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GP, Hair loss, Potassium

debbie2027
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My hair is falling out and I am worried ... Everytime I brush it hand fulls is coming out ALOT. I wasn't worried but it's been over two weeks now..
Is this related to the Gastroparesis? I'm afraid I am going BALD :(

I have read up on GP and now know that GP is causing my potassium swings too...
But the DR's are only checking it once a month and I have been 2.1 and as low as 1.9 ... when I was admitted for a week

I am taking potassium daily but they are not thinking it is related to the GP and sent me to kidney DR.

My current gastro DR won't return my calls and the new gastro DR had to reschedule my appointment to the 6th.

Does this mean I am low on nutrients? Any one have ideas why or what I should do?

Explore topics in this discussion:

MiraLax Systemic sclerosis Cancer Surgery Falls Brushing Gastroparesis Probiotics Tramadol Delayed gastric emptying Aciphex Folic acid Stress Spironolactone Arthritis Abortion Diabetes Fever Constipation Pain

53 replies

katbrow

I am losing hair too. It has thinned out greatly. I take potassium daily, but don't know what my levels are but saw the doctor a week ago and I guess they were okay. He didn't say anything. I keep telling them I am dehydrated. My hair is like straw it is so dry. I would think we miss a lot of nutrients due to the slowness of digesting our food. I am sure many of them just kind of disintegrate into nothing of value after awhile. I am thinking of getting some probiotics to see if it won't help my digestion process and absorption better. I am still fairly new at this but I have thought a lot about it. I went to chewable vitamins because I could not process the pills any longer. I think that is what keeps me going. I take potassium and magnesium in pill form and I don't know if I am getting any of it or not. So far I have not been told I am getting low. They sent you to a kidney doctor to check your kidney function as gp will eventually affect that I am sure.

debbie2027

My hair is dry too... Does your hair fall out if you just run your fingers through it?
I use to pull it up at night in a pony tail until the next morning, a hand full of hair came out.
My kidney function tests over the last three months have continued to decline I am now at an eGFR of 55. (which for my age of 36 is not good)
I have been on liquid potassium prescription since August because I can not maintain my potassium via pill form.
What chewable vitamins are you taking? I'm not taking any magnesium (does this help the potassium levels) ...
The kidney Dr said my urine is acidodic ... Due to the potassium but the potassium issues are a GI issue.
I have been eatting the yogurt with the probiotics, but my doc hasn't put me on any yet.
Do you know if the hair loss will improve?

katbrow

The magnesium helps you absorb the potassium. They go hand in hand. I don't know if the hair loss will improve or not. My hair falls out just walking around. My husband is always pulling it off of my clothing. When I brush my hair, the brush is full of hair after one brushing. I am thankful I had a thick head of hair to begin with, now it is average.

I cannot eat yogurt at all. I spend the day in the bathroom if I do. I just don't eat anything but snack food at times, especially if my stomach is full. I have not arrived at a diet yet. I am going to have to keep a journal of what I eat each day so I can figure out what I am going to eat and can eat without consequences.

Kat

debbie2027

I wonder why my dr's haven't considered the magnesium.

My hairbrush is full too and my hair is all over the house. I too had a thick head of hair before but now you can see the scalp.

I can't eat solids much due to belly pains, but I have the opposite problem ...
I just get so nausated ...
I can't vomit my stomach muscles aren't contracting and neither are my intestines.
Even with all the meds I am on, I am lucky if I have a bowel movement once a month. (I actually keep a calender now of when I go)

busyteacher

Magnesium and potassium interact with some medications, so check the label (or cross-check them on the internet). I lost hair, and it became brittle and dull when I was protein and vitamin deficient, before I started the lovely liquid diet. My skin was also rather yellow, and my eyes looked sunken.

debbie2027

Would you suggest that the DR draw a blood panel?

mekmoore

I replied to a post a 4-6 weeks ago regarding hair loss. I have lost probably 3/4's of my hair density in the past 6 months. Since I started out with a thick head of hair, it isn't all that noticeable to people, but I definitely know.

At any rate, if you can find that post, it was something about losing hair and being afraid... that has more info, but the basics are:

Hair loss can be caused by many things. My derm looked at mine through a microscope and said that I had more than 50% of mine in the telogen phase, whereas you should only have about 10-15% of your hair in this phase at any one time. This is called "Telogen effluvium".

Can be caused from, stress, meds, surgeries, hormonal changes, etc. He did say that hair takes a long time to react to bodily changes. So, say if the cause were a surgery... it would have been a procedure approximately 3 months prior to when I noticed the hair loss. This time approximation goes with everything... he said, 2-3 months before you noticed the hair loss, there was some event that likely sparked it and your hair is just catching up.

Treatments: Biotin, 5mg... switch shampoo/conditioner to Nioxin (unfortunately you have to get that from a hair salon), and shortening then length of your hair.

Interestingly, I also contacted my ob-gyn regarding the hormonal causes and he prescribed Spironolactone. This is what he gives sometimes to mothers after giving birth when they start to notice significant hair-loss postpartum.

This is the abbreviated version, but if you have any questions, let me know.

Megan

busyteacher

I don't know. My proteins came out OK, but I have to take replacement amino acids. It's kind of between you and your doctor--and your medications.
I take magnesium at a reasonable level with no problem. I think it's the "super supplements" that cause problems.

debbie2027

thanks for the information, I am not sure which reason I have for the hairloss but I will bring it up to my DR next visit. And in the meantime I will try the shampoo ...
Thanks :)

debbie2027

I have problems keeping my potassium up and B12 not sure on my other levels ...
Will talk with my DR my next visit about my concerns

Novagrad

It probably has to do with poor nutrition. I lost most of my hair back in 2007. I was wearing a hair piece because of it. A lot grew back thanks mostly to TPN. Now I've been back on tube feedings and off TPN since April (last line infection) and my hair has thinned a lot again. I lose massive amounts daily. I know that I have malabsorption and my vitamin levels have plummeted.

Mimi

Roscoelady1974

I had been losing hair also since my GP. I'm making sure to eat baby food- Stage 2- very exciting- to help increase my potassium and it has seemed to help somewhat. I try to eat either the bananas or the sweet potatoes/squash every day. Seems to be helping. I mix in reduced fat peanut butter with the bananas and add margarine to the potatoes. They don't taste so good to me alone!
I hope they can figure it out for you. My Dr thought it was stress also.

debbie2027

I'm thinking I have an absortion problem problem too, and that's why I continue to have swings with potassium and such.
I've been trying to do a more liquid diet to help and a few solids when tolerated .... Haven't thought of baby foods, thanks will try this!
Hopefully when I get to see the gp gastro dr on the 6th we can get a better game plan.

debbie2027

I'm thinking I have an absortion problem problem too, and that's why I continue to have swings with potassium and such.
I've been trying to do a more liquid diet to help and a few solids when tolerated .... Haven't thought of baby foods, thanks will try this!
Hopefully when I get to see the gp gastro dr on the 6th we can get a better game plan.

NancyL

HI Debbie,
It is important that you try your best to get a balanced diet inspite of the limitations of GP. I hope that you can drink V8, and get protien. I get most of my protien from soy protien powder mixed in my smoothies. And then I take gummy bear calcium and gummy vitamins. I drink slimfast as well for the nutrients. My hair has always been on the thin side and I lost more after my surgery and while my weight was going down. Lose weight- lose hair is common. Hormonal changes can also cause hair loss. A high fever can also cause hair loss. Stress can cause hair loss. There is a disease that causes hair loss called alopecia. I have a sister in law and two nephews that have it. They have no body hair at all. My sister in law started it in her twenties- the boys much sooner. It does not seem to affect anything else about their bodies-thank God.
And then there can be much more serious causes of hair loss. Because of how concerned you seem to be- I ask you to discuss this with your primary doctor. I was a hairdresser for 27 years and have seen all sorts of hair loss.
Nancy

debbie2027

I will try adding more protein, and I do know that my primary doctor said than I am under weight and I have been doing ensure daily into shakes and should to help. I will try the soy protein powders where can you find it? I will also try the gummy vitamins and calcium. Are these the children's ones?

Lice

Hi Debbie,

First of all: you are not going to be bald. If the hairloss is diffuse, you probably suffer from a telogen effluvium. This can be caused by many things, among others auto immune diseases, hormonal disbalances, a lack of the right nutrients, etc.

It will disappear spontaniously, however, it is not to predicted 'when'.

I have suffered from chronic telogen effluvium for 3 years now and in the beginnen I was also afraid to get bald. Now I know this is not the case, however, I have lost many, many hairs en am still losing many per day (approx. 500). My hairdresser can tell my hair is thinning, but other people still don't notice.

In my case, my hairloss is probalby caused by a possitive ANA (anti nuclear antibodies), which is 1:160 and a low ferritine, which is 12. For normal hair grow, the ferritine level should be above 60.

Anyway, I somehow cannot succeed in changing these blood results. It is hard to accept the hair loss. I do not think I can ever totally accept it. Everyday it feels like I am losing an important part of my body. Every day I think: when will this end? Still, after all these years I don't have bald spots, which is a great relieve.

However, I still have good hope. Actually, I am sure it will stop once, and before I am bald ;))

I wish you all the luck with finding the cause of your hair loss. I now how hard it is mentally.

Lice

By the way, the following blood test can be done to see if one of these are causing the hairloss in your situation:

Vitamine B12 (+ intrinsic factor)
Anti Nuclear Antibodies (ANA)
Ferritine (the doctors think a rate of 10 is enough, but for healthy hairgrow you should at least have a rate of 60).
Folium
Iron
HB
male sex hormones (especially dihydrotestosterone) which are also in blood of women.

debbie2027

Lice,

Thank you and I wish you luck on your hair too :)
I only have a few very light spots and I see the gp specialist a week from today. Hopefully it will stop soon but it does give me hope knowing that others have had this and I shouldn't lose all my hair.

I too have a positive ANA ... and the antibodies for Chron's.
No sign's of any diseases other than GP,IBS and doctors have only found me positive for a connective tissue disorder called Ehler's Danlos which they believe is causing the GP... And it doesn't usually cause a positive ANA.

debbie2027

Thank you I will call my primary care and see if she will draw it Monday when she does my B12 injection.

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