Try not to get too upset about your hair loss. I agree with what Tara said, it could be a result of your surgery. For others reading this who have hair loss, have any of you ever heard of Telogen Effluvium? (link to a website below, and some info pasted below) Not trying to say anyone here has this, but it is pretty common.
I believe I have had Telogen Effluvium for many years.
Every year starting in late spring, I start a shedding period of about 3 months. Lots of hair in the drain, and hairs all over my clothes (very annoying!) But, my hair always grows back. Currently, there are hundreds of about 3" hairs growing along my hair line. My hairdresser tells me that I must have some sort of nutritional deficiency, but I've never checked into it with my doctor. I guess because after many years of it always growing back, I've accepted it. It's frustrating that by the time the hairs have grown to a decent length, it's spring again, and it starts all over. BTW, even when all the hair is back, my overall amount of hair is less now then my younger years. I just think it's a natural part of getting older.
jem
http://www.americanhairloss.org/types_of_h.../effluviums.aspQUOTE
Telogen Effluvium
Telogen effluvium (TE) is probably the second most common form of hair loss dermatologists see. It is a poorly defined condition; very little research has been done to understand TE. In essence though, TE happens when there is a change in the number of hair follicles growing hair. If the number of hair follicles producing hair drops significantly for any reason during the resting, or telogen phase, there will be a significant increase in dormant, telogen stage hair follicles. The result is shedding, or TE hair loss.
TE appears as a diffuse thinning of hair on the scalp, which may not be even all over. It can be a bit more severe in some areas of the scalp than others. Most often, the hair on top of the scalp thins more than it does at the sides and back of the scalp. There is usually no hair line recession, except in a few rare chronic cases.
The shed hairs are typically telogen hairs, which can be recognized by a small bulb of keratin on the root end. Whether the keratinized lump is pigmented or unpigmented makes no difference; the hair fibers are still typical telogen hairs.
People with TE never completely lose all their scalp hair, but the hair can be noticeably thin in severe cases. While TE is often limited to the scalp, in more serious cases TE can affect other areas, like the eyebrows or pubic region.
Whatever form of hair loss TE takes, it is fully reversible. The hair follicles are not permanently or irreversibly affected; there are just more hair follicles in a resting state than there should normally be.
Causes of Telogen Effluvium: Stress and Diet
What are the trigger factors for TE? The short answer is many and varied. Classic short-term TE often happens to women soon after giving birth. Called postpartum alopecia, the sudden change in hormone levels at birth is such a shock to the hair follicles that they shut down for a while. There may be some significant hair shedding, but most women regrow their hair quickly.
Similarly, vaccinations, crash dieting, physical trauma such as being in a car crash, and having surgery can sometimes be a shock to the system and a proportion of scalp hair follicles go into hibernation. As the environmental insult passes and the body recovers, the TE subsides and there is new hair growth.
Some drugs may also induce TE, especially antidepressants. Often a switch to a different drug resolves the issue.
More persistent insults can result in more persistent TE. For example, a chronic illness may lead to TE. Arguably, the two most common problems are chronic stress and diet deficiency. Many dermatologists believe chronic stress can gradually exert a negative effect on hair growth and lead to persistent TE. Research with animal models has provided evidence to back up this claim. There does indeed seem to be a link between stress, a change in hair follicle biochemistry, and more hair follicles entering a telogen resting state.
I HATE my hair now.
