We wish we had known about alopecia in the beginning.
Alopecia, or hair loss, from radiation is common. Angiography procedures use x-rays and this radiation can cause hair loss, especially with long procedures. In my specific situation, I had 4 angiographic procedures and a ventriculostomy during the two-week stay after my rupture.
I had shaved hair and hair loss from radiation, let me try to explain. The ventriculostomy, or tube emerging from my head to drain excess spinal fluid from the brain, was near the left forehead hairline. A 3” patch of hair surrounding the tube was shaved during this procedure. This meant the front of my hair was shaved and the rest was long. This hairdo (we fondly called it a “hairdon’t”) is what made me decide to shave my head completely.
But, this is not the hair loss I am speaking of. The worst is yet to come.
I returned home after exactly 2 weeks in the NICU. About 1 week after I came home, a 4”x4” square patch of hair on the back of my head and a 2”x2” patch of hair over my right ear completely fell out. My head was already shaved, so the hair falling out was just shadow-type nubs and truthfully I had no idea. This hair loss was alopecia caused by radiation from the angiography procedures. My family may have thought I already knew about these bald patches. Truthfully, with so many changes and no longer needing to fix my hair, I had no idea! After a week or so, my son asked what caused the perfect bald square on the back of my head. *SHOCK*
The typical places for this hair loss are on the back of the head or above the right ear. I HAD BOTH! Rest assured, the alopecia from this type of radiation is temporary. The hair will grow back. I wish we had known.
Neurofatigue