Friday 17 April 2015

Rogaine

Very early on in my transition I began losing my hair.  I knew this was a possibility with taking testosterone and the fact that male-pattern baldness runs on my Mom's side of the family.  My grandfather and my Mother's brother were bald, as were some uncles on my Dad's side of the family.  Both of my brothers also have dealt with hair loss.

As a female I loved my hair.  It was thick and had some wave and I used to love getting highlights and having it coloured.  However, I was not going to put off transition in favour of keeping my hair.

When my hair first started falling out, I visited my doctor and he prescribed Rograine. While it is not covered by my health benefits through work, it is still worth the cost and has kept the hair loss to a minimum.  Rogaine is dispensed in a mousse-like consistency and is applied to the crown of the head.  Unfortunately it is not effective for the receding hairline, but does prevent more hair from falling out, and I've noticed a downy type hair growing where I would normally be left with a bald spot on the crown of my head.  I keep my hair buzzed short and luckily I have a normal-shaped head for this. 

About a year after starting Rogaine, I noticed that my dog, Dixie, a chihuahua-terrier mix, started scratching herself on her hind end.  Soon there were bald patches on her fur towards the back of her body and I immediately took her to the veterinarian to find out what it was.  The vet was stumped.  



The doctor inquired, "have you introduced a new dog food?"

"No," I replied.

"Could it be your laundry detergent?"

Dixie does sleep with me in my bed, and it seemed like a fairly normal question.

"I haven't changed laundry soaps," I answered.

Concerned, the vet shook her head and sent me on my way with a medicated shampoo and asked me to monitor Dixie for any changes or improvement.

The scratching continued, and upon a second visit to the vet, an antihistamine was prescribed.

Still no change.

One night I was sitting watching some television and it stuck me.  Just before bed I apply Rogaine, and it rubs off on my pillow and I usually give the dog a nice massage all over her body before we fall asleep.  Although I wash my hands after applying Rograine, it's possible there is some residue left.    

So, immediately I began more thoroughly washing my hands and began wearing a cap to bed so that none of the medication would be left on any of the bedding materials.



Voila!  It worked.  The scratching stopped, the bald patches started to fill in and the dog was happy.

I am just glad I figured it out.

I haven't been back to the vet yet, but I am sure she will be happy to hear the results and will no doubt be chuckling a bit after I leave the clinic.

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