Telogen effluvium

[spikefaithbuffy]

Anyone had this and want to tell me how long it lasted?
I'm going for bloods but it's started exactly 3 months after food poisoning so it's looking very likely
My hair is still coming out in handfuls, noticeably thinner and I've lost maybe 25% so far but no bald patches yet

I had it twice, in my late teens and in my late twenties. Both times following a period of prolonged stress. The first time, there was regrowth about four months after I'd noticed the thinning. It grew in all together like a step. The second time was patchier and it came back in bits over the following year, a shade lighter. Both times it was over the crown and top of my head, not all over. I'd guess I lost about a sixth of it. Coconut oil masks helped but hair growth is a slow process. Sorry this is happening to you!

I've never had it before even after Covid so it was a bit of a shock!
I actually felt more unwell with it than Covid and my temp was 40c for a full week

I had it five years ago when I lost a lot of weight very quickly. GP said that it would start to grow back in around 12 weeks. I was impatient and spent hundreds on regaine and supplements and nothing worked. Nioxin thickening shampoo made my hair feel a bit thicker and I used dry shampoo to add texture and fill in the roots. I was so distraught because it was just falling out in clumps. Every time i washed my hair or brushed it it would just shed everywhere, my office chair was covered at the end of the day. Anyway, after 12 weeks it really did start to grow back, in fact it grew back thicker than before and as the previous poster experienced, it grew back all in one step. I used a hair band to pull my hair back so I could see the early stages of growth.

Yeah distraught is the word. I have fine wavy hair but lots of it and it feels so thin
Ending up crying every time I wash it because it's just handful after handful and it feels like I'll lose it all

I think I did now you say that. I had food poisoning in Turkey in July and hair started coming out a LOT in Oct / November. I thought it was something to do with HRT but now you've got me wondering.
It carried on for a couple of months. Luckily I have a lot of hair so wasn't especially noticeable to look at but I'd have literally handfuls coming out every time I washed it. I was freaking out. Then it just.... stopped.

You could have low ferritin - it should be above 70 for good hair growth but a lot of people have much much lower. You would need to take (strong) iron supplements for a long time to build up the iron stores (ferritin) but the good news is that your hair will get much thicker in a few months.

All tested, it was 66 about 6 months ago and I have actively been working to increase it

Taking a multi vitamin, omega 3/6/9, extra vitamin d, iron on alternating days with vitamin c, collagen and upped how much protein I'm eating

I have bloods every 12 weeks

Yes I had, it last year it began. I got a weave to hide the damage and changed up my diet to deal with the cause. My hair has grown back considerably thankfully, but I love the weave and have kept it.

I had it after a nasty bout of flu triggered sepsis and pneumonia - 3 months afterwards when I was starting to feel human again

Assuming you are getting back to good health otherwise, it should all grow back
I found I had to get past a "halo" as the new shorter hairs grew up and then down

So had a shortish bob cut in to speed up the joining up of old and new lengths

I feel absolutely fine, was so weird that it just started but it was exactly 3 months after
I ended up in a&e and they said my bloods were deranged and had 10 days of antibiotics

Guess it was either the high temp or the draining everything out my body that has caused it. I lost 17lbs in 10 days too

I had it last year after really bad flu and then covid and I also lost a lot of weight. It's growing in now thank goodness but it was so worrying at the time.