Hair Alarm

I had an alarming hair experience a couple of days ago. I washed my hair ... gently ... as usual but I had the drain plug in this time, which I usually don't so I drained the tub after I was out. When I went back to swish out the tub I couldn't believe my eyes! There was hair. EVERYWHERE! Okay ... not as much as when I lost it during chemo but there was a lot more hair in the tub than there should be. A lot more than would be called normal loss. It was the amount I would imagine someone might lose if they'd had their hair in corn rows for a month or so and then washed it out. I don't have that much to lose and I wash it almost every day just so I can try to deal with this curly mess. My hair is quite thin at the best of times.

So now I wonder. Is this something new? Tamoxifen can cause hair loss so is this a side effect that's just starting or ... has it been happening all along and I just haven't noticed because the tub is usually draining while I'm rinsing my hair. Have I been losing this much hair all along and with it being so short and fine is it just slipping down the drain while my eyes are closed?

Now I'm afraid to wash my hair. For the past two days I've only sprayed it with water and finger scrunched it into something passable. This afternoon I'm going to wash it, though, and I'm a little nervous. I'll be paying close attention now, of course, and I'll cry if I find that I lose more hair again.

And, it seems to me that my eyelashes are thinner again, too. I haven't noticed them falling out but ... man ... I don't know. Maybe it's the Tamoxifen preventing my leg and underarm hair from growing back. Okay, I'm kind of happy about that but I would take hairy legs and pits gladly if it meant the hair on my head could be full and lush again. And not so curly ... but that's another issue. One has to have hair in the first place before they can worry about its curliness.

I've read about people having trouble with hair loss while on Tamoxifen and I've also read about people whose hair doesn't come back at all after going through chemo. What is this? If anyone out there has any thoughts, I'd be most interested.

Meanwhile ... wahhhhhhhhhhhhh ...

Please ignore my wailing and enjoy these pretty flowers from Don and Sylvia's garden.Talk amongst yourselves.

UPDATE: I just washed my hair the same way I always do and WALLA! No unusual loss of hair! Just one or two in the tub and that's at least to be expected! I'm so relieved. Maybe it was a one-shot deal? Maybe that will happen from time to time? It still begs the question ... WTF??!!

By the way, upon closer observation, my eyelashes are a little skimpier. Maybe the same thing as with my hair.

Hair Alarm