Dear Kopfrausch team,
Dear Kopfrausch Community,
My name is Bianca, I am 26 years old and I would like to share my story with you to encourage other people.
I have had an exciting year, with many ups and downs. I do not suffer from cancer or alopecia areata. My hair loss was caused by side effects from medication. At the end of June, I became ill with what later turned out to be agranulocytosis. Due to a serious back operation, I have been taking a powerful painkiller and fever-reducing medication (a metamizole) for 12 years now, on and off, to combat severe back pain.
It felt like I was getting tonsillitis or the flu. Severe aching limbs, high fever and sore throat were the symptoms. After a few days I was taken to hospital and after a short time it seemed to get better, but after 3 days the fever rose again and my temperature reached 43°C. In Osnabrück the doctors could not determine the exact cause and transferred me to another hospital in Münster.
For a long time, the doctors suspected that I had mononucleosis. They even suspected malignant lymphoma. But this was not confirmed. Based on my blood work, they saw that I had hardly any white blood cells left in my body and that I had developed fungal pneumonia (lung infection). I did not notice this, however. I was in intensive care for a long time with oxygen. I also developed all kinds of inflammations because I no longer had an immune system. A thrombosis also developed in my thigh. After several weeks and several interventions (operations and bone marrow punctures), it turned out that I could not tolerate the medication (a metamizole) and as a result my immune system had almost completely disappeared. For the doctors, this was a phenomenon because they only knew about this disease from their studies or individual symptoms from cancer therapy. In most cases, this disease is fatal and I have beaten it.
I had to take strong medication for a long period of time and after 2 months my hair started falling out after showering and combing my hair. I was scared because I wasn't prepared for it and nobody told me about the possible side effects. After consulting my family doctor, I should prepare myself for the fact that one day all my hair would fall out due to the side effects of my medication. After a short time I could no longer cover the bald patches with the rest of my hair. I decided to cut it off completely. I couldn't stand showering or combing my hair anymore because I kept hoping it would stop, but it didn't. It was the right decision to shave it off completely because that way I only had to get over the "shock" of losing my hair once.
Ultimately, I think I'm pretty without hair and I've been able to get to know myself in a whole new way. I've tried out lots of different hats and headscarves because a wig was out of the question for me because that just wouldn't have been "me". I feel very comfortable with the headscarves, but also without hair. I had my photo taken because I wanted to capture this moment. I'm no longer afraid of losing my hair again in the future because it only changes my appearance and not my personality. Thanks to the support of the people I love, I got through this difficult time well. This illness almost took my life, but it made me stronger and changed my perspective on life.
Best regards
Bianca
