OK, I haven't heard anyone else complain about this, so I have to ask. Has anyone experienced hair loss after an embo? I would guess it's especially likely in those with dural AVF/AVM. I am dural AVF. There is now a rather large bald spot on the right side of the back of my head ... more or less right where the AVF was. I have to assume that the shutting down of this arterial malformation caused a restriction of the blood flow to my scalp and hair follicles. That's all I can attribute this to. So, needless to say, my wife will be greeting me with clippers when I get home from Italy tomorrow. Yup, it's the Yule Brenner look for me, I'm afraid. I'm none too excited about it either. But at least the kids will get a kick out of it, I'm sure. Actually, it might wierd them out a little for a while, but I know they'll get used to it.
I think all embos have radiation involved…the doctor has to see what’s happening in there! The radiation causes temporary hair loss, and the hair comes back. It’s kind of fun to see HOW it does; my husband’s hair came back curly, and I heard of other people whose hair came back in a different color!
I did not notice it at first because I was paralyzed and bedbound weeks afterwards. When I finally managed to get up I noticed the bathroom floor being covered literally, quite shocking!!
At that time my hair measured around 100 cm long (very long!) and I lost a space at the size of a big grapefruit in the back of my head (not exactly over the AVM though)
I was not prepared for this…
The reason for hair loss is most likely radiation, during the embolization session they monitored the process by angiography and my embo lasted a long time!
The good news is that the hair has grown almost 30 cm since embo (2 yrs) although it did not begin to grow until some time after embo.
John: I have dural fistula an alsolost lots of hair! radition…pure and simple…it coes back but depending on length (one of mine ws 6 hous!) lost lots! it i all come back…mare
A couple months after my craniotomy, I started losing large clumps of hair. It wasn’t bad enough that they shaved half of my long hair for the surgery, then what was left started falling out badly. The doctor warned me that I might lose all of my hair because of the brain trauma, but fortunately it seems to have stopped falling out. It’s fairly thin now all over, but I do still have some. I now take a vitamin called Biotin for hair, nails and skin, and it seems to help my hair grow back more quickly and I’m not losing any more. Glad you got to take your trip to Italy. If that was on your “bucket list”, you get to cross one off. I’m working on my bucket list items one by one.
“Those that are bald in front are great thinkers, Those that are bald in back are great lovers, Those that are bald all over,…well,…they just think that they are great lovers”…lmao
(and yes,…I have a receeding hair line up front too,…and I keep my hair very short 1/8th inch with the clippers)
John,…all kidding aside, I am happy for you and hope that you have/had a great productive trip and arrive home safely.
I think all embos have radiation involved…the doctor has to see what’s happening in there! The radiation causes temporary hair loss, and the hair comes back. It’s kind of fun to see HOW it does; my husband’s hair came back curly, and I heard of other people whose hair came back in a different color!
Thanks, Mare. Mine was six hours, too! I guess that explains a lot.
Mare said:
John: I have dural fistula an alsolost lots of hair! radition...pure and simple...it coes back but depending on length (one of mine ws 6 hous!) lost lots! it i all come back...mare
Hey Kat. It was my eighth or ninth trip over there, and it was all work and no play, but a very successful trip, nonetheless. Thanks for your comments. I was kind of freaking out a little. It would have been nice to have been warned!
Kat Sanders said:
A couple months after my craniotomy, I started losing large clumps of hair. It wasn't bad enough that they shaved half of my long hair for the surgery, then what was left started falling out badly. The doctor warned me that I might lose all of my hair because of the brain trauma, but fortunately it seems to have stopped falling out. It's fairly thin now all over, but I do still have some. I now take a vitamin called Biotin for hair, nails and skin, and it seems to help my hair grow back more quickly and I'm not losing any more. Glad you got to take your trip to Italy. If that was on your "bucket list", you get to cross one off. I'm working on my bucket list items one by one.
Thanks, William. I have heard these things! I’m safely back from Italy. It was a great trip. I will post a pic of my new look in a minute! Take care, friend.
William said:
John,...
Well,...ya know what they say about bald men,.....
"Those that are bald in front are great thinkers, Those that are bald in back are great lovers, Those that are bald all over,....well,...they just think that they are great lovers".....lmao
(and yes,...I have a receeding hair line up front too,...and I keep my hair very short 1/8th inch with the clippers)
John,...all kidding aside, I am happy for you and hope that you have/had a great productive trip and arrive home safely.
Thanks, Hanne! Yup, I lost a similar amount of hair and was similarly unprepared for it! How hard would it have been for someone to give us a heads-up? Grrr. Anyway, thanks for sharing your story. How are you doing now? I posted a pic for y’all. I look like a Tibetan monk Take care. John xxx
Hanne said:
John: I experienced hair loss after my embo. I did not notice it at first because I was paralyzed and bedbound weeks afterwards. When I finally managed to get up I noticed the bathroom floor being covered literally, quite shocking!! At that time my hair measured around 100 cm long (very long!) and I lost a space at the size of a big grapefruit in the back of my head (not exactly over the AVM though) I was not prepared for this...
The reason for hair loss is most likely radiation, during the embolization session they monitored the process by angiography and my embo lasted a long time! The good news is that the hair has grown almost 30 cm since embo (2 yrs) although it did not begin to grow until some time after embo.
With my Dural AVF I experienced an extremely itchy scalp in the area where the embolization was performed (back left). It slowly and gradually subsided after about 8 months. So hopefully your hair loss will only be temporary. Looking forward to see the new pic! LOL
Hello John, Like Kat, I also lost a lot of hair about 4 months after the craniotomy and coma, so I guess some of us get it, others don’t! The first part was right in the surgery site.(Left side). My daughter took me to the hairdressers and she cut my hair (what was left)! super short. It took some time, but is back to normal now days. When it started to grow again, it grew back 'curly’aaahhh!!, so I keep it short these days. I’m sure your children think it’s great!! Take care, and remember that the hair will grow back!!
Yay!! I"m happy to see this post, but only because maybe it seems the hair I’ve also lost will someday grow back and possibly with a surprise!! I also lost hair after the surgery and embo and I have a bare patch right over the spot where the avm was where the stubby hair left after they buzzed it to make the incision all fell out
The radiation and the trauma of everything probably is a good reason why the hair falls out… hopefully it doesn’t mean ALL the hair will fallout, keeping my fingers crossed THAT doesn’t happen.
Take care. John xxx