Sweetie, I have three grown kids so I have some idea just how upsetting this whole thing has to be for you. I also was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and when it happened it came as a complete surprise to me. They started me on Synthroid and at the lower dosage I didn't have any hair loss. When they went up on the dose however, I started having massive hair loss. I have just recently changed over to Thyrolar (about a month ago) and started using Rogaine foam (once a day, even though it is for men, the doctor said that it was OK for me to use as long as I see no side effects). As of yet I still haven't seen any real regrowth although I haven't been losing quite as much as before. The doctor assured me that women rarely go completely bald, particularly from this kind of loss (telogen effluvium..lots of hairs going dormant at the same time). He also said it will take months before I see any real results from any kind of treatment...so be patient, Honey. It also caused my hair to become like straw so I got some Pantene shampoo and conditioner that is for badly damaged hair (it comes in a tube as opposed to a bottle like most of their stuff) and that at least tamed the texture and made what is left manageable. Another thing, from your posting I wonder if you are getting enough protein. Protein is very important for your hair. You also should look into the nutritional value of your salads. Often the salads have more calories and less actual food value in them than the sandwiches. There have been several studies done at McDonalds and Burger King (and others) that have shown that some of their salads have many more calories than eating one of their burgers. You should check online for the food values of their products if you have been eating out a lot. Yogurt is a great snack, you might try adding it to your diet as well. Activia is good and will help with your digestion, which sometimes can be a problem with Hypothyroidism. You need to eat at least 3 or 4 of their little cups a day for it to really help, but it will help. I have IBS and only use that and an enzyme supplement by Digestive Advantage and have mine under control. You didn't say if you were having this problem but I thought I would mention it just in case. I have also been told that evening primrose oil will help with the hair loss. I am planning on getting some and giving it a try but it will be a while before I will be able to report how well it works (or if it doesn't).
I know that it is very hard to have any kind of medical issues when you are a young woman. My daughter (who is now 20) has severe joint problems (since she was about 14) which affected her ability to dance (which she loved) and even walk her dog. It was very hard for her to adapt to and she still struggles daily with the problems her joints create in her life, BUT she doesn't allow it to ruin her enjoyment of the rest of her life. All through your life there will be good with the bad, you must remember when you are dealing with the problems in your life that without them you would not appreciate or really even notice how good the good things are. I have lived a hard life, having been raped and cut up and left for dead by the side of the road when I was 13. I also had a difficult family life so there really was no support system to fall back on. While I would never want to go through that experience again, I now realize that it gave me an opportunity to find strength and resources within myself and a faith in God that might have been unachievable had I not suffered through it and survived. It is not the way I would have chosen to receive that strength or faith, but it did allow me to recognize that they were inside me. You will find that there is some good that will come from this adversity. It may take a while before it becomes apparent, but rest assured, it will come. I will keep you in my prayers...you are already in my thoughts. Feel free to answer me on this web site, I will be checking it from time to time.
Take care,
Celeste