SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!!!! I HAVE BEEN BANDED SINCE 9/19/05.

ABOUT ONE WEEK AGO I NOTICED MY HAIR FALLING OUT MORE-SO THAN USUAL IN THE SHOWER. NOW IF I JUST RUN MY FINGERS THROUGH MY HAIR 10 - 20 STRANDS COME OUT AT A TIME. I WENT FOR MY 3RD FILL YESTERDAY. THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE 2 VITAMINS WITH IRON PER DAY BUT THEY SAID THERE'S NO GUARANTEE - THAT UNTIL MY WEIGHT STABILIZES IT MAY KEEP FALLING OUT. I PROJECT 5 POUNDS PER MONTH FOR AT LEAST 8-9 MORE MONTHS. I'LL BE BALD FOR GOODNESS SAKES!!!!!! ANYONE GOING THROUGH THIS? ANY SUGGESTIONS. I AM IN DESPERATE NEED OF HELP. IT'S JUST HORRIBLE. MY HUSBAND IS NERVOUS TOO. HE SAID IF IT DOESNT STOP HE WANTS ME TO TAKE THE BAND OUT. WHAT TO DO???? :)

DANIELA

Don't worry, it will start growing back in. I lost a lot too, but it all came back.

Ok- Deep breath now. I know you must be so scared but there is good news. It will stop. It will grow back & they say by the time you see it begining to come out, new strands are already formed.

I believe it is commonly from the trama of the surgery & starts about 4 to 5 months after being banded. Some say it from the aneticia(spelling) but I don't necessarily agree with that. I take one Biotin everyday w/ my Vitamin & my hair loss was only alot for about one month. I freaked b/c I love my hair - who doesn't.

If you do a search for hair loss many threads will come up & it will hopefully ease your concerns. It will stop, I promise. I have heard of no one going bald or not having their hair grow back. Tell your Hubby it will be ok & this is only temporary & ask for him to continue to support your decision.

Yep, I went through some minor loss, very noticeable during the shower and washing of hair, but don't notice any difference now. It'll be ok.

There are people who say that if you don't eat enough protein you can lose your hair too. Are you getting enough protien?

Oh Thanks Everyone. I Have Been Buzzing Away On The Interenet Here Trying To See What I Can Do To At Least Slow It Down...like Biotin, Protein Powders, Vitamins, Zinc, Lots Of Water. It Is Definately Scarey But Calming To Know It Comes Back. I Feel Kind Of Selfish Being So Vain. I Mean For God Sakes Those Poor Families Of The Miners Today - What A Horror. I Guess I Have To Just Keep Things In Perspective.

Try Nioxin shampoo and scalp therapy and search my thread on it. I have just started to use it because my hair is falling out too.

MollyMolly posted this on another hair loss thread a few months back. I copied/pasted the following:

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Here is a post from a Yahoo group, I hope it helps. Basically, the surgery itself is probably the cause, and yes, it takes a few months past the surgery before you actually see the hair fall out because of how your hair cycle works. You're saying 6 months instead of two to four, but every person's body is different.

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Telogen Effluvium

? What Is It?

? Symptoms

? Diagnosis

? Expected Duration

? Prevention

? Treatment

? When To Call A Professional

? Prognosis

? Additional Info

What Is It?

At any given time, about 85% to 90% of the hairs on the average person's head are actively growing (the anagen phase) and the others are resting (the telogen phase). Typically, a hair is in the anagen phase for two to four years, then enters the telogen phase, rests for about two to four months, and then falls out and is replaced by a new, growing hair. The average person naturally loses about 100 hairs a day.

In a person with telogen effluvium, some body change or shock pushes more hairs into the telogen phase. Typically in this condition, about 30% of the hairs stop growing and go into the resting phase before falling out. So if you have telogen effluvium, you may lose an average of 300 hairs a day instead of 100.

Telogen effluvium can be triggered by a number of different events, including:

* Surgery

* Major physical trauma

* Major psychological stress

* High fever or severe infection

* Extreme weight loss

* Extreme change in diet

* Abrupt hormonal changes, including those associated with childbirth and menopause

* Iron deficiency

* Hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism

* A new medication

Because hairs that enter the telogen phase rest in place for two to four months before falling out, you may not notice any hair loss until two to four months after the event that caused the problem. Telogen effluvium rarely lasts longer than six months, although some cases last longer.

Although losing a great number of hairs within a short time can be frightening, the condition is usually temporary. Each hair that is pushed prematurely into the telogen phase is replaced by a new, growing hair, so there is no danger of complete baldness. Because hair on the scalp grows slowly, your hair may feel or look thinner than usual for a time, but fullness will return as the new hairs grow in.

Symptoms

If you have telogen effluvium, you'll notice more hair than usual accumulating on your pillowcase, on the shower or bathroom floor and in your hairbrush. Your scalp hair may feel or look less dense than usual. Often, though, the hair loss is subtle, and other people may not notice anything different about your hair.

Diagnosis

Most cases of telogen effluvium can be diagnosed based on medical history and an examination of the scalp and hair. If the hair loss has been occurring for several months, there may be visible thinning Patches, but often the hair loss is not dramatic enough for a doctor to notice. If you have large bald patches, you probably don't have telogen effluvium. If the doctor gently tugs on some hairs on your scalp and four or more hairs come out, you probably have telogen effluvium. Also, the hairs will look like hairs in the telogen phase - they will have a white bulb at the end that was in the scalp, and will not have a gel-like covering around that end of the hair.

You may be asked to gather all hairs that fall out of your head over a 24-hour period, and count them to see if the hair loss is truly excessive. Losing fewer than 100 hairs in a day is considered normal. You also may be asked to gather and count lost hairs every one or two weeks to see when the shedding starts to decline.

In some rare cases, if there is reason to doubt the diagnosis, a biopsy of the scalp may be done. In this procedure, a small piece of the scalp that includes several hair follicles is removed and examined under a microscope. Your doctor also may do blood tests to check for conditions such as thyroid abnormalities that may be contributing to hair loss.

Expected Duration

Typically, hair loss begins two to four months after the event that triggered the problem, and lasts approximately six months. New hairs begin growing immediately after the hair falls out, but significant growth may not be noticed for several months.

Prevention

Nothing can be done to prevent most of the types of physical shock that can start telogen effluvium. Some cases may be caused by a poor diet, and these might be prevented by eating a balanced diet that provides enough Protein, iron and other nutrients.

Treatment

No treatment for active telogen effluvium has been proven effective.

Some causes of the disorder can be corrected. For example, if you have a poor diet, consult a dietitian to help you balance it. If the hair loss began after you started a new medication, talk to your doctor to see if the medication should be discontinued. Many times, however, the cause is a specific event in the past, and you can expect that the hair will grow back. In cases where hair growth has not returned to a satisfactory level, your doctor may prescribe minoxidil (Rogaine), a lotion applied to the scalp that stimulates hair growth in some people.

When To Call A Professional

See your doctor if you experience excessive hair loss or obvious thinning patches on your scalp.

Prognosis

The outlook for telogen effluvium is very good. Most cases run their course within six to nine months, and the hair usually grows back. In some cases, the disorder may last longer. In other cases, not all hairs grow back.

Additional Info

American Academy of Dermatology

http://www.aad.org/

Last updated July 14, 2005

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Hope that helps. Here's the link to that thread in case you want to go see it.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=9862&highlight=hair+loss

I take ambertose, biotin and im going to get me some of that nioxon shampoo.

I do not have that much hair to lose and the ambertose helped it grow back thicker last time.

I had the same problem of the hair falling out, I took biotin and drank one protien shake per day and that has cut it way back but I know what you mean, you freak in the shower, and it seems the more you freak the more falls out. I seemed to lose mine for a good month and a half before it stopped. Dont worry, it will stop and you wont go bald.

Stress on top of everything else can really help along the hair loss. I agree, vitamins, protein shakes, biotin and you might want to add and extra b12. When your body has been thru so much it can deplete really fast.

I have really thick hair but i have not noticed any hair loss, I am 7 months out, but I do get a really lot of protein in my diet. don't know if that is what has helpled or not.

I was totally were you are about 2 months ago. I have lost over half of my hair. Thank god that I started out with super thick hair. It is very noticable to people that knew what my hairl ooked like before. OK, take a deep breath this is what my surgeon said and it really makes a lot of since. Our bodies are used to getting tons of calories and fat (before the band) and now we are getting much less. Even though we are getting enough nutrition to live and loose weight our bodies are missing the extra calories and fat. When we loose the hair it is actually do to a form of a pseudo malnutrition. In real life we are very far away from actual having malnutrition however our bodies do not know where all those extra calories and fats have gone but are going into storage mode to keep what they can get. This way the vitamins and nutrients are not being shared throghout the body the way they should be. I took flax seed oil (it is kinda gross), biotin and added a green salad everyday to my meal plan. I also washed my hair with Nioxin shampoo ( which you buy at walmart for $13 in the salon only). Just a few days ago I noticed the hair loss is slowing down and I can feel little stubbles all over my scalp where new hair is starting to grow. Do not be afraid to brush your hair. Even though hair is falling our the brushing stimulates the hair folicules to grow. I thought for sure at the rate my hair was falling out that I would have been completely bald by the new year. Good Luck it will be ok

Quite honestly, my hair falls out like that all the time, I can always run my hands through my hair and they come out plastered with 20 hairs or so. I've not gone bald yet and my hair has always been like this.

The main trouble it causes me is because its at all stages of growth I have tons of tiny little short ones, medium length ones and long ones which means frizz. It drives me nuts.

Healthy hair hmm - well yes you need enough Protein but you also need plenty of other Vitamins and minerals, especially zinc and Omega 3 fats are vital as well. I'd take a hair nails and skin supplement AND flaxseed oil, not waste a single calorie on nutritionless food and keep up your protein as well.

You probably wont get noticeably thinner, but I can tell you its a big pain in the bottom to clean the bathrooms. My hair is plastered all over everything.

I'm going through the same thing. My hair comes out in full strands but I don't freak out as bad anymore. I am going to try the shampoo and LSasha gave me some biotin. I have also been trying to increase my protein. This too shall pass, it's just hair, it's just thinner now. LOL

I was going through the same thing about a month ago and while I haven't really changed my diet (which is my New Years resolution) or started taking any supplements, I did talk to my stylist and this is what we did...

~ I changed the side that I part my hair on (which is where I was getting a bald spot)

~ I cut three inches off my hair (brought it to my shoulders) and layered it....this takes some weight off and helps ease hair loss supposedly

~ I wash every other day, and condition every day....this helps keep my hair looking healthier

~ Avoid pulling your hair back and don;t sleep with it up in a band

So far it seems like the hair loss has slowed down. I really think that since I am 4-5 months post op I was experiencing the loss because of the anesthesia (someone mentioned this in another post).

I wouldn't worry too much....my friend went through this when she had her surgery and she is now almost 2 years post op and has a full head of hair!

Good luck!