Hair loss after septic shock and ICU recovery, any advice?

[Strawberrysparkle123]

Back in March I unexpectedly ended up in ICU with a huge infection. The amazing news is that I am recovering well 3 months later, but the side/after-effects appear to be the gift that keeps on giving 😭. In the last couple of weeks I have started to lose handfuls of hair every time I wash it, and strands just fall out throughout the day. Apparently this is a ‘normal’ response to septic shock but I’m finding it so hard…. Does anyone have any advice on how to stop it from happening (probably impossible), style it so it doesn’t look so bad, help it to grow back asap?!
thanks so much!

After sepsis and a major infection, I had the same problem. My hairdresser advised me to have it all cut off (think a number 1). After that it grew back really thick and I now have long hair again. It was much easier and more effective than trying to disguise the loss
Good luck!

What an awful experience, OP.

I wonder whether having your hair cut into a short bob would help.

How long is your hair now?

It might be useful to see the GP about this, just in case there is something available on prescription.

It's called telegen effluvium and is temporary. I had it after having pneumonia and it's distressing, but it will grow back. If you're finding it really upsetting you can have intramuscular biotin jabs (oral won't have the same effect). I had one per week for six weeks. At the end of that time there was a huge difference.

Same happened to me followin sepsis, around 10 weeks after I was discharged. No one warned me!

I found it easier to go for a big chop and am rocking the messy pixie for a while. This has disguised the hair loss and reduced the vacuuming.

I hope you are recovering well.

Thank you, I will look into that. Am taking Biotin supplements but pretty sure they are doing nothing - did you get that through your GP? My GP is being very supportive but it is very slow to get answers…. I have access to health insurance so wondering if that might cover some kind of treatment too.

It is already a short wavy bob so am wondering if I need to go shorter still…. 😭

Wow - that is so drastic! Not sure I am brave enough for that but will see how bad it gets. So pleased to hear it grew back well for you though - that is positive news

Also so sorry to hear you were ill too - and that you have recovered. So very terrifying and then the hair loss on top feels like the final straw!

Thank you, and so sorry to hear this happened to you. Exactly - no warning that this could happen and it is just the worst, just when you feel you are getting back on your feet!

I lost my hair in my teens.
Wigs were really good then and I expect they are better now.
Expensive but I recommend. Lots of fun.

I had that post sepsis. Horrendous. It has slowly grown back to almost it's previous thickness now op.

I did use a super gentle shampoo and I actually used a baby brush. I don't know if it helped but I massaged my scalp with a scalp massaging tool and took a hair supplement.

Sorry you're going through this too op, hope you are on the mend now.

I’m sending love op, I experienced major hair loss after my DD died, it was from the shock of it all. It did fortunately grow back but did take a while. I wore a wig for a year, not all the time just for going out. I was shocked at how much it knocked my confidence. I also wore hats a lot but am quite a big hat wearer anyway. Unsure if you dye your hair, I would think giving it a break
from that would be a good idea, but if you still want to then I recommend Daniel Field Hair Clinic. They are the only hair dye I’m not allergic to, I also had my allergies get a lot worse at the same time. They specialise in hair care for women who have cancer and are truly a great service. So anyone with fragile hair issues are well looked after,

You will be ok op but it really is a very difficult time.

I did get them through my GP, but she's private. I don't know what the odds are of getting them through the NHS, but it's certainly worth a try.

I know there are places in London that offer them, but I don't have any personal experience with them.

https://hairlossstudios.co.uk/biotin-injections-for-hair-loss/

Just another person to stop by and say the same thing happened to me after I was hospitalised with a horrible gastro bug. Almost three months to the day, the hair started falling out - but then three months later? Started growing back.

Hair grows and falls in a three month cycle, and when you were ill, your body rerouted everything to focus on protecting the most important parts of your body. That’s the basic explanation, anyway!

The best thing you can do is just make sure your ferritin level is good (ideally in the 70 range). Not amount of potions and lotions will help - the best thing is just a daily scalp massage with whatever.

And a good short haircut!

It will be ok - and I’m sorry you’re experiencing this too. x

My sister had this after an itu stay. She used the nioxin hair products. She felt they did something.

Thanks everyone! Tbh just good to hear I am not alone in this if that makes any sense. 🙏🙏🙏🙏 and that there is hopefully a decent head of hair on the other side of it all! 🤞

I had a similar experience in March except I had an infection and then my immune system decided to attack my brain and spinal cord, I’ve noticed that my brush is full of hair and strands coming out in my hands, also looking noticeably thinner. Tbh it’s all been such a shit show I hadn’t thought about it too much but makes sense reading this thread!

I have had hair loss a couple of times after I've been very ill, also once with chemo. It seems worrying when you can see handfulls coming out but actually it's surprising how much hair you can lose and it's not really noticeable.
I wouldn't do anything drastic at this stage .

DD has been shedding hair for a few months, probably due to an iron deficiency linked to arthritis.

I found it useful to find out about the stages of recovery - that you'll stop losing hair before anything grows back. The last two times I've washed her hair there's been a lot less coming out and it's been good to be able to tell her that hopefully that's a sign of the supplements kicking in.

Sorry to hear your sister was ill. I have just purchased the Nioxin system on Amazon prime - even if it doesn’t help I need to feel like I am doing something!

Sorry to hear about your illness - it is awful isn’t it? I share your shit show experience, so many things that need fixing in me at the moment - could have really done without losing all my damn hair at the same time!

@violetcuriosityi thought my daughter had posted this as exactly the same thing happened to her at the end of March. I maybe need to warn her about hair loss. I hope you are recovering well?

Telogen effluvium, happened to me after campylobacter. My hair just started coming out in handfuls exactly 3 months after
it did stop, I just concentrated on vitamins, iron, protein, water, eating well etc and keeping my scalp clean and trying to ignore the hair loss

I would definitely give her a heads up - it is rotten either way but at least you might save her some of the stress!

How long would you say it roughly took to stop? Gemini said could happen for 3 months which I reckon would leave me with nothing! 😭