What's Not Turning Grey Is Turning Loose

Why weight is not the only thing lost after weight loss surgery


I am almost 3 months out from my surgery, which is hard to fathom in many ways.  Time really does fly, as trite as that statement is.  And, as in my previous surgery/anesthesia experiences, I have begun to notice a little more hair coming out than usual when I shampoo.

In 1995 when I had my gallbladder removed, I was given valuable information about post-surgical hair loss, not by my doctor but by my hairdresser.  He told me that when a patient is put under general anesthesia, some increased shedding of hair will occur a few months later, that it is generally temporary and not a big deal.  I have found this to be the case each time I have had surgery.  In the pre-op class before my weight loss surgery we were also told that we could expect to experience some hair loss in the months after surgery, because our bodies are experiencing lots of metabolic, hormonal and nutritional changes, and again, we were assured that it is not total and generally only temporary.

For lots of women, hair is a big deal.  If a woman says she doesn't really think much about her hair, ask her to shave her head and watch her reaction!  Hair loss can be traumatic for anyone, no matter what causes it, but in our society it can be especially devastating for women.  Aside from Sinead O'Connor in the "Nothing Compares 2 U" video, we haven't been exposed much to beautiful, bald women, at least, not enough to make female baldness seem normal.  So much of our appearance, and how we feel about it, stems from how we feel about our hair.  Hair is a multi-million dollar industry in our country, both in product formulation and in marketing.  Cleansing, conditioning, coloring, curling/straightening...on and on.

I have always been a brunette, both in my soul and on my head.  I have a big, bold, brunette personality.  I have never been tempted to experiment with another color.  Some women play around with their hair color like they change socks, but not me.  When I color it is because the grey is showing enough to really bug me! Grey hairs show up much more vividly in darker hair, after all, because of the contrast.

My first greys started coming in when I was 19 years old and a sophomore in college.  I had a horrible start to the fall semester which included a viral infection in my throat that sent me to the hospital for several days, as well as some other personal issues, and a lot of stress.  I earned those first grey hairs...and all the ones since then as well!  When they first showed up they were more of a curiosity than anything else.

The Hubs will not be happy that I am sharing this, but it's pertinent (and kind of funny now).  When I was 28 years old, my Aunt Mary died, and all of us were in the parlor at the funeral home for the receiving of friends.  I was sitting on the end of a couch, and The Hubs and one of my cousins were a few spaces down from me.  My cousin remarked, "Looks like your wife is getting a little snow on the roof!"  To which The Hubs responded, "I think it's the beginning of a blizzard!"  I heard this exchange and decided that it was time to try coloring my hair.

I know people who have beautiful, full, radiantly silver grey hair.  Aunt Mary in the paragraph above had the best hair of anyone in her family, going from jet black to salt & pepper to snowy white in the front by the time she died.  Her hair never seemed to have an awkward stage as her grey came in.  I color now and then because I'm not happy with the way my grey is coming in.  My personality does not thrive in grey patches and streaks!

People do all kinds of things to change their appearances.  I have 5 ear piercings, but no piercings anyplace else.  I have no tattoos, but I have friends who have lots of them.  I wear makeup, but I have friends who don't.  And someday I expect not to color my hair any more...or maybe not.  It just depends on how things go.

For now, I'm just glad there is hair to color, even if a little more is coming out right now.  If it starts coming out in handfuls, I guess I'll wear hats.  In the grand scheme of things, it's just hair...but it's my hair, and, like the rest of me, I'd like it to be healthy.  That's what this whole process is all about.