To Hashimoto’s Hell and Back

With menopause came a crippling autoimmune disease. Here’s my journey and how I got my life back.

Help! I’m Losing All My Hair!

Water was pooling around my ankles. Handfuls of my long blonde hair were clogging the drain in the shower. I wondered if I’d have any hair left after I finished rinsing. As my hair dried, I noticed I was literally shedding all over my hairbrush, black sweater, and the seat of my car. The next morning I awoke to find clumps of hair covering my pillow. I started to sob. My hair was my “thing!” It was my crowning glory! My long, thick hair made me feel beautiful and feminine.

I looked online and followed diets for promoting hair growth. I soon began to notice my once long eyelashes were also thinning and I had lost the tail end of my eyebrows.

I immediately raced to the pharmacy and stocked up on vitamin supplements for hair and nails. They did nothing but give me a radio-active, yellow-colored pee. Two weeks in and my nails were still weak, brittle and tearing. I was losing hair like a chemo patient.

My next stop was a visit to my trusted dermatologist. He asked me if I’d had any recent surgeries or stress from a divorce, death, or moving. I hadn’t. He said my scalp looked healthy and I still had plenty of…