'd ask your doctor for a referral to a dietitian instead, and after you get that, get a new doctor too.
Is your doctor part of your ED treatment team? If not, maybe consult with someone from your team?
How tall are you, how much do you weigh now, and how much do you want to weigh? 1800 could be correct or not, depending on your stats.
I've had hair loss due to anemia and it sucks, and takes a long time to come back, but it did.
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What country are you in? If you are in the US and have the money to pay for it there is no reason any doctor should refuse blood work. Now, if you are trying to get insurance to cover it then the doctor may be refusing because they don't have a reason the insurance would accept.
If you are unhappy with your doctor's performance then seek a second opinion from a live in person visit with a doctor. Trying to self diagnose via the internet is rarely a good idea.0 -
I would agree that more than 1800 calories would be ideal, but part of what you are going to run into is that since you have eaten so little for so long, it might be difficult to eat enough to start. That may have played into the suggestion by the person you saw.
You could use http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ to figure out a calorie goal based what your goal weight would be. It would be good know know why the person you saw recommended 1800.
Having said that the nutrients you get are just as important at this point. I am surprised how little help you have received. Depending on where in the world you are, nutritionist can be a title that is less than indicative of knowing anything about nutrition. In the US and Canada and registered dietitian would be what you would want to see.
Overall, it will take time, but you can get through this.0 -
@100df I didn't experience any hair loss at my lowest weight. It only began when I was finally able to start putting more food into my body. I basically survived on eggs & coffee for a year. I know people lose hair every day, 50-100, sometimes even a little bit more but this is NOT normal hair loss. Every day since October.i have lost over half of it and can barely get it into a bun because I have so little. 200-300 plus hairs a day on the worst days. Every time I brush it& wash it, run my fingers through it. I know hair loss is normal but not to this extent.0
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@snowflake954 For the past 3 weeks it has been good but before then, I was surviving on eggs and coffee for a year, and had to work my way up to a healthy amount of calories, which I only recently was able to do about 3 weeks ago. I have no idea what it was in my worst stages since doctors would not take any blood work but the derm did run blood work(forgot to mention that in my post, but gp wouldn't run any) my ferritin was at a 30 and my cbc was out of wack with four things being low and two being high and I also had a vit d deficiency.0
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I agree with the other suggestions to get another GP and see a registered dietician. Your doctor should not be ignoring this.
I have no experience with these issues, so this may be a dumb suggestion - maybe you could talk to someone who specializes in eating disorders. Even though you don't have one, those specialists should have a lot of experience with the health/nutritional problems you are suffering from and may be able to provide better direction to help you get back to being healthy.0 -
I agree with above. Get a new GP (and get your medical records transferred), get a referral to a registered dietitian, eat lots of variety of food including fat, meat, dairy, grains, veggies and fruits. Start a multi vitamin for now also - maybe even a pregnancy one that has lots of iron, folate, and B vitamins since deficiencies in any of those can often cause hair loss. At least it's something you can do between now and your appointments. Also try your best to de-stress (harder said than done, but still, really try). Get lots of sleep.
If you're still underweight at all, I agree that eating 2500 at least seems more reasonable than 1800. But have you been able to eat 2500 a day? If not, slowly build it up. Don't be afraid of low volume, high calorie foods.
And um... maybe request a stool sample too. Maybe it's parasite related?0 -
@kshama2001 I didn't have an eating disorder, i had severe stomach problems that lead to my malnutrition and weight loss. Part of me feels like my doctors would take me more seriously if I had been suffering from an e.d, but I don't have a treatment team. Both the dermatologist and hematologist referrals were sent because I begged her too because I'm desperatelt trying to get better. I've managed to put on 8lbs by myself! I'm 5" 2' and weighed 76lbs at my lowest. I've worked my weigh up to 84-85 lbs. I would like to get up to 105lbs. But thank you for your reply0
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@kshaw5501 It didn't post the rest of my reply! But I want to say thank you for your reply and I very much appreciate any advice0
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@100df I didn't experience any hair loss at my lowest weight. It only began when I was finally able to start putting more food into my body. I basically survived on eggs & coffee for a year. I know people lose hair every day, 50-100, sometimes even a little bit more but this is NOT normal hair loss. Every day since October.i have lost over half of it and can barely get it into a bun because I have so little. 200-300 plus hairs a day on the worst days. Every time I brush it& wash it, run my fingers through it. I know hair loss is normal but not to this extent.
It is going to take time to recover from coffee and eggs for a year. In any case it sounds like you don't trust your doctor. For peace of mind, I would start over with a new GP and see what they say. Could be something completely unrelated to eating and your stomach issue.0 -
@kshama2001 I didn't have an eating disorder, i had severe stomach problems that lead to my malnutrition and weight loss. Part of me feels like my doctors would take me more seriously if I had been suffering from an e.d, but I don't have a treatment team. Both the dermatologist and hematologist referrals were sent because I begged her too because I'm desperatelt trying to get better. I've managed to put on 8lbs by myself! I'm 5" 2' and weighed 76lbs at my lowest. I've worked my weigh up to 84-85 lbs. I would like to get up to 105lbs. But thank you for your reply
Oh, sorry, you said you didn't have an ED in your OP and I misread "didn't".0 -
My only suggestion is that if your doctors aren't listening to you, then to find doctors who will. You're paying them for your care so they should be helping you.0
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@Need2Exerc1se I'm in the United States, but am not currently working so have no income of my own. I have insurance through the state. I'm only trying to do research through the internet because the doctors I have been to, in person, have been no help. I have gone to my gp several times, a dermatologist, nutritionist, and a hematologist. I'm doing the best that I can but the internet has been more help than they have.0
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@puffbrat No no, I don't think that that is a dumb suggestion at all! I had actually considered it myself but I didn't know how to go about getting into contact with one and I was unsure if they would even talk to me because I didn't technically suffer from an eating disorder, but I do feel as though they would be more knowledgeable about this sort of thing than a nutritionist.0
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@VeryKatie Well, when I first started eating again, back in July I started at less than a 1000 cal a day and that was hard for me because of how much my stomach had shrunk and because my body was just not used to that much food! But I've slowly managed to work my way up to 2500 cal a day at least and have been doing this for the past 3 weeks! I'm currently 84lbs so I'm still underweight but am trying so hard to work my way up to 105lbs! I'm trying to eat the right foods; chicken, salmon, spinach, kale, oatmeal, walnuts, etc and I drink an ensure and a carnation instant breakfast every day.0
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My wife lost a lot of her hair during a malnutrition episode. When that got fixed, the hair came back.0
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You probably need to build up your stores of various vitamins. Your doctor sounds very ignorant to not put you on Rx supplements for a while, imho. But that does depend on your actual levels. You can take a multivitamin with minerals yourself, especially if you have your own test results. But don't take huge doses. Maybe just a pre-natal vitamin (that has iron).
And do change doctors. There's no sense in sticking with the obnoxious/lazy ones. I got royally screwed by doing that, and it's certainly not worth it! They can really hurt your health, depending on what they are lazy about.0 -
@rileysowner I live in the United States and went to see a nutritionist but she said herself she wasn't familiar with people who suffer from eating disorders or this type of severe malnutrition and she didn't offer much help other than a few suggestions on ways to add calories here and there to meals. Do you know what I would need to do to be able to see a registered dietician or eating disorder specialist? Is this something that I would need a referral for or would I be able to make an appointment on my own?0
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@100df I didn't experience any hair loss at my lowest weight. It only began when I was finally able to start putting more food into my body. I basically survived on eggs & coffee for a year. I know people lose hair every day, 50-100, sometimes even a little bit more but this is NOT normal hair loss. Every day since October.i have lost over half of it and can barely get it into a bun because I have so little. 200-300 plus hairs a day on the worst days. Every time I brush it& wash it, run my fingers through it. I know hair loss is normal but not to this extent.
Months after having my last baby I shed a lot of hair, it was so depressing. Everyone told me that it will grow back and not to worry. When my son was 13 months old I finally noticed regrowth. I'm happy my hair is growing back, but it looks odd. My bangs look like a kid hacked at them, my hair just sticks out of everywhere when I pull it back and when I leave it down it looks like a mullet. Ugh. Anyways my point is that for me the issue was hormones from having a baby and breastfeeding. So basically I'm guessing your hormones are probably way out of whack right now from the low weight.0 -
I would look online (I think there are some ED resources here on MFP) for contact information for dieticians and ED specialists. Go ahead and try calling. If you get stonewalled by the front desk, request the doctor's email address and send them an email pleading your case. I would also hope a new GP who takes you seriously would be willing and able to give you referrals, but it's worth trying to get appointments yourself in the meantime.0
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make sure you get sufficient vitamins, fat and protein in your meals - all of this is reversible if you've solved the stomach issues.0
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@cafeaulait7 I did go in and get a copy of the blood work myself and it did show that I was anemic so I went out and bought an iron supplement and have actually started feeling slightly better since taking that along with a vitamin d supplement since I had a deficiency in that as well. I have other symptoms of anemia such as brittle nails, being extremely pale, and getting fatigued and out of breath without exerting much physical effort and I'm also always cold and suffer from night sweats at night. I'm doing my best to change doctors but having insurance through the state makes it very difficult! It was such a pain to even get into her. & I'm sorry to hear that! It's an awful feeling when you are reaching out for help and the people who are supposed to help you just won't. I do hope you were able to get treated properly in the end and did end up getting better < 30
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@JeromeBarry1 I'm sorry your wife had to go through that! It's very scary especially being so young! My 21st birthday is in June and I'll be hiding indoors because I'm a balding skeleton atm. It is comforting to hear that she was able to grow it all back. I know it's not a quick fix and these things don't happen over night but just knowing that it should get better in the end makes me feel better.0
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@VeryKatie Well, when I first started eating again, back in July I started at less than a 1000 cal a day and that was hard for me because of how much my stomach had shrunk and because my body was just not used to that much food! But I've slowly managed to work my way up to 2500 cal a day at least and have been doing this for the past 3 weeks! I'm currently 84lbs so I'm still underweight but am trying so hard to work my way up to 105lbs! I'm trying to eat the right foods; chicken, salmon, spinach, kale, oatmeal, walnuts, etc and I drink an ensure and a carnation instant breakfast every day.
That's great! Based on those foods (which are awesome and healthy) you might be low on iron (red meat) and fats (you need both omega 6 - which come from animal sources like beef and pork I think - and omega 3 in a 1:1 ratio - sounds like you have lots of omega 3 (nuts, fish) which is opposite to most Americans). Fats play a big role in our body's regulation of hormones so it is important to get a good balance. Hormones affect your hair growth (they can cause too much, too little, etc).
Also remember your body can only absorb a small amount of iron from plants. It's recommended women need 18 mg elemental iron a day to maintain their blood iron. If your iron is from only plant sources you need 3 times that (54mg). If you happen to be low on iron (not sure since no recent blood tests) then you need to have more than the maintenance level of iron in your diet.
I really am guessing here though! I just figure any information that might give you some ideas of what to look into are good ideas.
Oh I had one more idea that if you haven't yet, can you have your thyroid checked?0 -
@puffbrat Okay I will try that! Thank you very much. I'm honestly willing to do whatever I need to do to recover and beat this and get to a healthy weight and have my hair and nails grow back. I'm busting my butt trying to get better but it's been very hard not to get discouraged and want to give up when the doctors won't help! I'm so determined, I just wish I had a support system and good doctors.0
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@EvgeniZyntx I've been making sure to hit my protein goals and iron goals every day for the past 3 weeks! I also intake an average of 20%-30% fat each day. Is this enough or should I increase it? I've worked my way up to 2500 cals as well. The stomach problem is resolved. Just dealing with all the aftermath! Do you know how long it should take for my hair loss to stop and for my nails to stop breaking?0
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@janjunie I'm sorry you had to go through that! It's a very traumatizing thing to go through, especially when it's happening every day and you can't exactly ignore it! I'm so happy to hear its growing back now < 3 Do you know how long it took for your hair loss to stop and how long it lasted? Mine has been going on for 5 months but I have only been in recovery eating 2500 plus calories for about 3 weeks so I think that is part of it.0
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