Hair loss - thyroid related?

[glorybe]

Just in the last two weeks, I have been losing the hair on my scalp. I am a caucasion female in my early 50's. My hair ranges from 4 to 9 inches long. My hair care process for years has been: I brush my hair just before washing it with an everyday type shampoo using no conditioner, no blow dry, no curlers, no bleach, no dye, no hairspray, no rough handling. Comb with a wide tooth comb while still wet. (I know this is supposed to be a no-no, but I have been doing it for years - so sue me.) I seldom if ever pin it up tight. I do not have dandruff or itchy scalp. My skin and scalp are excessively oily. I have been shampooing everyday for probably 35 years!
What has been going on just in the last two weeks: I brush my hair, clean out all the hair in the brush. Shampoo my hair as normal. My hair comes out - not in clumps, but it still comes out in my hands - while shampooing. I comb out my hair near a trash can because so much hair comes out in comb. Everytime I brush my hair during the day, I get a hand full of hair in the brush - much more than I ever have in my life.
All four of my grandparents and both my parents had full heads of hair, but two of my three brothers are bald. No sisters.
My body does not produce enough thyroid hormone, so I take Levoxyl (synthetic thyroid) and have been for about 10 years. My thyroid level was checked last month and was fine.
Here is my theory: I was hospitalized two months ago and was not given/allowed Levoxyl for a solid two weeks. Could that two week hiatus two months ago be causing my hair loss now?
Meanwhile, should I cut my hair short now and be done with it?

[burninghead]

Tellogen effluvium is a term for shedding due to a traumatic event that happened usually 2 or so months prior. Changes in medication, illness, trauma, surgery etc can cause the hair to go into a premature resting phase. Hair remains in the resting phase for about 2 months before it is shed out. So most likely your hospitalization and medication change set you into a TE shed that most likely will taper off and resolve itself in a few months.

[glorybe]

Thank you for the information. As a follow up, my hair fell out for a solid three weeks then quit. On the whole, it was noticeably thinner to me, but probably not to others. My hair now seems to be back to normal except drier, which could be medication or winter. It is probably still filling in but that is not bothering me.

[burninghead]

It does sound like classic TE. With tellogen effluviums they can last up to a year in rare cases but for most just a few monhts. After I had my children I went through this shedding process and it lasted two months then all the hair regrew when it stopped.

I am so happy yours is filling in, your on your way to recovery!!

[Kolter]

OH, my friend met the same matter, do you konw if a hair comb would lead to this case? I am afraid of that!