Re: Bald Spot--New Symptom?

[Guest guest]

janis,

I have several bald spots and scabs and dry spots that come and go on my

scalp. Also my hair has been thinning alot and I used to have extremely thick

hair. My dr blames this on hypothyroidism and also on lupus that Ive been

diagnosed with. Calls it alopecia. I havent specifically been diagnosed with

mito yet- its just highly suspected. It will be interesting to see if anyone

else on the list has this too. Might just be one more lovely mito symptom. If

it bothers you alot you might want to look into seeing a dermatologist, but

the ones ive seen (and ive seen them for many things- rashes, lesions etc)

havent been much help. Sometimes in the shower I end up pulling out hunks of

hair and this is quite scary. Might also be due to malnutrition with problems

do to dismotility if you have it, i do. Hope you figure out whats causing it.

Just thought Id let ya know you're not alone.

take care,

adrienne

[Guest guest]

I don't think it's Mito related, in particular. I lost all my hair when I

was in my early twenties. It came out in chunks and I eventually had to wear

a wig. It took a great deal of time for it to come back but anyone who has

seen me can testify that I have a very thick head of hair.

You've been on some pretty strong meds because you were so ill. I think they

may have caused the bald area. It's even possible that while you were

unaware, the hospital shaved a small spot to put some type of electrode on

your head. I guess there are lots of possibilities.

I wouldn't worry unless you see more of them. It sounds like the hair is

coming back and that's a good thing.

Alice

[Guest guest]

Oh man....this is weird....I have been battling with lesions/bald spots on my head for over a year. My dermatologist is baffled. Mine is not alopecia. I have been on no less than a 1/2 dozen creams and I use Nizoral shampoo which is the most helpful of anything.

I would think you should see a dermatologist asap. If it's not itchy, scaley, etc., it might be alopecia and you should get it looked at.

Carol

[Guest guest]

Biotin may help. I was recently asked about some of my daughter's symptoms and in researching her area of deficiency, I ran across some really interesting articles on Biotin and decided to begin taking it. Not sure yet if it's doing anything, but it seems to possibly affect several things - including the gaining of weight over time. Long story, but it seems underusing Biotin may be responsible for overweight in some people.... anyway, it is/has always been a treatment for alopecia caused by underusing Biotin. Biotin is made in the body so not usually added to the diet. If you eat egg substitutes a lot you may develop a deficiency as eggwhites bind it and keep it from being absorbed. Just a thought.

Kathy

Hi,My daughter was "fixing my hair" as many eleven year old girls do, and she found a giant bald spot on my head. It had been covered by my other hair, but it is big--atleast an inch in diameter. It has a small scab (in only a small part of it) and small hairs like they are trying to grow back. I did not have any "hair trauma" to that or other parts of my scalp. Have any of you heard of this with mito, and/or what I might do? I am afraid it will spread.Thanks

[Guest guest]

Janis,

I have had thinning hair my whole life with episodes

of losing a TON of my hair. My oldest daughter who is

now 12 lost quite a bit of her hair when she was about

8. I can remember watching it happen to her. We

finally went to a dermatologist and the doc thought

she had this thing called Trichotilamania (not sure

that's spelled right). It wasn't. Not sure why it

happened, but she looked as though she had been on

chemotherapy for a while. The doc gave us a drop

thing and eventually her hair came back.

Unfortunately for me I have always had this problem.

The weirdest thing I have ever see is that now that

I've moved from the north east to the south west my

hair looks better than it ever has. Good luck

figuring it out.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I don't have the issues with hair loss, but thought you guys might

find this interesting.

When I went to Mayo in 2000 (long before mito was suspected) the Dr.

that did my emg asked me if I had gotten grey hair early or if early

greying ran in my family. I started greying when I was ten years old,

but I'm 48 and about 1/2 grey now, so, in one sense I started greying

early, but in another sense I'm not really more " grey " than most

people my age now

I also had an aunt (father's side) that was completely grey by the

time she was 30.

So, I answered yes - and the Dr. seemed to indicate that this was

important, but I never could get an answer out of her why. On that

trip to Mayo, the neurologist (not the one that did the emg)

concluded that I had something called a " benign fasiculation

syndrome " . My neurologist at home laughed at him and said " your

condition is not exactly benign " . In general my experience at Mayo

was good, but the neurologist had made up his mind what I had before

he even saw me. In fact, the pulmonologist that I saw when I was

there could not believe that the neuro had not ordered more tests, so

he (the pulmonologist) ordered some that he thought that the neuro

should have ordered (it was pretty funny, he had to get out his books

to know what to order).

Anyway, I was underwhelmed - they all acknowledged (even the neuro)

that something was screwy, but they couldn't figure it out - pretty

much said " oh well " .

Anyway, maybe someone else can comment on the early greying and mito?

Don't know if the neuro that did the emg had that in mind when she

was doing the emg? She wouldn't say. I did have some really odd stuff

going on with the needle part of the emg, particularly in my triceps

muscle - she kept calling other Drs. in to look - they all said

Hmmmmmm....but never would really tell me what they were thinking.

They made hamburger meat out of my triceps muscle that day.

Anne

[Guest guest]

Anne,

I have bright red hair, and if I allow it to grow in white hair in

the area around my ears. I don't let it grow in (I have a hard

enough time lookin' sexy in the powerchiar)...I dye it! I started

with this when I was about 18ish.

:-)

D.

(21 yo suspected MELAS)

> I don't have the issues with hair loss, but thought you guys might

> find this interesting.

>

> When I went to Mayo in 2000 (long before mito was suspected) the

Dr.

> that did my emg asked me if I had gotten grey hair early or if

early

> greying ran in my family. I started greying when I was ten years

old,

> but I'm 48 and about 1/2 grey now, so, in one sense I started

greying

> early, but in another sense I'm not really more " grey " than most

> people my age now

>

> I also had an aunt (father's side) that was completely grey by the

> time she was 30.

>

> So, I answered yes - and the Dr. seemed to indicate that this was

> important, but I never could get an answer out of her why. On that

> trip to Mayo, the neurologist (not the one that did the emg)

> concluded that I had something called a " benign fasiculation

> syndrome " . My neurologist at home laughed at him and said " your

> condition is not exactly benign " . In general my experience at Mayo

> was good, but the neurologist had made up his mind what I had

before

> he even saw me. In fact, the pulmonologist that I saw when I was

> there could not believe that the neuro had not ordered more tests,

so

> he (the pulmonologist) ordered some that he thought that the neuro

> should have ordered (it was pretty funny, he had to get out his

books

> to know what to order).

>

> Anyway, I was underwhelmed - they all acknowledged (even the neuro)

> that something was screwy, but they couldn't figure it out - pretty

> much said " oh well " .

>

> Anyway, maybe someone else can comment on the early greying and

mito?

> Don't know if the neuro that did the emg had that in mind when she

> was doing the emg? She wouldn't say. I did have some really odd

stuff

> going on with the needle part of the emg, particularly in my

triceps

> muscle - she kept calling other Drs. in to look - they all said

> Hmmmmmm....but never would really tell me what they were thinking.

> They made hamburger meat out of my triceps muscle that day.

>

> Anne

[Guest guest]

Adrienne

Having just gone through a munch of tests for alopecia, it can be caused by

many things. Mine seems to have been caused by too much selenium, but too

little can do this, along with an underactive thyroid, B6 or B12 deficiency,

or vitamin D deficiency.

laurie

> From: moonchild62579@...

> Reply-To:

> Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 01:11:25 EDT

> To:

> Subject: Re: Bald Spot--New Symptom?

>

> janis,

> I have several bald spots and scabs and dry spots that come and go on my

> scalp. Also my hair has been thinning alot and I used to have extremely thick

> hair. My dr blames this on hypothyroidism and also on lupus that Ive been

> diagnosed with. Calls it alopecia. I havent specifically been diagnosed with

> mito yet- its just highly suspected. It will be interesting to see if anyone

> else on the list has this too. Might just be one more lovely mito symptom. If

> it bothers you alot you might want to look into seeing a dermatologist, but

> the ones ive seen (and ive seen them for many things- rashes, lesions etc)

> havent been much help. Sometimes in the shower I end up pulling out hunks of

> hair and this is quite scary. Might also be due to malnutrition with problems

> do to dismotility if you have it, i do. Hope you figure out whats causing it.

> Just thought Id let ya know you're not alone.

> take care,

> adrienne

>

>

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