Following in my mother's footsteps

by Sherry A

I am a 42 yrs old female. I first noticed my hair loss about a year ago when the hair on the top of my head looked thinner. Everyone attributed it to stress. I had a husband coming from England to live with me, crazy last minute weddings plans, etc.

I trucked along this last year and it looked a bit worse but not noticeably, that is until May when I visited my doctor and discovered my high blood pressure was soaring out of control and my potassium severely low.

Immediately they yanked me off birth control and that was the straw that broke the camels back. Today my hair is much thinner both on top and all the way around. Everyone talks about the 'dread shed' after going off birth control. I really only seriously shed for one month which is lucky I guess. Now I loose a normal amount of hair. Mostly after I shower...which has turned taking a shower into a nightmare.

2 weeks ago I visited the dermatologist and it was a horrible experience. She asked what meds I was on, did anyone in my family have hair loss, etc. The one and only person who does is my mother. EVERYONE else has full, thick heads of hair. The derm pronounced it Androgenic Alopecia based on my mother's condition. 10 minutes later I was ushered out the door with an antidote about how such and such man had made baldness famous. WHAT???? In case she didn't notice, I am NOT a man.

I was devastated. Am devastated. I have been crying for two weeks. Every hair that falls out of my head is like an echo of a tomb. Now I am trying to figure out what to do. How bald will I get? What do I expect?

I am currently looking into nutrition, heck it can't hurt. A good shampoo as my head is itchy and I can't tell if its dry scalp or oily. I am seeing a wig gal this afternoon. I pray a lot!!!

I have very, very long hair. Down to my lower back. You can only imagine what this is like for me.