Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Hey guys, bit of advice from anyone who knows a bit about this.

My mother has noticed in the last 4 weeks, a lot of her hair is coming out. She isn't bald, its just starting to thin quite badly.

Cardiologist and GP, are saying its none of her medication causing it.

From what we know, shes still a bit anaemic and her haemoglobin is still low.

Baring that in mind, im starting to wonder whether shes Iron Deficient? Because from what I understand, hair loss and anaemia can both be caused by a lack of iron?

She has been taking iron supplements for the last 4 weeks, however I think the dosage is to low, 60mg a day. I think it may well need to be raised.

Could it be a deficiency in something else? Folic Acid perhaps?

[MrsD]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

sometimes just the upset and shock of what's happened to her, once she's stabilised and back to normal, it might well improve again, my health always shows in my hair

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Made a mistake quoting her iron dosage. It's actually 14mg
Way to low if she is iron anaemic. Should be 65mg twice a day. Ferrous sulphate is what they prescribe for it. The thing is her GP is useless, they know she's anaemic and her haemoglobin is low but are doing nothing about it other than an endoscopy. Yes that may find the cause by its not going to help her in the mean time. 65mg is a safe dosage yo avoid toxification so I'm going to the pharmacy tomorrow to see if it can be bought over the counter.

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

I've tried the ear candle, it's meant to suck the wax out, but it didn't do anything for me if I'm honest!.

That's because the "Hopi ear candle" - which, incidentally, has bugger all to do with that tribe - is simple quackery.

One might as well eat ground up chair legs.

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Aaah,thats where my lot fall down,,,,they insist on self treatment for blocked ears lol

By flossing, as I told my late father to do?

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

On the subject of my ear. It's starting to get better. Hearing more each day and the static is gradually going. But when I've ran or generally raised my blood pressure it gets louder. Definitely seems to be a perforation.

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Could it be a deficiency in something else? Folic Acid perhaps?

Her hair loss could also be caused by too much Thallium in her diet.

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

MrD throws dilute hydrogen peroxide in his stoppered ears, works a treat, you need to do one at a time, and keep your head bent over until you feel it filtering down,

don't tell the chemist why you want it, he'll have a fit

but it works..............

And, if that fails, there's nitrogen trichloride to shift ANY blockage?

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

The NHS saved my life, saved my husbands life too

And - literally - saved my right hand when, as a child of six years, I partially amputated it as the result of an altercation with a glass door.

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

You don't know what you have got until it's gone!

So you'll be asking for a prescription for sildenafil citrate BPC at the same time?

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Her hair loss could also be caused by too much Thallium in her diet.

I'm guessing that was humour as I can't see how she would have it in any part of a diet unless she's been eating contaminated soils that I'm unaware of.

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Her hair loss could also be caused by too much Thallium in her diet.

I'm guessing that was humour as I can't see how she would have it in any part of a diet unless she's been eating contaminated soils that I'm unaware of.

Well, yes, given that the commonest cause of Thallium in someone's diet is deliberate poisoning.

Another cause of hair loss would be radiation sickness...

I take it that she's never upset Vladimir Putin?

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

More seriously, a folic acid supplement would be unlikely to do any harm and an iron rich mineral supplement would probably help, too.

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Hi SX Guy,
I'd be very wary of increasing the dosage of iron too much, as it is very irritant to the stomach lining and the last thing you want is to cause another GI bleed. That's probably why the GP hasn't prescribed more. Might be best to increase iron rich foods in her diet instead. Black pudding, red meat, pate, dark leafy veg, dark fruits such as blackberries, blackcurrant juice etc etc.
What's her Hb and B12 and when was it last checked?

As MrsD says, the hair loss can be a natural result of severe illness, stress or trauma, and can occur up to 6 months after the event. Apart from direct damage by heat or chemicals, anything that you see happening to the hair already started some time ago in the roots...you are seeing a delayed picture. It can be caused by anaemia, or more commonly hypothyroidism. Are her eyebrows thinning too? It can also be familial, in women of a certain age.

[SXGuy]

Re: Mother been diagnosed with Heart Failure

Thanx for the reply elsa. He hb last count was 8.9. And the same before that. She recently had another blood test by her heart nurse but we don't know the count this time as we can't get hold of her! Not due to see her again until August. They didn't bother to say what her b12 count was either. This is what is really upsetting me, everytime they do something we get half a picture and have to guess what it may be. No one had prescribed her iron, or b12,we took it upon ourselves to add iron tablets to her diet as well as vitamin b complex because a) no one tells us anything and b) she won't eat any of the foods that you mention. I've tried and tried to tell her to eat certain foods but she just won't listen so I've had no choice but to supplement instead. All her cardiologist will say is her haemoglobin is low, slightly anemic and could be a result of something wrong in the bowl or something or stomach but won't say if she is anemic due to iron or b12 so it's left to us to cover all bases.